I received this book for free from Harlequin Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Sword Upon The Rose by Brenda Joyce Also in this series: A Rose In The Storm
Series: Scottish Medieval #3
Published by Harlequin HQN on June 24th 2014
Genres: Historical Romance, Medieval Era, Scottish Highlands
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Harlequin Books
ISBN: 0373778856
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.
Alana, is known as the bastard daughter and has been hidden away, and along with her gift or foresight, she is feared among many, and used by her own family. She is the niece of the leader of the Comyn family, but is hardly treated as such. When Robert Bruce and his forces start attacking her families’ holdings, her uncle is desperate to find a way to stop him, with using Alana as the means of doing it. But when she has a vision, of a fierce warrior being betrayed and almost killed, she knows that she must save him, she doesn’t know why, she just knows that she must. While answering summons, Alana and her grandmother, come across a battle on a holding, and she sees the man from her vision, and manages to barely save his life, and a fierce attraction between Alana and the infamous Iain of Islay begins. Alana withholds her true identity from him and her gift, knowing that he could very well hand her over to Bruce and have her killed. So she must keep silent. But when they meet again, a sensual embrace turns into a love affair that will take Alana and Iain amid the dangers of the war that could tear their love apart, or bring about a match never to be broken…
A Sword Upon The Rose is the second book in this series, and it follows up where the first book left off. I have to say that this story aroused many sensations, and it is pack with plenty of historical information, that only adds a certain depth to this romance, which leaves a feeling of intensity from beginning to end. It begins with Alana having a vision of the infamous Iain. Then she meets him for the first time shortly after, and for the first time Alana feels the tender touch of a man, a man who is powerful and a warrior and fighting with Bruce, but treats her far better than anyone except for her grandmother has ever done. As tensions rise between the two armies, Alana soon faces a difficult choice, the loyalty to her family or loyalty to the only man she has ever loved. Alana feels torn in two, but she knows in her heart who has her loyalty and her heart, and no matter what the future holds, she knows she needs to take a chance on that one person who cares more for her than anyone ever has.
The characters in this story are very moving and there seems to be a pull the readers feels for them, almost without fully realizing it. The hero, Iain, is a hardened warrior, loyal and has had to make difficult choices. He is very sensual and possessive and is the type to give you weak knees. Alana hasn’t had the easiest life either. Being born a bastard, and has always felt unloved most of her life, but she has such a inner strength that is admirable and I couldn’t help but find myself endeared to both of these characters, they seems so good for each other. However it isn’t all roses and daisies, this story isn’t for the faint of heart, its not a light romance, but has a deep and is full of turmoil and conflict, but is one of the most satisfying romances I have ever read.
Rich in history significance, intense in the engaging plot, powerful in this love story that tugs at those heart strings, and will create a beyond memorable experience of stepping back in time, and feeling every riveting display of emotion that engages the reader from the beginning. A GLORIOUS TALE TO TREASURE!!
About Brenda Joyce
Brenda Joyce is the bestselling author of forty-one novels and five novellas. She has won many awards, and her debut novel, Innocent Fire, won a Best Western Romance award. She has also won the highly coveted Best Historical Romance award for Splendor and Two Lifetime Achievement Awards from Romantic Times BOOKreviews. There are over 14 million copies of her novels in print and she is published in over a dozen foreign countries.
A native New Yorker, she now lives in southern Arizona with her son, dogs, and her Arabian and half-Arabian reining horses. Brenda divides her time between her twin passions—writing powerful love stories and competing with her horses at regional and national levels
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