This beautiful five star read is the final chapter of a trilogy starting with Twilight of Avalon, Dark Moon of Avalon, and ending with Sunrise of Avalon. To say the author saved the best for last is an understatement. I love the era of Arthur (this takes place after Arthur's death) and love this bittersweet tragic love story/legend. In these books the author has added many twists that differ from others, but knowing it is all legend and no one knows what or if it happened, it worked for me. She definitely brought the times of Britain's post Arthur war with the Saxons to life.

But more than that, in this book Trystan and Isolde really came alive for me. Not only alive, but I loved them both and anguished throughout the book because of course I know this is indeed a TRAGIC impossible love. The story delves deeply into who Trystan is and why. In this rendition of the legend he is the son of king Marche who treated him and his mother viciously. He is outlawed in the first book and remains a hunted man deeply involved trying to save his country by at times playing a double agent. He is brilliant and shot with luck too in the danger he throws himself into. At times when he is about to go down his five friends have his back - at other times the woman he loves, Isolde, finds him with her mind and saves him.

In the end of the second book Isolde and Trystan are married but only have a short time together. It is done secretly and then Trystan is gone on another mission, but even as he leaves, Isolde knows she is carrying his child. She also knows he does not intend to return. She does not tell him about the baby for reasons you need to read the book to understand. As they both put themselves in one dangerous situation after the other, this is a tense read but the sense of their incredible love is so well done by this author. I spent the entire last half of the book hating that I know the way this story ends and wanting it not to be. I stopped reading at midnight last night and went to bed. I couldn't stop thinking about the book so got up and finished it at 2:30 this morning. Still thinking about it. One of those series that got better and better with each book, and the final one was truly beautiful.