Category: Book Reviews

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Review: A Deadly Brew by Susanna Gregory

Review of A Deadly Brew, an historical mystery set in Medieval Cambridge by Susanna Gregory

A Deadly Brew by Susanna Gregory cover

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Synopsis

Doctor Matthew Bartholomew is trying to get on with teaching his students at the University of Cambridge while treating his patients in the town who have the winter fever. Things go wrong, however, when a student and a teacher both die after drinking poisoned wine. This is shortly followed by the murder of a servant on university property.

Bartholomew tries to keep out of the investigation, leaving it to his friend, Brother Michael. Then their lives are threatened and Bartholomew is forced to help. Before long he’s dealing with an unusual corpse, a nun hiding in the home of a prostitute, and students failing disputations due to the winter fever.

Review

This mystery has a lot of different layers. There’s the sale of the wine and the accidental poisonings. Then there’s the mystery of who brought the poisoned wine into Cambridge and for what reason. Also, there’s all the smuggling going on and the attacks on various characters. It’s all intertwined and was difficult to keep track of.

I had to read this book through twice in order to really follow the story. The second time, I was much better able to keep track of who the minor characters were and who exactly did what. It was very complex, and I liked that, but it made it hard to remember what had already happened and understand what is going on.

I didn’t like how the main characters (Bartholomew and Michael) turn out to have very little to do with finally solving the mystery. They work out what happened to the wine and uncover who killed Master Greene. However, they have no idea about the mastermind who first brought the poison into Cambridge until he reveals himself while trying to kill Bartholomew.

“And I suppose our little roles in all this count for nothing?” asked Michael scathingly.

“Precisely!” said Langelee, with a superior grin. “And you would not even be alive now, if it were not for me.” He beamed at them, oblivious of Michael’s indignation.

The author did a fantastic job at recreating the atmosphere of medieval Cambridge. It was like I could feel the cold and I really sympathised with the residents of Michaelhouse not having enough fires and candles during the long winter nights. While I was reading, the world really did feel saturated.

Conclusion

Have you read A Deadly Brew? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? What about other books by Susanna Gregory? 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: Three Weeks with Lady X by Eloisa James

Review of Three Weeks with Lady X, Historical Romance set in late 18th century England by Eloisa James

Three Weeks With Lady X by Eloisa James cover

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Synopsis

Thorn Dautry is the highly ambitious, very rich, illegitimate son of the duke of Villiers. In an attempt to dilute the effects of illegitimacy (at least for his future children), Thorn determines to marry the well-born Laetitia Rainsford (aka Lala). Knowing that Lala’s mother won’t allow the marriage unless he can impress her, Thorn buys a country house and hires Lady Xenobia India St. Clair to renovate it.

India is familiar with Lady Rainsford and knows that it will take more than a fancy house to get her to agree to the marriage. In addition to fixing up his house, India attempts to correct his manners. As they spend more time together and their relationship becomes increasingly heated, Thorn tries to set India up with his best friend, Vander.

Review

Three Weeks with Lady X has less romance in it than one would expect from a romance novel, particularly towards the beginning. While Thorn and India are physically attracted to each other, they both work towards fixing the other’s relationship with other people. Unfortunately, the author uses quite a few modern idioms and euphemisms that don’t fit the setting and also make the story seem more sexual than romantic.

I liked India. She is independent and a free thinker. Despite her obvious strength, we see her brought low towards the end when Thorn is unwell. This made her seem much more real than if she had been unaffected by Thorn’s injuries.

Right from the beginning, Thorn and India’s relationship is prickly and heated. They disagree on just about everything, while still managing to become friends and care for each other. This is particularly brought out by the stuff that was left in the house when the previous owner died. Additionally, the dialogue between the two of them was always entertaining.

“Those pictures are exaggerations. You do know that, don’t you, India?”

She scowled at him. “The matter is irrelevant.”

“It’s not irrelevant, because you’re about to marry. During my years at Eton, I saw hoards of men starkers. I can tell you this, India; whoever you marry will not compare to Feather.”

India felt, irrationally, that she should defend her future husband. “You don’t know that,” she objected. “I’m sure he will be … everything that a man should be.”

Thorns grin was making that hot and muddled feeling spread all over her body. “It’s really irrelevant,” she repeated crossly.

“Maybe before you decide on the man, I should take him for a dip in the horse pond and take a discreet glance. It would be awful if you went to your wedding night with images of Feather in mind, only to discover your beloved is the size of a thimble.”

“He won’t be!”

