Category: Book Reviews

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Review: Highland Lover by Hannah Howell

Review of Highland Lover by Hannah Howell, an historical romance novel set in medieval Scotland.

Highland Lover by Hannah Howell cover
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Synopsis

Alana Murray is kidnapped and is imprisoned in a very dark hole with Gregor MacFingal Cameron. After a trying escape, Alana becomes fevered and Gregor has to find a safe shelter and nurse her back to health. In her delirium, she reveals more about herself than she had wanted to, including that she was searching for her sister, Keira.

Once she’s recovered, the two of them set off to find her sister, whose home just happens to be in the same direction as Gregor’s family. When they reach Gregor’s home, they are both stunned to find Mavis, the woman Gregor had courted, and her father already there and claiming that they were betrothed.

In the meantime, Gregor has realised which woman he wants to marry but he doesn’t want to speak of his feelings to Alana until he has dealt with Mavis. This has left Alana hurt and unsure if she can trust him.

Review

Highland Lover has to be the worst book I have read by this author. While the first half had action, it was unoriginal. Once they arrived at the monastery, there were all these references to Keira’s story that made no sense and kind of overshadowed Alana and Gregor for a bit. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t as good as Hannah Howell’s other books.

It seemed a bit strange that the cabin Gregor found to hide in immediately after the escape was so safe for so long. Why would such a nice cottage be so convenient? Surely the Gowans would have known that it was there and checked it for their runaways.

The fact that the cottage had a sturdy wooden door should have alerted him to the possibility that this was no mere cottar’s hut, he realized. Opening one of the thick shutters on one of the three windows, he found glass panes, a true luxury. Although the mattress upon the bed was stuffed with straw, it was thick and clean. A poor man would have taken such a fine mattress with him. Gregor then recalled how the cottage was tucked deep within the woods with no area cleared for farming or the raising of animals. He began to think he had stumbled upon some laird’s retreat, perhaps even a place where he housed his lemans out of sight and reach of his wife. It was pure luck that the man was between lovers at the moment, Gregor mused.

I loved the way Artan and Lucas were so protective over Alana, and how Gregor responded to their behaviour. It was so entertaining but realistic. I can easily imagine protective elder brothers from any era acting the same way over the man who beds their little sister.

By the end of the book, I found myself with quite a disliking for Gregor. I can understand why he didn’t tell Alana about Mavis (after all, he justifies himself repeatedly). But then it turns out that he has two illegitimate sons that he never so much as thought about while he was with Alana.

Conclusion

Have you read Highland Lover? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments.

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Review: Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick

Review of Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick, historical fiction based on the life of Henry I’s daughter, Matilda, set in 12th century England and France.

Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick (review by Travelling Book Nerd)
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Synopsis

Following the death of her husband, Empress Matilda returns to her father’s court in England. As he has no surviving legitimate sons, King Henry is making plans and back-up plans for the succession. Part of these plans involve marrying Matilda to Geoffrey, Count of Angou. Matilda is almost twice Geoffrey’s age and sees him as little more than an insolent puppy.

Then Henry dies. Matilda’s cousin Stephen swoops in to take her father’s crown before her supporters can act. United by the need to secure their sons’ futures, Matilda campaigns for England while Geoffrey fights in Normandy. Will they succeed? Can Matilda win back the crown her father promised her?

Review

Of course, anyone who knows the least bit of Medieval English history knows how the story ends. Stephen holds on to the crown until his death, at which point Matilda’s son Henry becomes king. I liked how the author ended the book where she did, at the point where Matilda leaves England and her son comes to the fore of the story.

I like how Lady of the English shows Matilda in a different light to how she is usually seen. Historically, Matilda is thought of as proud, demanding, and overbearing. Book-Matilda is brave, intelligent, and frustrated at not being taken seriously just because she’s a woman. This makes her fascinating and likeable.

She looked round at the menfolk of her family and knew they would never understand, much less want to do so. That her place was above theirs, that she was the only one born of a ruling king and queen, was cause for envy, not worship. Had she been male, she could have led the discussion about to begin without a second thought. As it was, although she was a figurehead, they did not expect her to contribute to the dialogue, any more than they expected her to gird on a sword and don a mail shirt. Geoffrey was here with his army, amply fortified by the two thousand marks Stephen had given to him the previous year. He wanted to talk tactics with Robert, not her.

The author, Elizabeth Chadwick, does a great job of plausibly filling the gaps in the historical record. She really transported me into the 12th century. I appreciated how well she stuck to historical fact; for example, there is an opportunity to sensationalise the story with a possible affair between Matilda and one of her supporters, but the evidence is sketchy and she instead shows Matilda as devoted to God and her family. The book seems really well researched, though I’m not so sure about her use of akashic records.

