At three points throughout their lives, Celtans with Flair go through Passages that (I think – again, it's been a while since I read those earlier books) help their Flair settle and, in some cases, allow them to connect with their HeartMates (soulmates). Either they arrived with psi abilities (Flair) already in place, or something about the planet gave some of them psi abilities. The planet Celta was colonized 405 years prior to Heart Quest, and apparently all or most of the colonists were Celtic pagans (I think?). The Holly family's curse, caused by the head of the household's disapproval of Holm and Lark's marriage, had a prominent place in Heart Quest, and I couldn't for the life of me remember why T'Holly had been against their marriage.Īnother thing I had forgotten about this series was the cheesiness of its setup. It wasn't much of a problem that I could barely remember T'Ash, Danith, Straif, and Mitchella's books, but not remembering Holm and Lark's book ( Heart Duel) definitely was. Ilex's murder investigation led to him talking to lots of characters I knew had been in the previous books but otherwise couldn't remember much about. Although this was a reread, it wasn't the best way to jump back into the series. It's been years since I last read the four books prior to this one. As he investigates a recent series of murders, he worries about Trif's similarity to the victims and does his best to keep her safe. All he'll allow himself to do is watch over her and be her friend. He wishes he could court her properly but 1) he's 25 years her senior and feels that he's far too old for her and 2) he's had visions that tell him he'll die soon, and HeartMates always die within a year of each other. Guardsman Ilex Winterberry made sure to wait until after Trif had searched her building before moving in. What she doesn't realize is that he's living in her apartment building. Trif Clover desperately wants to find her HeartMate, to the point where she has decided to risk ridicule and embarrassment by going door to door throughout the city and looking for him with her charmkey.

Heart Quest by Robin D. Owens