Customer Reviews

McClairen's Isle: The Ravishing One

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MCCLAIREN'S ISLE: THE RAVISHING ONE is the stunning conclusion to Connie Brockway's dark saga of the Merrick family. In this final installment, Lady Fia Merrick takes center stage. She has spent years under the thumb of her evil and domineering father, Ronald Carr. Over time, she has discovered many things about the sire she previously worshipped, including the insinuation that he murdered her mother, Janet. As the story opens, Fia, recently widowed, is desperately plotting to regain her late husband's estate from Carr's clutches and to gain her freedom from Carr's manipulations at last.

The only other man who has held as much, if not more, sway over Fia's outlook on life is Thomas Donne. She worshipped him from afar as a child, right up until she overheard a vicious and unfortunate conversation in which Donne expressed his loathing of Fia as "Carr's whore." But, whether she likes it or not, Thomas is back in her life.

Thomas McClairen, youngest and only surviving heir of the McClairen laird betrayed by Carr, has been infiltrating the Merrick camp for years under the name of Thomas Donne. When Carr deserts Wanton's Blush for greener pastures, Thomas obtains the property and begins to restore Maiden's Blush to her former glory. But all his plans will be for naught if the one woman he has never been able to forget, Fia Merrick, succeeds in her plans to corrupt his business partner. He does the only thing he thinks he can in the circumstances: he kidnaps Fia and takes her to McClairen's Isle to foil her schemes and save his partner. Little did he know that he would fall under her spell and become more captive than captor...

The ending of this trilogy is nothing short of magnificent. All the loose ends are tied up, and Carr gets his due in a most unusual plot twist. The epilogue allows readers a tiny peek into the futures of the Merricks and McClairens; at last, these tortured souls have the chance at their own happily-ever-after, not to mention a real shot at being part of a functional family.

I would recommend this thrilling trilogy to all Brockway fans, first-time Brockway readers, and anyone who likes Scottish tales with a little passion, recklessness, and ravishment thrown in. Brockway's well-written prose conveys the tales of these characters with wit and talent. The MCCLAIREN'S ISLE trilogy is a truly satisfying read.

Let me begin by saying that I absolutely loved The Passionate One (the drunken May Day celebration scene alone worth the read) and the romance hinted between Thomas and Fia in that book intrigued me and made me impatient for The Ravishing One.

It turns out I could have waited...UGH...Of the three books in the McClairen saga this is the worst. Thomas is so mannerly/honourable that it eventually makes him seem as if he hasn't got a backbone to speak of....I guess I like my men to be men...he was, well...a wimp that ran around insulting her and not doing much else.

Fia was okay as a heroine (I really liked how strong she was and that she was capable of change) but she really had nothing to play off with a hero so weakly realized. She had little respect for him (evidence the scene where he comes to abduct her and she takes control and mocks him) and eventually so did I. I also got tired very quickly of being hit over the head with how 'wicked' she was...PLEEZE. Okay...we get it ...everybody thinks she's a bad girl and she's not..move on.

That said...I actually think Connie Brockaway is a great writer and the first book in this series is one of my all time favorites...and you can't please everyone with every story...but if you like your heros to be MEN...hmmm, well then I would say you should buy this book used.

