Customer Reviews

Border Wedding

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

 

 

Lady Meg and her sisters are known throughout the borderland as homely women. Meg's parents are aware she is no beauty, so when Meg's father captures Sir Walter (Wat) Scott for stealing cattle an opportunity for an advantageous marriage falls nicely in their laps. Wat is given the choice of hanging or marrying Meg, to save his friends he opts for Meg.

Meg and Wat have a tepid relationship. The sexual tension was kept on a low burn the whole novel and for a man with a past with the ladies, Wat is a selfish and inconsiderate lover and husband. He absolutely must rule the roost. Of course, this is medieval Scotland but Wat's temper is hair trigger when it comes to Meg.

Meg is much more interesting than Wat. Her mother has somewhat managed her father for years by seemingly polite speech and obedience. However Meg, like her mother, understands that sometimes men have to believe that they always know what is right. They just need to be steered gently in the right direction.

Meg's loyalties are tested. The English have designs on Scotland and her mother's family is English. Her brothers are involved in in Meg's troubles too and quite frankly her brothers are beyond loathsome to being completely amoral.

This book really needed sparks between the main characters. Wat and Meg spend some time apart in the story. Whenever they come together it never feels like they really missed each other. Furthermore, Meg must be the most sexually frustrated heroine becaue her husband seems to have little concern for her feelings in and out of bed. Suddenly toward the very end of the book, the reader is supposed to believe that he loves her. I never knew when it happened.

Sir Walter Scott's decision to steal back his cattle from a thieving neighbor results in a do or die situation. Unfortunately Wat and his men are caught in the act and thievery is a hanging offense. He's given a choice of marrying or hanging. While being hung is preferable to marrying his captor's homely eldest daughter, watching the men who followed him die is more than he's willing to accept for his offense.

Lady Margaret Murray may not be a raving beauty but she is a dutiful daughter and if her parents insist on her marrying Wat then she'll accept her fate. She's spent years watching her mother wheedle her father around to her way of thinking but never realizes just how much of that behavior she'll take on - or how much it will annoy her new husband.

Despite her concerns Meg enters into her marriage with a hopeful heart. Her sister Amalie will be accompanying her to her new home so that she won't be surrounded by only strangers. Wat's men may have vowed to protect and serve her but can she count on them to keep their word with the marriage taking place under such duress? Meg thought Wat would be taking her to his home but instead he leaves her at his parents' home while he supposedly goes to fix up his peel tower so that it will be more presentable for her. Meg isn't about to remain with Wat's parents forever especially once she realizes that Amalie is very uncomfortable.

With the battle for supremacy between England and Scotland escalating Meg will find herself torn between her loyalty to her family and her new husband. Shocking secrets will be revealed and Meg may just discover that she's fallen in love with her husband. Will Meg be able to balance the various aspects of her new life and still win her husband's love?

Amanda Scott continues to enchant readers with her latest release BORDER WEDDING. Meg is such an understated character that I loved reading about the gradual changes in her personality and absolutely cheered her for refusing to cower in the face of her husband's anger. Wat is as honorable as he is loveable. He takes his responsibilities seriously and I simply had to laugh at how ballistic he becomes over what he perceives to be Meg's disobedience. Ms. Scott based Meg and Wat loosely on real historical figures which makes them even more memorable. This story has the perfect blend of passion, emotion, and historical context to ensure readers will be adding this book to their keeper shelves.

I'm now anxiously awaiting Amalie's story, BORDER LASS which is supposed to be released in September 2008. I'm not going to give anything away but after reading about this young woman's life and fears I really want her to have a happily-ever-after.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

BORDER WEDDING
AMANDA SCOTT

4 Enchantments

Sir Walter Scott only wants his livestock back from neighbor Sir Iagan Murray. Instead, he and his men find themselves in a cell awaiting their fair punishment, hanging. However, Sir Murray comes to believe this may be his chance to marry off his eldest daughter, Lady Margaret. She is known to be quite plain and long in the tooth. So faced with the noose or marriage, it is no heavy decision for Wat.

Lady Margaret Murray finds herself headed to a new life she never thought she would have. Hidden underneath the ugly headdress and plain clothing is a woman that is anything but plain. Hidden behind Meg's serious demeanor are eyes that twinkle with suppressed humor and an easygoing manner that Wat comes to appreciate.

