Looking at the cover, I anticipated the "usual" fantasy, lots of antiquated (but charming) language, the epic battle of good and evil, goddesses and demons, and things of that nature. This would have been a good thing... but it actually turned out to be better and more unique.

Shannon is a 35 year old high school English teacher in Oklahoma. At an estate sale, she buys an ancient Celtic pot because she's drawn to the image on it... a goddess who looks like her. On the way home, she's in a car accident and wakes in a strange land, to find that she's the Beloved of the Goddess Epona... meaning she's the goddess's living earthly manifestation. Oh, and she's due to be handfast to a Centaur (man from the waist up, then the body of a horse). It also turns out that the "real" Rhiannon, who she's supposed to now be, was a nasty, controlling woman, and she'd found a way to switch places with her image in our world out of a desire for all the "wonders" here. She discovers that ClanFintan, her centaur husband, is pretty wonderful, but their world is about to be invaded by an ancient evil, and together they must save the people who are depending on them.

The narrative of this book is what made it different, very enjoyable, and a fun read. Cast's voice is more like Mary Janice Davidson, which I may have anticipated if I'd noticed Christopher Moore's blurb on the back cover: "Fantasy lovers who have always wanted to make snide remarks as they galloped about the magic rings and evil princes are going to have a great time with this book." Shannon has a quirky sense of humor, and is outspoken about just about everything, and keeps things entertaining, even at the most dire of times.