The ending had me crying my eyes out (this seems to happen a lot these days). For so long, Adeliza had longed for children and once she finally had a family, she had very little time with them before she became unwell and had to leave. It is so sad.

Conclusion

Have you read Lady of the English? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments.

If you haven’t, you can buy it at Book Depository (they have free international shipping!).

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Review: One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters

Review of One Corpse Too Many, the second Chronicle of Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters, a mystery set in 12th century England.

One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters cover
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Synopsis

Following the 1138 Siege of Shrewsbury, 94 people are executed. Brother Cadfael volunteers to clean and dispose of the bodies. Counting them, Cadfael notices that there are 95 bodies. He identifies the extra corpse and is convinced that he must find the killer.

His breakthrough comes when his new helper finds the dead man’s friend lying behind some bushes, badly wounded. Together, the three of them work to gather evidence and Cadfael finds who was behind the attack, and why they attacked.

Review

I really enjoyed One Corpse Too Many. It has a couple of romantic sub-plots, lots of lively intrigue, and interesting characters. The overall story is well constructed. I love the way this author writes; the language feels like it fits the historical setting and it doesn’t linger on the gore-y bits.

One Corpse Too Many was the first of the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael that I read and even though it’s technically the second book in the series, it’s a great starting point. It’s the book that introduces Hugh Beringar; even though Hugh becomes important in the rest of the series, it’s not obvious in this book.

The evidence was attained a bit too conveniently. Cadfael seems to stumble across much of the evidence, especially the last piece that proves who the murderer is, accidentally. Even once he knows who the murderer is, the murderer is only convicted through trial by combat. Granted, it took intelligence to put all the pieces together.

Cadfael was walking back to the hall when his eye fell upon a lad of about twelve, who was sitting in the torchlight on the inner side of the gate house, his back comfortably against the wall, carving his meat into small pieces with a narrow-bladed knife. Cadfael had seen him earlier, in the kitchen, gutting fish with the same knife, but he had not seen the haft of it, and would not have seen it now if the boy had not laid it down beside him on the ground while he ate.

Cadfael halted and gazed, motionless. It was no kitchen knife, but a well-made dagger, and its hilt was a slender shaft of silver, rounded to the hand, showing delicate lines of filigree-work, and glowing round the collar of the blade with small stones. The hilt ended in a twist of silver broken off short. It was hard to believe, but impossible not to believe. Perhaps thought really is prayer.

I liked how Ellis Peters respects both sides of the ongoing war. She doesn’t favour either Stephen or Maud (Matilda) over the other. In fact, many of the characters seem unconcerned about who sits on the throne and it makes no difference to the story.

Conclusion

Have you read One Corpse Too Many? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments.

If you haven’t, you can buy it at Book Depository (they have free international shipping!).

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Review: The Tartan MP3 Player by C. A. Szarek

Review of The Tartan MP3 Player by C. A. Szarek, a time-travelling historical romance set in 17th century Scotland.

The Tartan MP3 Player by C.A. Szarek cover
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Synopsis

Claire McGowan finds herself running naked along a cold beach. At first, she thinks she is having a particularly vivid dream, but when she meets Duncan MacLeod it becomes apparent that she is in the Scottish Highlands in the 1600s.

Duncan’s brother, Alex, was captured by the Fae King Fillan six months earlier. Since then, Duncan has been searching for the Faery Stones so that he can enter the Fae Realm and rescue Alex. Now, he has found a strange woman who looks to have come through the very same Stones that he has been looking for. He takes her in, hoping that she knows something that will help him.

After a week of fighting to keep their attraction to each other under control, Duncan insists that they marry. By the time they find the stones and begin their attempt to save Alex, both Duncan and Claire are struggling with their feelings and eminent separation.

Review

The Tartan MP3 Player looks a lot like it started as Outlander fanfiction, especially at the start. A woman is transported back in time through stones where she marries a man that she then falls in love with and stays in the past for. Very Outlander. However, the style is very different and as the story progresses the fantasy element comes out more, the differences become more obvious.

Usually, I don’t like books with a lot of magic or a strong fantasy element. However, the way it was dealt with in this book was quite believable and I found that it didn’t feel strange or unusual. The author managed to weave the Faery world and the real world together in a very convincing manner.

“The Fae might be in stories, but they’re very real, Claire.”

She scoffed, and the water shifted in the tub with her movements, splashing against the side of the tub.

“Ye’ve come through time, yet ye doubt?”

