Holidaying in Ireland, Terri MacEgan is warned not to ride out on Midsummer's Eve. But the contrast with her life in Washington has infused her with adventurousness and she insists, cantering on a beautiful grey hunter mare to a Tipperary hill known as a fairy fort. Under the spell of the stars, she is drawn back in time....

In QUEEN OF THE SUN, Conaire the king of this land has lacked a queen but no maid seems worthy of the task. On Midsummer in his time he and two friends are riding when a lady on a tall grey mare appears out of nowhere. Terri's frightened by the strangely-clad men and gallops off, but her mare finds an empty hill instead of her barn. Houses have vanished, and the warrior men catch up so panicking, Terri gives them her gold wristwatch. Speaking Gaelic, they calmly hand it back. Thinking they must be gypsies, Terri rides off again to lose herself in woods until daylight. Conaire decides to guard her while she sleeps, then using the druid lore manages to bestow a gift of communication on the lady. Now he can tell her that she's going to be his queen. Whether she wanted the position or not....

I thoroughly enjoy all of Janeen O'Kerry's books and QUEEN OF THE SUN was no different. Right from the start we know Terri is going to land in trouble and the ancient ways are not to be considered lightly. The descriptions of landscape and nature are gorgeous and as a horse lover I admired the grey mare Firelair and the rest of the horses. The dun or fortified village is carefully reconstructed as we see it through the tourist's eyes - and the locals disapprove of a woman not wearing skirts. The pampering doesn't last and it's amusing to see the proud girl adjust to the simple life being offered. Everything was hard work hundreds of years ago.

What would you do if you had to make your way in the past? Terri chooses to be a horse trainer and so would I; that's a job that would never go out of style. Negotiating the tribal politics is a more difficult matter and this is bound to lead to major trouble. For more Celtic romances by Janeen O'Kerry try Daughter of Gold or Goddess of Eire and another time-travel story is Lady of Fire. QUEEN OF THE SUN is a finely-detailed and exciting read with good historical background.