Customer Reviews

Laird of the Wind

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book while browsing and reading the customers reveiws. I love Scottish tales and discovering Susan King was a treasure! I have since read 3 more of her novels- just finishing The Angel Knight- and I loved it as much as Laird of the Wind. You pay a little more attention to Susan Kings work, if you like accurate history it is wonderful. This story is so vivid, in your mind's eye you can picture the settings. I can't say enough good about this book. About all of her books! Like one reviewer said, you can't wait to get to the ending, but wish it never would!

Having read all of Ms King's books, I found this one to be one of her most intriquing reads. Although not my absolute favorite, she provides the reader with a flawed hero struggling with an internal conflict: a flaw not of his making but from the conflicts around him. Add to this a storyline that is unique in its inception and creative in its delivery. The conflict between the hero and heroine and the influences from without make this an exceptional read. Ms Kings working knowledge of Scottish history along with a unique talent to create plots that are unique is what sets her apart from other historical authors such as Amanda Quick, whose stories are formula writing needing only to insert a new heroine/hero in the same old plot so that each is a reflection of the last. Julie Garwood(whose Scottish stories are among my favorites) are sweet comfort reads which never create the intense internal conflicts that a Susan King books does; to compare them is like comparing CNN to CBS, each has it's own niche. Garwood books lack any real historical content, having read them all can't say I came away learning anything new about Scotland but I don't think that is her intent. The reader gets a great story with Ms. King so historically centered that the reader feels they are there. Ms. King's books are not comfort reads but are wonderful full bodied stories rich with internal conflict and a history well researched. Any book by Ms.King is a keeper to be re-read when the mood strikes.

LAIRD OF THE WIND is another shining gem in the treasure chest of Susan King's stunning tales of Scotland. Ms. King combines impeccable research with a style of writing so rich and lyrical, it is a feast for the mind. I always learn something new when I read her work, though that's not what brings me back eagerly every time.

What brings me back is her skill at creating an impossible love set against unsurmountable challenges, at evoking such powerful emotion and vivid characters that I am assailed by simultaneous urges to both devour the pages and slowly savor every word. Her books are rich and haunting...and no matter how rich and filling the treat, I can't bear for it to end.

James Lindsay is a hero I'm still thinking about days after. He's complex, driven, strong, honorable and haunted--the kind of many-layered hero I find altogether irresistible. Together, he and the lovely, mystical Isobel are magic. (And I want to visit their aerie--Ms. King has described! ! it so vividly that I feel both like I've been there and like I must touch the stone walls, slide into the crystalline pool and feel the kiss of the wind on my own skin.)

When you finish this book, you'll be glad she has written others because you won't want to have to wait for the next release. Her level of skill is such that going backward in reading her work will not disappoint you--even her earliest work is so terrific that you'll see why Susan King is a star on the rise.

Ms. King always delivers a winner and this novel is no exception. LAIRD OF THE WIND is a touching and tender love story that takes readers back to a different time and place, one whose mystery and beauty is evident on each page. Don't miss it!

Laird of the Wind had all the elements of a wonderful romance but it was a disappointment. The dialog between the two main characters was at times so unbelievable that I found myself snickering!

Too much of the book is dedicated to a falcon and it's training, then it drops off. One would think that the falcon must have some important part in the story for the author to go on and on about it but it didn't.

James is being hunted by both the English and the Scots, kidnaps Isobel, and is trying to save his cousin Margaret. But, he finds the time to tame a wild falcon which includes sleepless nights and patience. Come on!

This is the first review I have ever written. I'm not happy that it is a negative one but I read all the reviews before I purchase a book (which were positive) only to be disappointed after reading the book so I thought another opinion should be included.

I loved Jamie and I thought Isobel was a perfect mate for him. Wow, Jamie was so handsome, he's the type of guy no woman would mind being stranded with in the forest, especially the lovely place he took Isobel. Jamie was so sexy it didn't matter that their one real love scene wasn't described in too much detail, or that subsequent love scenes were left more to the imagination than written dialogue. This was because Jamie was SO romantic.
The story was very good and held my interest throughout.

This is the second book I have read by this author and it was as disappointing as the first. This book lacks the action, the humor and the building of the romantic connection that I have found in books from Garwood and Quick.

I found the historical content to be intriguing and the way she wove the William Wallace legend into the book. Beyond this it was hard to stick with the book. I found myself running through the boring sections to get to the more interesting section and then discovered that all of the interesting sections are at the end of the book.

I probably should have just started reading at page 200.

Born with the gift of second sight, Isobel of Aberlady has a vision of a compelling enemy. She envisages a dark rider known as the Border Hawk, who will rescue her from her besieged castle battlements,and tenderly dress the wounds she acquires from the advancing English garrison.

However it quickly becomes apparent that James Lindsay has an alterior motive in rescuing Lady Isobel. Blaming her visions as being instrumental in his downfall, he decides to take Isobel hostage and use her as a bargaining tool to free his cousin, Margaret from the clutches of Sir Ralph Leslie, Isobel's intended husband.

James Lindsey was once a noble Scottish Knight. Now he is an outlaw, unjustly accused of betraying his leader, William Wallace, to the English. He wants his good name back and sees Black Isobel, the seeress, as his only means of achieving this.

James Lindsay is a man of integrity, passion and purpose, who constantly fights against his growing attraction towards Isobel. Isobel, in turn, proves to be a woman who grows in courage and loyalty as the story unfolds.

In Laird of the Wind, Susan King proves excellent in her ability to bring together the beauty and wildness of the Scottish highlands. The enigmatic mysticism that permeates throughout this book, adds to the building sexual tension which develops between Isobel and Jamie. This is a magical story which will enthrall.

There are not enough adjectives to describe this wonderful book. Susan King's Laird of the Wind is a beautiful story. I could not put the book down. I started reading Sunday night and ended up taking a half day off from work to finish it. This is the first of her books I have read and I plan on reading all of them. She knows what real romance and love is all about. She has not only created a story that pulls you in as soon as you begin reading, she gives you characters that stay with you long after you have finished reading the last page, and a wonderful glimpse of the history of Scotland. I truly loved this book!

I've ordered many books from Amazon but have never taken the time to review one before now. I like Scottish history and the story concept sounded interesting, so I had high hopes for this book when I ordered it. It is obvious that Ms. King put a great deal of research into this book and the historical content is excellent. However, the 2nd word in the historical romance genre is "romance" which was, unfortunately, seriously lacking in this story. In many places throughout the book the dialogue seems to be specifically designed to impart some historical fact or another to the reader, rather than flowing as a natural conversation between characters. In short, this story reads more like an history lesson than it does a romance and I can now say I know more than I ever cared to about goshawks.