She will not surrender… Heiress to the MacDougall clan, Lara, Maid of Lorne, dreams of marrying for love – but when Robert the Bruce takes control of her castle she is forced to wed his man, Sebastien of Cleish. Loyal to her people, Lara vows never to surrender to this bold warrior… But beneath the chainmail armour lies the heart of a chivalrous, brave knight, willing to entice and woo Lara as his true wife – in every way! Could the man who stole her virtue, her home and her family give her a future in his arms?
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It's either wed or dead, so Lara MacDougall, the Maid of Lorne, chooses marrying Sebastien of Cleish as the lesser of two evils. After routing Lara's father in battle, Sebastien had been given orders by Robert the Bruce to secure Dunstaffnage Castle, Lara's home. Using Lara's two younger siblings as hostages, Sebastien convinces Lara to throw open the gates. Once inside, he states his ultimatum: marry him or be dead by nightfall. Lara vows to do her best to become a thorn in the side of her new husband. At first, she refuses to be seduced by Sebastien's kind words and soft touches, but as she gets to know her enemy better, Lara finds it more and more difficult to betray the man with whom she is falling in love. With her usual superb sense of characterization and exceptional gift for creating sizzling sexual chemistry, Brisbin fashions a splendidly satisfying medieval historical that deftly explores the themes of trust and love. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of room for improvement.,
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This review is from: The Maid Of Lorne (Harlequin Historical) (Mass Market Paperback)
Lara, the heir to the MacDougal lands, is faced with an ultimatum. Robert the Bruce has defeated her father in battle and banished him to England. He demands that his sworn man, Sebastien, offer Lara the choice between marrying him or forfeiting her life. Happily, she makes the right decision. While Sebastien attempts to make his rape as pleasureable for her as possible, nevertheless, it is a rape of a female captive by an enemy soldier, who now presumes to set himself up as Laird of MacDougal lands at Robert's orders. Even more terrible, he sends their bloodied wedding-night sheet all over Scotland as proof that he's consummated the enforced union! Lara is pressed into service as a spy by her wicked cousin, Eachann, who likes to torture and kill living things. His threats against her young brother and sister are effective. What a terrible situation to find herself in! Lara is torn between her lust for Sebastien and her fear of her evil cousin. Worse, her own father hates her and has disowned her, we really don't know why, as this would presumably be a horrific punishment in those times, reserved only for the most wayward and depraved daughters. And yet within a few chapters, he is secretly promising her to Eachann, who is dreaming of all the horrible things he's going to do to her once he has her in his possession. The reader will find these tortured family ties as confusing as they are incredible. Meanwhile, Margaret, her trusted lady-in-waiting, is flinging herself into a torrid affair with Sebastien's best friend! Her younger brother adores Sebastien, and even her little sister thinks he's an improvement on their father! All three characters are sadly underdeveloped, a pity because they could add a great deal of insight into the emotions of the principals as well as the mindset of the times they were living in. Lara has nowhere to turn, and finally has to decide where her lots will fall and what decisions she will make concerning her future and that of her siblings, and indeed, that of her clan, as well.
This is a fairly good formula romance. All the elements are present: The damsel in distress, the proud warrior, the monstrous bad guy, warfare, victory and defeat, and of course the happy ending. The reader could wish for better character development. Where do Lara's loyalties truly lie? And who is Robert the Bruce and why does he hold so much power over everyone? He came across as a shadowy puppetmaster who (by the way) is fighting to claim a kingdom and would presumably not have time to establish such tight-knit control over his warring subjects. And yet he is the lynchpin of the story, because it was his order that Sebastien and Lara marry, unless she preferred for Sebastien to kill her, something he was prepared to do to the woman he later vows he was instantly in love with. And just for fun, I suppose, the Black Douglas was thrown in, with no apparent cause other than to leer at Lara. It is no use to bring both these historical figures in at the end to help wrap things up. Lara's credibility is destroyed when she pledges her love to Sebastien, knowing that she had already betrayed him to Eachann, all the while indulging in licentious wifely behavior that frankly defies belief. Skepticism aside, the author interfered with a promising story by "telling" too much, explaining too many things away or substituting those explanations for things unshared with the reader. Would the devoted handmaiden of a ravished noblewoman truly throw herself into the arms of her mistress' despoiler? It is conceivable that she might, but only to better her own fortunes...and that would make her something of a villainess, wouldn't it? Would Lara's sibings really take to Sebastien so quickly? What did they know that Lara (and the reader) did not? Children might be excused, but adults should be deeper in their emotions if the story line is going to fly. The elements of the story are very promising: a free-spirited, beautiful herione in desperate circumstances yearning for a brave, handsome warrior to fall in love with her and set her free, plus a seasoned, highly intelligent (only because the author told us so) man of the world who can be trusted (only because the author told us so), who is struck with love for the heroine at first sight, and yet completely prepared to decapitate her should she refuse to marry him (?!?!?), a despicable villain, and a tumultuous era in history. One could only wish that women were accorded a little more dignity than was found here, particularly since this is a "love story."
8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sensually Laden - Medieval - FABULOUS,
By
This review is from: The Maid Of Lorne (Harlequin Historical) (Mass Market Paperback)
Setting Scotland - 1308 --- Sebastien of Cleish, a bastard by birth was also the most trusted warrior and spymaster to The Bruce. He stood outside the impregnable gates of Dunstaffnage Castle and recalled the words of his king with regard to Lara, the Maid of Lorne -- "Wed or dead by nightfall, Sebastien, and I'll be wanting proof of either one."
Holding Lara's brother Malcolm and her younger sister Catriona hostage, Lara was left with little choice but to open the gates. Facing Sebastien with courage and determination Lara acquiesced to his terms and would be wed that very day to the enemy. Torn between loyalties to her clan and the passion she felt for the enemy that was now her husband, Lara battled her emotions with mixed feelings. She hated the fact that her treacherous body reacted so pleasurably from the touch of Sebastien, yet at the urging and taunts from her cousin and wanting so much to regain the love of her father, Lara felt compelled to hand over information that would put her husband at risk and have tragic results for people she'd come to care for. Though he came to admire her courage, Sebastien knew that though he might pleasure and conquer Lara's body, it was her heart that he most wanted to capture. Brisbin once again delivers a well-written and sensually laden emotional read. Her characterizations of Sebastien and Lara, along with the secondary characters are all very well-defined inviting the reader to share their joys, sorrows and anguish. Ms. Brisbin once again delivers marvelously a tale rich in action and passion!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Loved this book!!,
By Millie Gamboa (YONKERS, NY, US) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Maid Of Lorne (Harlequin Historical) (Mass Market Paperback)
Okay, so the hero forced the heroine to marry him. That's the way it was done in those days. As for the wedding night he did not force her. He used seduction and she fell for it. She was putty in his hands so we can't blame Sebastien for being a hunky, sexy warrior who used his skills effectively. As for Lara, she was lucky Sebastien didn't kill her for all the stupid stunts she pulled. There were moments when I wanted to hit her! I simply loved this tale of two people who despite terrible circumstances, fall in love. Downloaded it two months ago and have already read it twice.
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