The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon

Book Description:
London, 1760. For Jamie Fraser, paroled prisoner-of-war in the remote Lake District, life could be worse: He’s not cutting sugar cane in the West Indies, and he’s close enough to the son he cannot claim as his own. But Jamie Fraser’s quiet existence is coming apart at the seams, interrupted first by dreams of his lost wife, then by the appearance of Tobias Quinn, an erstwhile comrade from the Rising.

Like many of the Jacobites who aren’t dead or in prison, Quinn still lives and breathes for the Cause. His latest plan involves an ancient relic that will rally the Irish. Jamie is having none of it—he’s sworn off politics, fighting, and war. Until Lord John Grey shows up with a summons that will take him away from everything he loves—again.

Lord John Grey—aristocrat, soldier, and occasional spy—finds himself in possession of a packet of explosive documents that exposes a damning case of corruption against a British officer. But they also hint at a more insidious danger. Time is of the essence as the investigation leads to Ireland, with a baffling message left in “Erse,” the tongue favored by Scottish Highlanders. Lord John, who oversaw Jacobite prisoners when he was governor of Ardsmiur prison, thinks Jamie may be able to translate—but will he agree to do it?

Soon Lord John and Jamie are unwilling companions on the road to Ireland, a country whose dark castles hold dreadful secrets, and whose bogs hide the bones of the dead. A captivating return to the world Diana Gabaldon created in her Outlander and Lord John series, The Scottish Prisoner is another masterpiece of epic history, wicked deceit, and scores that can only be settled in blood.

This is the best of the Lord John books, no doubt about it.  Why?  Because of Jamie Fraser. *sigh* 

I've enjoyed the previous Lord John books but because this one is such a direct tie in to Gabaldon's Outlander series I found it the most compelling and entertaining to read.  As I've found in the previous Lord John mystery books, the actual mysteries aren't that great or complex.  It's Lord John himself, his character and those that surround him that make the story.  The mysteries don't hold me or make me wonder nor are they real whodunits.  It's more like what kind of a mess has Lord John stumbled upon and how is he going to get out of it?  I found the same to be here.  The actual mystery in the The Scottish Prisoner - the Wild Hunt Jacobite plot line which takes Lord John to Ireland was so-so.  I knew all along who did what, it was no surprise to find I was right.  What was great was that Jamie Fraser was with him!   Together, Jamie, Lord John and Tom, his valet, made a great trio!  I wouldn't call this a mystery, it's more like the adventures of Jamie Fraser and Lord John Grey in Ireland and how Jamie rescues Lord John from a big mess and they're able to forgive and forget that unfortunate matter that happened in the stables at Helwater.  

Gabaldon gives us plenty of more reasons to love Jamie Fraser in this book.  I loved the back story on him and our insight to his life at Helwater with Willie, his young son whom he cannot acknowledge as his own.  But what's really insightful is the fact that he even leaves Helwater for a while to go to Ireland and London! This is all new and wonderful!  Jamie is in fine form here - vintage Jamie.  His interaction with John's family is fascinating in London - this is a whole new world and side to Jamie we haven't seen before. He is an older Jamie than we know and love from Dragonfly in Amber and glimpsed in the early chapters of Voyager.  Jamie is brought to London to help with a poem that he may be able to translate.  Lord John's brother has summoned him to his townhouse in London.  While there, after an initial unpleasantness, Jamie is able to be "himself" again - a laird, a gentleman, as he was before Culloden.  Jamie is once again recognized and referred to as Lord Broch Tuarach, instead of as a convicted traitor and prisoner.   It's great to see him this way!  He's larger than life, I fell in love with him all over again. *sigh*  He can hold his own against anyone he comes up against, including Lord John's brother Hal, the Duke of Pardloe, and the Duke's enemies.  A favorite scene of mine takes place in the Duke's library, as Lord John and an enemy battle it out, Jamie blithely watches them make fools of themselves before breaking it up. He's just so damn cool!  But despite the fact Jamie is in fine form here, his yearning for Claire was heartrending, his dreams and nightmares  - and the constant prayer, that she might be safe.  She and the child.  This is always hanging over Jamie's head, plus he can't completely accustom himself to the idea of being "free" while away from Helwater.  In his heart he is tied to Helwater - because of Willie.   He's not completely whole, he's a changed Jamie due to his lost life and...Claire

Basically, Jamie makes this book, but all the characterizations are vibrant and colorful - even Lord John's valet Tom is great!  Interesting enough, there is a very surprising story regarding the Duke of Pardloe's wife, Minnie.  Hal's duchess and her background as a spy, whom Jamie knew in Paris before the Rising, raised an eyebrow.  The glimpses we get of her relationship with Hal and their astonishing courtship would make a great book in of itself!  I wonder if Diana will ever write it, including that hearth rug scene! ;)

Overall, The Scottish Prisoner is a worthwhile, excellent addition to Gabaldon's Outlander and Lord John series.  Do you need to read the earlier books in the Lord John series to get into it?  No, but it helps.  Do you need to read the Outlander books to like this?  No, but if you're an Outlander fan, you'll simply love it, otherwise it will be an above average book if you're unfamiliar with Jamie Fraser's character.  As much as the mystery itself wasn't all that scintillating, the relationship building and characterizations were top rate.  They make the book, as well as filling in some of the lost years for Jamie while at Helwater and the bittersweet relationship with his son.  One of my favorite picks of the year for 2011 and a nice holdover until book eight, Written in My Own Heart's Blood is published.   A keeper for any Outlander and Lord John fan.

4.5/5

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I'm back from Scotland and Book 8 has a title - Written in My Own Heart's Blood

 
So much news!  Yes, Outlander fans, Book 8 has a title!  With some tweaking and a few changes, Diana Gabaldon has settled on the title for her next book in the Outlander Series.  Most likely it will be published sometime in 2013.  I like the title a lot.  It goes without saying, I'm looking forward to it, now more than ever since I just got back from my dream vacation in the Scottish Highlands!  (And yes, I took this picture of the Clan Fraser stone while visiting the battlefield of Culloden.)

I apologize about the lack of posts lately. I have a bunch of books waiting to be reviewed which I will tackle soon, but I've been so busy, first in Scotland and now just trying to catch up on things here at home and work.  Plus, I'm so tired!   Please be patient, I hope to post a recap of my trip soon with pics - it was awesome!!  Scotland is breathtaking! 

Here's a brief peek of what's to come...

Above is a picture of the first place I went to upon my arrival in Scotland.  For those of you that are familiar with Ciji Ware's Island of the Swans, this is Lady Jane Maxwell's island in the novel, which is one of my favorite books.  Loch an Eilean Castle is near Aviemore and it is a beautiful romantic ruin that sits on a small island in the middle of the Loch.  There is no bridge to the island, the ruin sits peacefully alone, lending a quiet grace to the area.

Lining the banks of Loch an Eilean is a small forest of ancient Caledonian pine trees, which were once found all over the Highlands, but now sadly, only a few forests of the great pines remain today.  Their pungent smell was wonderful and fresh as I stood there among the trees, taking it in.  It was cool and damp in their shade and even though I'd just flown six and a half hours across the Atlantic on the red eye the night before - and then another three plus hours driving up from Edinburgh to Aviemore - I wasn't tired - I was exhilarated!  At last I was able to see Lady Jane's castle, patiently waiting for me in it's hidden and out of the way setting.  Breathing in the fresh air I had to pinch myself as I whispered aloud  "I made it! I'm here!"

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Book Spotlight: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Synopsis:
Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another...

In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an "outlander"—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire's destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life ...and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

About seven years ago a friend of mine bumped into me in the supermarket and we got to talking about books and so forth and after mentioning that I'd just bought The Time Traveler's Wife, she grabbed me by the arm and told me - told me - that I had to read this wonderful time travel book called Outlander.  I'd never heard of it.  She began to go on and on, extolling the virtues of somebody named Jamie Fraser.  Nodding, I began to perk up at the idea and took note of the recommendation.  When I later got home, I impulsively bought the first four books in the series off of Amazon.  For some reason I neglected to get the fifth, not realizing there were five in the series at that point.   Needless to say - I nearly cried when I didn't have it later on!

