I had the great
pleasure of receiving an ARC copy of
The Master of Strathburn
by Amy Rose Bennett.
Robert
Grant has returned home to Lochrose Castle in the Highlands to reconcile with
his long-estranged father, the Earl of Strathburn. But there is a price on
Robert’s head, and his avaricious younger half-brother, Simon, doesn’t want him
reclaiming his birthright. And it’s not only Simon and the redcoats that
threaten to destroy Robert’s plans after a flame-haired complication of the
feminine kind enters the scene...
Jessie
Munroe is forced to flee Lochrose Castle after the dissolute Simon Grant tries
to coerce her into becoming his mistress. After a fateful encounter with a
mysterious and handsome hunter, Robert, in a remote Highland glen, she throws
her lot in with the stranger—even though she suspects he is a fugitive. She
soon realizes that this man is dangerous in an entirely different way to
Simon...
Despite
their searing attraction, Robert and Jessie struggle to trust each other as
they both seek a place to call home. The stakes are high and only one thing is
certain: Simon Grant is in pursuit of them both...
What did I think of the book?
Robert Grant should have listened to his father. But he was
young and naive. Ten years on from the failed Jacobite revolution, Robert, who
has spent many years in exile, has returned home, in the hope of being granted
a pardon for his part in the war.
Jessie Munroe does not know her place in society anymore;
her family have fallen on hard times and now she is a servant. Just a little
while ago, she had prospects, but now that the money has gone, her would-be
suitors have disappeared. Her father is now in the employment of the Earl of
Lochrose. The Earl is a kind man; it is a shame that the same cannot be said
for his youngest son, Simon.
Jessie has caught Simon's eyes and he will have her whether
she wills it or not. Desperate to escape his lurid advances, Jessie decides to
run away to her family in Edinburgh, but alas she does not get very far when
she is mistaken for a deer by the recently returned, Robert Grant.
The Master of Strathburn is a riveting page turning and the
hours flew by as I read it. I liked Robert, he is very heroic and gallant ~ He carries a burden of terrible guilt about
the loss of life at the Battle of Culloden and he comes across as a man of deep
morals. He was also incredibly romantic, and several times I caught myself
sighing!!
Jessie was a very courageous young lady, and I felt real
terror for her whenever Simon was in her presence. She falls for Robert very
quickly when she meets him and she was very forward ~ sometimes I felt, a
little too forward, for the time the novel was set in. Nevertheless, her
relationship with Robert was very believable.
The only thing that struck me as slightly odd in this book
was the Earl of Strathburn. He had his suspicions about what his son, Simon,
was up to with regards to Jessie, yet he did nothing to stop it. However, as
soon as he learnt that Jessie had spent a couple of nights under the protection
of Robert, he demanded that they hand-fast??! He came across as incredibly
feeble ~ he had no control of his wife or his youngest son and he only seemed
to develop a backbone once Robert was back. He did not come across as the usual
Scottish Lord that is so familiar with this time frame. However, this is only a
very small complaint in what was a great read.
Bennet is a skilled story-teller and I look forward to
reading more from this author.
Where can I purchase this novel?
About the author
Amy Rose Bennett has always wanted to
be a writer for as long as she can remember. An avid reader with a particular
love for historical romance, it seemed only natural to write stories in her
favorite genre. She has a passion for creating emotion-packed—and sometimes a
little racy—stories set in the Georgian and Regency periods. Of course, her
strong-willed heroines and rakish heroes always find their happily ever after.
Amy is happily married to her own Alpha
male hero, has two beautiful daughters, and a rather loopy Rhodesian Ridgeback.
She has been a speech pathologist for many years but is currently devoting her
time to her one other true calling—writing romance.
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See you on your next coffee break!
Take Care,
Mary Anne xxx