December is the month when I share my
Favorite Heroes and Heroines with you... from the historical romances I've
rated 5 stars... many on my "keeper" shelf (which is actually a very
full bookcase). I'm starting with a book I read this year for the first time. A
keeper. And the heroine is on my list!
Set in 1745, in the time of feuds
between the clans and the Scottish support for Bonnie Prince Charlie, this is
the story of Katherine Fraser who falls in love with the eldest son of her
family’s enemy—the MacDonalds. James MacDonald had a horrible reputation of cattle
stealing, killing and debauchery when he met the lovely, flame-haired Katherine
Fraser. For love of her, he changed. Neither family wanted the marriage but
agreed to a betrothal when they could see the pair was determined.
Then came Charles Stuart and the call
to arms all over Scotland. Having lost all in the earlier rising in 1715, Katherine’s
family declined to go. However, their enemies, the MacDonalds, were in the forefront of
the clans supporting the prince. In one horrible act, James tears asunder the
love that bound him to Katherine and sealed forever the enmity between his clan
and hers.
This is a poignant love story very well
told. Anthony vividly portrays the emotions of the Scots at the time of the
Jacobite Uprising of 1745 and her description of the English slaughter of the
Scots on Culloden Moor was brilliant. She shows you why King
George’s son, the Duke of Cumberland, earned his title “Butcher.” By the time you
get to the battle, you are so invested in the characters and the clans, your
heart is racing.
The romance is an unusual one as James
and Katherine are separated for much of the story, yet ever in each other’s
mind. I loved them both but Katherine really shined as a woman trying to do the
right thing under daunting circumstances. The ending is a bit like jumping off a
cliff. I wanted more!
If you like well researched, detailed
history in your historical romance, and you can’t get enough of Scotland’s past,
then you will love this one. Highly recommended, it's a keeper.
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