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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Passionate start of a family saga..., February 6, 2001
MCCLAIREN'S ISLE: THE PASSIONATE ONE has to be one of the darker novels I've read lately. It introduces the saga of the Merricks, two brothers and a sister whose English father betrayed his Scottish in-laws during the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion in order to gain ownership of the castle then known as Maiden's Blush on the property called McClairen's Isle. Aside from betraying his in-laws, Lord Carr also, in all likelihood, murdered Janet, the mother of his children, as well as his second and third wives. In a nutshell, Carr is a horrid person and the perfect villain. Ashton, the eldest child, lives what appears to be a very dissolute life, gambling and scandalizing the peers in London. In reality, he is scrimping all his winnings to ransom his younger brother Raine from a French prison. Carr knows this and uses the young man mercilessly, blackmailing him into taking on menial tasks and humiliating ventures for coin to accomplish his quest - but never enough, so that he will have Ash at his disposal for a very long time. Ash's latest charge from his lamentable sire is to deliver a maiden by the name of Rhiannon Russell to (the renamed) Wanton's Blush. Ash assumes that Carr plans to make Rhiannon next in the long line of unfortunate brides. When he arrives in the village of Fair Badden to escort Rhiannon to Scotland, he finds she is just weeks away from getting married to someone else. Not only that, but there have been an alarming number of attempts on her life, a few of which he witnesses. Adding to his dilemma is the fact that he himself is drawn to Rhiannon, and she to him... The thing I loved the most about this book is that Ash has to be the most tormented hero ever: he is a walking, talking definition of suffering for love - love of family, love of a woman, love of honor. He puts himself through endless pursuits to save Raine, he almost steps away from Rhiannon when he believes she has left, wanting only her happiness, and he even offers to take Fia, his baby sister, away from Carr, even though they never really knew each other as siblings. Rhiannon herself is no slouch. She survived the Rebellion as a young child, is devoted to her adoptive family and her dog, and she has the courage to face her nightmares and fight for her life - and her love for Ash. Really, the chemistry and nobility between these two characters made me go through a whole box of tissues, they were so beautiful. THE PASSIONATE ONE is no lighthearted romp. Readers expecting a cheery Regency-era comedy of manners are not going to find it here. I highly recommend this work of Brockway's to anyone with an interest in Scottish settings and passionate, reckless, and ravishing stories. This is an intense tale of the meaning of family, honor, and devotion - and, hopefully, as the trilogy plays out, revenge. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the Merricks find their way to peace, and for Carr to get his due.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tormented hero, repressed heroine, evil plots galore,WOW!, March 10, 2000
By A Customer
Do you love intense, tormented, yet honorable heroes? Do you enjoy stories full of passionate motives, plots, daring actions, deceptions, and self-sacrifice? Do you like your heroine complex? This is the romance for you! Ash is irresistibly tough, vulnerably loving. His father--a spawn of hell--is a force to be reckoned with (and do I want to see him get his comeuppance!). He can't always do what he feels is the moral thing to do, or the kind thing, but he tries to do what is right, despite the odds. Rhiannon is suppressing a horrid past. Haunted by nightmares, trying to be a woman she thinks she should be to attain "a safe life", she is nevertheless drawn to this dangerous, passionate, similarly haunted man--Ash Merrick. The sexual tension is combustible. The prose is impeccable and lyrical. The plot is smart and fast. A rivetting read. It's going to take three books to work out the complexities of the machinations in this romantic suspense trilogy, but what a ride! As eager as I am to see the culmination, I know I'll regret reading that last page. Wonderful work, Ms. Brockway. Do I see another RITA in the future? *Mir*
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best of the McClairen Trilogy!, October 20, 2003
Ash Merrick is one of the best tortured heroes ever created! He's lived his entire life under the power of his cruel, murderous father, Lord Carr. He witnessed his mother's death at Carr's hand, was forced to take part in a bloody vendetta that was not his own, and then languished in prison for two years while his father lived a life of luxury off of his dead wife's riches. Ash leaves prison a scarred man, outwardly and inwardly. There, the basest, ugliest part of him was unleashed, and he began to truly loathe what he had become. What drives him now is his desire, at any cost, to free his younger brother from his own cell. Far from the typical "rake," Ash denies himself any pleasure or vanity, not only because of his singleminded quest to save his brother, but also one senses that he finds himself utterly unworthy and incapable of happiness. It simply doesn't enter his mind. Ash is sent to England to fetch his father's ward whom he has never met. He knows not why Carr has shown a sudden interest in the girl, nor does he care...until he meets the lovely, innocent and spirited Rhiannon. Ash, cynical, world-weary, and jaded, is bemused by Rhiannon's determination to believe him a charming gentleman as she draws out the soft, hidden part of him and binds him to her with a love he'd thought himself incapable of, and one so powerful that he feels he must protect her from it. The attraction becomes undeniable, but Rhiannon is about to marry another. Ash, as her ward's representative, has been invited to stay in the charming community of Fair Badden until the happy nuptials. Unable to resist, he accepts, and flames ignite between he and Rhiannon. Ash comes to the determination that he must leave...until he realizes Rhiannon's life is in danger. Wonderful, rich storytelling with a very sexy, well-drawn hero, a likable, charming heroine, and an intriguing plot. The romantic scenes are exceptional - equal parts tender and erotic. Ms. Brockway is a true talent.
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