Review: Ravished by a Highlander by Paula Quinn

Ravished by a Highlander

by Paula Quinn

2010 Forever

Release Date: May 1, 2010

Trade Paperback; 368 Pages

ISBN: 978-0-446-55238-7

Genre: Historical Romance

Source: Review Copy from Forever

4 / 5 Stars

Summary

Davina Montgomery is no ordinary English lady.  For her own protection, she's been locked away from society, her true identity the Crown's most closely guarded secret.  Until a shocking betrayal - and a bold rescue - land her in the arms of a fierce highlander, a powerful warrior whose searing gaze and tantalizing touch awaken her body and soul.

As the firstborn son of a powerful Scottish laird, Robert MacGregor has no loyalty to the English throne, but he's not the kind of man to leave a woman in distress.  He vows to deliver Davina to safety, unharmed and untouched.  Yet one stolen kiss leaves them both smoldering with desire...and desperate for more.  With Davina's secret threatening to destroy his clan, Rob must choose between everything he holds dear and the one woman he can't live without.

My Thoughts

Ravished by a Highlander was an enjoyable historical romance; it was full of enjoyable and quirky characters, romance that I loved, enough drama that I was satisfied, and full of historical facts about Scottish history that I have always found fascinating. 

One of the things that I really enjoyed about this novel is the depth of the characters and their character development.  I will admit that the idea of Scottish highlander men who are totally fit for battle, having trained since they were small, certainly causes a thrill and I can always picture myself in the rugged mountains envisioning the scenes where they practice and test each other's skills at arms.  The cover of the book certainly helps one envision them as well and makes you want to get into the book to find out what those Scottish men are up to this time.  Not having read any of Ms. Quinn's previous novels, it was a treat to be introduced to the rugged MacGregor clan and its diverse personalities.  The MacGregors are certainly interesting characters and I love the fact that the women are equally strong in this family.  Davina herself was a delight as she displayed a carefree attitude to the world, one who took every day and just embraced it, but at the same time stood up for herself and her beliefs, even against the strong personalities of the MacGregors.  You have to admire her for that.  Both Robert and Davina faced some difficult choices and it was interesting to see the byplay between loyalty for one's clan and love for one another and how you sometimes have to sacrifice one for the other.

I found the love and romance between Robert and Davina to be great.  They had a wonderful emotional connection and I enjoyed how it grew slowly and developed over the course of the book. This is one of the strengths of this novel.  I do have to admit that one of the things I found somewhat unbelievable however, is the subplot, and this is the reason why I only rated this novel a four instead of a five.  I found it difficult to believe that someone like Davina could be hidden away for twenty-four years without anyone knowing about it.  I also found it somewhat unbelievable that a man like Gilles could be felled the way that he was considering the type of man that he was;  everything happened a little too easily for it to be believable.  

Verdict

Ravished by a Highlander was a fast-paced, enjoyable read with clever and enjoyable characters.  Seventeenth century Scotland is an interesting period of history and Ms. Quinn introduces us to a memorable cast of characters in order to bring this era to life, using a mix of fact and fiction.  Historians will enjoy this romp through time while romance lovers will not be able to get enough of Robert and Davina.  I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series, Seduced by a Highlander, featuring Tristan MacGregor, Robert's younger brother.

Review: A Kiss of Fate by Mary Jo Putney

Kiss of Fate
by Mary Jo Putney
2004 Ballantine Books
345 pages
Hardcover Edition
ISBN:0-345-44916-9
Genre: Historical Romance

4/5 Stars

Summary (Press Release)
Laird of an ancient, powerful Scottish clan, Duncan Macrae is committed to ending the ceaseless strife between Scotland and England. But he also has other, secret powers - those of a Guardian, humans with mystical abilities to control nature's forces and see into the hearts of others. And from the moment he encounters the young and independent English widow Gwyneth Owens, his fiery spirit is irrevocably drawn to claim her as his own - a passion that will not only set his loyalty to his land against his sworn Guardian vows, but will also threaten everything he cherishes most.

Though Gwynne's father was a Guardian, she believes that she has inherited only her mother's beauty, not her father's power. Then one kiss from the dangerously alluring Laird of the Macraes ignites a hunger that shakes her to her soul - and reveals visions of a looming catastrophe that threatens England and Scotland both. Only by becoming Duncan's wife, and ultimately betraying the man she loves, can she avert disaster.

As destiny and two mighty nations clash, Gwynne and Duncan must push their powers and passions beyond the most forbidden limits if they are to save their love - and secure the future.

My Thoughts
I love the concept of The Guardians, who have supernatural powers, living among the mortals, and sworn to protect them. They do not interfere in the normal course of events, but do on occasion help control the outcome when a large number of people are threatened. Many years ago, Gwynne's father risked alienating his family by marrying a mundane, something that was discouraged as a Guardian man needed to marry an equally powerful woman in order to keep the bloodline strong and to balance his own powers. Gwynne, thinking she was born without any Guardian powers, develops her father's love of history and lore and academia, and is content with her life as the companion of her late husband's sister. The women of the Guardians are certainly as equally powerful as the men during this time period, and women who are born of the Guardians, but do not have any powers, are trained to be useful and lead fulfilling lives. This would not necessarily be true of all women during this time period, where many women died of disease, childbirth, famine, and labour.

When Duncan Macrae enters her life, she sees him and knows he is her destiny. However, at the first kiss, she sees images of blood and destruction and is completely horrified. She is shocked and reluctant to marry Duncan as she can't get the images out of her mind. The Guardian Council asks her to marry Duncan in order to keep an eye on him and prevent him from interfering in a future event that will have cataclysmic effects on both England and Scotland. She is the only one who can stop him and before everything is done, she may have to betray everything she holds dear.

While the concept of this novel is really exciting, I actually thought it didn't live up its promise. Gwynne and Duncan, while both passionate creatures, don't seem to connect in a way that kept me completely fascinated and enthralled. I was actually more infatuated with Simon and the events of the Jacobites and the magic than I was with the developing relationship between Gwynne and Duncan. I love romance and passion and it's not to say that there weren't great and unexpected moments in this novel, but not enough to keep me interested in their relationship. I thought the second half of the novel was much more interesting than the first half. The events leading up to the rebellion and the emotions underlying it brought a lot of tension that made the rebellion seem more real. It was easy to see how people were torn in two during this time and the difficult choices they had to make between the idea of freedom from England and the Hanoverians or to continue following what they perceived to be an unjust and weak English ruler; it tore families apart. It was a passionate and patriotic time period.

There are some amazing characters in this novel that I would love to read more about in future novels. I think there is a great story about Simon, Lord Falconer, a man who really interested me as he was mysterious and secretive. He is Duncan's best friend, and shows up at the most unexpected times. The dark, brooding, good-looking, mysterious type gets me every time. There is Duncan's fiery and passionate sister Jean, who led a group of Jacobites herself in the rebellion and narrowly avoided her own dark fate. She has her own untapped Guardian power that is just waiting to be developed. I loved her power and her strength and how she wasn't afraid of anything.

Verdict
I really admire Mary Jo Putney as a writer and have enjoyed many of her books. While this novel had many wonderful elements, and I would definitely read more Guardian novels to find out more about Simon and Jean, this is not my favourite Mary Jo Putney novel.