“How would you know? I would feel terrible if a book I owned corrupted you and consequently you never enjoyed your marital life.”

Compared to Thorn’s relationship with India, his relationship with Lala is subdued. Lala is quiet, timid, and a bit afraid of Thorn. She seems quite drippy and obviously believes that she is an idiot. I liked how Lala became more sure of herself around the doctor; she was clearly interested in his work and acted intelligently once she had someone treating her like she was smart.

I was disappointed that Vander didn’t get a HEA. Thorn and India (predictably) ended up together. Lala found someone that she loved. Vander is the only person who gets caught up in this complex web of relationships that doesn’t get together with the love of his life.

Conclusion

Have you read Three Weeks with Lady X? 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 Book Depository (they have free worldwide shipping!).

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Review: Into The Wilderness by Sara Donati

Review of Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati, an historical fiction novel set in late 18th century New York state.

Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati cover
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Synopsis

December 1792, Elizabeth joins her father at his home in the New York wilderness. She plans to start a school where she can teach all the local children. Despite her determination to remain single, her father has lined up a marriage for her with the local doctor.

Instead, she falls in love with Nathaniel Bonner, known to the local Indians as ‘Between-Two-Lives’ for the way he moves between the white and red worlds. In order to save the mountain the Bonners and their Mohawk family live on, Hidden Wolf, Elizabeth tricks her father and elopes with Nathaniel. What follows is an epic battle to keep what belongs to them and regain the good opinion of the local villagers.

Review

Into the Wilderness is often compared to Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. A brief appearance by Outlander’s characters was played upon by Donati’s publicist. I agree that this book would be enjoyed by Outlander fans. However, this book stands easily on its own merits and should not be avoided because the reader doesn’t like Outlander.

I found Into the Wilderness captivating. It is definitely the kind of book that I can disappear into and escape real life. The situations that the main characters find themselves in vary hugely, as do the settings, from Albany to a Mohawk village to the middle of the forest. The descriptions are superb; I really felt like I was a witness to 18th century New York.

The characters are all layered and well developed. Elizabeth is independent, tenacious, and brilliant. Throughout the book, we see her change significantly (as anyone would, going through what she does). She leans a lot and becomes more adaptable. Nathaniel is strong, manly, and lethal, but also loyal and tender towards his family. Even the minor characters have distinct personalities.

I really enjoyed how each character speaks differently. For example, Elizabeth has a very proper way of speaking, with perfect grammar and relatively sophisticated words. Nathaniel has a more informal manner, using words like aye and ain’t. Other characters’ speech suits their personalities and their role in the village/society. This makes the characters seem much more real.

Elizabeth turned her attention to her students. “I don’t recall giving permission for you to leave your seats. Please return to them at once.”

Sheepishly, with lingering last looks toward Liam, they retreated the way they had come. Elizabeth waited until she heard the door close and heard them talking inside the classroom behind her.

“What are you doing here, Liam?”

“Nothing,” he spat, earning a smart cuff above the ear from Nathaniel. “Oooww! What was that for?”

“For your sweet manners and courteous ways,” Nathaniel said. “Remember it.” Then he looked at Elizabeth. “It ain’t the first time. I was watching today because I saw his tracks here.”

There were several places where the names of some of the characters were a bit mixed up. For example, in one scene Elizabeth is teaching school and she checks “Ian Kirby’s” slate (page 726 in my copy). It’s obviously meant to be Ian McGarrity (there is a character called Liam Kirby, but based on context, it couldn’t be him). This really annoyed me, but I’ll get over it.

Conclusion

Have you read Into the Wilderness? 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 Book Depository (they have free international shipping!).

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Review: A Knight in Shining Armour by Jude Deveraux

Review of A Knight in Shining Armour, historical Fiction set in Elizabethan and modern England by Jude Deveraux

Cover of A Knight in Shining Armour by Jude Deveraux (review by the Travelling Book Nerd)

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Synopsis

After being abandoned by her partner on holiday, Dougless meets a strange man wearing odd clothing. Nicholas was awaiting execution in the 16th century when he found himself transported to the future. Dougless and Nicholas form a reluctant partnership and work together to find out the truth behind Nicholas’ betrayal and supposed execution.

Once they find what they need to know, Nicholas returns to his own time equipped with knowledge that he believes will save him. Still in the 1980s, Dougless finds that Nicholas was still executed, and stumbles upon more information about the end of Nicholas’ life. Before long she finds herself in the past with a second chance at saving Nicholas and changing history.

