Review: Lacking Loch's Usual Excellence  ***3 1/2 Stars***
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 19, 2014
I have to say that I was really disappointed when I read this book.  This is the first Highland romance by Ms. Loch that I've read.  I have read all of Ms. Loch's English-set medieval romance novels, all of which--except one--I rated 5 stars, only because I couldn't rate them higher.  The one that wasn't quite a 5 star read for me, nevertheless garnered a solid 4 1/2 stars.  Thus, when I started reading this novel I had high expectations.  Alas, those expectations were not to be met.  While the book is as well written, as is typical for Ms. Loch's novels, and the characters are well drawn, the story that unfolds is lacking her usual oomph.Ronan is Laird of the MacGrigor clan.  While at war with the English, he is captured by the enemy.  While a prisoner, he endures unspeakable torture for a period of three days, before he is finally able to free himself.  Once he has been returned to his clan, Ronan's brother, Aidan, is fearful that his brother might succumb to his injuries and die.  Desperate, Aiden sends to England for a renowned healer, who he hopes will be able to save his brother.  Since childhood, Ronan suffered from epilepsy, although he didn't experience full blown seizures.  As he grew, his condition became milder and he suffered the "blackouts" less and less.  Since his captivity; however, his condition has developed into active convulsions.By the time the men return with Lia, almost a month has passed and Ronan--while not completely healed--is able to be up and around.  Because of his miraculous escape, his clan members are convinced that Ronan made a bargain with the devil to obtain his freedom, and that the convulsions are the devil's way of extracting payment.  When Lia first arrives at Clan McaGrigor, Ronan is so full of hatred for the English that he orders her removed from his lands.  However, an outbreak of a mysterious illness has Lia scrambling to save the lives of the many clan members who are sick, thus he is forced to endure her presence in his keep.  From there the story develops.  Because of his clan's ignorant beliefs, Ronan takes to traipsing around his keep in the middle of the night, hiding his scarred countenance beneath a cape.  At first he is suspicious that Lia is a spy sent by the English, but as time passes he begins to relinquish that ridiculous belief.The romance between Ronan is really sweet, and progresses at a slow pace...this is not a rush-to-love romance.  Unfortunately, I had a few issues with the story.  For one, it got tiresome hearing about the demon laird.  Once the superstitions of his clan had been laid to rest, I thought we'd heard the end of it, but that was not to be.  Ronan actually employs the superstition to his own advantage in warfare with the English, by trying to scare off some of their troops with the "demon laird."  I just found the whole situation somewhat juvenile--even though his strategy worked.  Then there was the mystery surrounding Lia's lineage that is never solved.  I don't understand how Ms. Loch can justify such a lapse.  IMO, even if this matter is resolved in a subsequent novel, that does not make up for the failure to do so here.  Lia is the heroine of the book, thus IMHO, her story should be fully revealed in THIS book.I also didn't care for the fact that more than half of the story consisted of Ronan's illness and treatment--as well as uncovering the cause of the mysterious illness that befell the clan.  It wasn't terrible, but did get a bit tedious.  And that is not to say that Ronan was sick and incapacitated during that period of time, because he wasn't.  I would not want to give a wrong impression.  He was up and around, and once his clan got over their fear of him, he began to resume his role as Laird.  It's just that Lia spent most of her time treating wounds, mixing medicants, and performing other tasks of healing.The bottom line is that this story did not grab me.  It was entertaining, but at times it barely held my interest.Consequently, this is not one that I would recommend.  I already have a copy of Ms. Loch'sMist Warrior (Legacy of the Mist Clans), another Highland romance, so I guess I'll give that one a try.  Hopefully, I will enjoy it better than I did this one.  No matter what, there is no denying that Ms. Loch is an amazing author.  No one can writer can please all of he readers all of the time.  LOL  FYI, this is not a clean romance.  Happy reading!