Believe it or not, once the books arrived, there they sat - for nearly a year in my TBR pile.  A year! Can you imagine?  What was I thinking?  I don't know what made me finally pick Outlander up, but I began to read it, and I was entranced.  I'd never read anything like it before.   From that moment was the demarcation point in my literary life.  Life before Outlander - life after Outlander.  The rest is history.  I swept through the books (okay, The Fiery Cross took me longer than the others and I had to put it down from time to time).  I was hooked!  Suddenly it was Jamie, Jamie, Jamie instead of Mr. Darcy, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Darcy!  As soon as I finished the The Fiery Cross, what did I do?  Naturally, I turned right around and began reading the entire Outlander series again from the beginning - with barely a pause for breath! I didn't want it to stop!  I loved it even more the second time around, suddenly it was like reading it in technicolor!  Now that I knew what would happen I could pay more attention to all the rich details and characterizations, I no longer wanted to speed through it to see what happened next!

Well, after I read the series through again - and again, I discovered the amazing unabridged audio books, narrated by the incomparable Davina Porter.  Davina Porter's voice is unbelievably perfect for this series.  She is the voice of Claire - she is Claire.  When she's Jamie - sigh - she really is Jamie Fraser!  I was able to borrow the audio books from my local library (on inter library loan) and for the next two years (I kid you not) I listened to the whole series in my car nonstop while driving around doing my various daily errands and what-have-you during the course of the day.  Only in my car.  It got to the point where my husband and son would go crazy if they heard Davina Porter's voice - they'd scream and yell, begging me to turn it off! When I finished the series, I bought the CD's and just started from the beginning again in one giant Outlander loop!  I kept this up until A Breath of Snow and Ashes came out.  After reading it, I added that CD to my giant loop as well until An Echo in the Bone came out.  I estimate I listened to those audio books in my car for about five years!  I just never got sick of the story, it fed my addiction.  Even my husband read Outlander.  That's saying something for he's not much of a book reader, unless it's Stephen King or Robert Ludlum.  I think he was mainly curious to find out who this Jamie guy was.  I was breathless with anticipation to hear what part he was on.  What did he think of it?  What did he think of the beating scene at Leoch?  What did he think of what Black Jack Randall did to Jamie at Wentworth Prison?  What did he think of all the sex???  Well, my husband is not the chatty type, it was like pulling teeth, but I did get him to talk about it eventually.  Did he go on to read the second book, Dragonfly in Amber?  No, but maybe he will before we go to Scotland this summer?  Did I happen to mention we're going to the Scottish Highlands this summer?  The title of my blog doesn't have the word Outlandish in it for nothing!  And guess who that handsome red haired Scot in my banner is?  (Ah, the wonders of Photoshop!)

So, now you know about Outlander and me.   I dare any of you who haven't read it yet, not to be affected by it when you read it for the first time - and trust me, you'll read it more than once.  It's that kind of book.  Maybe you won't be as affected by it as much as I was, but trust me, this series is that good.  It's life changing.  Not only is the story fantastic, but the writing is superb.  They're huge books, the kind you can get lost in - the Calgon take me away kind of books that leave you misty eyed, utterly exhausted but exhilarated as well.  You laugh, you cry, you're all over the place in these books.  Jamie and Claire's story is one of an everlasting love.  The time travel element gives them a special quality as well as the lush richness of Gabaldon's writing.  Frankly, I find it indescribable.  Everyone I've recommended them to has loved them as well -  the books are evocative, magical - and addictive!  

It was twenty years ago that Outlander was first published, below is an excerpt to give you a taste of what I'm talking about, it's one of my favorite moments:

Jamie made a fire in a sheltered spot, and sat down next to it. The rain had eased to a faint drizzle that misted the air and spangled my eyelashes with rainbows when I looked at the flames.

He sat staring into the fire for a long time. Finally he looked up at me, hands clasped around his knees.

"I said before that I'd not ask ye things ye had no wish to tell me. And I'd not ask ye now; but I must know, for your safety as well as mine." He paused, hesitating.

"Claire, if you've never been honest wi' me, be so now, for I must know the truth. Claire, are ye a witch?"

I gaped at him. "A witch? You—you can really ask that?" I thought he must be joking. He wasn't.

He took me by the shoulders and gripped me hard, staring into my eyes as though willing me to answer him.

"I must ask it, Claire! And you must tell me!"

"And if I were?" I asked through dry lips. "If you had thought I were a witch? Would you still have fought for me?"

"I would have gone to the stake with you!" he said violently. "And to hell beyond, if I must. But may the Lord Jesus have mercy on my soul and on yours, tell me the truth!"

The strain of it all caught up with me. I tore myself out of his grasp and ran across the clearing. Not far, only to the edge of the trees; I could not bear the exposure of the open space. I clutched a tree; put my arms around it and dug my fingers hard into the bark, pressed my face to it and shrieked with hysterical laughter.

Jamie's face, white and shocked, loomed up on the other side of the tree. With the dim realization that what I was doing must sound unnervingly like cackling, I made a terrific effort and stopped. Panting, I stared at him for a moment.

"Yes," I said, backing away, still heaving with gasps of unhinged laughter. "Yes, I am a witch! To you, I must be. I've never had smallpox, but I can walk through a room full of dying men and never catch it. I can nurse the sick and breathe their air and touch their bodies, and the sickness can't touch me. I can't catch cholera, either, or lockjaw, or the morbid sore throat. And you must think it's an enchantment, because you've never heard of vaccine, and there's no other way you can explain it."

"The things I know—" I stopped backing away and stood still, breathing heavily, trying to control myself. "I know about Jonathan Randall because I was told about him. I know when he was born and when he'll die, I know about what he's done and what he'll do, I know about Sandringham because ... because Frank told me. He knew about Randall because he ... he ... oh, God!" I felt as though I might be sick, and closed my eyes to shut out the spinning stars overhead.

"And Colum ... he thinks I'm a witch, because I know Hamish isn't his own son. I know ... he can't sire children. But he thought I knew who Hamish's father is ... I thought maybe it was you, but then I knew it couldn't be, and..." I was talking faster and faster, trying to keep the vertigo at bay with the sound of my own voice.

"Everything I've ever told you about myself was true," I said, nodding madly as though to reassure myself. "Everything. I haven't any people, I haven't any history, because I haven't happened yet.

"Do you know when I was born?" I asked, looking up. I knew my hair was wild and my eyes staring, and I didn't care. "On the twentieth of October, in the Year of Our Lord nineteen hundred and eighteen. Do you hear me?" I demanded, for he was blinking at me unmoving, as though paying no attention to a word I said. "I said nineteen eighteen! Nearly two hundred years from now! Do you hear?"

I was shouting now, and he nodded slowly.

"I hear," he said softly.

"Yes, you hear!" I blazed. "And you think I'm raving mad. Don't you? Admit it! That's what you think. You have to think so, there isn't any other way you can explain me to yourself. You can't believe me, you can't dare to. Oh, Jamie..." I felt my face start to crumple. All this time spent hiding the truth, realizing that I could never tell anyone, and now I realized that I could tell Jamie, my beloved husband, the man I trusted beyond all others, and he wouldn't—he couldn't believe me either.

It was the rocks—the fairy hill. The standing stones. Merlin's stones. That's where I came through." I was gasping, half-sobbing, becoming less coherent by the second. "Once upon a time, but it's really two hundred years. It's always two hundred years, in the stories. ... But in the stories, the people always get back. I couldn't get back." I turned away, staggering, grasping for support. I sank down on a rock, shoulders slumped, and put my head in my hands. There was a long silence in the wood. It went on long enough for the small night birds to recover their courage and start their noises once again, calling to each other with a thin, high zeek! as they hawked for the last insects of the summer.

