A Pride of MacDonalds [Mass Market Paperback]

Valentina Luellen (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Masquerade (1968)
• ASIN: B00263LDM8
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Winner in a field of losers, June 16, 2007

By 

Safirenzi (Western U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A pride of MacDonalds (Mass Market Paperback)

I generally hate romance novels, because there is usually no plot and they bore the heck out of me. I really liked this book.

The main character, Niall, is a man with scruples born into a family without scruples. During a raid on the MacDonald's stronghold, Niall's father and brother decide to massacre a whole family. Niall tries to stop the massacre, and does end up sparing one person. Niall is so disgusted over the event, he leaves Scotland. Several years pass, Hamish MacDonald kills Niall's father. Niall returns to Scottland to avenge his father.

AFter breaking into the MacDonald stronghold, Niall, who is wounded, holds Maura MaDonald, sister of Hamish, hostage. Maura recognizes Niall. She takes a gamble, based on past experience, that Niall will not kill her. Niall spares Maura. Maura decides to hide Niall until he is recovered enough to return to the Campbells.

Niall falls in love with Maura's beauty and courage, and ends up giving up his plan of revenge. Maura falls in love with Niall's courage and honorable tendencies. Against this backdrop, Niall's brother and mother decide to exploit Niall's compassionate nature, and kill Niall and Maura, as they participate in the Glencoe massacre.

This book, in my opinion, is worth reading.

2.0 out of 5 stars Not too bad, but..., November 14, 2006

By 

SusieQ (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A pride of MacDonalds (Mass Market Paperback)

...it's not as tightly written as THE COUNTESS, a prior novel of Ms. Luellen's which I enjoyed very much. Sometimes (particularly in the beginning of the story) it's difficult to tell which character is doing the speaking or thinking. For the most part, that problem straightens out as the story progresses, but then the plot becomes a bit convoluted. I never quite "got" the love that grew between Niall and Maura (the Romeo/Juliet main characters). Niall is violent and foul to her before they fall in love, and there's not a whole lot of repentance for it on his part, I think.

The author piles on the tragedy (which sort of overwhelms the love story)by almost superfluously adding the massacre at Glencoe (when the Campbell clan slew the MacDonald clan) at the very end of the tale. The story also ends very abruptly.

It's not a horrible read, but it's not very deep or involving one either.