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Jan 10, 2011

Auntie rated it:

Well, as I am Kerr by marriage, the Kerr family featured in this book is a fascinating group of matriarch, sons, daughters in law, fickle friends and outside lovers.
Liz Curtis Higgs saves this from becoming a bodice ripper romance by giving us a story of Naomi and Ruth set in another time and place. I enjoyed the author's series of "Bad Girls of the Bible", "Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible" etc. and this story takes a slightly different form in telling the Biblical ta More...

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Jul 30, 2010

Elizabeth rated it:

1745 Ediburgh, Scotland is simmering. Bonnie Prince Charlie is riding from the Highlands, determined to reach London and claim the crown for his father, the claimant King James III, son of the deposed King James II. Got all that? Family relationships of royals are always confusing, but the relationships within the Kerr family are the center of Liz Curtis Higgs' Here Burns My Candle. The central characters are Lady Elisabeth Kerr, daughter of a Highland weaver who has married far above her statio More...

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Dec 09, 2011

Tima rated it:

Possible spoiler alert!

Lady Elisabeth wasn't always a lady. She was a merchant's daughter before she married Lord Donald and went to live with his mother, Lady Marjory, brother and sister-in-law. She has secrets that she won't tell anyone. But her husband's secrets of infidelity are becoming common knowledge.
The country is at war and the family must choose which side to support. For some it will be a fatal decision.

This book is very well researched and written. It took More...

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Aug 22, 2011

Rae rated it:

Liz Curtis Higgs is one of my favorite authors for Scottish historical fiction, and she does a fantastic job at blending history with, well, history! In this book, we meet two women, one a mother-in-law, the other a daughter-in-law. Both become the focal points for a story that Liz has crafted with brilliance as she tackles the Biblical story of Ruth.

For those unfamiliar with Liz's books, she has a habit of using history as a place to draw forward more history. Her penchant for nailin More...

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Jun 27, 2011

Holly rated it:

Are you in need of a good read? Then look no further. Liz Curtis Higgs' newest release, Here Burns My Candle is a novel that will capture you from the first page.

Once again, she transports her readers to historic Scotland, thrusting them into a story with vivid detail and enriching characters, while skillfully portraying the emotional depth of biblical accounts. Her newest novel is nothing short of another masterpiece.

The note to the reader informs us this novel parallels the More...

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May 02, 2011

Kristine rated it:

I am not a fan of historical romance because that genre reminds me of mindless Harlequin novels. I had a chance to review a book through a book review program with Waterbrook Press and am not required to give a positive review. The book "Here Burns My Heart" by Liz Curtis Higgs helped change my mind regarding historical romance.

I was interested in the book because it takes place in Scotland and has a Ruth/Naomi relationship built into it. Lady Elizabeth Kerr is a highlande More...

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Apr 02, 2011

Loraine rated it:

I had the opportunity to read Liz Curtis Higgs Thrilling second novel Mine is the Night before reading this one titled Here Burns my Candle and I'm so happy I got a chance to see how this lovely story started .
I can say I truly enjoyed both novels .

Liz Curtis Higgs has the ability to really make you feel like you have been transported through time to Scotland in the 1740s . She is a fantastic historical fiction writer and it was a joy to read both novels .

In He More...

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Mar 14, 2011

April rated it:

HERE BURNS MY CANDLE by Liz Curtis Higgs is a wonderfully written inspirational historical fiction set in 1745 Edinburgh,Scotland. It is written with depth,details,historical facts and dialog of the period. It is based on the Biblical characters Naomi and Ruth.A Scottish tale of love,forgiveness,loss,grief, secrets,faith,challenges,betrayal, love,redemption,and finding your faith. It is full of Scottish lore,history,beliefs,and has a gut-wrenching plot. Like Naomi and Ruth in the Bible, Marjory( More...

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Mar 08, 2011

Victor rated it:

Liz Curtis Higgs in her new book, "Here Burns My Candle" published by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group brings us to Scotland in 1745.

I like history so I am sorry to say that I either did not know much about Bonnie Prince Charlie and the 1745 Jacobite rebellion led by Charles Edward Stuart or I forgot all of it. Ms. Higgs expertly brings this history into the story without it becoming a history lesson.

Dowager Lady Marjory Kerr has two sons that she dotes upon, More...

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Nov 21, 2010

Jill rated it:

Review by Jill Williamson

In Scotland, in the fall of 1745, bonny Prince Charlie and his rebel army ride into Edinburgh, intent on capturing the crown. In the midst of this historical event, one family struggles to choose which side to support. Lady Elisabeth Kerr is a Highlander by birth. Her husband, Lord Donald, is aware of her loyalties to Prince Charlie, but if her mother-in-law discovered it, she would be livid. And Lord Donald has secrets of his own that threaten to tear apart More...

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Oct 27, 2010

Anne rated it:

Based on the biblical story of Ruth, Liz Curtis Higgs new series is a wonderful remake of the story of Ruth as seen through Elisabeth, her husband Donald, his brother Andrew and the boy's mother Marjorie. The mother is a rather stiff,proud matriarch, who takes her title as Lady very seriously and expects her daighter's in-law to do likewise. Elisabeth is a Highlander who came to Edinburgh, Scotland to be educated, and works part time at a tailor, who is a friend of the family, Angus MacPherson. More...

