Book review of Mine is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs

 

Mine is the night by Liz Curtis Higgs

From goodreads.com:
Mine Is the Night (Here Burns My Candle #2) by Liz Curtis Higgs (Goodreads Author)
4.27 of 5 stars 4.27  ·   rating details  ·  1,598 ratings  ·  250 reviews
SHE LOST EVERYTHING SHE LOVED.
HE HAD EVERYTHING SHE NEEDED.
BUT COULD SHE FIND THE COURAGE TO TRUST HIM?

Stepping from a battered coach on a rainy April eve, newly widowed Elisabeth Kerr must begin again, without husband or title, property or fortune. She is unafraid of work and gifted with a needle, but how will she stitch together the tattered remnants of her life? And who will mend her heart, torn asunder by betrayal and deception?
   Elisabeth has not come to Selkirk alone. Her mother-in-law, Marjory Kerr, is a woman undone, having buried her husband, her sons, and any promise of grandchildren. Dependent upon a distant cousin with meager resources, Marjory dreads the future almost as much as she regrets the past. Yet joy still comes knocking, and hope is often found in unexpected places.
  Then a worthy hero steps forward, rekindling a spark of hope. Will he risk his reputation to defend two women labeled as traitors to the Crown? Or will a wealthy beauty, untainted by scandal, capture his affections?
   The heartrending journey of the Kerr women comes to a glorious finish in Mine Is the Night, a sparkling gem of redemption and restoration set in eighteenth-century Scotland.
 
Leona's Review:

I listened to the audio book.
This is my first listen/read by Liz Curtis Higgs and one of the best I have heard/read. This is the second book of the series, Here Burns My Candle.

The readers are take back to the 1740s in Scotland with the words, food, clothing, transportation, church and customs of the time.  The author reads the book with the pronunciation of the words really adding to the times and location of the novel. We read of cobbled stone streets; a cameo pin; the words, nigh upon them; mourning clothes of black; turnip soup; bannocks; banns of marriage and more.

Elisabeth and Marjory Kerr are leaving their home and going to Selkirk after King George took their home. The sons of Marjory, Daniel and Andrew, were fighting for Bonnie Prince Charlie and the women were considered traitors. Both brothers and the father, Sir John, are dead, leaving the two women widows.
They move in the very small home of their cousin Ann, who is a lacemaker.
Now, a different way of life for them


There is a history lesson in the book about the Jacobites; which I know little. The book has stirred my interest.

http://www.contemplator.com/history/jacobite.html

http://www.scotshistoryonline.co.uk/charlieb.html


I personally did not find a lot of romance in the sense we read in other "romance" books, but close and special feelings of the characters to the ones  they love. To me, this spoke of the times.

I also did not find it too religious but loved that God was included; He was called The Almighty many times. The work Kirk is used for Church.
I found this on the Internet:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirk - Similarto Kirk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[edit]. As a proper noun, The Kirk is an informal name for the Church of Scotland, the country's national church.


I do not want to leave out the cat, Cherborne, ( not sure of the spelling) in the book that belonged to the master of the house, Admiral Jack Buchanan (not sure on spelling of the last name). There is always something extra where an animal is included in the book.

This audio book gets a 5 star from me and I look forward to the other books from this author. I checked out this audio book from my local library.

Liz Curtis Higgs many be found at:
www.goodreads.com/lizcurtishiggs and also www.lizcurtishiggs.com

Leona Olson
http:www.mnleona.blogspot.com