Review: Lord Griffin's Prize by Katalina Leon

Title: Lord Griffin's Prize (Emerald Isle Fantasies)
Author: Katalina Leon
Source: Publisher Request
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novel
Release Date: July 10, 2013
Reviewer: Jasmyn

Tullamore Castle, Ireland, is an enchanted place where the unexpected happens.  Phantom lovers materialize in haunted bads and a lonely griffin patrols the ramparts, waiting to reclaim its mate.  And that's just the beginning.

For the adventure of a lifetime, Maeve de Burgo visits Tullamore to study genealogy.  Through a magggical act and time travel, she becomes embroiled in a dangerous medieval romance and the unfinished life of her ancenstor.  Maeve gets thrown back in time to be captured, ravished and cherished as a war chief's prize.

Ronan O'Griofa is a griffin shifter, the most loyal of creatures.  He's been trapped in limbo as the avenging guardian of Tullamore since 1332 and longs to be free.  When the soul of his wife returns to the castle, he's granted the privilege of becoming a man for one day to be her lover, win her heart and remind Maeve of a bond strong enough to last an eternity.

Part of the Emerald Isle Fantasies series.

Maeve is drawn to Catle Tullamore after a painful divorce - it seems the best place to get in touch with her history and move on from her disasterous relationship.  Tullamore is full of legends and myths, but the one that draws Maeve the most is the story of the griffin.  When strange things begin to happen she chalks it up to an overactive imagination at first, but soon the flashbacks to an ancient time become more and more real.  

These flashbacks were by far my favorite part of the story.  While they were not the main part of the story, the characters really came to life and overshadowed their modern counterparts.  Unfortunately, the  modern versions just didn't catch my interest as much as I had hoped.

The story itself was incredibly sweet and very romantic.  Ronan has been waiting for centuries for another chance, now he just has to earn it with the "new" Maeve.  He tries hard, but the sunset time limit is mentioned just a little too often, almost like the reader was expected to forget about it.  Ronan seemed a bit stagnant, while Maeve was very dynamic and adapting to all the crazy things happening around her.