Reviewed by Ambrea
More
romances to tickle your fancy and make your heart go pitter-pat! This
time, I decided to review some historical romances, which are just as
delightful as any contemporary romance novel I’ve met.
In The Accidental Guardian,
Mary Connealy introduces Trace Riley, a rancher who has been living off
the trail for years, and Deborah Harkness, survivor of a horrific wagon
train attack. Trace knows what it’s like to lose loved ones at the
hands of bandits and he’s not about to let Deborah, or her sister and
their young charges, suffer in the wilds like he did. But every day
they spend together, Deborah and Trace grow closer, even as their time
grows short.
I read one of Connealy’s novels—Out of Control—several
years ago, but, at the time, I felt a little ambivalent about her work
and I remember just skimming through the story. The Accidental Guardian,
however, was a pleasant surprise. Admittedly, it can be a rather
predictable story and it sometimes falls prey to familiar western
tropes, but it was a decent novel. I liked the characters and I loved
the setting.
I probably wouldn’t reread it; however, I would look at reading the next books in the series: The Reluctant Warrior and The Unexpected Champion.
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The Bridegroom Wore Plaid
by Grace Burrowes tells the story of Ian MacGregor, a Scottish earl
with a foundering estate, and Augusta Merrick, a penniless relation of
the English heiress he’s destined to marry. Despite Augusta’s better
inclinations, she finds herself falling for the Scottish laird and
enjoying the Highlands of his home. She knows they can’t possibly be
together, not when he so badly hopes to support his family, but, as they
grow closer, Augusta discovers she wants to fight for happiness with
Ian…even if it puts her at risk.
I
love Grace Burrowes. I know it isn’t an incredibly accurate historical
account, just like I know that it falls prey to familiar romance novel
clichés. Likewise, I’m not very fond of the fact that everyone seems to
fall in love—and I do mean everyone—because it seems to detract from the central story of Ian and Augusta; however, I really loved reading The Bridegroom Wore Plaid.
You see, Burrowes creates multilayered characters who grow and change
throughout the stories, and she creates emotional connections between
characters that feels believable.
It’s not perfect, I know, but it’s lovely and sweet and, of course, it has all those lovely Scottish accents.
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In The Devil’s Heart,
book three in “The Chattan Curse” series by Cathy Maxwell, Lady
Margaret Chattan is desperate to break the curse that’s slowly claiming
the lives of her brothers. She’s traveled to the Highlands, back to the
ancestral home of the Chattans in the Scottish Highlands, in the hopes
of saving her family. She doesn’t expect to meet Heath Macnachtan—or
lose her heart in the process.
I read The Lyon’s Bride,
which I thought was a decent novel—I mean, I enjoyed it enough that I
decided to go ahead and read the next in the series—but then I finished The Scottish Witch
and I quickly found myself losing interest in the series. I like Cathy
Maxwell’s novels, but much of her work is hit-or-miss for me. The Devil’s Heart,
unfortunately, is one of those misses. Like the previous novel, it
just didn’t strike the right chord with me. I didn’t like the
characters very much, I didn’t like the development of the story, and I
didn’t like the blatantly supernatural qualities, which had been more
subtle throughout the rest of the series.
Overall, I just didn’t like it. I suppose it’s a passable series, but I don’t highly recommend it.
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