Claire paused, her green eyes boring into him. “True. I was still hoping this is all a dream.”

Duncan smirked. “Nay, lass.”

“So the Fae are real?” Her tone was a combination of curiosity and disbelief.

“Aye, and they hold my brother captive.”

There were a couple of erotic scenes in the middle of the book that were excessively explicit. It wouldn’t have been too hard to tone them down a notch. We don’t need to know that much!

I wonder why Alana, the Fae Princess that Alex married, didn’t leave the Fae realm earlier, perhaps when she first married, or when she had Angus. Of course, if she had there would be no story and this book would be absolutely rubbish. Perhaps she loved the Fae and didn’t want to leave them, but she obviously loves her son and husband.

The writing style is a bit abrupt. There are a lot of short sentences and one-line paragraphs that make it feel jumpy or startling (I’m not entirely sure what word would best convey what I’m thinking). There are also a couple of bits where the author explains things that happened earlier, which seems a bit amateurish.

Despite the above comments (most of which appear to be negative), I got hooked into this book, read it several times in a row, and want to read the other books in the series.

Conclusion

Have you read The Tartan MP3 Player? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments.

If you haven’t, it can be bought at the following stores:

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Review: Daughter of Time by Sarah Woodbury

Review of Daughter of Time by Sarah Woodbury, prequel to the After Cilmeri series of time-travelling historical fiction set in medieval Wales

Daughter of Time by Sarah Woodbury cover
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Synopsis

Meg has been going through a rough time when a car accident throws her and her two-year-old daughter into 13th century Wales. Her car lands in a marsh and she is rescued by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales. Unsure what to make of her, he takes Meg with him as he deals with a rogue lord.

Along the way, Meg shares what she knows about Welsh history, particularly about Llywelyn’s betrayal and death 14 years later. As they spend more time together, they grow to care about each other and face various challenges together.

Review

It’s pretty obvious that Daughter of Time is a prequel. The story-line is weak (the main villain and conflict are unclear), there is very little character development (Meg doesn’t grow personally at all), and the secondary characters are insubstantial (it might have been easier to care for them if you had already read the main series).

Meg’s reaction to being in Medieval Wales is very believable. She initially distrusts the people around her and doesn’t immediately fall in love with her rescuer. She doesn’t magically understand the local language. However, she also doesn’t think much about her mother and sister at home; they must have been going mad worrying about her disappearing.

I had no idea what he’d said. Confused because his words were unintelligible, even as they tugged at my ear with familiar tones, I didn’t move or say anything, just stared. He tried again. I shook my head, uncertain.

He stayed relaxed, his hands at his sides and walked toward me, speaking a little louder, as if somehow that would help. I was desperately trying to make sense of what he was saying, but as he got closer, my breath rose in my chest until it choked me. He must have seen the fear in my face because he stopped, about three feet from the bed. I finally found my voice.

“What?” The words came out as little more than a squeak. “Who are you?” I dragged my eyes from his face and flashed them around the room again, seeking somewhere to run but no seeing anything but the long distance to the door and the man standing between it and me.

There were a few things that bothered me about Anna. For example, she seemed way too advanced for a 2-year-old; the sentences she uses are too complex. While I loved how everyone treated Anna (especially Llywelyn’s knights), it seemed like she was an extra character that was there because the author was stuck with her, not because she played any part in the story.

The ending made me want to scream. Meg’s return to the present is so sudden; it just happened. I’m not even sure if whatever story-arc the author was pursuing in the 13th century had a conclusion. I assume all the questions I was left with would be answered if I read the first book in the series.

Conclusion

Have you read Daughter of Time? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments.

If you haven’t, you can buy it at Book Depository (they have free international shipping!). However, I got a copy of the eBook for free on Face Book (obviously the author giving away the prequel in order to get people hooked and buying the rest of the series); if you don’t mind eBooks, go and take a look.

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Review: Highland Hearts by Hannah Howell

Review of Highland Hearts, an historical romance by Hannah Howell set in medieval Scotland

Highland Hearts by Hannah Howell cover
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Synopsis

Moments after Tessa Delgado frees Sir Revan Halyard from her uncle’s dungeon, Revan kidnaps her. Revan suspects that Tessa’s uncle is involved in a plot to overthrow King James II and she just happens to have the information that he needs. Suddenly they are on the run, trying to reach the King before Uncle Thurkettle and the treacherous Douglases can track them down.

Forced together, Revan and Tessa find themselves increasingly attracted to each other and before long have begun a “no strings attached” affair. This is complicated when Tessa’s other uncle, Sir Silvio Delgado Comyn, demands that Revan marry her. Knowing how Revan feels about the land and money she has inherited, Tessa determines that she must find a way to release him despite how much she has come to love him.

