The Bodyguard (Mass Market Paperback)

by Joan Johnston (Author) "THE SEA WAS VICIOUS, INTENT ON KILLING him, but Alastair Wharton, sixth Duke of Blackthorne, was not ready to die..." (more)
Key Phrases: handfast marriage, bloody duke, Lady Katherine, Blackthorne Hall, Alex Wheaton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The Bodyguard is the latest historical in Joan Johnston's Captive Hearts series. Set in Regency-era Scotland, Katherine MacKinnon's father names her the head of the MacKinnon clan on his deathbed and extracts a secret promise: Katherine must trick the duke of Blackthorne into marrying her in order to bear a child that would rightfully own the lands that were taken from the MacKinnons by the Blackthorne family.

Katherine's clansmen, however, will not accept a woman as their laird, and all are determined to marry her off to one of their own. Intent on fulfilling her promise to her father, Katherine desperately searches for a bodyguard and ultimately finds Alex. Afflicted with amnesia since being shipwrecked, Alex finds Katherine interesting and happily agrees to protect her.

What Alex doesn't know is that he is the duke of Blackthorne, and that the shipwreck was an attempt on his life. Katherine discovers this truth before Alex does, and she must decide whether to tell him or not, knowing that this truth kill their blossoming love.

Review
Taught to raid and fight the hated English, Katherine MacKinnon is nonetheless shocked when her father proclaims her 'The MacKinnon' on his deathbed. She is even more disturbed when he asks her to seduce the Duke of Blackthorne, bear his son, and reclaim the properties the MacKinnon's lost during the Scottish Jacobite rebellions. Katherine agrees, and soon is fighting off the advances of the other MacKinnons who wish to wed her and take the title for themselves, thinking that no woman is fit to lead men. While sailing back to his twin daughters, widowed Alastair Warton, the Duke of Blackthorne, is attacked and thrown overboard by three men. He washes ashore penniless, bruised, and suffering from amnesia. An Irish lad, Michael O'Malley, comes to his aid. As they near Blackthorne Abbey, Alex rescues Katherine from certain rape and she makes him her gille-coise, or bodyguard. The chemistry between them is immediate, but Katherine's vow to her father means that she must marry someone who can help the MacKinnons. Then Alex is wounded, and Katherine discovers he's the duke. The Bodyguard is part of the Captured Hearts series. I found the premise interesting, but the execution left something to be desired. The hero never overcomes his main problem -- too much pride, and in the course of the novel hurts the heroine deeply. His history, tainted by his late wife's claim that his twin daughters were actually fathered by his brother, Marcus, struck me as absurd. A five-minute conversation with his brother could have prevented eight years of torment! The flashback scenes are poorly executed, and worst of all to me -- despite some wonderful chemistry, the reader is deprived of watching the hero and heroine fall in love. Instead, a few measly paragraphs, in flashback, must satisfy. In addition, there seemed to be some confusion over exactly where Blackthorne Abbey was located. In the beginning of the book, it is a short walking distance. At the end, the author mentions the hero hitchhiking the length and breadth of England and Scotland to reach it. Phoebe Imel -- Copyright © 1998 Literary Times, Inc. All rights reserved -- From Literary Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Island Books (March 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440223776
• ISBN-13: 978-0440223771
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #402,826 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #50 in

  Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( J ) > Johnston, Joan

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Third in the Captive Heart Series, August 28, 2001

By	Stacy Wallace (Lumberton, TX United States) - See all my reviews

When the tall, rugged stranger stepped out of the shadows and rescued her from a fate worse than death, Katherine MacKinnon knew she had found her bodyguard. With his steely arms and reckless courage, he would shield her from her clansmen, who refused to accept her as laird, and from the hated Duke of Blackthorne, who controlled her family's lands. As her desire grew for the mysterious man who was constantly by her side, she had no idea that she was falling in love with the enemy himself. Was not as good as the previous one in the series but a good read none the less. I can't wait to see what will happen to Blackthorne's daughters in the next one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable read, March 1, 1998

By A Customer

Even before she became the new head of Clan MacKinnon, Katherine had heard all of her life about the dastardly deeds of their enemy, the Blackthornes. Katherine makes a death bed vow to her father that she will continue the fight against the sixth Duke of Blackthorne, Alastair Wharton. When Katherine claims a choice Scottish estate as being owned by her clan, Alastair sets sail to Scotland to put an end to this nonsense. However, after nearly dying in a shipwreck, Alastair scores a job as THE BODYGUARD to the fiery Katherine, who has many enemies.

Alastair stays close to Kitt to protect her and learn her plans on how she will gain control of the disputed lands. However, their proximity leads to a growing love. Still, he is the very enemy that she has sworn a sacred vow of vengeance towards and this doesn't make their chances for a lifetime of happiness seem very possible.

The third novel, starring the popular Blackthorne family, is a well written, very interesting Regency romance. Like its two predecessors (CAPTIVE and AFTER THE KISS), the story line is filled with action and vibrant characters that bring to life early nineteenth century Scotland and England. Fans of the series and historical romances in general will joyfully want to read Joan Johnston's latest fascinating romance.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This was my first Joan Johnston., June 5, 2006

By	A Mother and Avid Reader (Detroit) - See all my reviews

It was okay...I felt the ending was really rushed. There was such an anti-climactic, abrupt end to such an elaborate story.

Blackthorne forgives and forgets Katherine's lies because his daughters want him to? Katherine forgives and forgets Blackthorne's abandonment of her during her pregnancy and childbirth because she doesn't want to part with her son? Very far-fetched and contrived.

How could Katherine have even contemplated (for one second) bartering her son for her clan? If I were Blackthorne, I would have dumped her for that reason alone!

This was an adequate read, but nothing spectacular.