Laurie McBain’s MOONSTRUCK MADNESS – A Classic Keeper with a Scottish Heroine Masquerading as a Highwayman and a Scarred English Duke!

Another truly wonderful classic by a great author. Written in 1977, it sold a million copies. Moonstruck Madness is a worthy read—and the first in a great trilogy!

 

Set in 1746 in Scotland (prologue), and 1751 in England, this is the story of Sabrina Verrick, the Scottish noblewoman, who along with her sister and brother survive after their grandfather, Laird of the MacElden clan, is brutally slain by the English at Culloden Moor. They escape to England where they live in the country at the rundown estate of their father, an English marquis who abandoned them as children. To feed her family, Sabrina becomes the highwayman “Bonnie Charlie,” robbing the rich to feed the poor, including her family.

 

One man she robs, Lucien, Duke of Camareigh, a gambler and a rogue, is no English fop as are most of Sabrina’s victims. A self-made man, he decides to trap the wily bandit and have his revenge. Once he captures “Charlie,” the duke realizes the highwayman who has been plaguing him and his friends is a beautiful young woman. When she won’t reveal who she is, he decides to try seduction.

 

Superbly written, you’ll find this one hard to put down. I love the logic of McBain’s intricate plot…no improbable moments here. No contrived black moments. Just great storytelling and suspenseful action. The dialog is clever and the characters wonderfully developed. Sabrina is courageous, good hearted and rebellious to the end and Camareigh is a tough alpha male, just the kind we like to see fall to love’s power.

 

McBain paints vivid pictures of Culloden (to start with) and then the English countryside thereafter, putting you right in the scene. It is so well done. Reading this just reminded me that a 5-star classic never goes out of style.

 

This is the first in McBain’s Dominick trilogy:

 

Moonstruck Madness

Chance The Winds Of Fortune

Dark Before The Rising Sun

 

I highly recommend all of them!

 

 

Laurie McBain’s CHANCE THE WINDS OF FORTUNE – A Shipboard Romance from the 18th Century: Pirates, Privateers and Sea Captains!

 

For those of you who read and loved McBain’s Moonstruck Madness, as I did, this is the next book in the Dominick trilogy. The first was set in England and this one begins there but soon takes off for America and the Caribbean. I recommend you read all three, as they comprise one story. This one begins the romance of Dante and Rhea, which concludes in book 3. The original story was a bodice ripper (I have the original). I don’t know if they changed the new edition.

 

Set in 1769, this is the story of Dante Leighton, captain of the Sea Dragon and Marquis of Jacqobi who is hoping a buried treasure will return him the wealth he needs for revenge against the man who took from him Merdraco, his family estate in England, and Rhea Dominick, the beautiful and sweet oldest child of Sabrina and Lucien, Duchess and Duke of Camareigh, who we met in the first book. Rhea is now seventeen and the object of revenge by the Duke’s cousin. Abducted and sent aboard a ship to the Colonies, Rhea escapes one man’s evil plans for another’s.

 

McBain weaves many threads together for an exciting tale of betrayal, revenge and love wrapped around a hunt for a sunken treasure ship. Actually it is a very long but very absorbing introduction to the third novel, Dark Before The Rising Sun. I could not put it down and so appreciated McBain’s command of the English language and her attention to vivid detail. It is superbly written.

 

You will soon be lost in the world of Dante’s ship the Sea Dragon and feel Rhea’s intense longing to return home to Camareigh even as her desire grows for the brooding ship’s captain. Rhea is a courageous, unselfish heroine with a fondness for God’s creatures and those in need of help. Dante is a self-absorbed aristocrat turned hardened American privateer and smuggler who is not beyond taking a duke’s daughter.

 

I promise you will love it but get the next one for the end of the story! 

 

 The Dominick trilogy:

·         Moonstruck Madness (1977) Sabrina and Lucien

·         Chance The Winds Of Fortune (1980) their daughter, Rhea and Dante

·         Dark Before The Rising Sun (1982) Rhea and Dante (cont’d.)