Review

Highland Hearts was fast-paced with lots of action. Revan and Tessa are constantly running from some sort of danger or trying to get their various bits of information to the king. Even once they’ve passed their information on, they quickly uncover more information, making their flight to the king even more urgent.

These two have sex far too soon for my liking. I get that they’ve been alone in a cave together for days on end and there is this immediate connection between them. However, it is the 15th century and Tessa is an obviously virtuous young woman. There is no way they would have done anything like this so quickly in real life.

Despite all the trouble she was in, she knew sleep would come quickly. It was just weighting her body when she felt Revan slip under the blanket and lay down beside her. Wide-eyed with shock, suddenly alert, she turned to stare at his broad back.

“What are you doing?” she squeaked.

“Going to sleep.”

“Ye canna sleep here.”

“’Tis the only place to sleep there is. Wheesht, I am too weary to bother with some fool lass’s outrage. I am also too weary to be any threat to any female. So ye can just calm yourself down and go to sleep.”

It was interesting to see how the characters dealt with Tessa having money while Revan had none. Usually the man has the money while the woman may have a small dowry (and not much more). Revan seems to be the only one who sees any problem with him not having any money to contribute to his potential marriage.

Conclusion

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Review: White Rose Rebel by Janet Paisley

Review of White Rose Rebel, historical fiction by Janet Paisley set in 18th century Scotland

White Rose Rebel by Janet Paisley cover
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Synopsis

Anne Farquharson, lady McIntosh, is a staunch Jacobite. When her husband, Aeneas, is forced to join the government forces to put down the ’45 rising, she raises the men of the clan herself. Throughout the conflict Anne and Aeneas constantly find themselves coming up against each other.

Following the end of the rising at Culloden, Anne is given to Aeneas as a virtual prisoner. Together, they must rebuild their relationship and come to terms with the end of Scottish culture. Meanwhile, Anne does all in her power to secure the freedom of those Jacobite supporters who are being kept prisoner. Aeneas tries to help her but must maintain the appearance of supporting the crown and keeping Anne controlled.

Review

White Rose Rebel is a well-researched book, told primarily from a woman’s point of view. Three aspects of the major characters’ lives (war, politics, and love) are beautifully woven together to create an emotional adventure. The love triangle between Aeneas, Anne, and MacGillivray is realistic and heart-breaking.

I loved how the English were portrayed as barbarians while the Scottish were forward thinking and civilised, particularly in how they treat their women. It was an interesting look at what makes a culture civilised (such as equality) and the English inclination to conquer and “civilise” everyone else.

Meg went to the woman’s horse, running her hands expertly over its back leg. The man stirred in his saddle, clearly uncomfortable.

“Move, Helen,” he insisted. “These northern tribes are savages.”

As Cath arrived beside them, Meg looked up from her examination of the horse. “Tha e crùbach,” she said, in her own Gaelic tongue. “It’s lame.”

Anne grabbed hold of the bridle on the man’s mount.

“Among savages,” she said, “wives don’t walk while husbands ride.”

I liked how the story continued well past Culloden. Many books in this kind of setting use Culloden as either a starting or ending point. It was nice to see how such a major event changed things. That being said, I’m a tad disappointed that neither Anne nor Aeneas was actually at Culloden during the battle.

The very end of the story felt a bit rushed. Even though Anne and Aeneas had been becoming closer to each other again after Culloden, and they did magnificently at the Duke of Cumberland’s ball (such a fantastic scene), their final reconciliation happens a bit suddenly.

Conclusion

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Review: Highland Sinner by Hannah Howell

Review of Highland Sinner, historical romance set in 15th century Scotland by Hannah Howell

Highland Sinner by Hannah Howell cover
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Synopsis

Women are being brutally murdered and butchered. Sir Tormand Murray has had affairs with all of them. Before long, rumours are circulating that he is responsible for the deaths and Tormand’s life is threatened by fearful locals intent on justice. His friend, Simon, soon arrives to investigate.

With more women dying and no leads to follow, Simon and Tormand meet with Morainn, a young woman who has visions. Morainn agrees to help but doing so quickly lands her in danger from the killers, and she moves to Tormand’s house so that his relatives can protect them.

Tormand fights his attraction to Morainn, fearing what she means for his future. However, constantly being in the same house makes it impossible to avoid her, and before long he finds himself trying to woo her.

Review

Highland Sinner is just as much mystery as it is romance. Who is murdering all these women? Why are they framing Tormand? Will Morainn ever find out where Walin came from? The ‘Tormand and Morainn relationship’ storyline seems to be secondary to the mystery a lot of the time.

