Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Indigo (Chapters)
Highland Crown*
Characters Caught Up in the Sweep of History
If you are a fan of romantic historical Scottish books, you may be more accustomed to seeing stories that are heavy on the romance with a fair amount of steam (and perhaps a little light on history!). I would call this novel more of a light romance that’s heavy on history. In fact, in the way that it looks at and integrates this difficult time in Scottish history with a personal story that reflects that history but also is at its heart a romance, it reminds me of Gaskell’s North and South. We truly do get a window on how the history of the moment impacts the characters in a most personal way.
I absolutely adored the heroine, Isabella, a university trained doctor who has an amazing combination of compassion and skill as a physician. In parts of the story, she has formidable strength and resilience. I loved one of the early scenes when it appeared as though she was caught by the British. She would not be cowed. She stood firm with her head held high. I found the hero to be a complex and fascinating character. While I could understand his pull toward the heroine because she literally did save his life, I felt like the romantic aspect wasn’t as fully realized as it should have been. I would like to see more of a buildup for this to feel authentic.
If you like romantic fiction that truly personalizes history, you will most likely enjoy this book.
