Fair is the Rose (Lowlands of Scotland Series #2) [Paperback]

Liz Curtis Higgs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 2004

The Scottish Lowlands, October 1789.

A year has come and gone since Jamie McKie fled for his life, arriving at Auchengray in search of sanctuary and a bonny wife. Young Rose McBride, as fair a lass as any in Scotland, dearly loves her handsome cousin—but so does her older sister, Leana.

Determined to have Jamie all to herself, Rose puts in motion one desperate plan after another, enlisting the aid of Lillias Brown, a wise woman—a wutch, some say—still keen on the old ways. Impetuous Rose ignores the cruel whispers that travel up and down the parish hills, never dreaming of the tragic consequences that await her.

Her sister, Leana, clings to her hard-won sense of peace and assurance by a slender thread of faith. Day and night, Leana’s hours are apent caring for wee Ian and praying that her future will hold more promise than her past.

Jamie McKie is busy making his own plans to return home to Glentrool and claim his inheritance. To do so means facing Evan, the brother whose blessing he stole, and Alec, the father whom he ruthlessly deceived. It is a perilous journey that will test the depth of his courage, the strength of his sword, and the tenacity of his vow to honor Almighty God, no matter the cost.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this sequel to Thorn in My Heart, Higgs, a popular inspirational author, continues her 18th-century Scottish love story paralleling the biblical saga of Jacob and Esau, exemplifying sacrificial and patient love. Sisters Leana and Rose McBride are both in love with handsome Jamie McKie of Glentrool. After conniving with her father to spin a web of deceit and trickery, one sister wears a wedding ring and bears Jamie's child. But will the marriage consummated in the previous novel be honored? The challenges of adapting the scriptural story to the 18th century are daunting (polygamy, for example, wasn't acceptable in Scotland as it was in biblical times) and make for some contrivances that would be difficult to believe from any author not as talented as Higgs. Or, as the characters muse at one point, "the story was so implausible it had to be true." Admirably, Higgs keeps her protagonists multifaceted and readers' allegiances shifting as the story unfolds, although some may find one sister's contrition and sacrifice hard to swallow. A welcome glossary helps readers navigate the Scottish terms that lend color to the dialogue, and historical details-including church customs, medical and herbal information, and food descriptions-create a vivid backdrop. As the author of 21 books with more than two million copies in print, Higgs commands the affection of CBA readers, who will devour this novel eagerly and anticipate the story's resumption next spring in Whence Came a Prince.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

After retelling the biblical story of Jacob and Esau in her first historical novel, Thorn in My Heart (2003), Higgs continues with Rachel and Leah's story in this dramatic sequel set in eighteenth-century Scotland. Rose McBride, having been denied marriage to her true love, Jamie McKie, by her father, the Machiavellian Lachlan McBride, must watch as her sister Leana rejoices in the birth of a son and her husband Jamie's newly professed love. Bitter and betrayed, Rose finds distraction at boarding school with a new friend, Jane. The friends' nighttime excursion to a local witch reveals prophecies both promising and forbidding. Both girls return home for the holidays, and their fortunes begin to unfurl--Jane becomes deathly ill, and Rose is greeted with the news that Jamie and Leana's marriage may not be legal. Distractingly peppered with Scottish vocabulary (glossary in back) and melodramatic scenes and dialogue, this second entry in a proposed trilogy will satisfy romantic historical fiction fans and can also be suggested to readers of historic inspirational fiction. A readers' discussion guide is also included. Kaite Mediatore
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (March 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578561272
• ISBN-13: 978-1578561278
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 1 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,000 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Liz Curtis Higgs has been telling tales since she attempted her first novel--handwritten in a marble notebook--at the tender age of ten. Award-winning careers in radio broadcasting, public speaking, nonfiction writing, and children's books honed Liz's storytelling talents, bringing her back to her first love, storytelling.

She is the author of 28 books, with more than 3 million copies in print, including two contemporary novels, one novella, and six historical novels, among them her latest Scottish saga, Here Burns My Candle and Mine Is the Night, a New York Times bestseller.

Her popular nonfiction books include the Bad Girls of the Bible series of books, workbooks, and DVDs, with more than one million copies in print.

And she has written five books for young children, including perennial favorite, The Pumpkin Patch Parable.

Her children's Parable Series received an ECPA Gold Medallion for Excellence, her nonfiction book Embrace Grace won a Retailers Choice Award, and her novel Whence Came a Prince received a Christy Award for Best Historical Novel. Liz was an award-winning columnist for Today's Christian Woman for a decade. Her articles have also appeared in Faith&Friends (Canada), WomanAlive (Great Britian), and Enhance (Australia). More than 4,500 churches nationwide are using her video Bible study series, Loved by God.

A gifted professional speaker, Liz has presented more than 1,600 inspirational programs for audiences in all fifty United States and fourteen foreign countries. When the National Speakers Association honored her with the Council of Peers Award for Excellence, Liz became one of only 32 women in the world named to their CPAE-Speaker Hall of Fame.

Feature articles about Liz have appeared in more than 250 major newspapers and magazines, as well as on Salon.com, Beliefnet.com, and Spirituality.com. She has been interviewed on more than 600 radio and television stations, including guest appearances on PBS, A&E, MSNBC, NPR, TBN, CBC Canada, BBC Radio Scotland, Rhema Broadcasting New Zealand, Radio Pulpit South Africa, Focus on the Family, Life Today, 100 Huntley Street, Midday Connection, and Janet Parshall's America.

On the personal side, Liz is married to Bill Higgs, Ph.D., who serves as Director of Operations for her speaking and writing office. Liz and Bill enjoy their old Kentucky home, a nineteenth-century farmhouse in Louisville, and are the proud (and relieved) parents of two college grads, Matt and Lilly. Visit Liz's Web site: http://www.LizCurtisHiggs.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Absolutely Stunning Sequel!, March 18, 2004

By 

Diane Noble (Southern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fair is the Rose (Lowlands of Scotland Series #2) (Paperback)

FAIR IS THE ROSE captured my heart and didn't let go even after the last page was turned. Ms. Higgs transported me back in time to eighteenth-century Scotland with such excellent storytelling skill and historical accuracy that I was THERE, walking beside Leana, Rose, and Jamie on their heart-wrenching journey. Leana's example of sacrificial love and triumphant faith is with me still. This is an absolutely stunning sequel to THORN IN MY HEART.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartstopping, October 17, 2005

By 

D. Murphy "bookworm" (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fair is the Rose (Lowlands of Scotland Series #2) (Paperback)

After the first book, Thorn in my Heart, I was living Leana's every emotion except her love for her sister. This book showed me how selfish I often am in the secret place of my own heart. I read all 3 books in 5 days time - I could not put them down! They got me through a rocky spot in my own life and drew me every closer to the Savior. I plan to read them again and to give them as gifts to many "sisters" who I strive to love as Leana loves Rose! If you want to get lost in a story, this series will not disappoint!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A terrific sequel, March 25, 2004

By 

Robin (Meridian, ID, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fair is the Rose (Lowlands of Scotland Series #2) (Paperback)

Okay, I liked *Thorn in My Heart* better, but this is still a wonderful book. I kept trying to figure out how Ms. Higgs was going to "modernize" (to the 1700s) the biblical story of Leah, Rachel, and Jacob and still make it ring true. She succeeded. However, I wouldn't mind her straying a bit from the bible story so that all of these characters could get their own happy endings. I like them all too much not to want to see them each find love. Hey, it's fiction! Indulge me.