Customer Reviews

The Border Lord (Harlequin Historical)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I found this story a more than pleasant surprise. I commend the authoress for breaking the usual romance mold. She has developed a heroine who is flawed physically and emotionally. Her hero has the physical scars of battle, the emoional scars therof as well as deep familial ones. Those flaws and scars are redeemed through the relationaship that develops between them. These two have depth rather than the usual cardboard cast of beauty perfected/Adonis personified oozing lust from beginning to end. Each makes the other a better person much to their mutual surprise.
To the one star reviewer who became so hung up with the inaccuracies:
If you want accuracy, read historical biographies in the non-fiction section or, at the very least, mainstream lit rather than Harlequin.
Fiction by its definition requires a suspension of belief. In most circles, Harlequin is synonomous with an inexpensive, light, easy read aimed at a pleasing and/or pleasurable experience. The average reader, both by age and historical background, will neither care nor know about the proper wearing of the kilt, the heraldry of the nobility, or the appropriate forms of address. The average reader will care about the story, the action, and the sex scenes rather than the surrounding details. The autoress handled those well enough.
Covers very rarely depict the characrers in the story. The Publishing House control the covers. The artists don't read the book. At best, they get to see an abridged synopsis. A person could write a book about THOSE inaccuracies without effort. Covers are marketing tools. Having a TV star on the cover is a selling point. The gorgeous hunk on this one made me pick the book up out the stand even though I thought he was a model rather than an actor. Besides, when the story is read, the reader still has the cover upon which to gaze and sigh.

I was amazed to see a review of this book that had one star and a lot of criticism directed at what the reviewer felt were "historical inaccuracies". I thought it was a great story. The heroine is not knock-dead beautiful, in fact, has a tendency to skin rashes and has a limp and scars from being burned in a fire. Her parents have been murdered for political reasons and she witnessed it. She stutters as a result. So what does this gal have going for her, she's honest, optimistic, responsible and brave. Her inner qualities show through. The story has quite a few twists and turns and surprises, like a mystery. It is well-written and the author shows a sense of humor. Historical characters are introduced and I feel appropriately. I would have liked it to be a bit longer. Perhaps the other reviewer was having a cranky day.

I was hooked when I read the excerpt that described their first meeting. Something different. A new twist. Every page was riveting. Many times she did appear timid and weak, but she really was strong and courageous when necessary. She suffered a lot, first seeing her parents murdered, then standing in the gap to protect her young cousin's reputation. She held her own when the kidnappers carried her off. She was cold, soaked, starving and in pain, but didn't show it.

I could understand how the hero doubted her in the beginning and felt her pain. Later I felt for the hero. He had his troubles too and was really hurt when he thought she'd left him. It was very gratifying to see her dreams come true. Definitely a book I will read again.

When I pick up a Harlequin Historical I don't expect an in-depth historical story but this current offering is so off the mark for a Scottish historical it should be avoided. It starts off sounding like a poor imitation of an early Julie Garwood romance, the usual "lets solves the Anglo/Scottish conflict with a forced marriage". Thankfully she didn't fall into the over used and historically trite "handfast" but that is the best one can say about this book. By page 50 I found so many historical inaccuracies I wasn't sure I could finish it. Examples: though she has no control over the cover art, a Border Lord especially one of the "riding"families of the borders (of which the Kerrs were but they were not a Clan- that is a modern term used now for all Scottish surnames) wouldn't wear a kilt nor a plaide, doing basic research she would have discovered that. As Scottish Borders historian author, Alistair Moffat says in his bookThe Reivers: The Story of the Border Reivers, a borderer wouldn't be caught dead in a kilt. She also makes faux pas in her address of the heroine. She calls her Lady of Kerr, but Kerr is a surname derived from Caer (fort in old Welsh/Cumbric language). Using the "of" denotes a place name and we know the hero's keep has a different name, so she would be Lady Kerr or Lady Kerr of (place). She creates an Earl of Carrick ( a Scottish title) when the title was held by King David II, but she makes him an Englishman, ouch! This is pretty basic stuff for one writing historical romance if they do basic research. There were other examples but they all could have been over looked if the plot had any strength to it, which it didn't.

The heroine has all sorts of problems, which effect her self esteem, making her a weak heroine from the get go, which is odd as the hero keeps having these internal dialogues of how brave she is. We know there is some sort of secret surrounding her being his bride instead of who should be... ( sound like a Garwood?) and something his brother has done or did he? She introduces way too many characters in so short a time period. that one gets the feeling that this might be a second book in a trilogy but her backlist doesn't reflect that. One has to struggle through the first 100 pages before the story actually picks up but that doesn't leave enough pages for the story to unfold in a satisfying way. I have been enjoying Scottish romances for over 40 years and though i don't expect a book the quality of Monica McCarty or Amanda Scott in a Harlequin Historical, I do expect the author to have done some basic research or at the very least provide a story with likable characters and a compelling plot to negate the historical mistakes. THE BORDER LORD by Sophia James is just not that book. And for those who enjoy an escape to Scotland through historical romance, this one is not worth the trip.