I looked up at last, thinking that perhaps he had simply risen and left me, overcome by my revelations. He was still there, though, still sitting, hands braced on his knees, head bowed as though in thought.

The hairs on his arms shone stiff as copper wires in the firelight, though, and I realized that they stood erect, like the bristles on a dog. He was afraid of me.

"Jamie," I said, feeling my heart break with absolute loneliness. "Oh, Jamie."

I sat down and curled myself into a ball, trying to roll myself around the core of my pain. Nothing mattered any longer, and I sobbed my heart out.

His hands on my shoulders raised me, enough to see his face. Through the haze of tears, I saw the look he wore in battle, of struggle that had passed the point of strain and become calm certainty.

"I believe you," he said firmly. "I dinna understand it a bit—not yet—but I believe you. Claire, I believe you! Listen to me! There's the truth between us, you and I, and whatever ye tell me, I shall believe it." He gave me a gentle shake.

"It doesna matter what it is. You've told me. That's enough for now. Be still, mo duinne. Lay your head and rest. You'll tell me the rest of it later. And I'll believe you."

I was still sobbing, unable to grasp what he was telling me. I struggled, trying to pull away, but he gathered me up and held me tightly against himself, pushing my head into the folds of his plaid, and repeating over and over again, "I believe you."

At last, from sheer exhaustion, I grew calm enough to look up and say, "But you can't believe me."

He smiled down at me. His mouth trembled slightly, but he smiled.

"Ye'll no tell me what I canna do, Sassenach." He paused a moment. ... A long time later, he spoke.

"All right. Tell me now."

I told him. Told him everything, haltingly but coherently. I felt numb from exhaustion, but content, like a rabbit that has outrun a fox, and found temporary shelter under a log. It isn't sanctuary, but at least it is respite. And I told him about Frank.

"Frank," he said softly. "Then he isna dead, after all."

"He isn't born." I felt another small wave of hysteria break against my ribs, but managed to keep myself under control. "Neither am I."

He stroked and patted me back into silence, making his small murmuring Gaelic sounds.

"When I took ye from Randall at Fort William," he said suddenly, "you were trying to get back. Back to the stones. And ... Frank. That's why ye left the grove."

"Yes."

"And I beat you for it." His voice was soft with regret.

"You couldn't know. I couldn't tell you." I was beginning to feel very drowsy indeed.

"No, I dinna suppose ye could." He pulled the plaid closer around me, tucking it gently around my shoulders. "Do ye sleep now, mo duinne. No one shall harm ye; I'm here."

I burrowed into the warm curve of his shoulder, letting my tired mind fall through the layers of oblivion. I forced myself to the surface long enough to ask, "Do you really believe me, Jamie?"

He sighed, and smiled ruefully down at me.

"Aye, I believe ye, Sassenach. But it would ha' been a good deal easier if you'd only been a witch."

Excerpted from Outlander by Diana Gabaldon Copyright © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon. Excerpted by permission of Dell, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Now a little bit about Diana, who wrote these amazing books. I've met her in person twice now and she is amazingly down to earth and unaffected by her success. She seems very grounded and a gracious and lovely lady!

Diana Gabaldon is the author of the award-winning, #1 NYT-bestselling OUTLANDER novels, described by Salon magazine as “the smartest historical sci-fi adventure-romance story ever written by a science Ph.D. with a background in scripting “Scrooge McDuck” comics.”

The adventure began in 1991 with the classic OUTLANDER (“historical fiction with a Moebius twist”), has continued through six more New York Times-bestselling novels–DRAGONFLY IN AMBER, VOYAGER, DRUMS OF AUTUMN, THE FIERY CROSS, A BREATH OF SNOW AND ASHES, and AN ECHO IN THE BONE, with nineteen million copies in print worldwide.

The series is published in 26 countries and 23 languages, and includes a nonfiction (well, relatively) companion volume, THE OUTLANDISH COMPANION, which provides details on the settings, background, characters, research, and writing of the novels. Gabaldon (it’s pronounced “GAA-bull-dohn”—rhymes with “stone”) has also written several books in a sub-series featuring Lord John Grey (a major minor character from the main series): LORD JOHN AND THE PRIVATE MATTER, LORD JOHN AND THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLADE, and LORD JOHN AND THE HAND OF DEVILS. Another Lord John book, LORD JOHN AND THE SCOTTISH PRISONER, will probably be published in 2011).

Returning to her comic-book roots, she has also written a graphic novel titled THE EXILE (set within the OUTLANDER universe and featuring the main characters from OUTLANDER), but told from the viewpoint of Jamie Fraser and his godfather, Murtagh. The graphic novel is illustrated by Hoang Nguyen, published by Del-Rey.

Gabaldon is presently working on the third Lord John novel (LORD JOHN AND THE SCOTTISH PRISONER), and the eighth book in the OUTLANDER series. In addition, she is working on a contemporary mystery series, set in Phoenix, and has written Highly Scholarly Introductions (with masses of footnotes) to recent Modern Library editions of Sir Walter Scott’s IVANHOE and Thomas Paine’s COMMON SENSE.

Dr. Gabaldon holds three degrees in science: Zoology, Marine Biology, and Quantitative Behavioral Ecology, (plus an honorary degree as Doctor of Humane Letters, which entitles her to be “Diana Gabaldon, Ph.D., D.H.L.” She supposes this is better than “Diana Gabaldon, Phd.X,”) and spent a dozen years as a university professor with an expertise in scientific computation before beginning to write fiction. She has written scientific articles and textbooks, worked as a contributing editor on the MacMillan ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COMPUTERS, founded the scientific-computation journal SCIENCE SOFTWARE QUARTERLY, and has written numerous comic-book scripts for Walt Disney. None of this has anything whatever to do with her novels, but there it is.

She and her husband, Douglas Watkins, have three adult children and live mostly in Scottsdale, Arizona.



You can visit Diana online at http://www.dianagabaldon.com/.

Published by Random House, here is the link that will tell you where the books are available for sale. No word yet on when exactly the next book of the series will be coming out, but Diana is working on it and said it might be as early as 2012!

Thanks to Cheryl Malandrinos for organizing and inviting me to participate in the Pump Up Your Book Virtual Blog Tour for Outlander, this was fun!

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Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati (audio)

Book Description:
A novel that revolves around the forbidden, incandescent affair of a spinster Englishwoman and an American frontiersman. When Elizabeth Middleton leaves England to join her father and brother in the remote mountain village of Paradise in New York, she does so with a strong will and an unwavering purpose: to teach school. It is December of 1792 when she arrives in a cold climate unlike any she has ever experienced.

And she meets a man different from any she has ever encountered - a white man dressed like a native. His name is Nathaniel Bonner, also known to the Mohawk people as "Between Two Lives." Elizabeth's ultimate destiny, here in the heart of the wilderness, lies in the odyssey to come: trials of faith and flesh, and passion born amid Nathaniel's own secrets and divided soul.

This is a book that's been on my TBR list for a long, long time.  I've been hearing about it ever since I finished the Outlander Series for the first time over five years ago.  Everyone said if you like Outlander, you'll like this.  I'd heard the heroine was like a cross between Claire Fraser and Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice.  It all sounded too good to be true.   In response to all the praise, I resisted it, partly because I suspected I'd be let down.  Well, sure enough, that's exactly what happened.  My gut instinct, once again, was right.  It wasn't bad, but I wasn't bowled over by it either.  I'm glad I finally got around to it, but I just was not into it.   The plot itself wasn't bad, but it made no impact on me.  The characters had their good points and some were interesting, but for the most part, I was just kind of meh about the whole thing. 

