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

 

Moon Cursed by Lori Handeland

Moon Cursed by Lori Handeland

Lori Handeland had me at the beginning with the words: "The first recorded sighting of the Loch Ness Monster was by Saint Columba in AD 565. The most recent occurred just last year."

Kristin Daniels was the host of a television program called Hoax Hunters, which has just been canceled.

She thought if she debunked the mystery for the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland, that would prove the world would want the film.

Kris has been alone since her mother died and her brother and father left, she did not know where they were but knew she would be fine all alone in Scotland.

Right away she meets Liam Grant by the Urquhart Castle. He kisses her and this is just the beginning of her adventures. Dead bodies, legends of the monster, strange tattoos, love, feelings, unusual happenings and so much more. Some other characters are Jamaica who has a coffee shop, Alan Mac the constable, Dougal Scott a native of the area but from America and her landlady, Effy and Effy's brother.

This is a good read and for those who have read Lori Handeland, this is another wonderful book. She has done a good job on the accents, the mystery and the description of the location brings me right back to the Loch. I have been there and it is very beautiful. I did not see Nessie that day but I did bring back a souvenir of a ceramic Nessie.

I give this a four star.
Leona Olson
http://mnleona.blogspot.com/2012/08/moon-cursed-by-lori-handeland.html

A Kingdom's Cost

This book is about James Douglas of Scotland when he was eighteen years of age. A Kingdom's Cost begins in the year 1300 in Paris and ends in Scotland.

There are historical characters such as William Wallace, King Edward l of England (who was known as Longshanks), the Bishop of Andrews, William Lamberton (who crowned Robert de Bruce as King of Scotland), William Douglas the Hardy, father of James and there is Isabella, the love of James.

James is the main character and the book is about his struggle for Scotland, with others, to become free of England and for James to regain his rightful land.

The beginning chapters are filled with historical facts and the time frame moves quickly. It took me close to one hundred pages to really get in to the personal part of the book. I know little of Scottish history and did learn a lot from A Kingdom's Cost and the war between England and Scotland during the reign of Edward l. As far as I could read with my extra research the author was close to the facts.

There was so much fighting and war, I kept wondering why so much. I got my answer on pages 196-197: "For Islemen and highlanders, war was a sport they savored".

This book will give the reader a big nudge to learn more of the history of Scotland. I have been to Scotland and know some of the area and some history. I even went to Inverness but Nessie did not show herself that day.

I look forward to reading more by J. R. Tomlin. I want to thank her for the opportunity to read A kingdom's Cost.

I received a complimentary copy of this e-book to read and review. The opinions are my own. I will post this on my blog: www.mnleona.blogspot.com, Smashwords and LibraryThing.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/46734?ref=mnleona