Review: Sweet, but Flawed
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 6, 2014
Overall this short story makes for enjoyable reading. The romance between Siobhán and John is sweet and somewhat poignant, following as it did Colin's death,--Siobhán's husband and John's cousin, (who was more like a brother to him.) John has carried a torch for Siobhán ever since she married Colin, but out of respect for his cousin, he kept his feelings to himself. Now that Colin is dead, John promises Siobhan he will take care of her. Over time, love blossoms between the two. I thought the ending was really sweet, but way too abrupt.I believe LaCroix is a fairly new author, and it shows. That's not a complaint, merely an observation. After all, every writer has to start somewhere. The main problem I had with the story is the depiction of the area in which the story is set. Supposedly the events of the story occur in the Highlands, although I'm not sure in what time period. Considering Colin died while fighting to keep the English out of Scotland, I would think it's some time before 1603--the year in which Scotland, England, and Ireland united under James VI, King of Scots.However, after reading the story, it's pretty obvious that the author did not research her setting. Other than throwing in a few words such as clan, laird, and claymore, the depiction of the Highlands is completely inaccurate. Furthermore, modern verbiage such as pants and top are used to refer to John's clothing.Nonetheless, aside from the historical inaccuracies--something that would normally make me gnash my teeth, but was less offensive here because the story is so short--the story that unfolds is engaging and encompasses a sweet romance. It's a perfect length for bedtime reading.So, bottom line, if you're able to overlook the historical inaccuracies, this book makes for entertaining reading. Just keep in mind that this is a short story, so there isn't a whole lot of character development, or a fully explored storyline. FYI, technically this is not a "clean" romance, as there is a love scene included. However, the sex is only minimally described, and absolutely no crude language is used. Happy reading!