Review

This story made me cry and cry and cry. I don’t know why, but it seemed to be during the parts that Dougless and Nicholas were resisting their feelings and were separated from each other. I found it to be a real emotional rollercoaster but my grandma, while she said it was a good book, didn’t find any of it sad.

My favourite part of this story is when Nicholas is discovering the 20th century. In most books that involve time-travel, the characters travel back in time, and thus have at least a small idea of what they’re encountering. It was amusing to see time-travel happen the other way around. I particularly like how Nicholas likes the taste of ice cream so much that he kisses Dougless when she first buys him some.

‘But then Nicholas saw the table lamp, and Dougless spent fifteen minutes demonstrating electric lights. Nicholas nearly drove her crazy with turning switches on and off until, to make him go to bed, she promised to read more to him.’

It was interesting to see Nicholas’ views on Romeo and Juliet. Nicholas had lived 30 or 40 years before Shakespeare wrote most of his work so hadn’t read any of it before, but would have been closer to the original intended audience than anyone alive today. As such, I imagine his interpretation would be closer to the ideas that Shakespeare was trying to convey.

The author (Jude Deveraux) appears to have done a reasonable amount of research into the Elizabethan era. She uses Nicholas to address modern myths about the past; Nicholas reacted to things in a realistic way and nothings seems terribly out of place, historically.

I struggled a bit with Dougless’s sudden character development. Throughout the book Dougless has problems with her self-worth and how her view of herself affects the way others treat her. When she returns from the past, this changes. That was fine, but it happened so abruptly that it was jarring.

Conclusion

Have you read A Knight in Shining Armour? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? What about other books by Jude Deveraux? 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: Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon

Cross Stitch is the first book in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series; historical fiction set in 18th century Scotland. Cross Stitch is also known as Outlander (it’s the same story, but published in the UK instead of the US).

Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon cover
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Synopsis

Claire is on holiday with her husband, Frank, in Scotland following World War 2. She walks through a circle of standing stones one day while picking flowers and finds herself in the 18th century.

To keep herself safe from her husband’s sadistic ancestor, she has to marry Jamie, a young highlander with an interesting history. Despite trying to keep some emotional distance between them, she finds herself falling for him, so much so that when she finally has a chance to return to Frank she decides to stay with Jamie.

They return together to Jamie’s family home but don’t get to spend much time as a happy married couple before Jamie is taken by the black watch. Claire has to search all over Scotland for him and save him from Frank’s sadistic ancestor.

Review

Love, love, love this book. I read it and re-read it and read my favourite bits over and over again and again. It was so engrossing. My first copy fell to pieces and my mum had to buy me a new one.

I was 15 when I first read Cross Stitch and Mum was unsure whether to let me. At first, it was because she remembered it having a lot of magic and witchcraft. After she read it again before giving it to me, her objection was based on the amount of sex portrayed. I didn’t have a problem with it; it wasn’t overly explicit and focused on feelings rather than actions.

The beginning was a bit slow (the first day of reading, I only made it to page 132 and had no trouble putting the book down). However, I learned a lot about Claire early in the book and there were scenes later on that were so much more interesting because I could link back to something that had happened earlier.

I loved how the traditional relationship roles are reversed in Jamie and Claire’s romance. Usually, the woman is the inexperienced virgin. However, here, Jamie is the inexperienced virgin and Claire is the experienced one. Also, Claire is four years older than Jamie, where men are usually older than their wife or girlfriend.

“Does it bother you that I’m not a virgin?” He hesitated a moment before answering.

“Well, no,” he said slowly, “so long as it doesna bother you that I am.” He grinned at my drop-jawed expression, and backed towards the door.

“Reckon one of us should know what they’re doing,” he said. The door closed softly behind him; clearly the courtship was over.

I absolutely loved the wedding, particularly the walk up to the chapel. ‘“I can’t marry you! I don’t even know your last name!”’ I found it hilarious that Claire ends up marrying Jamie in the same church she married Frank in. It’s one of those little things that isn’t crucial to the story but makes the reading experience so much more enjoyable.

While some characters did things that are completely unacceptable to a modern audience, they were still essentially good people and were acting as someone in that time and place would have acted. The exception to this is Captain Randall – he’s nasty, I hate him, but then we’re supposed to hate him. The only person (real or imaginary) I can think of who’s more sadistic than Randall is the Marquis of Sade, and sadism is named after him.

Conclusion

Have you read this Cross Stitch/Outlander? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said? Let me know in the comments.