For a long book, it surprisingly lacked the depth and emotion I'd expect a book this size to have.  I wasn't overly fond of any of the characters and had trouble really getting to like the heroine, Elizabeth, and the hero, Nathaniel.  He was enigmatic, very much of a mystery to me.  A white man, but raised very much with the ways and traditions of the native Indian  (Native American).  Elizabeth was always a little too stubborn.  Very independent and intelligent, she was someone to admire but where was her warmth and tenderness - a likability about her?  I felt at arms length with her.  Granted, I was interested in what happens to her and Nathaniel but I would not consider their love for one another all that great - in fact, I thought it seemed awfully rushed the way they fell in love and it kind of left me perplexed how they schemed and plotted to run off together - amazing!  Be that as it may, they made a good couple together.  I liked the way Nathaniel called Elizabeth "Boots." That was cute, but it's just about the only thing I can think of! Although there were some nice love scenes, they lacked passion - as did the entire book.

Elizabeth Middleton is new to Paradise, an Upstate New York settlement, still in the early days of the new United States in the early 1790's.  Her aging father, Judge Middleton, has lived there for some years already, although Elizabeth was raised in England with her dissolute brother, Julian.   As soon as Elizabeth and Julian arrive in Paradise, she meets the Bonners - Nathaniel and his father, Hawkeye (from Last of the Mohicans).  Both are mistaken for Indians at first, but it soon becomes apparent that they are white men, raised and adopted by the Indian tribe of the Kahnyen'kehaka.  She and Nathaniel are instantly "in" to each other, though she resists it at first.  She's a determined twenty-nine year old spinster, soon to be the schoolteacher in Paradise.  He's a hunter who's used to wearing a feather in his long, dark hair, wears buckskins and has a young half Indian daughter from a previous marriage.  Not exactly two people you'd expect who would hook up together immediately.  He knows she's the one for him, and in his own blunt sort of way, he tells her so, and before we know it, they're lovers and planning to run away together to avoid Elizabeth's unwanted suitor, Richard Todd.  Todd wants to marry her primarily to get the mountain her father owns and has promised to deed over to her when she marries.  She doesn't want to marry Todd, and we find out that he is a force to be reckoned with and doesn't take "no" easily.

Nathaniel and Richard Todd have had an ongoing rivalry for years and there is no love lost between them.  As much as Todd is a threat to them, I was never really all that worried about him as a villain.  It was another guy, Jack Lingo, who had me worried.  He was this trapper Frenchman that was after the "Tory Gold" a legendary gold that was reputed to have been stolen by Hawkeye's adopted father, Chingachgook.  Lingo is convinced they still have the gold and he's can be a ruthless cold blooded killer.   He pops up a few times in the story, enough to be a menace, but not a big one.

There are plenty of different characters in the book that gave the story some color, my favorite was the black housekeeper to the Judge, Curiosity.  A freed slave, she was smart and bossy and knew more than everybody else put together! She stole every scene she was in!   On audio, the parts with her sparkled and had life.  Julian, Elizabeth's brother is a ne'er do well rake with a gambling problem, who manages to eventually redeem himself just before his death.  Even he was somewhat of a cliche, but I liked the parts he was in.  I was fond of Robbie Maclachlan, a Scot who another hunter and trapper and a friend of the Bonners in the bush.  He had a cool cave that had it's own hot water spring - how convenient!  All the Indian characters were one dimensional, not surprising since they are generally soft spoken, of few words.  Hannah, Nathaniel's daughter was different, she was cute and perky, but borderline annoying some of the time.  Most everybody else was just sort of meh.  What can I say?  Maybe it's me.  It seemed like whenever something really big and dramatic should happen - it just kind of deflated and got solved too easily or was drawn out so much that it got boring, or everything faded in a cloud of blackness and we hear about what happened later.

The narrating itself was fine by Kate Reading who I know well from the Pink Carnation books.  Some parts could not have been easy with the various Indian pronunciations that sounded halting on audio.  I'm afraid much of the story just seemed dullish to me without any real compelling thread that made me want to see what happens next.  I was glad when it was finally over, rolling my eyes a bit at the big surprise about Hawkeye's heritage.

Sorry for those of you that love this series, I know it's a favorite for many.  Chalk it up to the fact that I've been spoiled by Diana Gabaldon, who's blurb of praise is smack dab right on the cover!  If only this book hadn't been compared so much to the Outlander Series, maybe I'd have felt differently.  Basically, the only similarity I found to it was the Indian connection.  I did appreciate the cameo references of Gabaldon's characters (by permission) to young Ian Murray and Jamie and Claire at the Battle of Saratoga.  Claire was referred to as a white witch healer.  Yet, the reminder of them only seemed to exacerbate my indifference to Donati's characters in comparison!  Plus, it made me want to re-read An Echo in the Bone sooner rather than later!  (I'm really due for a re-read of it!)

I'm glad to have at least crossed this one off my TBR list (it was one of the books in my 2010 TBR Challenge this year - I'm not having the greatest luck in choices unfortunately, hardly any winners!)  All I can say is, if you are a big Outlander fan, you may or may not feel the same way I do.  It's a risk you'll have to take, it could go either way.  The story here was a good one, it wasn't a total loss.  The writing itself was well constructed and I appreciated a lot of the descriptions and research that went into the writing of it, particularly in regard to the native American Indians, but it just needed more "oomph" for lack of a better word. 

3.5/5

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The Exile, an Outlander Graphic Novel by Diana Gabaldon

Product Description (from Amazon):
A luscious full-colour graphic novel — written by #1 New York Times bestseller Diana Gabaldon — that offers a completely new look at the original Outlander story!

The Exile retells the original Outlander novel from Jamie Fraser's point of view, revealing events never seen in the original story and giving readers a whole new insight into the Jamie-Claire relationship. Jamie's surreptitious arrival in Scotland at the beginning of the tale, his feelings about Claire, and much more — up to the point where Claire faces trial for witchcraft and must choose whether to return to her own century — are brought to life in brilliant four-colour art.

SPOILERS
 
I loved it.
 
How could I not love this?  It's Jamie Fraser in full, living color?  Granted, he looked completely different from one page to another, sometimes he had a pretty boy look to him, sometimes he looked older and more steely, but most of the time he was just ... Jamie. *sigh*
 
When I first heard of this graphic novel idea, I was not into it.  For one thing, I didn't even know what a graphic novel was!  I thought it was something to do with explicit sex!  It seems laughable now, but I was really that clueless!   Graphic novels are basically comic books, only fancier with better drawings (in this case, the art work by Hoang Nguyen is superb.)  The characters are usually more extreme looking, i.e. sharper eyebrows, angular features, provocatively sexy, bigger boobs.  For instance, Claire's are quite prominent!  The Exile is a work of art.  It's hardcover for one thing, and the colors within are brilliant and evocative of the beauty of the Scottish Highlands, yet it has the separate story frames and overhead voice bubbles - just like a comic book.  It's an odd sort of fusion, but it works.  But, no matter what anyone says, I think a graphic novel is nothing more than a fancy-shmancey comic book. Yet, if it gets people to read who normally don't read books, then by all means - whatever works!  I'm all for that!
 
Here the story is told from Jamie and Murtagh's points of view.  I loved seeing what Murtagh saw, we're now privy to a lot of things we weren't aware of before, particularly his distrust of Claire and his desire to protect Jamie.  Because of this, The Exile is more political than romantic, in my opinion.  Yes, yes of course we have the basic relationship between Claire and Jamie.  But now the focus is more on Jamie's return from France and dealing with the clan politics at Leoch.  Claire only complicates everything.  Jamie's walking a tightrope between being an outlaw wanted by the English and honoring the Mackenzies without threatening his uncles as a future Mackenzie clan chieftain.  
 
