Border Bride (Zebra Historical Romance) [Paperback]

Amanda Scott (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A luscious but dim-witted Highlands lassie and her irritatingly officious "border lord" squabble their way to true love in this trying romance set in 1580s Scotland. Sir Adam Douglas misunderstands the innocent flirtation of Mary Kate MacPherson and climbs through her bedroom window for a late-night visit. Just as he realizes he's mixed his signals, she wallops him on the head with a five-foot pole. His response is to ask Mary Kate's father for her hand; her father agrees, and Mary Kate gets her orders to marry. But then, orders pass for normal conversation here: when Mary Kate argues with Adam, he rides off andpk abandons her to walk five miles to her father's house; when she arrives, exhausted and filthy, her father "burst into laughter. . . . Douglas, too, was grinning." The reader is dragged through more such unpleasant scenes as Mary Kate repeatedly challenges Adam, is bested and humiliated, and invariably succumbs to his point of view. Insubstantial historical intrigue (surrounding the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots) adds no excitement. Scott is the author of Lady Brittany's Choice.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821770004
• ISBN-13: 978-0821770009
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #792,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A disturbing read, November 4, 2004

By 

V. George (Columbia, SC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Border Bride (Zebra Historical Romance) (Paperback)

At the beginning of this book, the author, Amanda Scott, writes a little letter to the reader detailing this novel's journey to publication. She wrote it a long time ago, and it was rejected on the premise that the setting would be uninteresting to readers. She finally got it published, but the result is worse than uninteresting, it is downright disturbing. 16th century Scotland was a brutal place, and women were historically treated as possessions to be bartered around and subjected to the whims of their husbands. Ms. Scott portrays this with accuracy, as the heroine is repeatedly humiliated and beaten by her husband. However, Ms. Scott tries to tie in the more conventional Regency romance storyline, i.e., misunderstanding leads to relationship woes, but eventual communication lets love prevail. In this case, though, it just comes out too creepy to be heartwarming. I ended this novel not thinking about the many happy years the heroine spends with her husband, but rather, wanting to snatch her away to the nearest battered women's shelter.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars When did spouse abuse become a "Romance"?, March 22, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Border Bride (Zebra Historical Romance) (Paperback)

This is the unlikely story of a hapless young woman abused by both her father and the course, ignorant man she was forced to marry. Their story starts out with the usual light conflict that is expected in Romance novels, but drags the reader through
the heroine's endless humiliations and physical abuse because of her husband's very heavy-handed manner. There is no pleasure to see a young woman cowering at every turn, but is it especially repulsive to see her accepting this abuse as her fault, and still trying to please this beast. There is far too much spousal abuse in our culture, and to read a "Romance" where such brutality is condoned is very upsetting.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What kind of "Romance" is this ?!!, March 20, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Border Bride (Zebra Historical Romance) (Paperback)

This relationship seemed so abusive! He starts out being an inconsiderate bully - forcing himself on her at a party, rushing her into marriage, rushing her away from her own wedding feast so he can hurry home. When they arrive, in the middle of the night after 3 days in the saddle, traveling at breakneck speed, he's ready to consummate the marriage, without a meal, a bath, or even a maid to help her dress. Later on, she blames herself for losing her temper when he constantly ignores her and flirts blatantly with other women. She tries to stand up to him, but he beats any defiance out of her. He neglects her, belittles her, and is constantly violently angry with her. More than once he hits her. She becomes increasingly scatter brained, submissive and apologetic. She makes all kinds of mistakes because she's terrified of him - then graciously takes the blame herself. When she is blackmailed by someone threatening to spread damning information about her husband, she has to drug him (her husband that is) and tie him up to explain the situation to him safely. Even then she is apologizing all over herself. I kept expecting events to reach a turning point that would put these two characters on more even footing - that she would learn to stand up for herself and that he would come to treat her with respect. But it just never happened. He never acknowledges any wrong doing and she just says "I'm so sorry, I'm so wrong, I shouldn't have done this, I shouldn't have done that, ... "I think I love you". He smiles and says "I should beat you but I won't since I'm such a nice guy - I love you too". Disgusting !!