Connie Brockway delivers her best with the third book in the McClairen's Isle Trilogy. "The Ravishing One" is a must read! From the glitter and glamour of 18th century London to the wild and untamed Scottish island know as McClairen's Isle, Ms. Brockway brings us Fia Merrick, daughter of the dispicable Ronald Merrick, Earl of Carr. Introduced in " The Passionate One," and again revisited in " The Reckless One," Ms. Brockway concludes this majestical trilogy with the best novel of them all. Fia Merrick is raised by her decadent father, Carr, to be nothing more than a high priced whore, or so Thomas Donne aka Thomas McClairen believes. Fia is devestated to learn his low opinion of her, since she fancies herself in love with him at the tender age of fifteen. Fleeing her home, Wanton's Blush, formerly known as Maiden's Blush, Fia hies herself off to London to elope with an aging low-lander Scot. Hoping to inherit his fortune upon his death, Fia is dismayed to learn (after her rather hasty marriage) that he has two heirs, Kay and Cora. When her husband does indeed die, not without some help from Carr of course, Fia is further dismayed to learn that Carr is now the owner of Kay's inheritance and that he has her dancing to his tune to regain it. A tune that Fia has no wish to dance to. Carr wants her to marry into a powerful family, much against Fia's wishes. Without much choice, she sets out to become London's most well known lady, a lady with a somewhat tarnished background known throughout society as "The Black Diamond". When Thomas Donne/McClairen sets eyes upon the lovely Fia Merrick after six years, he is dead set against her, blaming her for the many sins of her father, for she is his daughter after all. When his dear friend and business partner seemingly falls for her, Thomas knows he must do anything to prevent them from wedding. So he 'abducts' her, or tries to since she is rather willing, and sweeps her off to Scotland. To McClairen's Isle, where he is restoring the ruined Wanton's Blush to her former glory, Maiden's Blush. Much to his surprise, he soon finds that there is more to Fia than meets the eye. And Fia herself must learn to trust in Thomas, no small thing since she has never trusted a soul in her life. With heartwarming scenes and wonderful characters, Ms. Brockway makes you feel as if you have stepped back in time to the handsome rogues and beautiful ladies of old. With a surprise ending (involving Gunna and Carr), and all of the beloved characters from the previous books: Ash, Rhiannon, Raine, Favor, and Gunna, this series is a must read. When I turned the last page, after reading the author's note, I was actually sad that their story had come to an end. I am hopeful, however, that Ms. Brockway will take us once again to McClairen's Isle and back to all of our favorite characters. Thank-you Ms. Brockway, for a wonderful and heartwarming trilogy!

The last installment of Connie Brockway's McClairen's Isle trilogy is an exciting, passionate read. While reading this book, Ms. Brockway carried me away, and I visited that Isle, and its fascinating inhabitants--including that villian I love to hate, Lord Carr.

While much of the action takes place in London, the last half of this book is back on the "Isle", when Thomas Donne "abducts" Fia, the ravishing one. Thomas and Fia, have a past, present, but will they have a future?

Fia is a tormented heroine; she's very much like Ash. Because of her father, she doesn't feel deserving of good things. And Thomas, has an agenda that may make a romance between him and Fia seem impossible.

I only put this book down when I had to, and when I finished it. And, I hated the fact that I may have taken my last trip to McClairen's Isle. In the Ravishing One, you get to revisit all the "special" inhabitants--Ash and Rhiannon, Raine and Favor, as well as Gunna and Lord Carr. With it's beautiful scenery, charismatic characters, grand adventure, and beautiful love scenes--this is one special read!

I like The Ravishing One but more for sentimental reasons that are quite divorced from the practical merits of the book itself - it's of that batch of romance books that first came my way around the time of high school and I loved the McClairen Trilogy then. Rereading them more recently, I still love the books, but have to acknowledge the weaknesses of this last installment. As always, Connie Brockway writes beautifully, and the atmosphere of the previous two books, haunting, tragic, wild and dramatic, permeates The Ravishing One as well. I think Lord Carr is a great villain, a big evil spider spinning his webs of manipulation, blackmail, and power plays throughout all three books. He's a bit over the top, especially in this last book as he slips into madness, but I'm happy to go with it. As for hero and heroine, even though the set up for their romance was perfect, they still managed to fall a little flat somehow. Fia Merrick didn't really grab my attention. She's supposed to be "bad" - she has that evil Merrick blood flowing in her veins, after all. She's Carr's favored daughter, his creation, his (s)pawn. But it's soon apparent that she really isn't bad at all. She's just good at pretending, and hides her sweet, shy, mushy interior very well. But not good enough to keep Thomas Donne from eventually finding it out and falling in love with her. As for Donne he seemed kind of stiff and one dimensional to me. A very upstanding, strong type of guy, but not as thrilling or arresting as some other heroes I've come across. Though when he starts battling all comers in defense of Fia's honor near the end, I admit I was moved and compelled by such dramatics. All the same though, I would have liked a bit more from their relationship, especially some more development for Fia, and wish the series could have ended on a stronger note.

McClairen's Isle: The Ravishing One is Connie Brockway's energized finale to the trilogy and Ms. Brockway has steered the third installment with an excellent plot on Fia Merrick and Captain Thomas Donne to a grand finish. Fia Merrick is in silent angst - being ruthlessly manipulated like a social puppet in England, the Earl of Carr plans to secure his power using Fia as a boarding step. She is left devastated when she finds Thomas critical of her because of her position as a daughter to Carr.

