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Series: The Sisters of Kilbride, #1
Tropes & Traits: second chance
Publication Date: 02.27.20
Genre/Setting: Historical; Medieval; Isle of Skye, Scotland
Rating: 4 stars!
Gavin MacNichol and Annella Fraser were once in love, until he broke things off to honor a betrothal made when he was still a child, thereby fulfilling his father's deathbed wish. Heartbroken, Ella left without a goodbye and became a nun at Kilbride Abbey, while Gavin went on to marry her sister.
Now 18 years later, Gavin is a widower and full of regrets because he did his duty but lost his love. When he escorts Ella from the Abbey to his home so she can visit her dying mother, it is clear the passion they once had still simmers beneath the surface. But Ella has sworn vows as a nun and she's determined to ignore the tumult of emotions Gavin raises within her. But when Ella makes an enemy of the cruel laird upon whose land Kilbride Abbey rests, she and Gavin are thrown together once more and this time in a thoroughly irrevocable way.
This book was extremely emotionally complex. As I do with all second chance stories, I struggled with the sadness of all that lost time between them, but n this case that was handled extremely well and with much emotional development and maturity from the main characters and a minimum of angst. Ella annoyed me at times simply because she did such a quick 180 from extreme piety and wanting nothing to do with Gavin (though he deserved some of that, he was trying to make amends and fix the mistakes of his youthful naivete), to wanting to be with him fully. For his part, I found Gavin to be a bit too weak as a hero and I wish he'd stood up for Ella far sooner.
I did find this book to be very slow paced and when the end came, I found it to be rather anticlimactic and I wanted more comeuppance for the villains, making this feel a bit too much like happily for now not happily ever after. Since this was the first in a new series there were a lot of characters to establish and introduce, so I'm hopeful that we'll see this comeuppance in future books of this series and I plan to continue it. Jayne is a superb writer of gritty and emotional books and I look forward to more from her.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Now 18 years later, Gavin is a widower and full of regrets because he did his duty but lost his love. When he escorts Ella from the Abbey to his home so she can visit her dying mother, it is clear the passion they once had still simmers beneath the surface. But Ella has sworn vows as a nun and she's determined to ignore the tumult of emotions Gavin raises within her. But when Ella makes an enemy of the cruel laird upon whose land Kilbride Abbey rests, she and Gavin are thrown together once more and this time in a thoroughly irrevocable way.
This book was extremely emotionally complex. As I do with all second chance stories, I struggled with the sadness of all that lost time between them, but n this case that was handled extremely well and with much emotional development and maturity from the main characters and a minimum of angst. Ella annoyed me at times simply because she did such a quick 180 from extreme piety and wanting nothing to do with Gavin (though he deserved some of that, he was trying to make amends and fix the mistakes of his youthful naivete), to wanting to be with him fully. For his part, I found Gavin to be a bit too weak as a hero and I wish he'd stood up for Ella far sooner.
I did find this book to be very slow paced and when the end came, I found it to be rather anticlimactic and I wanted more comeuppance for the villains, making this feel a bit too much like happily for now not happily ever after. Since this was the first in a new series there were a lot of characters to establish and introduce, so I'm hopeful that we'll see this comeuppance in future books of this series and I plan to continue it. Jayne is a superb writer of gritty and emotional books and I look forward to more from her.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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