 

Laurie McBain’s WHEN THE SPLENDOR FALLS – Sweeping Saga of Southern Life Before the Civil War and New Mexico Territory After

Another classic by Laurie McBain. Regrettably, for lovers of historical romance, this was McBain’s last novel. I have read, reviewed and loved all of them. McBain was a part of the seminal group of authors who ushered in the modern historical romance in the 70s and she stayed for the booming 80s to give us more wonderful, well-written, and deeply emotional sagas. As if she knew this would be her last, she took her time with it, slowly developing the tapestry of the two Southern families whose lives were intertwined before, during and after the terrible conflict known as the Civil War.

Leigh Alexandra Travers, of Travers Hill in Virginia loved her home, her family and her horses for which the Travers family was famous. Neil Braedon was from the branch of the Virginia Braedons that went west to the Territories. He was captured by Comanches as a child to become the warrior “Sun Dagger,” then later rescued and sent east to school, graduating from Yale. One day, seeing Leigh in the woods, he mistakes her for a lady’s maid and steals a kiss—her first. Both were forever changed by the encounter. Neil wanted Leigh as no woman before and Leigh was no longer content with her handsome, wealthy gentleman fiancé, though she would wed him to save her family from financial ruin. Neither Leigh nor Neil spoke of the deep feelings they had for each other.

Then the war intervened and changed everything.

McBain meticulously presents the devastation the Civil War brought to the two families as Leigh and Neil are separated by years (and more). Her family fights for the South and Neil becomes the Yankee raider known as “Captain Dagger.” The descriptions are vivid and rich, the dialog amazing and the story satisfying. As a sample, thinking about Leigh, Neil reflected,

“She was like the willow on the riverbank. She bent to the winds that swept across Travers Hill. She had adapted gracefully to the changes that had come so tragically into her life. She hadn’t broken trying to resist, to fight against a far greater force that would have destroyed her. Nor had she been weakened by the struggle, she had become stronger, finding a strength within that she might never have known otherwise.”

This is a sweeping saga, and a love story that develops across years. (It’s a long one, too, at 678 pages in my print edition). For fans of McBain, as I am, it will not disappoint. It's a keeper!

McBain’s Novels:

Devil's Desire (1975)

Tears Of Gold (1979)

Wild Bells To The Wild Sky (1983)

When The Splendor Falls (1985)

Laurie McBain’s MOONSTRUCK MADNESS – A Classic Keeper with a Scottish Heroine Masquerading as a Highwayman and a Scarred English Duke!

April is Classics month (and Bodice Rippers, too). I’m beginning with a truly wonderful Classic by a great author. Written in 1977, it sold a million copies. Moonstruck Madness is a worthy read—and the first in a great trilogy!

Set in 1746 in Scotland (prologue), and 1751 in England, this is the story of Sabrina Verrick, the Scottish noblewoman, who along with her sister and brother survive after their grandfather, Laird of the MacElden clan, is brutally slain by the English at Culloden Moor. They escape to England where they live in the country at the rundown estate of their father, an English marquis who abandoned them as children. To feed her family, Sabrina becomes the highwayman “Bonnie Charlie,” robbing the rich to feed the poor, including her family.

One man she robs, Lucien, Duke of Camareigh, a gambler and a rogue, is no English fop as are most of Sabrina’s victims. A self-made man, he decides to trap the wily bandit and have his revenge. Once he captures “Charlie,” the duke realizes the highwayman who has been plaguing him and his friends is a beautiful young woman. When she won’t reveal who she is, he decides to try seduction.

Superbly written, you’ll find this one hard to put down. I love the logic of McBain’s intricate plot…no improbable moments here. No contrived black moments. Just great storytelling and suspenseful action. The dialog is clever and the characters wonderfully developed. Sabrina is courageous, good-hearted and rebellious to the end and Camareigh is a tough alpha male, just the kind we like to see fall to love’s power.