Do the characters look the way I imagined them to look?  Not exactly, but close to it.  I will always have my own idea and vision in mind of how I picture everyone, but I appreciated this book simply for the fun and novelty of it.  I loved the drawings, the clothes in particular.  Now I know how they look in their plaids!  And now I know what Black Jack Randall's hat looks like (I always pictured it differently).  I can see Claire's original dress that she wears when she comes through the stones, and then in her yellow dress Mrs. Fitz gives her to wear once she's at Leoch.  I loved the look of Mrs. Fitz too!   And her reaction to Claire's bra! *giggles*  Murtagh looked exactly how I pictured Dougal to look (like Sean Bean in the movie, Lord or the Rings).  Claire was much sexier looking than I imagined, I can see how she would have created such a stir everywhere she went!  Apart from Jamie's face looking so different from drawing to drawing, (I guess since it was all hand drawn, it's hard to make him look exactly the same in every drawing) I loved all the various depictions of him.  Some of his shots were simply gorgeous - one particular nude backside drawing of him was particularly droolworthy with a typically gorgeous view of the Highlands.  Wow! Their wedding night love scene was another memorable and satisfying drawing (although Claire's elongated fingers were strangely claw like and scary looking!)  Claire looked great most of the time, even down to the detail of her English rosebud mouth.  

Here's the unexpurgated art work from their wedding night from Diana's blog, which you can click on for the larger version.
 
For the most part, all the pictures did the original Outlander book justice.  I can't be critical of it.  I guess my one gripe was how blousy Claire looked most of the time, but I chalk it up to the fact this is a graphic novel and she's more sexed up than usual.  Speaking of boobs, it was funny how certain thoughts were expressed by bubbles, particularly when Claire first tells them she's a nurse and all the men have bubble thoughts of a "wet nurse" and stare at her bosom!  I also loved the scene when she's sitting on his chest working on his slippery bandages and Dougal asks him if he's well enough to ride and he says yes if only they could get the lassie off his chest and a clean shirt!  Of course, those of us who have read the original book know, that's when Jamie said he first fell in love with Claire! *sigh*  I also loved Jamie's reaction after Claire tells him, in so many words, that he's a good lover.  *grin*
 
One particularly confusing point in The Exile is this new guy Kenneth!  Who is Kenneth??  He comes through the stones too, as witnessed by Murtagh, who thinks he's in cahoots with Claire.  Then we learn he is somehow associated with Geillis Duncan.  He must have been her lover from before she left Inverness in 1968 - or was it 1967?  I get confused on what is the actual year.  In any event, Kenneth is all new to us.   It turns out that he and Geillis were supposed to be together from the first, but he wound up showing up several years after she did.  It's not exactly clear what the point of him is - was he just supposed to be another Bonnie Prince Charlie devotee going back in time to try and change history?
 
I can't go over every part of The Exile, but take it from an Outlander lover - this is worthwhile and a must read.  I really surprised myself, I didn't know how I was going to like it.  I'm so glad I have my own copy (signed by Diana Gabaldon when I saw her at the National Book Festival in Washington last weekend) and I will treasure it. It's just lovely and I will peruse it over and over again.  It really makes me want to read Outlander over again (for the upteenth time) so I can absorb all these new revelations that have now come out.  One thing I'm not sure of, is The Exile supposed to be part of the actual series, so everything we learn about here is something that really happens in the series?  Or is it just an alternate "what if" re-storytelling?   I wish I had asked her when I had the chance.
 
Also, a few more things, as an FYI, be aware (I was not, so I was very surprised) The Exile only goes as far as when Claire decides to stay with Jamie after he rescues her from Cranes Muir.  It ends before they go to Lallybroch.  It barely covers the first half of the book.  I imagine this was so that it would appeal to a wider audience by taking all the Jack Randall stuff out at the end.    Also, right now, Outlander is now available for FREE on kindle!  Take advantage of it, I don't know how long this will last!
 
Enjoy!
 
Overall opinion:  A must have!  5/5

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I met Diana - and I liked it!

Yes, Outlander fans, it's true!  I finally got my wish and met Diana Gabaldon, author extraordinaire of my favorite books ever! I'm still high on the excitement of this past weekend when I flew to Phoenix from New Jersey and attended The Poisoned Pen Conference at the Arizona Biltmore Resort.  Many authors were in attendance, and I got to meet the legendary Diana Gabaldon, who is the most gracious and charming woman. She must face slews of adoring fans who can barely form a sentence in her presence (such as moi!)  What patience and she is so lovely and serene in the midst of it!  I was tongue tied and flabbergasted when I first saw her, and my oldest sister dragged me over to Diana, who was quietly seated beside her husband on the end of a row.  She had told Diana that I was hyperventilating while I was dithering about whether to go over to her or not. I really wasn't hyperventilating - but you know how older sisters can be!  I just didn't want to impose! We chit-chatted briefly, I had my picture taken with her, as did my sister who had just read Outlander for the first time and is now hooked!  I hardly knew what I was saying I was so flustered and my heart was beating like crazy and I can barely recall what we talked about, but I must have sounded like such an idiot!  One thing I do recall is after I recounted my sad story about missing out on seeing her at the The National Book Festival in Washington, DC after A Breath of Snow and Ashes came out, she told me that she will be there this year in September right at the launch of The Exile, the Outlander graphic novel that's coming out!  I told her I'm driving down this time, not counting on Amtrak (the trains weren't running that day, long story.)

Then later on that evening, Diana signed books (I got a copy of the very green Echo in the Bone with The Exile preview in the back) and then she left early since she's still recovering from her knee surgery and she was so wonderful to even come to this event! All I can say is wow - she's amazing! I met her! I shook hands with her! *giggles* I'm still giddy just thinking about it!  Plus, there were hardly any people around - it was such a tiny little conference! No waiting forever in line, I just was dragged walked up to her!

Now, you're probably wondering how can anyone stand so much excitement in one weekend, and that's not even all that happened! Earlier that weekend, I attended a Georgette Heyer themed tea which was sponsored by The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale.  The tea was led by two wonderful authors who I spent a lot of time with the whole weekend!

Lauren Willig, author of another one of my favorite series, known as The Pink Carnation Series was simply adorable and we talked and talked about her characters and future plotlines and books we've read and it was just great hob nobbing with a real live author!  She's an expert on Regency England and was the co-leader of the Heyer Discussion which was intimate and lively, only about 8 other women were guests at the tea and it was lovely.  Her co-leader was another talented author, Stephanie Barron who writes a well known Jane Austen detective series and some very interesting historical novels with a mystery side to them as well as several other crime novels under the name of Francine Matthews.   In anticipation of meeting Stephanie, I began reading her first Jane detective novel, which I'm still reading and loving it!  Stephanie wound up riding back to the hotel with us and she became a friend too, discussing Jane Austen, fanfiction, the ebook phenomenon and publishing - all in the back seat! We kept running into her all weekend!  It was so funny because she and Lauren led another lecture later on that weekend too, so we were all hanging around together! Really, we were NOT stalking them!  Of course I have pictures!

Here I am in the middle with Lauren Willig on the right and my dear friend and blogging buddy, Joanne from Slice of Life.  I can't say enough kind words about Joanne and how great it was to meet her for the first time - we are sympatico when it comes to books and it was a pleasure to meet her and her friend Cindy who came from New Orleans.  Thank God they had cameras, for all the pictures come from Cindy and Joanne! I was so giddy the whole time all I had was my crappy cell phone camera which is worthless indoors!  In any event, I am eternally grateful to both of them for having the good sense to bring a real camera!

Here is another picture of me with Stephanie Barron and my sister, Cathy on the right.  I'm looking starry eyed post Diana.  We all bought a copy of Stephanie's historical fiction novel, The White Garden which centers around the death of Virginia Woolf and what really happened to her during those three weeks before they found her body.  It's not what everyone thinks!  It sounded fascinating and clever when Stephanie was describing it, so we snatched it up and wouldn't dare let her go without signing our copies!  Another gracious and extremely intelligent woman - all the women we met were so friendly and incredibly knowlegable!  I loved every minute and all the book talking - I was in heaven! These people speak my language!

Now it's back to real life, but I have the best memories.  The Arizona Biltmore was a gorgeous resort, the landscaping and grounds were amazing!  On a funny note, the entire time we were there, there was a huge Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority Convention going on - they were everywhere!  It was almost surreal!

