Highland Rebel
Upscale historical romance at its best!- Historical Novels Review |
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Set in a dangerous time of religious and political upheaval and civil war, HIGHLAND REBEL tells the story of Catherine Drummond and Jamie Sinclair, two proud and lonely outcasts whose struggle for acceptance and survival draws them together in a partnership based on mutual interest that will transform them both. In so doing it transports the reader to Ireland, the Scottish Highlands, the court of King James II, and the coffee houses, backstreets and taverns of seventeenth century London, while chronicling the brief reign of England’s last Stuart king.
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Born in the waning days of Cromwell’s England, despised as a bastard by his Puritan father, and abandoned by his mother, James Sinclair has learned from an early age to fend for himself. Charming, dangerous, and decidedly amoral, his quick wit, good looks and military prowess have served him well in the courts of two Stuart Kings, the grudgingly Protestant Charles II and the openly Catholic King James. Adventurer, courtier, mercenary and spy, he’s a master of disguise who can transform from aristocrat to beggar and disappear in any crowd. Sent to mind a troop of foreign mercenaries, he looks forward to completing his mission and collecting his reward, and when an inconvenient spark of gallantry and his own perverse humor cause him to marry a maid captured on the battlefield he intends the marriage to be in name only.
Raised in the Scottish Highlands, heiress to a title, a fortune founded on the whiskey trade, and properties in Scotland and in France, Cat Drummond is far from the camp follower Jamie mistakes her for. Fiercely loyal to family, clan and king, she’s born to rule, trained on the field of battle and at the court of Versailles, and equally comfortable in men’s breeches or a gown. Disguised as beggars on the streets of London, or glittering amongst the courtiers of Whitehall Palace, Catherine and Jamie will join forces in an age where treachery and adultery are the fashion, and cynicism, cruelty and barbed wit are the qualities most admired. But in a world where family, creed, and princes can’t be trusted, and faith fuels intolerance, hatred, and war, they’ll soon find themselves on opposite sides of a growing conflict that will force them to question everything they know, and test the bounds of friendship, loyalty and love.
Reviews
“A true love story of polar opposites forced together, only to find that they feed each other’s hottest fires”
-Readin’ Something Crazy
“Set during the religious warfare in the reign of James II of England (1685-1688), this rousing historical romance pits the fearless Catherine Drummond, the daughter of a Highland laird, against Jamie Sinclair, a seasoned soldier, adventurer, and spy who lives by his wit and sword.
After Jamie impulsively marries Catherine on the battlefield to keep her from being defiled and executed by the king’s mercenaries, their lives and fortunes become entwined. Whether in the Highlands, on Jamie’s estate, or in the London court of King James, they navigate through intolerance and ever-shifting political and personal alliances of Restoration England, Jacobite Scotland, and Ireland. They grow to respect, protect, and love each other over the course of adventures that test friendship, family ties, and intimacy.
Highland Rebel represents the best of the genre: carefully researched, with complex, compelling characters and a good, galloping plot that, despite a slightly sagging middle, is sure to please. Upscale historical romance at its best! Highly recommended.”
-Eileen Charbonneau
HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW Editors’ choice
