Blurb:The king of Scotland is in a snit. Which means Britt MacKinnon, proud Captain of the King’s Guard, has an onerous task: fetch Alexander’s favorite paramour back to the royal bed—now. Never mind that the crown should be about the business of getting a legitimate heir. Especially since England’s Edward I would love nothing more than to seize an empty Scottish throne.
When the handsome soldier appears on her doorstep, Geneen Armstrong has to think quickly. Her twin lies abed in her cottage, pregnant with the king’s bastard. If the barren queen learns the truth, the foolish girl’s life won’t be worth a farthing.
She must somehow transform her graceless, plain-spoken self into her vivacious, talented sister. Then, after the court is convinced she carries no child, use her herbal knowledge to sour the king’s taste for her sister’s company—for good.
By the time Britt realizes this unusually articulate, ungodly stubborn woman is the wrong woman, tendrils of attraction have already tightened into a bond. A bond that will be tested when the king’s unexpected death puts Scotland’s very destiny at stake—and unleashes an ever-tangling web of court intrigues, secrets…and lies.
My thoughts:
Really like the heroine in this one. She's spunky and a go-getter and also strives to protect those she loves. The hero...nice to come across a strong, sexy knight that isn't establishing his dominance or manliness at every page. He's comfortable in his own skin and an overall good guy. The back and forth banter is fun. The writing itself really placed me back in time and the story is rich in history with fun facts thrown in.
I have some quibbles, however:
The prose was weird and hard to adjust to. Though I respect the author was staying true to Scottish brogue, it was a bit much at times and often I did a double take and had to reread things.
"And who kenned, mayhap she and their bairns might even become a force in bridging the rift twixt Britt and his father."
"As you lust" was another phrase constantly appearing. I got what it meant, but it bugged me as a reader nevertheless.
And some turns in the story didn't make sense to me. WHY would Britt leave her in the queen's chambers knowing the woman wanted her dead?
The scenario when he goes home to his father's to deal with a person I shall not mention because it's a spoiler, the outcome of his visit, the...convenience was...too convenient.
I also felt that with the main story being saving her sister from the queen was over too soon. To me, that was the main plot line and suddenly it was over and we were left with a different, less exciting story.
Lovely characters, however, and a nice escape from modern times. Three bikes. I bought this on Kindle.
No comments:
Post a Comment