Druzai warrior Brogan MacLochlainn braves the gates of time and space in search of a mysterious stone said to have the mystical powers to protect his people from a powerful sorceress and her followers. Brogan washes up on the shore of North Cumbria, literally at the feet of governess Sarah Granger and her two young charges. The half-drowned warrior finds himself in the year 1813, almost 1000 years and many miles from his home across the sea.

Sarah and the girls drag Brogan out of the ocean and take him to their estate, Ravenfield, to recover. The next morning Sarah demands answers from the stranger, who introduces himself as Brendan Locke. Brogan tells her he fell out of his boat and into the ocean. Sarah doesn't believe a word of his story, but can't disprove it in any way. Brogan stays on at Ravenfield, searching the grounds of a ruined castle on the property for the missing stone he seeks. Sarah is wary of Brogan, but at the moment, the arrogant stranger is the least of her worries. Her employer has recently died leaving Ravenfield entailed and the children at the mercy of a distant cousin. Sarah and the girls fear they will soon be parted and removed from the safety of their home.

Brogan searches for the stone and tries to keep away from Sarah, but he finds himself drawn to her and soon keeping her and the girls safe is as important to him as his search for the blood stone. When the cousin arrives and reveals himself to be a villain of the worst sort, Brogan steps up and takes control of the situation. What else can he do? By now he's a man madly in love and willing to move heaven and earth to protect his woman and claim her as his own.

A WARRIOR'S TAKING by Margo Maguire is the first in a new fantasy series featuring the magic-wielding Druzai warriors and their hidden island across the sea. Light and fun reading, it's just in time for summer.