However, life in the Scottish border lands in 1388 is the site of constant conflict and an ongoing struggle with England over control. Meg faces some hard decisions and must measure how deep her loyalty is to her family and to her new husband.

Once again, Ms. Scott pens a story about finding love in the hardest of times. It is evident that much research has gone into the historical information presented and the story provides a wonderfully detailed accounting of a few of the battles that plagued the border area in that time period. BORDER WEDDING also brings to light some of the conflicting emotions that those with family members on both sides of the border must have experienced. Great character development has the reader experiencing various emotions along with the characters. A realistic romance of the period entwined with a rich historical presentation...it is what historical romance is all about.

Ms. Scott is a USA Today bestselling author and winner of numerous awards including the Romance Writers of America's RITA. Her first novel sold in 1980 and she has gone on to write almost 50 more. She has a master's degree in history and resides in northern California with her husband and son. [...]

Doris Herd
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
May 2008

Border Wedding and Border Lass are part of a series by Amanda Scott focusing on the stories of families that lived on the border of England and Scotland in the late 1300s.

In Border Wedding, we meet Sir Walter Scott (yes, based on the real person) as he is about to hang for being caught trying to retrieve his stolen cattle. However, he is presented a choice: marry the thief's oldest daughter, Lady Margaret Murray, or hang. With little choice, a hasty wedding takes place.

Wat takes Margaret home with him, barely knowing her and not entirely willing to find out. Despite his resistance (and hers) they still begin to realize that each is not what they expected. But as the politics of the land become more and more pressing, their marriage causes them both to be pawns in the battle for the Kingship of the land.

Border Lass follows the story of Margaret's sister, Amalie. After a heartbreaking experience in her youth, Amalie is set on never marrying. Instead, she has devoted her service to the beloved widow of the Douglas, Princess Isabel. Equally unwilling to wed, but still intrigued by Amalie is Sir Garth Napier. When he finds her eavesdropping at a door with potentially dire consequences, they enter into an even deeper political quagmire than her sister did. But as they deal with the upcoming power struggle, they continue to need each other as much as they attempt to deny their growing feelings for each other.

Amanda Scott knows her history. Both Border Wedding and Border Lass are very detailed on all the politics and conspiracies that took place in Scotland at the time. In fact, in the first book in particular, the details overwhelm the story. The first book also had two traits I don't care for: dialogue written with the dialect and accent of time, which makes it difficult to read; and a relationship that did not make me root for them. Wat is portrayed as a hard man, with very little regard for his wife, even once he realizes he loves her.

However, I did enjoy Border Lass quite a bit more, in part because most of my problems with the first one were not present. The characters were much more fun and enjoyable. The relationship was fun to watch and the resolution was satisfying. In fact, I enjoyed Border Lass enough to look forward to the next book, Border Moonlight, due January 5, 2009.

Niki Lee
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

When Sir Walter Scott is caught in the act of stealing back his own cattle, he is given a choice by his captor: marry his captor's eldest daughter, Margaret, or hang - and his men hang with him. Wat chooses to marry Meg. The story that follows is that of their falling in love, persevering through their forced marriage, prejudices against each other, and violent politics of the Scottish borders on the 14th century.

I had mixed feelings about this book. It's an interesting story, and I kept reading it to find out what was going to happen, but I had a hard time for several reasons. First, Scott (the author, not the character) embroils her story in the politics of the period - who is loyal to whom, who is spying on whom, and who is intermarried to which family and regards themselves as English or Scottish. It got very confusing. Aside from that, the other thing that was off-putting in this story was, quite frankly, the hero's attitude toward having sex with the heroine, his wife. True to attitudes of the time period, Wat is only concerned with his own pleasure and with getting off. Unfortunately, this realism is not necessarily desirable in a romance novel. I want to be able to empathize with the heroine, and that means she can't be left hanging at the end of each sexual encounter with her husband! She may not know what she's missing, but I as the reader do, and it is very frustrating. Granted, Wat concedes that he's been a prig and resolves to make sure she comes every time he does - before he does, even - but that concession comes 50 pages from the end of the novel, and the reader never sees him do anything about it.

Come to think of it, the last two chapters seem almost like Scott was trying to finish her story and keep it under 400 pages, thereby condensing at least 100 pages' worth of story into 20.

