Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lighthearted romantic historical with loveable characters., April 18, 1998
By A Customer
Beautiful, spirited Alpin MacKay is both shocked and incensed to discover her lately-deceased guardian, Charles, has bequeathed his entire Barbados plantation--along with its slaves--to her childhood nemesis, Malcolm Kerr, Scots Earl of Kildalton. Orphaned as a young girl, Alpin was at first foisted upon a cruel English uncle at the Borderlands, before seeking out the secret tower rooms of Kildalton's castle for sanctuary. As she grew up alongside childhood friend Malcolm, her wildness and hellion's mischief were but guises to hide her deep hurt and anguish at being unwanted. When Kildalton's keep had finally suffered enough of her troublesome pranks, Malcolm's father arranged--to everyone's relief--that Alpin should accompany his friend Charles, and wife, to their plantation in Barbados. Now, almost two decades later, twenty-seven year old Alpin MacKay resolves to return to Scotland and if necessary, lie, cheat, steal and finagle Malcolm into returning to her possession of the plantation estate she considers her rightful home. The sugercane business which she herself managed the past five years during her guardian's constant state of bereaved drunkeness over his wife's death. Alpin also wants to insure the slaves, which she has grown to love like family, receive their freedom, as well as her protection. She doesn't realize the price of that freedom may equal the cost of her heart until she confronts the tall and darkly handsome Malcolm, Earl of Kildalton, and finds herself unwillingly drawn into his web of smooth charm and easy confidence. Distrusting him for what she considers his latest treachory, Alpin still cannot help becoming mired in memories of their past together, and a friendship that, with all its pain and mischief, was the most intimate she'd ever known... Malcolm Kerr is a little surprised and highly displeased when Alpin MacKay shows up at his doorstep. Although appreciative of her grown-up beauty and womanly charms, his admiration is tempered with angry distrust, recalling their brief childhood together and how one of her many troublesome pranks upon his person came to ruin the rest of his life. Yet even as he plots his vengeance for her, Malcolm finds himself understanding the desperate loneliness she suffered as a child, and he comes to admire the small, feisty woman who isn't afraid to challenge him. Amidst a life shrouded in Jacobite conspiracy, Malcolm is sure of only one thing: Alpin will always be his--even when she seduces from him what she wants and then tries to flee... Approximately 300 pages, Arnette Lamb's BORDER BRIDE is filled with fast-paced, snappy dialogue, humorously colorful characters and an excellent flavor of early eighteenth century Scotland. It gives a wonderful example of the human conflict, how love can easily overcome the distrust, vengeance and ardent mulishness of even the best of friends.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This woman knows what she wants., April 6, 1998
This is first book I have read by Arnette Lamb. Not knowing what to expect, I found well-written descriptions with lots of details (historically accurate) about daily life in the 18th century, and well-drawn characters. I admire Alpin's strength and sense of humor. She knows when to pick her battles, and never loses sight of her goal to reclaiming her home plantation, "Paradise", in the Barbados. However, somewhere in the process of tricking Malcolm Kerr, now her guardian (as she is an unmarried woman without family to protect her), she realizes that her sense of "home" has re-transferred to Kildalton Castle on the Scottish borderlands, and the Kerr family, who had befriended her when she was but an orphan wee girl. Her plans don't include falling in love with Malcolm, her childhood friend and nemesis. I enjoyed the historical details, the connections with Bonnie Prince Charlie, and the humorous by-play between Saladin, Malcolm's master-at-arms and friend, and Alpin's Black lady-in-waiting, Elanna.
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Good beginning, horrible ending, October 13, 2008
In the beginning, each of the heroes wanted to deceive the other. Malcom, however, outgrew his need for revenge, managed to forgive Alpin and tried to make a happy future for both of them. The heroine was horrible. She behaved childishly, never told Malcom what she wanted and what was wrong, didn't believe him when he told her that he loved her and jumped to stupid conclusions. She tried to run away from him - not once, but five or six times. It was horrible. And then Malcom behaved as if he had no back bone at all - he always brought her back, didn't even give her a proper tongue-lashing, but just put up with her behavior. I wished he would just let her go and find another woman. I don't know how he could love such a selfish, childish creature. In the end, I lost all respect for him. I had to force myself to finish the book.
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