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Review: The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

Review of The Fiery Cross, book 5 of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon

The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon cover
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Synopsis

The Fiery Cross opens at the clan gathering at Mount Helicon. Over the course of a day, nearly everything possible happens: Jamie find lots of new tenants, Claire heals a bunch of people, and Brianna and Roger get married (but not before the priest is kidnapped).  Back at Fraser’s Ridge, Jamie summons the men to join a militia company and sets out to gather more recruits, leaving Brianna manage the new settlers.

Jamie’s aunt Jocasta is finally set to marry Duncan Innes (not having been able to marry at the clan gathering because the catholic priest was kidnapped). On the day, the family has to deal with a murdered slave, regulators and loyalists, sexual frustration, and the appearance of Stephen Bonnet.

Jamie’s militia company is called into the War of the Regulation. Unfortunately, Roger has an incident which robs him of his voice and very nearly his life. This brings Jamie and Roger together, as does a snake-bite and hunting down Stephen Bonnet.

Review

Apparently the publishers announced the release date for The Fiery Cross before Diana finished writing it. As such, she didn’t have as much time to edit the draft as she would have liked. It shows. Some of the scenes seem really drawn out and others are not necessary to the story.

The main story arc is unclear. There seems to be several themes and story-lines that were woven together throughout the book, but there isn’t any one overarching story line. This made the book a bit difficult to stick with.

It was largely focused on the characters’ day-to-day life (as opposed to pushing the story forward). Almost nothing happens, things get a bit repetitious (constant references to Brianna’s breasts, Jemmy’s diapers, etc.). This focus made me wonder how I would cope with living in the 18th century (I like to think not too badly, if I could take my mother).

However, some individual scenes were fantastic. They were the kind of scenes that I go back and read again after I’ve finished. I really loved the parts where Claire was explaining 20th century science and medicine to Jamie.

The surfaces of both lungs were black and grainy; Betty was in her forties, and had lived all her life with open wood fires.

“Anything nasty that you breathe in and don’t cough up again – tobacco, smoke, soot, smog, what-have-you – gradually gets shoved out between the lung tissue and the pleura,” I explained, lifting a bit of the thin, half-transparent pleural membrane with the tip of my scalpel. “But the body can’t get rid of it altogether, so it just stays there. A child’s lung would be a nice clean pink?”

“Do mine look like that?” Jamie stifled a small, reflexive cough. “And what is smog?”

“The air in cities like Edinburgh, where you get smoke mixing with fog off the water.” I spoke abstractedly, grunting slightly as I pulled the ribs back, peering into the shadow cavity. “Yours likely aren’t so bad, since you’ve lived out of doors or in unheated places so much. Clean lungs are one compensation to living without fire.”

This book really starts to show American history. I found this boring and skipped through some more history-y bits. To be fair, I don’t know much American history, and I have even less interest in it; I haven’t ever been to America and it holds absolutely no attraction for me (I don’t know why, it just doesn’t). Maybe it would appeal more to Americans.

I felt really bad for Roger. In this book, he shines in his own story rather than just being a player in Claire and Brianna’s stories. While bad things have happened to him before, bad things continue to happen but I felt worse about them, maybe because I cared about him more.

I enjoyed the development in Jamie and Claire’s relationship. They’ve mellowed slightly and settled into a relatively regular life, but there’s still passion between them. I made my way through these books so quickly that I had barely gotten used to Jamie and Claire being parents, and now they’re grandparents. It took some adjustment (they’re not young anymore).

Conclusion

Have you read this book? 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 Book Depository (they have free international shipping!).

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Review: The Chosen Queen by Joanna Courtney

Review of The Chosen Queen, historical Fiction set in 11th century Britain by Joanna Courtney

The Chosen Queen by Joanna Courtney cover (review by the Travelling Book Nerd)

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Synopsis

The Chosen Queen is based on the life of Edyth, daughter of the Earl of east Anglia, wife of king Griffin of Wales, and later married to Harold Godwinson.

When Edyth’s father is exiled from court, the family go to Wales. There, Edyth catches the eye of King Griffin and when her family leaves, she stays behind to marry him. As Queen of Wales, Edyth learns how to support the men in her life rule a country.

Returning with her children to England following Griffin’s murder, Edyth becomes firm friends with Svana, handfast wife of Harold Godwinson. As political tensions rise due to the lack of an obvious heir for the aging king, the pressure on Edyth and Harold to marry and claim their place at England’s head.