McBain paints vivid pictures of Culloden (to start with) and then the English countryside thereafter, putting you right in the scene. It is so well done. Reading this just reminded me that a 5-star classic never goes out of style.

This is the first in McBain’s Dominick trilogy:

Moonstruck Madness

Chance The Winds Of Fortune

Dark Before The Rising Sun

I highly recommend all of them!

Laurie McBain’s WHEN THE SPLENDOR FALLS – Sweeping Saga of Southern Life Before the Civil War and New Mexico Territory After

Regrettably for lovers of historical romance, this was McBain’s last novel. I have read, reviewed and loved all of them (see list below). McBain was a part of the seminal group of authors who ushered in the modern historical romance in the 70s and she stayed for the booming 80s to give us more wonderful, well-written and deeply emotional sagas. As if she knew this would be her last, she took her time with it, slowly developing the tapestry of the two Southern families whose lives were intertwined before, during and after the terrible conflict known as the Civil War.

Leigh Alexandra Travers, of Travers Hill in Virginia loved her home, her family and her horses for which the Travers family was famous. Neil Braedon was from the branch of the Virginia Braedons that went west to the Territories. He was captured by Comanches as a child to become the warrior “Sun Dagger,” then later rescued and sent east to school, graduating from Yale. One day, seeing Leigh in the woods, he mistakes her for a lady’s maid and steals a kiss—her first. Both were forever changed by the encounter. Neil wanted Leigh as no woman before and Leigh was no longer content with her handsome, wealthy gentleman fiancé, though she would wed him to save her family from financial ruin. Neither Leigh nor Neil spoke of the deep feelings they had for each other.

Then the war intervened and changed everything.

McBain meticulously presents the devastation the Civil War brought to the two families as Leigh and Neil are separated by years (and more). Her family fights for the South and Neil becomes the Yankee raider known as “Captain Dagger.” The descriptions are vivid and rich, the dialog amazing and the story satisfying. As a sample, thinking about Leigh, Neil reflected,

“She was like the willow on the riverbank. She bent to the winds that swept across Travers Hill. She had adapted gracefully to the changes that had come so tragically into her life. She hadn’t broken trying to resist, to fight against a far greater force that would have destroyed her. Nor had she been weakened by the struggle, she had become stronger, finding a strength within that she might never have known otherwise.”

This is a sweeping saga, and a love story that develops across years. (It’s a long one, too, at 678 pages in my print edition). For fans of McBain, as I am, it will not disappoint. It's a keeper!

McBain’s Novels:

Devil's Desire (1975)

Tears Of Gold (1979)

Wild Bells To The Wild Sky (1983)

When The Splendor Falls (1985)

Dominick Trilogy

Moonstruck Madness (1977) Sabrina and Lucien

Chance The Winds Of Fortune (1980) their daughter Rhea and Dante

Dark Before The Rising Sun (1982) Rhea and Dante (cont’d.)

Laurie McBain’s TEARS OF GOLD - Irish Heroine Finds Love in America from Old California Ranchos to San Francisco to New Orleans

Set in 1848 (prologue) and the early 1850s, this is the story of Mara O’Flynn and her brother Brendan, who live with the stigma of being bastards of an Irish nobleman who left them to survive on their own. Both Mara and Brendan, like their mother before them, are actors. Mara’s mother died in poverty after her wealthy lover cast her aside, and Mara will never forget it. She has no desire to follow in her mother’s footsteps.

In her private revenge, Mara intentionally makes noblemen fall in love with her only to send them away brokenhearted. In one such encounter the young man shot himself. Unbeknownst to Mara, she made an enemy of the young man’s uncle, a Creole Frenchman from New Orleans, Nicholas Chantale—who vows revenge.

