Being the winter house-sitter of a beautiful lake shore property in Maine was great for Melodi Mason. She could have peace to finish her doctoral dissertation on early Eastern Woodland Indian culture and do her friend Judy a favor at the same time. One day, Melodi was down by the lake and heard a haunting, yet beautiful melody come to her from across the water. It grew in volume until it was suddenly blasting inside Melodi's head, causing her to pass out.

Awaking hours later, and not knowing how long she had been out in the woods, she returned to the house to find Darien Stewart standing in the driveway.

Darien was Judy's brother. He was devilishly handsome and currently the hottest singer on the country music scene. But he had come to the woods to hide. He was there to try to deal with the disease that would change his life. The fevers and weakness of the disease would leave him--and so would his voice. Darien wanted solitude to figure out what he was going to do with his life.

The two did not hit it off right away and retreated to each of their shelters: Darien to the main house and Melodi to the guesthouse. They both realized that they would have to at least make some sort of peace with each other if they were going to be out there all winter. When they began to talk, they found out that each of them had heard the same haunting tune in their heads that Melodi heard by the lake. They also had both been having hallucinations/dreams about an ancient Native American tribe.

Melodi and Darien went to see Melodi's old lover and fellow student of anthropology at the University. Joe Featherlark knew many of the old legends and music of the ancient Indians that used to travel the areas by the lake where the house was. Joe believed the tune was pulling both Melodi and Darien back to an ancient time from which they might not have been able to return. Joe wanted them to see his Grandfather who was a shaman. It was imperative that they understand more about those dreams, and Grandfather Featherlark probably had the answers. Melodi and Darien were told not to return to the lake, as that seemed to be where the music had its power over them.

But the two did return, and later that night as they sat together, they heard the music and were both drawn into ancient times. Joe and Grandfather came in and pulled Darien back, but Melodi remained in the past. She had to return to the present or her body would die. With the help of Grandfather's eagle spirit guide, Darien returned to get Melodi. While there, he found out that not only must he bring Melodi back, the two of them had to right a wrong done in the past and save the tribe that Melodi was with.

As I started reading, I initially felt that this was going to be the same old story of two people who hate each other at first and then fall in love at the end. Instead, I was drawn into a fascinating adventure taking me between the past and the present. There is also a bit of mystery to go along with our love story. The longer Darien stays in the past--without his disease--the more it seems as though he might try and get Melodi to stay with him and not return to the present. It was a pleasure to get deeper and deeper into this story. And we get a happy ending to boot!

Reviewed By: Kathy Martin
© August 2004