"Intricate tapestry of high fantasy with four erotic couples"

SHATTERED LEGACY begins the tale of the Shadow Warriors in England and on the Continent before the Norman Invasion. England is ripe for invasion by the Normans because of internal strife that, on the surface, is being caused by power struggles among the nobility but is, in (Lora Leigh's) reality, caused by Jonar, an exiled Guardian. The Guardians are a powerful extraterrestrial race and, to combat Jonar's dark intentions for earth's inhabitants, they have gifted four Shadow Warriors with extraordinary skills and immortality with which to battle Jonar. Just as the Guardians have given mankind these four warriors, so too has Mother Earth provided for mankind's protection -- in the form of four mortal sisters who hold the power of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water and are the destined mates of the Shadow Warriors. While the four couples are destined for happiness, a price must first be exacted. Ms. Leigh, in her forewarning to the reader that Shattered Legacy is a prequel to the happily-ever-afters that await the couples, describes the price more eloquently than I can: "there is a tragedy, a brief time of fear and pain that gives payment to Fate and Destiny for a future that will dawn with the shining glory of justice and success."

In my review of Lora Leigh's novel JACOB'S FAITH, I commented that Ms. Leigh had written what was, in my opinion, one of the best erotic reads ever. With SHATTERED LEGACY, she has set the bar ever higher by weaving a story of immense beauty and poetry, highly sensual in nature but interlaced with betrayal, agony, and heartbreak. The book is masterfully plotted and intricate despite its fast pace and Ms. Leigh creates characters that are capable of producing an instant empathy in readers. Many readers will cry (a lot) as the story unfolds but they will not despair, for the author has made sure to thread hope and love through this tapestry of high fantasy.

Rated NC17 by the publisher.

Reviewed by Connie Angle for Sensual Romance.

Reviewed by Sensual Romance
Courtesy Sensual Romance
Posted June 2, 2003

Summary

This is the "prequel" to a four-book series. This story sets up the history of each of the couples who will star in the following books. This book itself does not have a "happily ever after" ending.