In pursuit of a new future, Mara and Brendan set sail for California on a clipper ship. Ever the Irish optimist, Brendan hopes to find gold. While on the ship, however, Brendan gambles away what little money they have, and they are forced to agree to the plan of another passenger, Don Luis, a Spanish Californian. Don Luis wants Mara to act the part of his half English niece who, from her youth, has been the fiancé of another ranchero in the Sierra Nevada. Mara and Brendan become involved in the lives of the rancheros even as they long to leave for San Francisco. Then one day a stranger shows up—Nicholas Chantale.

The beginning takes a bit of patience as McBain meticulously brings to life old California when gold was discovered and the Californian ranchos were beginning to disappear. As is typical of her novels, she includes much historic detail adding richness to the story. It’s a tale of people fleeing their past hoping for a better tomorrow. Tara flees poverty and shame and Nicholas flees his aristocratic family that cast him out when they thought he murdered his brother.

The story moves from London to California to New Orleans as Mara and Nick are continually thrown together and Mara resists the love she feels for the man who only wants her to share his bed. Once the story picks up in San Francisco, it moves along at a fast pace and will definitely keep you turning pages with some great action scenes, mystery and intrigue and a heartwarming ending. I recommend it.

Review: Laurie McBain’s WHEN THE SPLENDOR FALLS – Sweeping Saga of Southern Life Before the Civil War and New Mexico Territory After

Regrettably for lovers of historical romance, this was McBain’s last novel. I have read, reviewed and loved all of them (see list below). McBain was a part of the seminal group of authors who ushered in the modern historical romance in the 70s and she stayed for the booming 80s to give us more wonderful, well-written, and deeply emotional sagas. As if she knew this would be her last, she took her time with it, slowly developing the tapestry of the two Southern families whose lives were intertwined before, during and after the terrible conflict known as the Civil War.

Leigh Alexandra Travers, of Travers Hill in Virginia loved her home, her family and her horses for which the Travers family was famous. Neil Braedon was from the branch of the Virginia Braedons that went west to the Territories. He was captured by Comanches as a child to become the warrior “Sun Dagger,” then later rescued and sent east to school, graduating from Yale. One day, seeing Leigh in the woods, he mistakes her for a lady’s maid and steals a kiss—her first. Both were forever changed by the encounter. Neil wanted Leigh as no woman before and Leigh was no longer content with her handsome, wealthy gentleman fiancé, though she would wed him to save her family from financial ruin. Neither Leigh nor Neil spoke of the deep feelings they had for each other.

Then the war intervened and changed everything.

Original cover

McBain meticulously presents the devastation the Civil War brought to the two families as Leigh and Neil are separated by years (and more). Her family fights for the South and Neil becomes the Yankee raider known as “Captain Dagger.” The descriptions are vivid and rich, the dialog amazing and the story satisfying. As a sample, thinking about Leigh, Neil reflected,

“She was like the willow on the riverbank. She bent to the winds that swept across Travers Hill. She had adapted gracefully to the changes that had come so tragically into her life. She hadn’t broken trying to resist, to fight against a far greater force that would have destroyed her. Nor had she been weakened by the struggle, she had become stronger, finding a strength within that she might never have known otherwise.”

This is a sweeping saga, and a love story that develops across years. (It’s a long one, too, at 678 pages in my print edition). For fans of McBain, as I am, it will not disappoint. It's a keeper!

McBain’s Novels:

Devil's Desire (1975)

Tears Of Gold (1979)

Wild Bells To The Wild Sky (1983)

When The Splendor Falls (1985)

Dominick Trilogy

Moonstruck Madness (1977) Sabrina and Lucien

Chance The Winds Of Fortune (1980) their daughter Rhea and Dante

Dark Before The Rising Sun (1982) Rhea and Dante (cont’d.)

Review: Laurie McBain’s TEARS OF GOLD –Love in Old California Ranchos, San Francisco and New Orleans

Set in 1848 (prologue) and the early 1850s, this is the story of Mara O’Flynn and her brother Brendan, who live with the stigma of being bastards of an Irish nobleman father who left them to survive on their own. Both Mara and Brendan, like their mother before them, are actors. Mara’s mother died in poverty after her wealthy lover cast her aside, and Mara will never forget it. She has no desire to follow in her mother’s footsteps.