Review

Even though I’m familiar with the history and knew the basics of what was going to happen, especially towards the end, I still found myself hooked. Primary sources from this period of history are largely biased (about men by men), and I enjoyed the way this book focused more on the women.

Despite being a bit modern, the characters are brought to life well and seem more like actual people than primary sources make them seem. They seemed understandable and I came to really care for them.

Edyth is a very admirable woman. She is strong, resilient, and mature. She fights for what she believes in. I particularly admired her understanding of politics and the way that she helps the men in her life make decisions. In this way, she has a significant effect on the running of her country even though she couldn’t hold any official power.

He looked at her curiously and she spun round to grab his other hand in hers. “We should tour the whole country – the north first. Let people see you, talk to you. It is what you do well, Harold, and people will trust a king they have seen with their own eyes.” He nodded thoughtfully and she pushed on. “Griffin skulked at Rhuddlan. He thought he was safe, but it was an illusion – as you proved all too well.” Harold grimaced but now was the time for lessons, not recriminations. “We only rode south when it was too late – that is not a mistake you can afford to make.”

“You are right. You are so right, Edyth. See, I told you I needed you as queen.”

The author changed the names of some of the characters to make it easier for a modern reader. I understand this, and some of these changes were done well, such as Eadyth/Edyth and Gyrth/Garth. Other changes, I didn’t like – the difference between the real person’s name and the book character’s name is just too great. For example, Gunnhild becomes Hannah and Leofwine becomes Lane.

The Chosen Queen is full of historical detail but isn’t bogged down with it. It really made me feel that I was experiencing the 11th century. The intense political climate of the time is thoroughly explored. The author has clearly done some excellent research into the period; her world-building is excellent both in the big events and the little details.

Conclusion

Have you read The Chosen Queen? 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 Book Depository (they have free worldwide shipping!).

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Review: The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel

Review of The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel, final book of the epic Earth’s Children series of historical fiction set in prehistoric Europe.

The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel cover - review by Travelling Book Nerd.

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Synopsis

Ayla has become Zelandoni’s acolyte. Along with Jondalar, Jonayla (Ayla’s daughter), and the animals, they travel around looking at sacred sites and painted caves. Along the way they meet many people, have adventures, and save some lives.

By the time Jonayla is six, the demands on Ayla are putting a strain on the family. This worsens after Ayla receives her ‘calling’ to be Zelandoni. Both Jondalar and Ayla become withdrawn and miserable until a near-death experience forces them back together.

Review

The Land of Painted Caves is the most boring book in this series. For most of the book, people travel around looking a cave-paintings and nothing happens to advance the story. There are a lot of descriptions of caves, painting, and scenery.

A couple of times, the plot jumped several years for no apparent reason. The first time, right before the time-jump, there was an earthquake that made no sense. Previously, earthquakes have preceded change but this one doesn’t. Then it jumps forward four years and it takes several pages before the jump becomes apparent.

I found it hard to believe that they still only had three horses at the end of the book. Whinney was about three years old when she gave birth to Racer, and she had Grey a couple of years later. By the end of the book Grey is six years old but there is no indication that she has ever mated, had a foal, or even come into heat.

I was disappointed to see Ayla and Jondalar regress to where they were during The Mammoth Hunters. They act as if they don’t love each other anymore and stop communicating, making the other jealous. This again lands them in a vicious cycle of misunderstanding and hurtful behaviour. I thought they had moved beyond such behaviour and did not enjoy seeing it again.

Many of the characters had no apparent personality. Apart from the major characters who featured in previous books, they all seem the same. They aren’t really in the book enough for any differences between them to be obvious; there’s a lot of them that come and go without really doing anything.

I did like finding out what happened with the Mamutoi after Ayla and Jondalar had left, especially Ranec. I had wondered what happened to him. How long did it take for Ranec to get over Ayla? Did he mate with Tricie?

Saying that, the ending gives no closure. There could quite easily be another book after this one (there isn’t, but it feels like there could be). Ayla and Jondalar talk about having another child, Zelandoni is guilty about pushing Ayla, and Danug is still visiting. The story doesn’t end.

Conclusion

Have you read The Land of Painted Caves? 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: Bride of Lochbarr by Margaret Moore

Review of Bride of Lochbarr, an historical romance set in medieval Scotland by Margaret Moore

Bride of Lochbarr by Margaret Moore cover (review by the Travelling Book Nerd)
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Synopsis

Marianne’s brother has demanded that she live with him on his new lands in Scotland while he arranges a marriage for her with an old, senile, but rich Scotsman. While she’s working on an escape, the son of a local chieftain interferes and “rescues” her.

