Book 2 in the bag again, this for me is where the world starts to gain some real depth, characters develop a fair bit and new characters are introduced.
The introduction in some detail of the Dark Dweomer gives this book a solid story arch and creates some moments of real tension.

Onto book 3 and if I keep reading at this pace I shall need to start buying the remaining books before the end of the month paperback or kindle hmmmm choices choices!

From my notes on book one:

A long, luxurious nap in the sun. Some faded tartan slippers that feel just right. The wireless murmuring BBC Radio Four in the distance, as you weed around the geraniums, perhaps.

The Deverry books are like this; old fashioned, rather placid, hypnotically comforting and rather pleasing. They're unabashedly quite modest in many ways; there isn't the scale of Middle Earth - one might be able to spit across the realms of Deverry. The magic is more spiritual than fire and lightening. Blood and battles are brief, and it's about as intellectually and emotionally challenging as The Cat in the Hat.

But you know what? That's just fine: Kerr offers a cosy daydream to sink into, a well-crafted world blessed with some delightfully charming characters. The familiar clash of rival kings is there; but these books are more taken with the journey of the characters' souls; and indeed, that's one place the books are extraordinarily bold - through the series we wax and wane back and forth in time though several generations, following these spirits as they reincarnate and attempt to fulfil a greater destiny. In this way, the errors of the past are neatly related to the challenges of the characters' present, and are strung together through the perspective of dear old Nevyn, the herbalist-sorcerer who can't seem to find his own rest until his world is put to rights. Jill, too, deserves an honourable mention; a spirited girl who grows up in the shadow of her mercenary-knight father to apprehend her own destiny.

So while it doesn't have the overt intellectual clout of Rothfuss, the scale of Tolkien, the operatic absurdity of Weis and Hickman, the action movie sensibility of Scott Lynch, or the emotional punch of Hobb; the Deverry books are their own admirable thing, and like a great cup of tea will just hit the right spot for many readers.

In many ways, these books have much finer ring of authenticity than most you'll find - in their relative modesty they conjure more convincingly the real legends of c. iron-age England, Ireland or Wales; and far more delightfully than the leaden and ham-fisted The Pillars of the Earth series.

A good read for those seeking a spiritually-minded, comfortable old yarn.

This book once again moves us back and forth through time to focus on the tragic love triangle replaying itself out in different timelines.

The first jump back in time instantly feels disappointing since I was eager to continue reading about events in the current timeline rather than those of characters long dead.
The flashback story had minimal ramifications to the present-day main story/characters so felt more like having a separate novella jammed into the middle of the book.

Aside from the novella aspect, both of the stories were interesting and I enjoyed the reading experience overall.

Tbd

This was a good fantasy with magic, battles and an old herbman named Nevyn who watches as the souls of those he loved are reincarnated again and again. I liked both storylines - one featuring Gweniver, Dannyn and Ricyn and the other, Jill, Rhodry and Cullyn. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, The Bristling Wood.