Book Review: A Love Divided by Belle McInnes|HonestlySpeakingonBooks

 Book Review: A Love Divided by Belle McInnes

 

A Love Divided is a Scottish historical novel which is the first book in a series revolving around Mary, queen of Scots called Mary’s Ladies. I’d never heard of this series before but I stumbled upon it a couple of days ago and finally got down to reading it!

This is my review on A Love Divided by Belle McInnes.

 

On The Back:

Mary Queen of Scots is on the throne, and the frontier between England and Scotland is a powder-keg.

A feisty English heiress...
More interested in raiding into Scotland with the rest of her clan than womanly pursuits like embroidery or finding a husband, Alexandra Graham is a strong-minded English heiress who rides and fights as well as any man. But when a daring rescue goes wrong, she ends up in the dungeons of Scotland's most forbidding castle, prisoner of the notorious Earl of Bothwell and at the mercy of the queen's justice.

A brawny Scottish laird...
As deputy warden responsible for keeping the law on the queen's borderland, Michael Cranstoun is a Scottish laird with a reputation for fair-mindedness and the looks of a viking warrior. But when he meets the beguiling Alexandra, both his life and his honour are at risk - not to mention his affections.

A love divided...
With more than just the border separating them, Alex and Michael are on opposite sides of an ancient divide, and destined for different paths. But a shared love for horses draws them together and kindles a passion that respects no boundaries, endangering more than just their hearts...

 

My Review: 

I’ve never had the chance to read anything related to Scottish history so I wasn’t sure what to expect nor have I ever read anything by this author but I found the plot to be quite interesting. The story takes place in the 1500s during the reign of Mary Stuart. 

The reivers (thieving riders) had been causing trouble in both England and Scotland and tension has risen between the two frontiers.

Alexandra Graham is an heiress of England. She’s always had a passion for riding and her horse, Duke, can dance like no other. As an independent woman and the only child of Iron Simon, she’s included in the raids and ventures of her clan, being able to fight fluidly and keep her position.

Michael Cranstoun is a Scottish laird and the deputy warden of the Queen. His calm and wise demeanor has earned him respect and honor. His love for horses places him in a difficult position.

The two meet under sudden circumstances. Slowly they grow dangerously closer and a forbidden relationship is formed between them. Michael will lose his honor if he dares to love Alexandra and she will likewise lose her inheritance. Despite trying to avoid and forget each other, destiny has decided their fate.

The writing was very eloquent and it was easy to get deep into the story. Therefore, I was a little disappointed at the mere 200 pages of the novel. The beginning was exciting but the ending was not as well done. The Happily Ever After theme was definitely stressed and of course, everything worked out in the end, which was easy to predict.

The historical features of the story were well written and researched and I did learn quite a lot from it.

Alexandra and Michael are fictional characters but you will see that many of the others, including the queen, played a true role in history. Their stories were very near to actual fact with an author’s twist on their personalities.

The romance was also clean although I felt that it was a bit inadequate as the protagonists came together quite easily as if there wasn’t much true feeling between them. As a “strong heroine”, I felt that Alexandra should’ve had a bit more reluctance and hesitancy but that is, of course, my own opinion.

Overall, all of the characters were interesting, if not a bit cliche, and I was able to understand them and be a part of the story, which is a certainly coveted experience when one is reading a novel.

Alexandra was a strong character and Michael was a good match with his charming personality.

The story was enjoyable and if you like historical romance that has plenty of fact as well as adventure and if you don’t mind short stories then this book may be for you!

 

                                                          Sarah E