Wednesday, May 7, 2014

A Sword Upon the Rose (Scottish Medieval #2) by Brenda Joyce

Who doesn't love a highlander?!  I know I do!  I received a review copy of A Sword Upon the Rose fromo Harlequin through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.  Here's the cover and Goodreads blurb:

New York Times bestselling author Brenda Joyce takes you back to the Highlands, where the battle for land, liberty and love rages on…

A bastard daughter, Alana was cast away at birth and forgotten by her mighty Comyn family. Raised in solitude by her grandmother, she has remained at a safe distance from the war raging through Scotland. But when a battle comes close to home and she finds herself compelled to save an enemy warrior from death, her own life is thrown into danger.

Iain of Islay's allegiance is to the formidable Robert Bruce. His beautiful rescuer captures both his attention and his desire, but Alana must keep her identity a secret even as she is swept up into a wild and forbidden affair. But as Bruce's army begins the final destruction of the earldom, Alana must decide between the family whose acceptance she's always sought, or the man she so wrongly loves.
This book did a very good job at bringing the instability of the time period to life for the reader.  A woman in Alana's place would have had a very hard time of it without the stain of Alana's birth status and her extra abilities.  Alana remains strong in her loyalty to her grandmother who raised her even as all of her other loyalties are being tested.  Alana has to mature in a lot of way through this story as she comes to realize who she can trust and who she cannot.  She finally comes to realize that she is just a pawn to the men who she has always sought acknowledgement from.  This is a great read for readers of Highlands romances.

Click here to add A Sword Upon the Rose to your Goodreads. You can find out more about Brenda Joyce and her works on her website and on Twitter. I give this one 3 Fairies for an emotional romance that showed a realistic look at war.

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