This ruins her reputation in the eyes of her fellow Normans and Marianne demands that Adair marry her. He reluctantly complies, and their marriage gets off to a rocky start. Whispers about Adair’s behaviour and suitability as future leader of the clan eventually force his father to step-in and get the relationship back on track.

They don’t get to spend much time being happy together before his father dies. Adair’s rise to leadership is marred by an overthrow planned by his brother and cousin.

Review

Bride of Lochbarr was a good book. I would recommend it for anyone who likes romances set in Scotland or the middle ages. It uses a standard romance formula with several twists that make it unique, such as the damsel-in-destress turning the hero away.

Marianne and Adair were so perfect for each other. They had an initial misunderstanding but once they sorted it out, I think their relationship was stronger for it. They try better to communicate with each other and once they spend more time together, they really come to like and trust one another. By the end, they are able to work through issues together, not just issues between them but also issues with the clan.

I enjoyed the clashes between the Scots and Normans/English, and the differences in culture. The Scots are clearly resentful of the Normans, and the Normans don’t like anything to do with the Scots’ way of life.

 “It’s uisge beatha – the water of life. We Scots make it, and it’s better than wine.”

She curled her lip at that fulsome praise for the horrific beverage.

“I should have guessed you wouldn’t appreciate that, either,” he muttered as he went back to his task.

“Your drink is terrible, and anyone who appreciates good wine would think so, too.”

I liked how Marianne didn’t let her prejudices against Scots get in the way of endearing herself to the clan. She sees that for good or for bad, she is stuck in Scotland and there is nothing to be gained by acting superior and disdainful.

The baddies of the story are varied and generally well explained. Cormag is just plain evil and I hold no qualms about hating him; I was pleased when he died. Lachlann was an unlikely baddie, but he wasn’t really bad, just weak. Nicholas is bad at the beginning but turns good by the end.

The ending felt a little cut short. It was leading up to a huge showdown between Adair and Lachlann, maybe a battle. Instead, the rebels surrender. The tension was released a wee bit quickly, leaving me feeling mildly dissatisfied.

Conclusion

Have you read Bride of Lochbarr by Margaret Moore? 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: Claiming the Highlander by Kinley MacGregor

Review of Claiming the Highlander, an historical romance set in medieval Scotland by Kinley MacGregor

Claiming the Highlander by Kinley MacGregory cover (review by the Travelling Book Nerd)

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Synopsis

Maggie masterminds a rebellion amongst the women in an attempt to bring a feud between two clans to an end (a la Lysistrata). Braden McAllister, shameless womaniser and brother of the Laird, arrives home after checking his southern lands and finds himself in the middle of a standoff between the women and the men.

Ever the peacemaker, Braden attempts to negotiate with Maggie before the men attack their women. Maggie decides she’s going to talk to the Laird of the other clan and try to get peace. Believing that this plan of hers will never work, Braden insists on accompanying Maggie along with his English older brother, Sin.

While they travel, Maggie struggles with the feelings she has had for Braden since childhood. Braden finds himself unexpectedly attracted to Maggie and is torn between this and his disinclination to hurt her.

Review

Overall, this was a good book. It was a light, quick read; very entertaining. The dialogue is humorous and flows naturally. The major characters are realistic and likeable, and the two main characters develop nicely. None of the scenes seemed overly drawn-out or skipped-over.

The opening scene shows Braden having fun with three women. This and other early scenes show him as shallow and intent purely on pleasure – just a pretty face. I really liked how Maggie could see that there is more to Braden. She sees how caring he is, his dreams, and how much deeper his personality is. While his brother, especially Sin, seem to see this too, none of the other women do; I think it might be one of the reasons that Braden had to fall in love with Maggie.

It was nice to see the glimpses of Braden and Maggie’s childhood friendship. This was revealed in several well-placed flashback scenes throughout the book. These scenes helped me to understand the two characters and, more importantly, their relationship to each other.

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Sin. He obviously had a very bad start to life. These experiences have made him hard, distrustful, and full of hate. From what we see of him in this book, he has used this to become a rich and powerful man (which is good but I still felt sorry for him). Apparently there is a separate book about Sin; I would like to read it one day.

I didn’t like how easily the feud between the clans was resolved. The men of both clans had been at each others throats for years. Sure, making Robby MacDouglas realise how much he cared for his wife was a good plan, and ending the feud after Sin saved her life was plausible, but it just seemed too easy and over too quickly.

Conclusion

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