The Ravishing One shines - and Fia catapults the narration to one of strength and emotional intensity. Her affection towards Kay, her desperate escape into a quick loveless marriage makes her a passionate character. She is drawn into treachery when she realizes that Thomas is in fact McClairen who is intent on vengeance on the Earl of Carr for his betrayal towards his clan. The ending is heartbreakingly tender with Fia giving herself and Thomas a chance to be freed of the devious Carr, and learns the healing powers of love.

Ms. Brockway stirs with her dialogue but falls short in saturating the book with Scotland Highlands charm; the descriptions are not too detailed enough to bring the rustic charms of Irish to life. This, however is compensated by her strength in spinning a galvanized tale and climaxes with a waxing finish - with a joyous reunion of the family with her brother Ash and Raine. Such committed and buoyant writing only leaves me to say that I am McClairen's Isle: The Devoted Reader.

The main problem that I had with this book was how long it took for things to start happening. What should have been the introduction, actually took half of the book. Up until Thomas "abducts" Fia nothing really had happened, and I was already tired of reading about Fia and Thomas day to day lives.

However, after the abduction, (or more accurately, the trip, since Thomas really didn't abduct Fia, she decided to go along with him), the pace of the novel increases and I could barely put down the book.

After reading other reviews that say there was an unexpected twist at the end that involved Gunna and Carr, I started thinking
what would that be, and I'm happy to say it was what I thought. I also liked reading what was going on in Ash and Raine lives, and to see the reunion of the siblings.

However, since so much time had been wasted on the first part of the novel, where nothing happened, the sencond half was kind of rushed. I would have liked that more time was dedicated to the romance between Fia and Thomas. I somewhat felt that this book did not have the same poignant quality that characterized the previous ones of this series.

Maybe I had set too high expectations for this book and that is why I'm a little dissapointed, but in reality it was pretty good. However, my favorite is still "The Passionate One"

I enjoyed this book mostly because of the Thomas McClairen character. Instead of the sterotypical alpha male typically served up in these types of novels, Ms. Brockway has created a complex, sensitive, vulnerable yet strong and masculine character who deeply loves the heroine. Thomas McClairen is one of my favorite romantic heroes of all time.

I was sometimes frustrated with Fia to the extent that I wanted to shake her. She had a wonderful man in love with her, yet rejected him because she thought she wasn't good enough for him. Yet he knew her whole history and that was his decision to make. He accepted her as she was and loved her anyway.

This is a very satisfying ending to the trilogy in which the evil Carr gets his just deserts and the island is returned to McClairen ownership, as it should be.

Enjoyed it immensely. Very romantic and sensual.

This is one of those romances where the first half is good and the second half is not so good.

In the first half, Fia and Thomas are dancing around one another, full of mingled desire, admiration, disgust, fear, suspicion...a heady mix of emotions. They're bound by secret identities, and secret promises, and secret obligations.

Then, in the second half, Fia...well, I thought that the changes in her character worked very well. She blooms, develops a little bit of simplicity and innocence and sweetness. It fits in with her past, like the child she never got to be peeks out in the woman she is.

Fia is a great character, really. She's very complex, very human, and Brockway manages to work in a "boy, it sucks to be beautiful" plot where I sympathized, and I really saw how much Fia's beauty hurt her, rather than just rolling my eyes.

Thomas, on the other hand, turns into a sort of bland, cheerful paragon and that sort of bummed me out. And once Fia is girlish and Thomas is a cheerful paragon, and they're glutted on pastoral pleasures...oh well, what can I say? I like the darker aspects of the McClairen's Isle series. I like the tension and the danger. So when those things dissipated, I was less enthralled.

I will say that I liked the ending. I thought that Fia's final dilemma was perfect, and her behavior believable. It was a satisfying vindication.

Do not start reading Connie Brockway's latest release, McClairen's Isle: The Ravishing One, unless you don't have to be anywhere or do anything for awhile! The Ravishing One grabs your attention and keeps it for the duration of the story.

The Ravishing One is the third installment of the McClairen's Isle trilogy, but can easily survive as a stand alone book. The back story is deftly woven throughout The Ravishing One, giving any reader a solid foundation.

I would recommend The Ravishing One to anyone wanting a great read.