Jayne Castel’s UNFORGOTTEN – Well-written first in a Connected Highlander series

 

Set in the mid 14th century on the Isle of Skye, this is the story of Gavin MacNichol and Annella (“Ella”) Fraser. They were once lovers, despite that he was betrothed to her sister. When his family tells him he must marry his betrothed, he does his duty and abandons Ella. She flees to a nearby Cluniac nunnery where she takes vows. Eighteen years later, her sister has died and Gavin, now chief of his clan, suddenly appears at the convent to take Ella back to see her dying mother.

When he escorts Sister Ella home (alone with no escort, mind you), he realizes that the feelings he once had for her still persist. And, before long, she realizes it, too. The characters are well-drawn and there's some good action with outlaws.

This is a well-written story and I was enjoying it until it cut off abruptly, leaving a villain not dealt with and many other loose ends. (For example, Leanna MacDonald, the heroine in book 2, is a character in this story but we only get her problem, not the solution; Sister Coira the heroine of book 3 is also a character in this story, as is Drew MacKinnon, the heroine in book 4.) So it’s not a stand-alone. It’s a series that needs to be read as a whole.

There were a few negatives for me that might not bother some readers. There are several graphic sex scenes (which I skipped and they weren’t necessary for the story). There were a few historical anomalies that popped out at me: colors, such as pink and turquoise, not recognized as colors until later centuries, plaids of red and green, which came into being much later (they had muted plaids but not tartans as we think of them), and married women taking their husbands’ surnames (only their children did). Still it’s a good read and for any willing to commit to the four books, it’s a complete tale.

 Sisters of Kilbride series

 

Unforgotten

Awoken

Fallen

Claimed