31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW!, August 4, 2003
None of the historicals I've read over the years could have prepared me for the emotional roller coaster that this book and its sequel put me through. I'm also left wondering why it has taken me so long to discover this incomparable author.
Beautiful, pampered, spoiled and aristocratic Catherine Ashbrooke is shocked to discover a tall, muscular half naked stranger bathing in a creek that runs through her father's lands. She's even more shocked to discover that this
breathtakingly handsome stranger is seemingly immune to her
charms. How dare he! does he not realize she's the toast of London. No matter that she's supposedly in love with Hamilton Garner, a handsome officer, no man alive has ever met Catherine and not fallen instantly to his knees in worship. She would certainly show him! and in the process she would finally bring the reticent Lieutenant Garner to propose. Except that Catherine's devious plan backfires and she finds herself both being kissed senseless by the raven haired stranger and the cause of a duel to the death between the dashing Mr. Montgomery and the infatuated Lt. Garner.
While Lt. Garner is an experienced swordsman he is no match for Mr. Raefer Montgomery and soon finds himself wounded but alive. Montgomery refuses to deliver the killing blow humiliating Lt. Garner and winning the hand of the pampered Miss Ashbrooke in the process.
The mysterious Mr. Montgomery does not want or need a wife and in his current situation it could prove to be deadly for both of them. He must keep his temperamental new wife from finding out his true identity so he must annul the marriage as soon as humanly possible. Except that the intrepid Catherine already knows his secret, her handsome new husband is not Raefer Montgomery but Alexander Cameron the legendary Dark Cameron of Scotland.
Exiled and wanted for murder,a spy for the Jacobite rebels with a hefty price on his head, Alexander can't risk having his pretty wife reveal his identity. So, Catherine is taken to Scotland virtually kicking and screaming the whole way. Meanwhile,Catherine makes a great show of her dislike for her husband and her circumstances but increasingly she finds herself flustered by his presence, burning for his kisses and admiring
the complex, enigmatic man she married. On the other hand, Alex has had to force himself to keep his hands off of his desirable wife. She's an unwanted complication, spoiled, selfish and vain and slowly working his way into his heart a heart he thought he had buried some fifteen years before.
This book is first and foremost a romance but it's also a historical novel rich in detail which some readers may not find quite as interesting as I did. The romance doesnt suffer from the detailed descriptions but is instead brought to life in such a way that you can almost see the wild moors of the Scottish Highlands and feel the tension of a country poised for war. The only bad thing about this book is that Ms. Canham has spoiled me for any other heroes. After reading about the larger than life Alexander Cameron I'm afraid every hero I read now or in the future will be sadly lacking because he's that unbelievable. She has also created a worthy heroine in Catherine. The reader is able to see the spoiled, pampered girl evolving slowly into a young woman in love. In short, I can't recommend this book enough, it has churned my emotions as no other book ever had. If you love historical romance do not miss this book. A piece of advice, buy this book along with the sequel you'll kick yourself in you don't (as I did). Highly recommended. :)
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good story; disappointing "ending", August 15, 1999
By A Customer
The Pride of Lions gives a different look at the period of history so magnificently written about in Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. While Catherine and Alex do not capture the heart as Jamie and Claire did, they are intelligent, passionate and very much in love with one another and I found myself caring deeply about them. On the negative side: the main story is not concluded in this book but ends abruptly in mid-story. In order to have an end to the story, you must also purchase The Blood of Roses.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jacobite History, Rebellion And Romance = A Superb Read!!, February 6, 2004
Beautiful and spoiled, young noblewoman Catherine Ashbrooke flirted with a handsome stranger at a ball to make her primary suitor, Lieutenant Hamilton Garner, jealous. Little did she know just how much the fire she was playing with would burn. The flirtation turned into a duel and she was forced to marry the winner, Raefer Montgomery, a wealthy English merchant. Furious at the outcome of her escapade, Catherine, a most unwilling bride, learned that her husband was not the man she believed him to be. He is, in fact, Alexander Cameron, the "Camshroinaich Dubh," (Black Cameron), a Scottish Jacobite, a spy, and wanted by the English and his many enemies. With promises to set her free, Cameron takes Catherine back to Scotland to his family home, Achnacarry, in the Scottish Highlands. Here, against the backdrop of the Jacobite rebellion, the couple, who began as enemies, actually falls in love.
The English are not the only ones who would like to have Alexander Cameron's head on a platter. The Campbell clan has sought to kill him for over a decade. Ms. Canham describes the fascinating clan rivalry, clan wars and the Scottish lust for vengeance that can continue on for centuries. Years before, three Campbell sons attacked, raped and murdered Alexander's young bride. In revenge he slew all three and was forced into exile in France. Now that he is back in Scotland the Campbells know that his weakest link is his new bride. And the adventure that began with a forced marriage, intensifies, taking many surprising twists and turns before it concludes.
As usual, Ms. Canham writes with style and captures the 18th century time period, the strife, battles and the intensity of the relationships with realism and passion. Her characters are three dimensional and seem to leap right off the page. Alexander Cameron is an extraordinary hero - dark, handsome and courageous, he is filled with the 'pride of lions' and a sense of honor that would put most men to shame. Catherine is blonde, beautiful and the exact opposite of the type of woman that Alexander would normally choose. However, she is also a complex, intelligent person and she grows and changes as she learns more about her husband and his cause. The secondary characters are wonderful also, including Aluinn MacKail, Cameron's best friend, Deidre, Catherine's lady's maid, many members of Clan Cameron, as well as a few vile villains.
This is a wonderful historical novel about a tragic period in Scottish history. The personal dramas of the characters add significantly to the richness of the plot. I highly recommend reading the sequel to "The Pride Of Lions," "The Blood Of Roses." Once you begin the first book you will not be able to stop reading until the last page of the second novel. ENJOY both!!
JANA
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