The major highlights of the weekend were getting to see my two sisters who live far away from me, laughing and catching up with them and letting them see first hand what my "other life" is like concerning books and romances and the wonderful world of Outlander.  Plus, it was great to meet and hang out with Joanne and talk books non-stop as well as all sorts of things! It was all incredibly special, particularly meeting Diana, Lauren and Stephanie - an unforgettable weekend! 

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The Scottish Thistle by Cindy Vallar

Book Description:
Loyalty and honor. A Highland warrior prizes both more than life, and when he swears his oath on the dirk, he must obey or die. Duncan Cameron heeds his chief's order without question, but discovers his wife-to-be is no fair maiden. Although women are no longer trained in the art of fighting, Rory MacGregor follows in the footsteps of her Celtic ancestors. Secrets from the past and superstitious folk endanger Rory and Duncan as much as Bonnie Prince Charlie and his uprising to win back the British throne for his father. Rory and Duncan must make difficult choices that pit honor and duty against trust and love...

This is one of those books that had been on my TBR list forever! I don't even remember where I got the idea to read it, except that it was recommended for Outlander fans. Something that was supposed to be similar to Jamie and Claire - the hero and heroine in the Outlander Series. For one thing, the book wasn't easy to get hold of, but lo and behold, I found out recently that it was available on Kindle, so I bought it and finally got around to reading it. The anticipation was great, for I had heard good things about it.

What a disappointment.

It's not that it was all that bad, but I was expecting a sweeping, well written Scottish romance and instead it was this long, plodding, somewhat dull account of the events leading up to the Battle of Culloden and it's aftermath in the Scottish highlands. Yes, there was a romance somewhere in the story, and that is what I found most disappointing - the lack thereof.

As the book starts out we are introduced to our hero and heroine in the Scottish highlands. Rory MacGregor is posing as a smuggler, known in the highlands as "Thistle." No one realizes Thistle is a woman and she keeps it this way. She helps the poor and defenseless. It also turns out that she is the chief of her outlawed clan of the MacGregors who have had to hide and live in secret, all their lands and rights stripped away. Duncan, our hero, is ordered by his chief to marry Rory, a deal that was made when she was a little girl. He likes her right away and can't wait to marry her, but she's against the idea, yet she must do it to help her clan. It's complicated, but they marry by handfasting, but she insists that they do not consummate the marriage. She has no intention of staying married to him and does not want children to complicate the matter. Poor Duncan is led around by the nose by Rory and does whatever she says. He agrees. Some warrior! He thinks he can convince her to change her mind before a year and a day are up. Unfortunately, he's not around enough to convince her since he has to go off to battle for most of the book! Rory is also fighting her own conscience in regard to her marriage. She likes Duncan and is attracted to him, but he is half Campbell, a clan that was responsible for the death of her mother and loved ones - a clan she will forever despise.

Meanwhile, Bonnie Prince Charlie is getting ready to invade Scotland and Duncan must join up under his clan chief. He leaves Rory behind to act as temporary chief of his clan, the Cameron's. He and his chief and all the other Cameron warriors go off to battle for about two years or so. This part of the book seemed like an eternity to get through. Duncan is traipsing all over Scotland and parts of England following his clan chief and Bonnie Prince Charlie in a hopeless stab at an uprising. I would say for the whole middle of this book Duncan and Rory are apart. In fact, it's all mostly from his point of view, we don't even know what she's going through most of this time except for some brief parts when she is almost raped and adopts a baby whose is orphaned. But, Rory has the "second sight" and she can foretell the future and she also has a way of popping in on Duncan as if it's a dream (but it's not) from time to time to comfort him when he is gravely ill or down in the dumps. Still, it was a slog getting through all the battles and marching through snow and illnesses, etc. If I'm not mistaken, the author self published this book, and in this respect it showed. I'm sure her research on the battles of Prestonpans and Culloden was first rate, but it made for a very dull and long interlude with no action or romance between Rory and Duncan. She should have cut this part back, it went on for much too long, it was a struggle just to get through it!

Why did I persist in finishing it if it was such a struggle? Because this was one of the books in my TBR Challenge and I just wanted to get it over with! I had already given up on a previous book I'd started on Kindle (Dark Prince, Book 1 of the Carpathians which I couldn't stand), so I was determined to get through The Scottish Thistle come hell or high water! And I did! I have to pat myself on the back - a true challenge to finish it!

Aside from the boring war scenes of the book (and I'm not saying I dislike war scenes in general, I usually don't mind them as long as they don't go on forever), the romance part of it was light and I kept comparing it to Outlander wondering if the author was a big fan of Diana Gabaldon and decided to try her own hand at the battle of Culloden. I saw many similarities in the two books, but Rory and Duncan were nothing like Jamie and Claire. For one thing, for most of the story Rory won't even admit she loves Duncan! It's while he's away she realizes she loves him all of a sudden! We're supposed to believe in this great love between them and there's nothing to indicate what caused it - why does she now love him - absence makes the heart grow fonder? I just didn't buy it and without any bona fide good romantic scenes (and I don't mean sexual) the book fell flat. Oh there were a few tender moments between them after he gets back from the war, injured and scarred from his battles and imprisonment, but not enough for me to believe in any great psychic love connection between them! It was a bit gimmicky with the whole second sight aspect of hers, and I kept waiting for the superstitious townspeople to try and burn her as a witch, a la Claire at Cranesmuir. Rory was also a gifted healer, another Claire Fraser similarity.

Plus, another niggling thing that bugged me was I kept wondering how are Rory and Duncan going to live in Scotland after Culloden with the British breathing down their necks and Duncan on the run to avoid hanging? The scenario did not bode well for a happily ever after ending - were they going to live together in a cave for seven years? But voila - they have their answer - the colonies! It's off to America they go - where they can be happy and maybe they'll even meet up with Jamie and Claire in twenty years!

All in all, it wasn't a bad book, but it was a big waste of time for me. If it hadn't been so long and boring and focused more on Duncan and Rory and their relationship and love it would have been a lot better and engaging. A lesson learned, when writing a book that is touted as a romance, keep the romance in it - or at least, keep the hero and heroine together for most of the story and lighten up on the war end of it. At least in Dragonfly in Amber Jamie and Claire were together leading up to Culloden, they weren't apart for half the book, though I did consider the marching and following Prince Charlie around a slog the first time I read it.

For those of you that are big Outlander fans and were considering reading this, just keep in mind, this is not another Dragonfly in Amber except that you'll feel exhausted making your way through the bitter cold of Scotland and England under the command of the hapless Prince Charles who couldn't command his way out of a paper bag. At least he's depicted here in a realistic light and not as the beloved folk hero of legend. Rory and Duncan have a very slow and long courtship. Rory is aggravating to the extreme by not admitting her love to Duncan until almost the very end of the book. And he's so smitten by her (I kept wondering why?) that he became less and less admirable in my eyes. He'd just take all the crap she'd give him without even batting an eye. Not your typical Scottish warrior in the alpha male sense. He was a good man, but needed a bit more authority when it came to his wife. He had the gentleness and honor of a Jamie Fraser, yet without Jamie's alpha side, he lacked that necessity that completes the aura of a Scottish highlander that I love so well!

I can't recommend this book, read it at your own risk. If you're into historical fiction and less on romance, then maybe you'd like it more than I did, but the gimmicky psychic connection and tepid romance parts might bug you in that case.

2.5/5

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An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon

Book Description:
Jamie Fraser, erstwhile Jacobite and reluctant rebel, knows three things about the American rebellion: the Americans will win, unlikely as that seems in 1778; being on the winning side is no guarantee of survival; and he'd rather die than face his illegitimate son -- a young lieutenant in the British Army -- across the barrel of a gun. Fraser's time-travelling wife, Claire, also knows a couple of things: that the Americans will win, but that the ultimate price of victory is a mystery. What she does believe is that the price won't include Jamie's life or happiness -- not if she has anything to say. Claire's grown daughter Brianna, and her husband, Roger, watch the unfolding of Brianna's parents' history -- a past that may be sneaking up behind their own family.

