Gwen’s review of Highland Scoundrel (The Campbell Trilogy, Book 3) by Monica McCarty
Historical romance released by Ballantine Books 24 Mar 09
This was my first reading of a Monica McCarty Highlander book. There were some things about it that I found interesting and some I wanted to rip out of the book so it didn’t mess up what I liked. That’s the case with almost any book, really – some parts you love and some you don’t. I guess it’s a bit like marriage that way – the compromise is what makes it bearable. This book balanced out for me, weighing a tad more one direction than the other, however.
For example, I loved the historical perspective and points of reference. McCarty gives the reader enough information to understanding motivations of what is going on around our characters. Thankfully, this detail is not heavy-handed and serves to paint the landscape of the book so that we understand not only the main characters’ motivations, but also that of the secondary characters. This gives a nice rounded feel to the overall story arc – we understand why the social snubs/accolades, etc., without having to delve too deeply into individual relationships. This all allows the plot to move more quickly.
An example of what I didn’t like was the very long and complex flashback at the beginning of the book. I like books to move forward. I generally don’t care for flashbacks – I think they bog a story down. Why not just tell the events in sequence? Why bother with a flashback? It didn’t add any tension or emotional drama to the book. The first scene of the book is one where the heroine is being TSTL – taking a swim outside of her keep’s walls with one guard (just days after a thwarted kidnapping, by the way) – and who does she run into? You got it, the hero. Then BLAMMO! We flashback six years, for nearly a third of the book (long-ass flashback), to when they first meet, fall in love, and leave each other.
Yuck. Talk about a screeching halt to the story.
And let’s talk about TSTL, shall we? To Stupid To Live. It’s a fascinating concept. The heroine in this book has many TSTL moments and suffers the consequence of most of them. Nevertheless, I feel that McCarty lets Jeannie (the heroine) off the hook too often. Either suffer with the rest of us, or make her a tad smarter. Which leads me to an interesting question – do we readers insist that our heroines (and heroes) be smarter than we are? Or are we content for them to be more average? I vote for smarter-is-better, but what if an author pens a less-than-smart heroine? Would it sell?
Any how – back to the book. (See what I just did there? VERY SHORT flackback/diversion.)
This was a good enough story. It had an awfully slow start with the long, long, long and complex flashback, but the last half of the book was better. Even if I wanted to regularly slap the livin’ shit out of the heroine for being such a ninny and not trusting her man or her feelings for said man. Consequently, what resulted from my assaultive desire was that I didn’t really like the heroine. At several points in the book I felt that neither she nor the hero acted with any maturity or honor even after they were supposedly older and knew better. Plus I’ve decided that I really hate it when the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING is the sole plot device keeping the main characters apart. They’re in the same geographic place, same century, speak the same language – nothing to keep them apart, except… TALK TO EACH OTHER ALREADY.
So, while this book wasn’t necessarily my cuppa tea, it wasn’t a horrible book and is probably right up someone else’s alley. If you’re a fan of the McCarty novels, or of highlander books in general, you’ll like it. To me it was average, plus it made me want to punch something – which is never good.
Grade: C
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Summary:
Framed for a crime he did not commit, Duncan Campbell, the illegitimate son of a chieftain, has returned to the Highlands determined to clear his name after ten years in exile. He is drawn to the unforgettable sensual beauty of Jeannie Gordon, the headstrong girl who once pledged him her love, gave him her innocence, and then betrayed him. Now, in the glow of the moonlight, she defiantly shows Duncan the bad end of a pistol.
Jeannie is stunned to discover that the broad-chested brigand she just shot is the rogue who broke her heart years ago. No longer a starry-eyed girl but a woman with dangerous secrets, Jeannie cannot forgive Duncan’s shattering mistrust of her-nor can she sign his death warrant by turning him in. Soon passion flares hotter and bolder than before, sealing a fate the onetime lovers can no longer deny. Caught up in a deadly game of murder and intrigue, Jeannie is willing to risk everything for a man and a love she vows never to lose again.
No excerpt available at the time this review was written.
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