REVIEW: Raging Sea by Terri Brisbin

In Raging Sea (Stone Circles #2) by Terri Brisbin, Ran Sveinsdottir has spent the last couple of years working aboard her father’s ships with the hopes of both earning some independence and to forget Soren Thorson, the man she once loved who betrayed her. Now Ran may have to join forces with him when she realizes they each have new abilities given to them by ancient gods to protect humanity from being overtaken by an evil goddess.

‘Now, she sat here looking at the one man she could not trust being asked to put her trust in him and in some ancient plan begun eons ago.’

Soren’s ability to harness wind and storms paired with Ran’s control over all water, including the sea, will mean a tenuous alliance given that his feelings for her are still as strong as they were before. They uncover an ancient legend that is coming true, calling on them and a few others to protect the world from Chaela , who is trying to escape her prison beneath the land in Orkney. But as battle lines are drawn, neither Soren nor Ran know who it is safe to trust among the remaining bloodlines, or if they can even put their trust in each other.

“The power is awakening now. The bloodlines are rising. The battle is coming. It is now your destiny. Do not fail in this as I have, Grandson, for the fate of all humanity is at stake.”

Betrayal. Power struggles. Unrelenting love. Terri Brisbin’s second book in the Stone Circles fantasy series was every bit as powerful as the book synopsis made it seem. With a second chance romance also part of the storyline, this definitely held my interest.

Raging Sea is a tough book to review, only because there is so much that I can’t discuss without giving pieces of the plot away. There were a good number of characters who were intricately involved in this fight for good and evil. Some were introduced in book one, Rising Fire, while others joined the battle in this installment. It would probably be better to have read book one to complete the picture of what was truly going on, but Terri Brisbin included enough of the background behind the ancient deities and the legends so that it still made sense.

Set in 1286, I thought Raging Sea was true to the time period while still bringing in fantasy elements to embellish the tale itself. The premise behind this was incredibly interesting, with the ancient gods and goddesses years ago having banished one of their own who had become evil incarnate, leaving future battles to their remaining human bloodlines. It was a mix of history, mythology, romance and mystery, all in one.

The main focus this time was on Soren and Ran on Orkney Island, north of Scotland. Details of the island and how people lived at the time were beautifully written. And I really enjoyed the relationship between Ran and Soren. They obviously still loved each other but after Soren’s betrayal, Ran didn’t trust in him. There were reasons why everything happened to end their love affair before, and as we learned more it restored my own faith in Soren and that things would work out in the end for them. (And it did!!)

I think fantasy lovers will get caught up in the incredible world Terri Brisbin has created. Between the captivating love story and the impending war to save humanity from evil, Raging Sea was an adventure I’m glad I experienced.

Book Info:

Publication: Published October 6th 2015 | by Signet | Stone Circles #2

From the USA Today bestselling author of Rising Fire comes the next novel in the spellbinding series that explores the wondrous and tantalizing mystery of the Celtic stones…

Eons ago, seven ancient deities trapped the goddess of chaos under a ring of stones. But now, in the darkest days of the 13th century, Chaela threatens to escape, leaving the fate of all humanity in the hands of two young lovers…

Ran believed herself to be a normal fisherman’s daughter, until a turbulent storm unleashed within her powers she never knew she had. Those powers have drawn her into the battle of two warring factions: the Warriors of Destiny, whom she knows in her heart to be noble, and a menacing army holding her father captive. Her hope for survival is in the hands of Soren, the man she once loved, the man who betrayed her, and the only man she can trust in a raging battle against evil.