New Review: Michelle Morrison’s THE KING’S REBEL – Excellent First Novel, A Tale of Medieval Scotland

Though the note on the author at the end says Morrison has written several novels, this is the only one I could find, so perhaps it’s her first, self-published novel. It’s a good story. It’s clear she is a storyteller who can weave a tale from old Scotland in a way that will hold your interest. She incorporates historical events and real life people that make the story more real. Early in the book, she brings the hero and heroine together as young lovers, and I thought she did it very sweetly, very convincingly.

Set in early 14th century Scotland, it tells of red-haired Meghan Innes and handsome Black William Bruce, who meet at a Mayday celebration. They quickly fall in love and he proposes marriage. However, Will fails to tell her he is a Bruce, the enemy of her clan that is aligned with the Comyns. When Meghan’s father learns that Black William is pursuing his daughter, Meghan spurns Will’s offer of marriage and her father quickly takes her home. Later, Meghan’s father is captured by the English while stealing sheep, and Meghan must seek help from the only one powerful enough to convince the English to let her father go—Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots, and his cousin, Black William.

I did think Will was a bit too quick to accept that Meghan herself (as opposed to her uncle) was a traitor when she’d been honorable. And I wondered if the Scots would really let a female lead a clan into battle against the English, but perhaps they did. Anyway, these were minor “improbable” moments.

All in all, the story was a good read and I can recommend it.