Series: The Highlanders of Balforss, #3
Tropes & Traits: damaged/abused heroine; vulnerable hero; naïve heroine
Publication Date: 10.22.18
Genre/Setting: Historical, Scotland
Rating: 4 stars
This is the story of Virginia, trapped in an abusive, loveless marriage to a cruel viscount who tries to have her killed. She is rescued by brawny highlander Magnus and his family and remains with them for quite awhile as she attempts to determine what to do next since her husband has reported her dead and claimed the insurance policy he had on her life.
I enjoyed this book, really I did, but I almost dropped the rating another star and probably would have if it weren't for the humorous bits. It has everything I'm a sucker for: a strong and caring hero, great secondary characters, a bit of intrigue, and plenty of steam. My main hang-up was the heroine. And not for the infidelity issues you might think. (I believe that any man who abuses his wife has broken his vows and she is not obligated to show him any loyalty after that). However, Virginia couldn't just leave well enough alone; she kept insisting she had to return to England to reclaim the inheritance he stole, though she had to know she'd never get that money back, and create a home for orphans. While this is a great and noble cause, it drove me crazy that she was willing to leave Magnus and break his heart despite him literally begging her to go with him. She believed he didn't love her enough because he wouldn't live in a city he hated for her and was offended that he'd ask her to give up her dream of the children's home in London. This just struck me as highly hypocritical because she was perfectly happy to ask him to and expect that he give up his dream for her. She finally comes to her senses and realizes, with more convincing from Magnus, that she can open a foundling home in Scotland with him, as there is just as much need there and we finally get our happy ending.
Given the experiences she had at the hands of her father and her first husband, I also found the heroine's continued naivete to be a bit tiresome and unbelievable and it just made me dislike her a bit. Magnus was a great hero, but him constantly having to be vulnerable and yet still being rejected by Virginia was a bit irritating. He was surprisingly lacking in self-confidence and I kept expecting Virginia to do more to improve that. Some parts of the story lagged a bit and could possibly be improved as far as flow is concerned, but overall I still enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I enjoyed this book, really I did, but I almost dropped the rating another star and probably would have if it weren't for the humorous bits. It has everything I'm a sucker for: a strong and caring hero, great secondary characters, a bit of intrigue, and plenty of steam. My main hang-up was the heroine. And not for the infidelity issues you might think. (I believe that any man who abuses his wife has broken his vows and she is not obligated to show him any loyalty after that). However, Virginia couldn't just leave well enough alone; she kept insisting she had to return to England to reclaim the inheritance he stole, though she had to know she'd never get that money back, and create a home for orphans. While this is a great and noble cause, it drove me crazy that she was willing to leave Magnus and break his heart despite him literally begging her to go with him. She believed he didn't love her enough because he wouldn't live in a city he hated for her and was offended that he'd ask her to give up her dream of the children's home in London. This just struck me as highly hypocritical because she was perfectly happy to ask him to and expect that he give up his dream for her. She finally comes to her senses and realizes, with more convincing from Magnus, that she can open a foundling home in Scotland with him, as there is just as much need there and we finally get our happy ending.
Given the experiences she had at the hands of her father and her first husband, I also found the heroine's continued naivete to be a bit tiresome and unbelievable and it just made me dislike her a bit. Magnus was a great hero, but him constantly having to be vulnerable and yet still being rejected by Virginia was a bit irritating. He was surprisingly lacking in self-confidence and I kept expecting Virginia to do more to improve that. Some parts of the story lagged a bit and could possibly be improved as far as flow is concerned, but overall I still enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2550546562?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
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