The Eternal Rose

The Rose Trilogy ends (after The Barbed Rose) in an uneasy blend of magic and eroticism bound to repel some readers and fascinate others. Kallista Varyl Reinine is Godstruck Naitan of the One, Ruler of all Adara, and head of a household of her ten magic-linked mates and their nine children. Group lovemaking with multiple partners within a family unit is considered immoral by some countries but ""in Adara, any family based on fewer than four individuals bound in temple vows was considered crippled."" Kallista must face this prejudice when she journeys to far-off Daryath with her family to recover Merinda, a lost loved one, and her son Sky, who have both been enslaved by the demon Khoriseth. When one of Kallista's partners is killed, the mission to save Merinda's son becomes even more dangerous and urgent. Dayton tries hard to give readers insight into Kallista and her crew as they use magical multiple partner sex and magical battles to solve significant problems-freeing slaves and conquering demons-but she never quite succeeds.