In her private revenge, Mara intentionally makes noblemen fall in love with her only to send them away brokenhearted. In one such encounter the young man shot himself. Unbeknownst to Mara, she made an enemy of the young man’s uncle, a Creole Frenchman from New Orleans, Nicholas Chantale—who vows revenge.

In pursuit of a new future, Mara and Brendan set sail for California on a clipper ship. Ever the Irish optimist, Brendan hopes to find gold. While on the ship, however, Brendan gambles away what little money they have, and they are forced to agree to the plan of another passenger, Don Luis, a Spanish Californian. Don Luis wants Mara to act the part of his half English niece who, from her youth, has been the fiancé of another ranchero in the Sierra Nevada. Mara and Brendan become involved in the lives of the rancheros even as they long to leave for San Francisco. Then one day a stranger shows up--Nicholas Chantale.

The beginning takes a bit of patience as McBain meticulously brings to life old California when gold was discovered and the Californian ranchos were beginning to disappear. As is typical of her novels, she includes much historic detail adding richness to the story. It’s a tale of people fleeing their past hoping for a better tomorrow. Tara flees poverty and shame and Nicholas flees his aristocratic family that cast him out when they thought he murdered his brother.

The story moves from London to California to New Orleans as Tara and Nick are continually thrown together and Tara resists the love she feels for the man who only wants her to share his bed. Once the story picks up in San Francisco, it moves along at a fast pace and will definitely keep you turning pages with some great action scenes, mystery and intrigue and a heartwarming ending. I recommend it.

New Review: Laurie McBain’s CHANCE THE WINDS OF FORTUNE – A Shipboard Romance from the 18th Century: Pirates, Privateers and Sea Captains!

February is pirate, privateer and love on the high seas month on the blog… all those swashbuckling heroes and the heroines who love them. I’m starting with one of my very favorites by a great author.

For those of you who read and loved McBain’s Moonstruck Madness, as I did, this is the next book in the Dominick trilogy. The first was set in England and this one begins there but soon takes off for America and the Caribbean. You should read all three, as they comprise one story. This one begins the romance of Dante and Rhea, which concludes in book 3. The original story was a bodice ripper (I have the original). I don’t know if they changed the new edition.

Set in 1769, this is the story of Dante Leighton, captain of the Sea Dragon and Marquis of Jacqobi who is hoping a buried treasure will return him the wealth he needs for revenge against the man who took from him Merdraco, his family estate in England, and Rhea Dominick, the beautiful and sweet oldest child of Sabrina and Lucien, Duchess and Duke of Camareigh, who we met in the first book. Rhea is now seventeen and the object of revenge by the Duke’s cousin. Abducted and sent aboard a ship to the Colonies, Rhea escapes one man’s evil plans for another’s.

McBain weaves many threads together for an exciting tale of betrayal, revenge and love wrapped around a hunt for a sunken treasure ship. Actually it is a very long but very absorbing introduction to the third novel, Dark Before The Rising Sun. I could not put it down and so appreciated McBain’s command of the English language and her attention to vivid detail. It is superbly written.

You will soon be lost in the world of Dante’s ship the Sea Dragon and feel Rhea’s intense longing to return home to Camareigh even as her desire grows for the brooding ship’s captain. Rhea is a courageous, unselfish heroine with a fondness for God’s creatures and those in need of help. Dante is a self-absorbed aristocrat turned hardened American privateer and smuggler who is not beyond taking a duke’s daughter.

I promise you will love it but get the next one for the end of the story!

Original cover

The Dominick trilogy:

·         Moonstruck Madness (1977) Sabrina and Lucien

·         Chance The Winds Of Fortune (1980) their daughter, Rhea and Dante

·         Dark Before The Rising Sun (1982) Rhea and Dante (cont’d.)