If I hadn't been so confused about the politics (which, granted, may have been easier to follow if I hadn't taken a week-long break in the middle of the novel), frustrated over the lack of sexual resolution for the heroine, and disappointed by the rushed ending, I would be more than happy to give the novel 5 stars. As it is, I'm not willing to drop to 3.5, but will give it 4 stars. I may or may not be reading the sequel, Border Lass, when it comes out in September.

This is the first book i have read of Amanda Scott's and i found it sorely lacking. There were so many down times in the book and i was bored 95% of the time. Yes, you can tell that the book was very historically correct and that was cause for most of my boredom. i think that the author tried to stay too much politically correct that she didn't add enough exciting parts. i would not recommend this book to anyone because it was hard for me to just finish it because i was bored.

I throughly enjoyed this new offering by Amanda Scott, especially because she has returned to the Borders of Scotland. The setting and historical detail was so impeccably done the reader knows they are in the period and location. Meg and Wat are great compliments of each other. Wat appears a bit of hapless rogue ( what Border hero isn't) and Meg has self esteem issues. But each does quite a bit of growing from within and as well as with each other. The story is enriched with the introduction of the secondary characters who compliment the conflicts within the story. Clearly we will revisit these characters over the next two books in the trilogy. The delightful scamp Sym will surely get his own story, yes?

The only draw back was the story was a bit light on sexual tension. She opened an issue with the heroine's intimate relationship with the hero that never seemed to be resolved, but it doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the story. The political intrigue played a strong role in the plot and I think at times this impeded the reader from seeing a stronger, well developed love match between Wat and Meg, but these are characters readers can't help but fall in love with.

The story is so well crafted the reader who loves a fast paced ending is going to love this book. For readers who love Scottish romances and are tired of all those set in the Highlands this one should be at the top of your "to be read" pile. Amanda Scott never disappoints!!!

In 1388 British sympathizer Sir Iagan Murray catches his neighbor stealing cattle that he previously stole from his prisoner Scottish supporter Sir Walter "Wat" Scott. Iagan gives Wat an alternate to hanging; he can marry his daughter Lady Margaret "Muckle-Mouth Meggie" Murray, who besides ripping off men's skin is not pretty.

He chooses marriage more to save the lives of his loyal men, but has doubts that he made the right selection especially when he expects his betrothed to be dragged to the altar and later to kick his butt (and another part of his anatomy) when he beds her. Instead she seems elated with the marriage as Meg believes this is her time to find happiness. However, as Meg and Wat fall in love, she catches her sibling spying on her spouse for the British. Meg knew her birth family and marital family were in conflict, but never expected to be the rope pulled by each side.

Few authors do medieval romances as consistently excellent as Amanda Scott does. Her current tale brings to life the late fourteenth century near the English-Scottish border, which constantly changes. The romance is a classic gender war battle between two fully developed likable individuals, but it is the historical tidbits that anchor an era filled with betrayal, machinations, and changing loyalty that makes the great Scott's latest offering a winner.

Harriet Klausner

Reading the synopsis for this book I become very excited at the chance to review it. Never having read any of Amanda Scott's earlier books, it was a chance to add yet another new author into my ever-growing book collection.

Lady Margaret, who goes by Meg, is a young maiden of eighteen years with two younger sisters. With no prospects for a husband in her foreseeable future, she becomes a pawn in an endless violence between Scotland and England. Sir Walter Scott, Wat to all that know him, is part of one of Scotland's most powerful families. As he and his men set out on a path of revenge to regain what was stolen from him, they are captured by Lord Murray, Meg's devious father. Only when Murray reveals his plan to kill both Wat and his men, does Lady Murray step in to save their lives and establish Meg's future beyond what any of them could have imagined.

Amidst trials and tribulations, Wat and Meg find themselves caught up in a tug of war between their families and their blossoming feelings for one another. Meg must decide whether she will stand up to her unscrupulous brothers or betray the husband she has come to love.

Border Wedding starts off rather slow, quickly picks up the pace-and ends rather slowly. Scott's vivid attention to details makes you feel as if you are indeed visiting Scotland each and every time you pick up her delightful book. Come along and take a trip with Meg and Wat as they are caught between clashing clans on the untamed and breathtaking Scottish borders.

Border Wedding is a fun, light read that is perfect as you wait for the kids as you carpool them around this summer.

It was for a gift and my aunt said it was a great book.
She would recomend it.