Category: Jacobean/Stuart Era (1603-1714)

The Stuart Era is 1603-1714 and The Jacobean era refers to the period in English and Scottish history that coincides with the reign of James VI of Scotland, who also inherited the crown of England in 1603 as James I.
Preceded by: Elizabethan era
Followed by: Caroline era
Monarch: James VI and I

Laird of the Black Isle by Paula Quinn

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Jacobean/Stuart Era (1603-1714)4 Comments

Laird of the Black Isle (The MacGregors: Highland Heirs, #7)Laird of the Black Isle by Paula Quinn

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The MacGregors: Highland Heirs #7
Publication Date: 5/29/18

Mailie is the kind of heroine I like – strong, feisty, undaunted, smart, complex, loving and can totally take care of herself. Add a flawed, wounded, scarred, braw, huge, yet caring and tender hero and you have an outstanding read! The prose is excellently written, the plot well thought out and presented and the characters are very relatable and likable. The children, Will and Lily, were delightful and you just wanted to hug them. Then there is Ruth – we all need a Ruth in our lives. The MacGregor clan are all just sigh-worthy and we do get to see a fair amount of Tristan, our heroine’s father, and Adam, future laird of Camlochlin, who is featured in the next book. Lest I forget, one of my favorite characters is, Ettarre, a devilish-looking hound with the most wonderful disposition.

I started out being sure that there was no way I was going to like Lachlan MacKenzie, Dragon Laird of Black Isle, Earl of Cromartie. His is a tragic tale of loss, suffering, and pain and when he was offered a deal with the devil, he agreed to inflict that same pain, suffering, and loss on another family. So, why would I ever decide to like him? Well, Ms. Quinn handles it wonderfully. She doesn’t white-wash what he did and doesn’t make it like it never happened – she makes it a tale of redemption, forgiveness, and love. He was always a sweet and wonderful man and when you hear his story, you will see why he shut himself away from the world with almost no human contact.

Mailie MacGregor is the much-loved daughter of Tristan and Isobel MacGregor. She is sweetness and light itself and always sees the best side of everyone and everything. She is also strong and smart and can usually take care of herself. As Mailie and her cousin Nichola are shopping in a village square they have no worries because they are surrounded by five MacGregor men who are twice the size of anyone else around. There is a distraction, one of the MacGregor’s has been accused of theft – everyone charges over to protest – and – in a flash – Mailie is gone without a trace.

Mailie does all she can to get away. She kicks him, screams at him, flings herself away – you name it – and it doesn’t even phase him. He puts her across his shoulders and takes off running – and he runs for what seems like forever. Then, he flings her over a horse and they are off again to a boat where he rows her for an interminable amount of time. He is huge, strong and inexhaustible! She has no idea where she is or how she will escape – but escape she will. She knows her kin will be looking for her and won’t ever give up until they find her, then Lord help the man who has kidnapped her because her kin will kill him without a question asked.

Within a day Mailie is taking over his castle and him. She bores into him with question after question and demand after demand. She is slowly but surely cracking the shell he has built around his heart and his life. She is relentless. She won’t let him shut her out – and the more she learns, the more she cares and the less she blames.

It is wonderful to watch these two find their way to their HEA. It takes a lot of work – on Mailie’s part especially – but it is absolutely wonderful to see. I just know you’ll love this book. There is also an excerpt from the next book, Highlander Ever After, in the back and now I can hardly wait for that one!

Please check out my reviews at:
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

The Highland Guardian by Amy Jarecki

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Jacobean/Stuart Era (1603-1714), Scottish/Highlander2 Comments

The Highland Guardian (Lords of the Highlands, #3)The Highland Guardian by Amy Jarecki

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Lords of the Highlands #3
Publication Date: 12/19/17

Romantic! Exciting! Suspenseful! This book reached out, grabbed me by the heart and dragged me back in time to Scotland during the early stages of the Jacobite movement. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. While this is the third book in the lords of the Highlands series, you can easily read it as a stand-alone. However, all of the other books are so good I know you’ll want to go back and read them as well.

Amy Jarecki has captured the feel of the time superbly. The English are riding roughshod over the Scots. They consider the Scots to be barbarians and see no reason not to mistreat and maim at every opportunity. You feel the tension in the air and feel the cruelty of the English. Is it any wonder that the Scots rebelled? The characters are fully developed, the writing outstanding and the story is well planned, well-written and very exciting. You’ll fall in love with both Audrey and Reid.

Reid MacKenzie, Earl of Seaforth is a Highlander through-and-through. He’s also a Jacobite. Not because he’s a religious zealot, but because he is concerned about the sovereignty of Great Britain and doesn’t want to be ruled by ‘outsiders’ upon the death of Queen Anne. He wants Anne’s brother, James, from the Stuart line to become king. He’s the leader of the Highlanders support of ‘the cause’ and has little time for other things in his life – especially NOT a young ward. When he and his crew are returning to England from a visit to James in France, their ship is fired upon and sunk off the coast. His whole crew escapes unharmed – except for Nicholas Kinnet. As Kennet lays dying, he extracts a promise from Reid. Reid promises that he will see to the care and well-being of Kinnet’s daughter. Reid has no time to care for a child, but he’s a man of his word and will see to her care. How long can it take to find a good boarding school for her?

Audrey Kennet has always been excruciatingly shy and awkward. She’s a wallflower of the first order – or so she thinks. So, what is she to do when an unkempt stranger shows up at her door and announces that her father is dead and he is her new guardian? Well – she certainly isn’t going to trust him! Then, he announces that he will be marrying her off as soon as possible. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! She has no intention of marrying just to suit her new guardian. She finds she has strength and courage she never existed within her and manages to keep Reid off-kilter at every turn.

There is a first-class villain, of course. He sets many bad things in motion – just so he can have Audrey and her estate. I won’t mention all of the treacheries he sets off, but it takes us on a wild ride of a story. It is fast-paced, chilling, heart-wrenching and – yes – romantic. What a ride! You wonder right up to the end if they’ll survive and get their HEA! Great read!

Please check out my reviews at:
Blog: https://flippinpages.blog/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/flippinpages…
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlippinPagesRev
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbBookReview

“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”