Cover aside (Dear Romance Publishing Houses: Enough with the ridiculous, frilly "clutch" covers already!!), this book was fantastic. For an 18th century historical set in the wilds of Scotland, it was -- at times -- gritty in its realism without becoming oppressive or losing its sense of "escape" reading.
I loved the physically and psychologically scarred hero, Alistair. His back story was gripping and pretty darned horrific (at least the bit that explains how we got injured in the first place). But unlike so many damaged heros, this one is wonderfully multifaceted and not 100% prone to feeling sorry for himself as so often seems to happen in these types of stories. And he's retained his sense of humor and, even more importantly, his sense of humanity. This comes through loud and clear over and over again and like Helen, I completely forgot the scars and other injuries. Oh, and for a dude missing a few fingers, an eye, and badly scarred on one side of his face...Alistair is pretty darned hot!
Next to the hero, our heroine seems to pale a bit by comparison but she's still a worthy match for him and, praise the lord, we finally have a "mom" heroine who actually ACTS like a parent. If the author is not a mom herself, she clearly has ample experience with young, active children and how they can equally be a trial and a blessing at the exact same moment. As a mother, I had total sympathy for Helen's plight and why she left London. And in the last third of the book when the drama picks up considerably, I was on tenterhooks waiting to see how the situation with her children got resolved. I also admire Helen's pluck -- her willingness to tackle seemingly insurmountable tasks and to do so with minimal tantrums.
But by far the very best part of the book? The children!! Jamie and Abigail were fantastic. They were incredibly well written and vividly imagined. Let me say this: of all the romance books I've read in which children played a central role, none of them have engaged me as much as this. In fact, I actively avoid romances with kids because -- well -- as a mom, I prefer my escape reads to be a TOTAL escape. So I was more than pleasantly surprised at how much I loved the kids in this book and looked forward to their scenes.
The only place where this book fell flat for me? The sex scenes. Don't get me wrong...they were well written. But they felt a bit more frank and gritty than what I'm used to...or what I like. However I think it's safe to say the sex suited the tone of the book and the personalities of the main characters to a T. And regardless, the chemistry between the characters was pitch perfect.
If you are looking for a well-written historical that feels more like a true glimpse into 18th century life than a costume ball, this is most definitely the book for you. And I dare you not to like the kids!
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