I was pleased by how Tormand had already started getting over his “leaping from one bed to another like some demented toad” before meeting Morainn. There are too many books out there already where the hero acts horribly at the beginning and the heroine changes him.

I absolutely loved Tormand’s relationship with his family. They obviously care for each other and would do anything to save Tormand from suffering. Yet, there’s constant complaining about each other and teasing among them (especially about Tormand’s reputation and attempts to woo Morainn).

I didn’t like how much the relationship between Tormand and Morainn was analysed. There are way too many instances where Tormand ponders his feelings and future, or Morainn weighs the consequences of becoming his lover. It’s an effective way of showing how their relationship progresses, but it feels overdone.

Conclusion

Have you read Highland Sinner? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? What about other books by Hannah Howell? Let me know in the comments.

If you haven’t, it can be bought at Book Depository (they have free worldwide shipping!).

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Review: People of the Lightning

Review of People of the Lightning, historical fiction set in prehistoric Florida by Kathleen O’Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear

Cover for People of the Lightning by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear
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Synopsis

In prehistoric Florida, Cottonmouth has been attacking every village he can since Musselwhite left him 26 years ago. As her clan gets smaller and her husband (Diver) is captured during an attack, Musselwhite must form an alliance with Heartwood Clan. In order to cement the alliance, she must marry Podwader. Pondwader is a lightning boy, so called because of his unusually pale skin, white hair, and pink eyes.

Following the wedding celebrations, Musselwhite receives word that Diver is alive and sets off alone to rescue him. Pondwader follows and Musselwhite tries to send him back, believing that he will be nothing but a hinderance. However, Pondwader has a baby lightning bird inside him and is determined to be there when Musselwhite confronts Cottonmouth.

Review

In the tradition of many oral cultures, People of the Lightning is told by an elder. He narrates the prologue, the final chapter, and interrupts the story at several points throughout the book. I found it amusing how he keeps losing his train of thought and the unnamed child he’s talking to has to bring him back on track.

I loved how there was a lot of detail about the culture, even if there is a bit much about their burial rites (after all, that is most of what we know about these people). People of the Lightning is set in a really obscure time period that no one knows about. It was nice to read something with a setting so different to what I usually read.

The climax of the story was a little underwhelming. Throughout the book we get all these hints of a large confrontation coming up, but when it arrived, it rather fell flat for me. While the events described would have been impressive and frightening in real life, the way the author described it made it seem relatively tame.

I was slightly disturbed by the fact that a 42-year-old woman was married to a 15-year-old boy. I completely understand that it probably fits the historical context, but for some reason I just couldn’t get past it for. Musselwhite is almost three times Pondwader’s age, she has children older than him, and his sister flirts with her son.

Conclusion

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Review: Once Tempted by Elizabeth Boyle

Review of Once Tempted, a regency era romance by Elizabeth Boyle

Once Tempted by Elizabeth Boyle cover

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Synopsis

Olivia Sutton was deceived by and fell in love with a man who really only wanted her to tell him where a treasure called “The King’s Ransom” is hidden. She escapes and goes into hiding, having been wrongly accused of murder. Years later, the man who ruined her life returns from the grave and Olivia goes to confront him.

Turns out it’s not the same man, but his cousin. Robert is on a mission for the crown to find The King’s Ransom to fund the ongoing war against Napoleon for the Iberian Peninsular. To this end, he takes Olivia with him to Portugal.

While there, the truth about the man that Olivia was accused of murdering comes out, and as much as he might resist it, Robert falls in love with her. They join the war, look for the treasure, and finally deal with the ghosts that have been following them for seven years.

Review

Once Tempted was different and entertaining. It was good to see a heroine who participated in a major event that happened. Many books set in this period completely brush over or ignore the wars going on at the time. However, in this book, the wars are integral to the plot and we see the characters participating in them.

Some things seemed quite implausible. Olivia’s code breaking abilities is one (she deciphered a document that had stumped the rest of the world for centuries). The fact the Robert and his cousin look so identical is another. It’s all just too convenient to be believable.

It was interesting how the villain doesn’t show up until the end. The effects of his actions are felt throughout the book, and he is mentioned regularly. However, we are led to believe that he died years ago (even the heroine is surprised when he appears).

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t spectacular, but I enjoyed it. The hero was hunky, the heroine was spunky, and the pair of them had great banter. There were all the typical barriers to their relationship and near misses that might have resulted in death before they could get together.

Conclusion

Have you read Once Tempted? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments.