Month: June 2021

Drake’s Honor by Madeline Martin

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Medieval (1066-1540)Leave a comment

Drake's Honor (Borderland Rebels, #4)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Borderland Rebel #4
Publication Date: 6/15/21
Period: Medieval – Scotland 1342

Goodness Gracious Me! I have been waiting for Drake’s book through two whole series and I am so very glad it is finally here and that he has such an awesome wrap-up for the series. With the buildup of so much anticipation, an author can only hit a grand-slam-home-run or strike-out, nothing in between the two. I can happily say this is a grand-slam-home-run and I am so glad to have read it. Having said all of that, if you have not read any of the previous books, you can read this as a stand-alone and not miss a beat. But, if you read the other books first, your experience will be so much more colorful and rich.

At long last, Drake has the opportunity to become a knight. King David has given him a two-fold assignment and upon the successful completion of the main part of that mission, the king will bestow a knighthood on Drake. That is the one thing Drake has sought after and worked for his entire life. Drake is absolutely the noblest of men – nobody is more honorable, more moral, or more upstanding than Drake. His morality has cost him jobs and friends over the years, but his moral compass hasn’t ever wavered. Even though he isn’t officially a knight, he has been assigned a squire, Beathan (Bean) MacKenzie. Bean is every bit as moral and strait-laced as Drake, so they get along famously. Bean only knows the ‘public’ part of Drake’s mission – to travel to Lochmaben Castle and train the new recruits the king has sent to the castle as reinforcements. The secret part, discovering the cause of death of Lady Eileen, is known only to Drake.

Greer MacPherson is in a total panic because her very young brother (about twelve) has been locked in the dungeon at Lochmaben Castle – and it has been a month now. She isn’t allowed to see him and he is under heavy guard. What could a poor, innocent, young boy have done to receive such punishment? Greer is afraid she knows the answer – Mac (her brother) surely saw what happened with the dead woman from the castle and somebody is trying to keep him quiet. Or, are they blaming him? Greer has walked all the way from Lochmaben Castle to Dunfermline Castle to try to speak with the king on behalf of her brother, but she wasn’t even allowed entry. Now, she must find fifty quid in order to bribe a guard at Lochmaben Castle. That is what he told her it would cost her to ‘rescue’ her brother. She’s is a laundress, where is she going to get that kind of money. Well, her plan is simple – she’ll steal it on her way back to Lochmaben. She’s an excellent thief, surely, she can pick enough pockets along the way home to raise the money.

Of course, Drake and Greer encounter each other under less than desirable circumstances. Drake wants to help Greer and Greer sees Drake as a mark. Greer thinks they are as different as two people could possibly be, but Drake knows they are more alike than different. When things go horribly awry at Lochmaben, will Drake be able to give up his lifelong dream to save Greer and Mac? Even if he is willing, can he actually do it?

This was a beautifully written, fast-paced, breath-holding, sigh-worthy read and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. It has an Epilogue that perfectly wraps up the series, ties up all of the loose ends, and catches us up with all of Drake’s family on the Isle of Skye. This book was everything I could have hoped Drake’s book would be. Kudos to the author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Murder In Galway by Carlene O’Connor

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, Mystery2 Comments

Murder in Galway (Home to Ireland Mystery #1)Murder in Galway by Carlene O’Connor

Series: Home to Ireland Mystery #1
Publication Date: 4/28/20
Period: Contemporary – Galway, Ireland
Number of Pages:336

I am an avid reader of this author’s Irish Village Mystery series and was very excited to see she has started this new series – also based in Ireland. I believe the author splits her year between living in Ireland and living in the United States.

Tara Meehan has come to Galway, Ireland to spread her mother’s ashes and to carry a message from her mother to Johnny Meehan, her mother’s estranged brother. Tara doesn’t even know if her uncle Johnny is alive. She’s never met him, never corresponded with him – no contact, ever. She has no idea what caused the rift between her mother and her uncle, so she has no idea what kind of reception she’ll get from him. Almost as soon as she arrived, the box containing her mother’s ashes was ripped from her hand by a street juggler and ended up opened and covering a stranger who had tried to retrieve it for her – then, directly on the heels of that, she discovered a dead body in the doorway of her uncle’s cottage. What a way to begin her stay in Galway!

Believing the body belonged to her uncle Johnny, she called the Garda (Irish police) and told them she’d found the body of Johnny Meehan. She also told others that she’d found Johnny’s body and nobody seemed surprised. Evidently, her uncle wasn’t an esteemed member of the community. When the body is officially identified, it isn’t Johnny Meehan but his best customer, Emmett Walsh, and her uncle Johnny is the suspect in the murder. With Uncle Johnny missing and the police not looking for other suspects, Tara believes it is her family duty to show that her uncle isn’t guilty – or – if he is, to help find him and turn him in.

The mystery is a good one with lots of potential suspects and victims. I was pretty sure who the culprit was almost as soon as they graced the page, but I certainly had no clue why that would be the case. There are many red herrings, many possible scenarios for the murder to have happened, and some really strange happenings going on in Johnny’s life. Tara finds yet another body, and this one had her uncle’s business card lying right there in the blood. Goodness wasn’t that convenient. The Garda doubles down on Johnny as the prime suspect and tells Tara to leave Ireland immediately – for her own safety of course. Can Tara and her uncle’s employee, Danny O’Donnell, solve the mystery before Detective Sergeant Gable finds and arrests her uncle? Danny is not a willing participant in the investigation, but he does what he can to help Tara.

This book just didn’t reach right out and pull me into the story. I didn’t care for any of the characters other than perhaps Danny. I also didn’t care for the anti-American sentiments which seemed to be espoused by the residents of Galway. I’m sure there are probably those with the anti-American sentiments in the real Galway, but I’d wager it isn’t as prevalent as the author intimated it was. With so many suspects, red-herrings, and things going on I would have thought the book would be fast-paced and suspenseful, but I actually found parts of it a bit dull.

While I wasn’t in love with this first offering, I’ll definitely try the next book in the series to see where things go. The first book in a series often isn’t the best the series has to offer because it has to fill so many functions – such as introducing us to the characters, setting up the series’s premise, etc., and providing a compelling story. If the second book is like this one, I’ll probably not follow the series, but I’m sure I’ll become a series fan if it picks up the pace.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.