The Quest

When young sorceress and healer Ana de Dannon uses an ancient spell to conjure the great Irish warrior Cuchulainn, she expects a legendary champion with the strength of 10 men to help her to free her captive mother, Rhiannon. What she gets, in this charming time-travel romance, is Kenneth MacKinnon (aka Mac), a professional quarterback for the Seattle Warriors fresh from the football field. Fed up with his life as a superstar, Mac is not sure what he wants anymore. But being magically transported to 14th-century Scotland to fight in a sword tournament he can't possibly win is definitely not it. Featuring a strong, independent heroine as fiery as her bright orange hair, this crisply written romance is lighthearted yet engaging. Binder (The Inscription) creates a colorful cast of characters, including Mac, a hero with courage, honor and intelligence to match his stature; Danu, Ana's aunt, a down-to-earth sorceress; and Colin, a battle-weary Scot set to the task of training Mac how to use a sword. Though at times the plot moves slowly and one of Binder's subplots is too quickly tied together, her solid historical detail and well-drawn period settings should please readers. Throughout she imaginatively and gracefully weaves elements of humor, magic and romantic tension. (Aug.)