TEST
Ravished by a Highlander begins very auspiciously: It is set in 1685 Scotland, and appears to feature actual history in an historical romance. Glory be.
Then I read about the heroine’s hourglass nose, and I cracked up. That killed it.
Davina Montgomery’s true identity could topple a nation. She has lived her life in a convent, guarded by its isolation and a phalanx of English soldiers, and she is resigned if not content about the fate that awaits her. But her peaceful life is shattered when enemies discover her location, and attack the convent. She is saved by a group of passing Scotsmen. The MacGregors are the most feared of the Scottish clans, and they have left their home on the Isle of Skye to attend King James’ coronation. But when Rob MacGregor, the heir to the laird, guesses Davina’s true identity, he turns around and takes her back to his home for her protection.
With such a grand and sweeping story it is entirely fitting that the setting is equally so. Ms. Quinn beautifully mixes historical fact and fiction, allowing the one to support the other without overwhelming, and she has a nice turn of descriptive phrase. Such superlative attention to detail makes the occasional inaccuracy jarring, such as the mention of a piano. The term piano was not used until 1700, and only then in the word pianoforte; it would not have made an appearance in an isolated convent on the Scottish border in 1685.
Sometimes it’s the little things that trip you up; the piano is one, the hourglass nose is another. But there are also the big things, like the fact that the prose occasionally leaves sweeping behind and becomes overwrought, or that Davina and Rob are dull. Not generic. Just dull. Their romance is one big sappy, Romeo-and-Juliet love-at-first-sight affair, which is fine as long as it’s backed up by true compatibility. I need to know that there’s more to a romance than protective instincts, physical attraction, and the hero/saviour effect. Rob and Davina? I didn’t buy it.
And yet it’s clear the author can tread a fine line, if she chooses. The battle scenes are graphic but not excessive, and the secondary characters are leagues more interesting than the main ones. But it’s almost as if having expended the creativity elsewhere, none was left for the romance. What is left is a promising book that, regrettably, fails to deliver.
Grade: C
Book Type: Other
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 21/04/10
Publication Date: 2010/05
I live in Seattle, Washington and work as a legal assistant. I remember learning to read (comic strips) at a young age and nowadays try to read about 5-6 books a week. I love to travel, especially to Europe, and enjoy exploring smaller towns off the tourist track though London is my favorite city in the world.
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.