Not a full review, but just a quick post with no spoilers - I finished it! It was both satisfying and exasperating - loads of cliffhangers and loose threads to worry about over the course of the next four (?) years until the next Outlander installment. I did love it, but then I love everything about Outlander, still, is it the best? My favorite in the series? No.

The book had four or five main points of view, which was frustrating - in some ways it seemed like Outlander light. It was not like her past books where you become completely immersed in the details and story of Jamie and Claire - this one, you had parts of Jamie and Claire, Bree and Roger in 1980 Scotland, as well as young Ian and Lord John and Willie's stories during the Revolution. In my opinion, not quite enough to assuage my Outlander appetite, but I'll take and love anything Ms. Gabaldon writes, so I won't quibble about the lack of Jamie and Claire-ness in this book. I'm glad I've read the Lord John mystery books in the past, since in many ways they enhanced this book, but I did feel a bit put out for some people that haven't read them, for they will be a little lost about the importance of certain intriguing characters that come up here.

Some amazing revelations and events take place in this book - a bit of a "jump the shark" point in series? Maybe.

Still, I have to take a deep breath and soak it in and think about it all. A definite re-read eventually, but not right away.

4/5

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Gulp! It's almost here!

I'm getting twitchy and edgy - I can't stand the suspense! Tomorrow at this time I'll be reading the most anticipated book I've ever read - An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon.



She and her Outlander Series are the world to me - the whole theme of my blog - my raison d'etre. I think I'll probably devour it quickly and then immediately read it over again slowly and savor every word.

So, don't expect a review on it from me, or even a discussion. No excerpts, no discussion, no spoilers, nada! I am not worthy enough to even discuss it, except to say something like "Wow!" or "I love it!!" LOL!

For the next few weeks I will be pleasantly occupied doing my second favorite thing - reading a new Outlander book! Four years!

*swoon*

See you in a few!

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Hunky Hero Post

The Royal Reviews Hunky Hero needs a bit of help in learning how to be a leading man!

So I've agreed to help him out with some pointers from my favourite hero


I've been tagged by the Hunky Hero over at Alaine's Reading Blog. This Hunky Hero has been making the rounds, if you know what I mean. I've seen him everywhere! What's a girl to do?


My Favorite Hero: This is a no brainer. Jamie Fraser from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander Series I'm borderline obsessive when it comes to him. Never did I think someone could make me forget Mr. Darcy, but this Scottish hero swept me off my feet!

Why he stole my heart:
Jamie is my dream man. He's a Scottish highlander, tall, brave, proud, honorable smart, handsome, virile, kind, compassionate and oh so sexy - aah, that accent! *swoon* I never thought I'd go for a red haired guy, but he has stolen my heart. His one love is Claire who drives him and he is true to her and her memory and never stops loving her. Plus, he's got a great sense of humor and is so cute when he tries to wink (which he can't do, and winds up blinking both eyes instead, like an owl!)

Favourite Quote/Excerpt:

"I will find you," he whispered in my ear. "I promise. If I must endure two hundred years of purgatory, two hundred years without you--then that is my punishment, which I have earned for my crimes. For I have lied, and killed, and stolen; betrayed and broken trust. But there is one thing that shall lie in the balance. When I shall stand before God, I shall have one thing to say, to weigh against the rest." His voice dropped, nearly to a whisper, and his arms tightened around me. "Lord, ye gave me a rare woman, and God! I loved her well."(From Dragonfly in Amber)

Who would play Jamie in a movie:
(Umm, if you look straight up to my banner, you'll see him.)



My first choice is Gerry Butler. *swoon* He might be a tad too old to play a 24 year old virgin, but hey, they can do anything in the movies now! Look what they did with Mel Gibson in Braveheart. At least Gerry has the muscles and accent going for him! I happen to be somewhat of an expert on this topic, since I make Outlander icons at LiveJournal of all the characters based on actors and actresses. But, another actor that I think would make a very sexy Jamie (but can he act?) is Halle Berry's main squeeze, Gabriel Aubry, and herself has even said she think he'd make a good one. But, something tells me whoever they choose to play Jamie in a movie (which is in the works so I hear), I just hope he's tall, broad shouldered and is a real Scot! (or at least fakes it like a real one!)

I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you feel like playing to help the Hunky Hero be my guest!

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2009 Outlander Challenge

I'm a little late in joining up, but for those of you that haven't heard of this challenge already, join the 2009 Outlander Challenge, which is a way to be sure you've read all of Diana Gabaldon's books in her Outlander series before the 7th book in the series, An Echo in the Bone comes out (hopefully) in Fall, 2009.

Join up here and leave a comment to let Michele, from A Reader's Respite know you are joining.

I hesitated about joining up myself, since I already listen to the unabridged recordings of the books (Davina Porter is Claire) in one never ending gigantic loop. I felt funny about joining a challenge of something I do anyway every day of my life! I have all the CD's and listen to them in my car. I've been doing this ever since I finished ABOSAA (Sept. 2005). At first, I got the recordings on cassette from my town library (they'd order them for me via interlibrary loan) and then I broke down and just bought them all myself since I wanted to continue listening to them over and over. I think I've gone through the whole loop about 3 or 4 times. I cannot recommend them enough! But, remember only get the unabridged recordings, the abridged recordings cannot even begin to cover the real thing.

Anyway, I'm starting over from scratch and popping the first of my Outlander CD's into my car tomorrow (today we're completely iced over and I will not be doing any driving, much less getting the car door open!) en route to my office and back.

Happy reading (or listening, as in my case)!

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Lord John and the Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon

Book Description:
Diana Gabaldon, the New York Times bestselling author of Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade and the wildly popular Outlander novels, delivers three tales of war, intrigue, and espionage that feature one of her most popular characters: Lord John Grey. In the heart of the eighteenth century, here are haunted soldiers . . . lusty princesses . . . ghostly apparitions . . . dark family secrets. And here Lord John will face enemies who come in the guise of friends, memories in the shape of a fiery-haired Scot named James Fraser, and allies who have the power to destroy him with a single blow. . . .

In Lord John and the Hellfire Club, Lord John glimpses a stranger in the doorway of a gentlemen's club - and is stirred by a desperate entreaty to meet in private. The rendezvous forestalled by a sudden murder, Lord John will wade into a maze of political treachery and a dangerous, debauched underground society. . . . In Lord John and the Succubus, English soldiers fighting in Prussia are rattled by the nocturnal visitations of a deadly woman who sucks life and soul from a man. Called to investigate the night-hag, Lord John finds a murdered soldier and a treacherous Gypsy, and comes to the stark realization that among the spirits that haunt men, none frighten more than the specters conjured by the heart. . . . In Lord John and the Haunted Soldier, Lord John is thrust into the deadly case of an exploding battlefield cannon. Wounded in the same battle, Lord John is called to tesify and soon confronts his own ghost - and the shattering prospect that a traitor is among the ranks of His Majesty's armed forces.

Capturing the lonely, tormented, and courageous career of a man who fights for his crown, his honor, and his own secrets, Diana Gabaldon delivers breathtaking human drama. And in tales seething with desire, madness, and political intrigue, Gabaldon once again proves that she can bring history to life in a way few novelists ever have.

One of the problems with Diana Gabaldon's Lord John books is that they have weak endings. I hate to say it, since she is my favorite living author, but her mysteries just don't end well, they kind of fall flat and are anti-climatic.

I think one of her problems is that her writing style does not suit well with a short mystery novella. Let's face it, her Outlander books are lengthy tomes. She excels in writing long, wordy descriptions. It's one of the joys of her books, they're rich in explanation, full of nature, actions and reactions, thought processes and descriptions. But, as I was reading the three stories in this collection, this type of writing style of hers bogged the stories down so terribly that I could not concentrate and focus on what was actually happening in them. I was sidetracked all the time by the descriptions constantly going off on a tangent or by Lord John's inner musings. This is fine in a large book that you can sink your teeth into, but here it just doesn't work. By the time the mystery was solved, I couldn't care less about it, and usually I found it all to be uninspired.

