Highland Heroes: The Pretender [Paperback]

Jaclyn Reding (Author)

Book Description

Series: Highland Heroes | Publication Date: March 1, 2002

From the author's website: The last thing Douglas Dubh MacKinnon needed was a wife, particularly a headstrong, pampered "princess" whose father is one of the most powerful dukes in England. After all, Douglas is already promised to wed another... a union that was to have put an end to a bitter centuries-old clan feud.

Lady Elizabeth Drayton doesn't wish to be married to Douglas any more than he wishes to be wed to her. Still, she agrees to her father's stipulation that they live as husband and wife—in all ways but one—for a period of two months. She has the duke's word that when this "temporary" marriage is annulled, she will be given her freedom, allowed to live the rest of her life by her own terms...

In the wake of the Jacobite's final attempt to restore the Stuarts to the royal throne, a prince is running for his life in the isles...and two strangers who should have been enemies, are thrown together by chance. They soon discover, however, that appearances aren't always what they seem, leaving them both to wonder... just who is the deceived—and who is the deceiver?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

When Lady Elizabeth Drayton's father, the Duke of Sudeleigh, finds out that she's the author of subversive feminist writings, he sends her and her sister off to their aunt. On the way there, her sister confesses they're really en route to the Scottish estate of Lord Purfoyle, whom Elizabeth's supposed to wed. Angered by the secret arrangement, Elizabeth vows that she'd rather marry a common stranger than the aging nobleman. A Scotsman comes to their rescue when their carriage breaks down. Later, at the inn, she tricks him into sleeping with her. But Elizabeth isn't the only one capable of deception--the "commoner" is really Douglas MacKinnon, a Scottish lord, and because he's forced into marrying her, he decides to punish her by allowing her to believe he's poor. Set against the intrigue of the Jacobite Rebellion, this book, the first in the Highland Heroes series, is a delicious blend of humor, history, and adventure--a story readers will truly savor. Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Sub-genre fans will relish this novel, looking forward to Jaclyn Reding’s tales starring Elizabeth’s four younger siblings." -- Harriet Klausner

"The Pretender is a fast-paced read. Ms. Reding sketches a touching love story against the backdrop of turbulent political times." -- Romantic Times Magazine

"The tables are turned on an unconventional heroine... colored with drama and humor, this one is a winner." -- Rendezvous Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Signet (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451204166
• ISBN-13: 978-0451204165
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,063,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jaclyn Reding is the award-winning author of numerous historical and contemporary romances, including the RITA award nominee, THE SECRET GIFT. Since first publishing in 1993, Jaclyn has seen her stories translated into nearly a dozen languages around the world.

When she isn't writing, Jaclyn can often be found making a spectacle of herself cheering at her son's hockey games. Jaclyn lives in New England and loves hearing from readers. You can visit her on the web at www.jaclynreding.com, or email at [e-mail].

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful story! Starts this new series with a bang!, February 25, 2002

By 

"theromrev" (...) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Highland Heroes: The Pretender (Paperback)

Lady Elizabeth Drayton is my idea of what a historical romance heroine should be. She has fire, but she also has a softer side that the hero immediately senses, despite her attempts to hide it. Though she starts out the story as the headstrong daughter of an English duke, through the magic of falling in love, she becomes a woman of great strength, true honor and unbending commitment. This is definitely a case of opposites attracting. Douglas Dubh MacKinnon is a rugged fierce Highlander with a secret to hide. This isn't a man who lets many people get to him, but Elizabeth is not just any other lass. After a one night stand that neither can actually recall, they end up married and their adventure begins, taking them all the way to the Isle of Skye, a hotbed of danger and intrigue as Bonnie Prince Charlie is on the loose after the failed Jacobite rebellion of 1745. Unlike other Jacobite historicals, in this one, the rebellion only takes a background part, a part against which these two people fall in love despite the differences in their backgrounds. There are scenes which are hilarious and scenes which are touching, all leading to a final conflict with danger. The Author's Note inside indicates this is the first book in a new series, all featuring the daughters of an English duke and handsome Highland Heroes. I highly recommend this first story ...

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars entertaining Scottish historical romance, March 9, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Highland Heroes: The Pretender (Paperback)

In 1746 England, Duke Alaric Drayton becomes upset to learn that his oldest daughter Elizabeth wrote the infamous "A Letter in Favor of Women's Equality to Man". Alaric feels that Elizabeth broke convention even if she anonymously sent her letter to the Female Spectator. He informs her that she will visit her aunt in Scotland until he calms down. In actuality, Alaric is sending Elizabeth to marry a family friend.

On the trek to Scotland, the carriage becomes stuck in mud. Douglas MacKinnon helps pull the carriage free. Elizabeth, learning she is to marry, concocts a plan to pretend that Douglas is her fiancé. However, a few drinks later and by morning her sister Isabella catches the duo in bed together. Though both insist nothing happened, Bella insures they marry. Alaric learns that Douglas is a noble seeking the return of his family lands taken because his father participated with the Jaocbites at Culloden. Alaric blackmails Douglas into remaining as Elizabeth's husband for two months. The couple falls in love, but what will happen to their relationship once Elizabeth learns the intricacies of the deal between her beloved and her father.

THE PRETENDER is an entertaining Scottish historical romance that provides a vigorous look at the too often written post Culloden English-Scottish relationship. The lead couple is a delight with their own agenda that love ravages. The story line is loaded with plots and counterplots that feel like an espionage tale, but instead provides a robust historical romance. Sub-genre fans will relish this novel while looking forward to Jaclyn Reding's tales starring Elizabeth's four younger siblings.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss this book -- you'll kick yourself, January 10, 2003

By 

PJ (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Highland Heroes: The Pretender (Paperback)

I loved this book. Elizabeth is a free-thinking heroine with spunk and spirit and Douglas is her perfect match. The setting of mid 1700's Scotland is splashed across every page in a way that makes you feel as if you're really, truly there, particularly the descriptions of the Isle of Skye. I read this book shortly before traveling to the U.K. last year and was delighted to see the ruins of the very castle used in the story still standing above the same harbor I had read about. It was like having a travelogue and a terrific story in one book. When I returned home, I reread the book just to revisit the places I'd seen.

The story itself is a great adventure with an English duke's daughter and a Highlander. Lots of tension and spark between these two as they are thrown together, literally, and come to terms with it. The love story that comes from it is filled with fire and tenderness, too, in the vulnerability of the heroine, which she tried to hide -- and the hero's sensitivity.

I also recommend the second book in this series, THE ADVENTURER, which I just read and LOVED! Don't miss either of them.