REIVER'S BRIDE

Author: Amanda Scott ISBN:0446612677 9/2003 HISTORICAL Publisher: WARNER
Time Period: Scotland, 1541

Once, long ago in Scotland, matchmaking members of the Secret Clan wove magical mischief to encourage romance among the mortals they assisted. Sometimes the results weren't quite what they expected... REIVER'S BRIDE When reivers swoop down on Lady Anne Ellyson one moonlit night, she discovers their leader is none other than Sir Christopher Chisholm, her favorite cousin's betrothed, long lost and declared dead. Kit's wicked uncle has usurped his inheritance, title, and bride-to-be, but Anne promises to reunite Kit with her kinswoman…even though her heart warns that she'll soon regret it. After a false murder accusation and a prison ship escape, Kit expects dealing with Anne, his uncle, and an unwanted marriage to be child's play. But Anne is no child and his passion for her distracts him from his enemies. She will risk her reputation and her very life to save him…only to discover that by failing to heed her heart's warning, she could lose forever the man she loves.. You can find more Amanda Scott books on her website at http://home.att.net/~amandascott

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Overall, REIVER’S BRIDE is a delightful tale. Not having read the previous books in the series, I was a bit leery of jumping in the middle, but I didn’t feel lost at all. The parts of the plot that were a continuing storyline were explained enough for me to understand.

I was completely enchanted by Maggie, Catriona, and especially Fergus, the members of “The Secret Clan”. In my opinion, they steal the show! The heroine, Lady Anne, is a strong-willed, independent girl still grieving over the deaths of her entire family. She’s not willing to trust anyone enough to let down her barriers. Kit, having just returned to the area, after escaping from a prison boat, also seems to have a difficult time trusting. I enjoyed seeing these two wounded souls find a soul mate in the other and finally find someone they could like and trust.

My biggest problem with the book? The ending. It felt rushed to me and I was struggling to keep up with all the changes that occurred. The evil uncle seemed to suddenly have a change of heart at the end that wasn’t explained to my satisfaction. I couldn’t reconcile his actions to what we’d seen of his behavior so far in the novel. I also felt that we didn’t get to see enough of Anne and Kit after their marriage, to see each of their realization of love for the other. Granted, I noticed the instant attraction, but I got the feeling that I was missing out on some of what they were thinking and feeling. Too bad though, because I really cared about them both. Suddenly, they were in love and everything was okay. I’d have loved to be privy to more of their inner thoughts during this time.

I gave this book a solid B, recommended. It was an entertaining read and now I’m eager to dig out the first three books in this series from my TBR.

Kendra Patterson