The actual solving of the mystery seemed to be secondary, Lord John was her primary concern. I like Lord John, I find his homosexuality intriguing, I worry for him getting found out. I admire him for being an honorable gentleman. But I felt like I had wasted my time in reading this book. How dull.

I had already read Lord John and the Hellfire Club a few years ago, since it was tacked on to the end of my copy of Lord John and a Private Matter. It's very short and forgetable. In fact re-reading it was like reading it again for the first time, I barely remember anything about it, and I only read it about 2 or 3 years ago - I can't remember! We're in Lord John's head in these books, which isn't bad, but even though I like him as a character - he's secondary to me in the Outlander books. I just don't think he has the charisma to carry off a mystery series of his own and keep me interested. Let's face it, I'm only reading these books for any further insight in his relationship with Jamie Fraser. The brightest moments in Hellfire were the ones in which Jamie is referenced. I know I sound like a selfish fangirl who only cares about a certain tall red-haired Scot, but it's true! The page sparkles when Jamie is on it, the rest is filler. I hate to be so harsh, but it's how I feel. I rate Hellfire a 3/5.

The 2nd story in the book is a little longer, but not very interesting, scary or exciting. The premise sounded good, Lord John and the Succubus centers on Lord John on duty in Germany allied with the Prussians to fight the French and Austrian armies. Some sort of she-demon is scaring all the soldiers so they can't sleep at night and are dead on their feet, worried they will be the next dead soldier found with his britches down or with two bloody holes in his neck, lying in a pool of blood. Granted, I'm interested in this German officer, Stephan, that Lord John kind of has a thing for. (He's also in Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade which comes after this story chronologically.) John is not sure if Stephan is coming on to him or not. I found that more interesting than the scary succubus flying around. I won't go into the story in detail or spoil the outcome, but the ending was just so-so. I couldn't help thinking big deal, there's a war on - no surprise or great revelations, I'd already pretty much figured things out by the end. This I rate a 3/5 as well.

Lord John and the Haunted Soldier is the final novella and the best of them, but still I felt like I was grasping in the fog to understand what the mystery was. Lord John is back from being injured in a battle in Germany. He faces a formal inquiry in regard to this cannon that exploded and the death of a soldier, Philip Lister. Lord John winds up trying to find out what happened to the pregnant bride to be of Lister, while imagining he's seeing Lister's ghost, as well as another 17th century ghost outside the Arsenal. I found the whole plot somewhat convoluted and I found it difficult to keep track of who was who and why they mattered. The best parts were his therapeutic letters written to Jamie Fraser (which he never mails) and his trusty valet, Tom. Again, another anti-climatic ending in which we find out what's behind the exploding cannon. As far as the missing girl, well, that's a little more involved and farfetched, wrapping up in Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. I give this one a 3.5/5.

Overall, this book of the three novellas is the weakest of all the Lord John books to date, the best being, Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade. I think this book is probably a requirement for any Gabaldon die hard fan, but I can't say I liked this one, I couldn't wait to get it over with and felt it was more of a chore to get through than enjoy.

Overall rating: 3/5

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The Pride of Lions and The Blood of Roses by Marsha Canham

Two books, back to back leading up to the Battle of Culloden:

The Pride of Lions

Book's Description:
They were torn between pride and passion. . .

It was a boastful wager, a bold flirtation meant to win a proposal from the most eligible officer in His Majesty's Royal Dragoons. How was the spoiled and pampered Catherine Augustine Ashbrooke to know the handsome stranger with the brooding midnight eyes would see through her plot and make her the pawn in a dangerous game of his own?

United by a reckless game of chance. . .

Alexander Cameron may have won the highborn English beauty in a duel, but not even the lure of long-forgotten desires could keep him from his meeting with destiny. He had no choice but to carry his reluctant bride off to the Highlands, to a world of ancient blood feuds and a brewing rebellion--a world where fiery passion and breathtaking courage would prove that even legendary warriors could lose their hearts.

Bestselling, award-winning author Marsha Canham sweeps us into the turbulence and romance of Scotland's quest for freedom in a saga of two born enemies whose lives and destinies are irrevocably bound to the fate of an empire.

Sounds like my kind of book, doesn't it? I had heard these books were great to read if you're an Outlander fan like I am. Scottish Highlands in 1745, a Scottish warrior is forced to marry an English sassenach bride - hmm... sound familiar?

Yes, it is familiar in some ways (like the setting) to Outlander, but believe it or not, I found it more similar to Gone With the Wind! How so, you ask? Crinoline skirts, the heroine loves another man, our hero smokes a cheroot and has glossy black hair, the flash of white teeth and that knowing smile...

All throughout this book, I got the feeling that the author was a big fan of GWTW. Instead of the Civil War she substituted the Stuart uprising and ultimate downfall at the Battle of Culloden. It wasn't bad, but I found all these little GWTW-isms distracting. But aside from the fact that I was constantly comparing her hero to Rhett Butler (and who smokes cheroots in 18th century Scotland?), and rolled my eyes at the descriptions of her heroine's pantalettes under her crinoline skirts (umm, they weren't worn until 100 years later) and a replay of Scarlett's morning after "I can't believe I did that with Rhett!" scene, I enjoyed this book! Her battle descriptions were vivid and riveting and the sex scenes were hot (though after a while became a bit tiresome). Plus, she had a Fraseresque, busty red haired villainess who stole every scene she was in. Even though I couldn't help noticing a number of plot similarities to Outlander (although this book was written before it) I got caught up in this book and looked forward to the sequel especially since it leaves you with a huge cliff-hanger ...



The Blood of Roses

Book Description:
The stunning sequel to The Pride of Lions!

In a novel that sizzles with passionate intrigue and breathtaking romance, Marsha Canham whisks the reader back to war-torn Scotland as a legendary warrior fights for the two things most precious to any man: his country and the woman he loves.

She was born an Englishwoman, but he made her a Scot, pledged to fight for her beloved husband--even against the country of her birth.

Catherine Ashbrooke Cameron had committed the unpardonable sin of falling in love with her husband--a Scottish spy she married in her English home. Now, as she raced to the Highlands, into the strong, tender arms of Alexander Cameron, the innocent English beauty would learn the passions of war--and the price of love ....

He fought to keep her safe as he battled the English enemy--and betrayal from within.

Alexander Cameron was a man with a price on his head and enemies to burn. Love had made the legendary warrior vulnerable. Now he must protect Catherine from the dangers that threatened them both. But as he rode into battle against the English, she refused to stay behind. He had claimed her, touched her, loved her, and she vowed nothing would ever separate them again.

This was not your typical Highland romance. This was meatier leading up to the Battle of Culloden, the battle itself and aftermath. It was similar in some ways to Dragonfly in Amber, 2nd in the Outlander series, so how could I not like it? Not as gut-wrenching, but it had it's moments. Often I couldn't help wondering if Gabaldon read these books before writing hers.

Lots of twists and turns in this book, and many surprises. Just when you think you know who the traitor is in their midsts, you're wrong! It's who you least expect! I really enjoyed this 2nd book much more than the first. I found it hard to put down, and I thought of it often. Whereas the first book reminded me of GWTW, this one hardly did at all. The author really found her stride in this one, and the battle depictions were very good - she does a great job at describing the scene of Culloden and Drummossie Moor, the weather, the scenery, the villagers come to watch - very vivid!

I was drawn in and had to keep reading! I recommend this series for Outlander fans. Alex and Catherine are no Jamie and Claire (not even close!), but they do have a good story and if you're interested in the Battle of Culloden and the events surrounding it, you'll appreciate these books. Keep in mind, these are romances, without the depth and scope of an Outlander, but I was pleasantly surprised and they helped assuage my thirst for anything remotely like Outlander while waiting for book 7 to come out! Plus, they have plenty of kilted men and sexy hotness thrown in for good measure!

3.5/4

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