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Jun 05, 2010

Laura rated it:

Title: HERE BURNS MY CANDLE
Author: Liz Curtis Higgs
Publisher: Waterbrook Press
March 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4000-7001-5
Genre: Inspirational/historical women’s fiction

Edinburgh, Britain, in 1745, was in danger of being invaded by the highlanders, led by the Bonnie Prince Charles. And Lady Marjory Kerr believes she is safe in her fortress. Her money is all hidden in the floorboard at her feet, and she believes not a soul knows that its there. While her husband may More...

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Apr 23, 2010

Cindy rated it:

When I read historical fiction, I want to be swept away to a time and place. Liz Curtis Higgs's fiction always does that for me. The reason is two fold: this author does her research thoroughly and her storytelling is superior.

I felt for poor Bess as she dealt with a mother-in-law who simply tolerated her and believed that her son could do no wrong (he had actually been cheating on Bess for some time), and a sister-in-law who is vain and shallow. Drawing close to God got Bess through h More...

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Apr 12, 2010

Nora rated it:

I really enjoyed Liz Curtis Higgs’ last series that started with A Thorn in My Heart, so I jumped at the opportunity to receive a review copy of this book. Here Burns My Candle is a story loosely based on the biblical characters of Naomi and Ruth. Mrs. Marjory Kerr represents Naomi. Marjory’s a woman that wants the best for her sons and a mother that can’t face her or her family’s future. Elizabeth, Marjory’s daughter-in-law represents Ruth, a woman that has left her country of the Highlands, bu More...

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Apr 07, 2010

Jill rated it:

I love books about Scotland. I think one of the first I stumbled upon was Outlander by Diana Gabaldon about ten years ago. Since then it is one of my favorite places to visit in books. I would love to one day go there but so far I've just used my imagination, less jet lag that way I guess! I read books set both in current years and set centuries ago, it just depends upon my mood!
This book is part of a blog tour and I was very happy to take part in it. It was very interesting to read about More...

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Apr 06, 2010

Bruce rated it:

Those who have read Ms. Higgs' "Lowlands of Scotland" series, in which she spirited the Biblical story of Jacob, Leah and Rachel from the pages of the Old Testament into 18th-century Scotland, will nod in agreement that historical fiction doesn't get much better. Well, you can stop nodding.

After a finger-drumming four years since Grace in Thine Eyes, the final part of the "Lowlands" series, the Bard of the Brogue is back--and the brogue never sounded so good. Here More...

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Apr 05, 2010

LaNae rated it:

This was a gift from a friend, apparently written by a Christian author, although I did not know this going into it. I didn't realize until I ended the book, that it was supposed to be a story which paralleled the first part of the Story of Ruth in the Bible. (Up to the point where her husband dies and she remains with her mother in law). Now that I know this, I can probably guess how the sequel will end.

It was interesting in terms of the historical setting (Jacobite rebellion in Sc More...

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Mar 20, 2010

Debbie rated it:

"Here Burns My Candle" is a historical general fiction set in 1745 in Scotland. The novel was described to me as a retelling of the Biblical book of Ruth. However, you could read this novel and never catch the resemblance if you weren't already looking for it. This is partly because the novel covered only the first eighteen verses of Ruth. I was expected a poverty-to-riches love story and got a tragedy about a rich family self-destructing instead.

Taking the novel on it's ow More...

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Jul 16, 2011

Amanda rated it:

Here Burns My Candle is the first of a two-novel series, an updated version of the Biblical story of Naomi and Ruth. Not completely updated; the story takes place during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. If you know me, you know I love historical fiction, so I did enjoy book. Knowing how the Rebellion ended, though, did put a bit of a damper on the story, as well as the fact that I'd already read the teaser for the second book. Combining those two factors meant that I knew how the book would end; More...

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Mar 23, 2010

Carly rated it:

I have only read non-fiction by Liz Curtis Higgs up until now, but I was eager to read Here Burns My Candle. I really enjoyed this book much more than I was expecting. At first I found the Scottish words a bit distracting, but I quickly got used to them and they did not slow me down for long. I have a lot of Scottish in my background and my mother was always intrigued by her Scottish heritage, which made this book all the more appealing to me. Scotland makes for a pleasant and unique setting More...

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Aug 13, 2011

Laura rated it:

Secrets can destroy a person, a reputation, and a family. The members of the Kerr family all have secrets that can destroy the ones they love. Lady Elisabeth Kerr hides her beliefs. Her husband hides his affairs. Her mother-in-law hides her money and her guilt. When their secrets begin to come out, will they be able to find the forgiveness and redemption they all desperately need? Set in eighteenth-century Scotland at the height of a revolution, this novel explores the transformation that comes More...

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Mar 21, 2011

Emily rated it:

I know next to nothing about the Scottish uprisings and push for autonomy. One thing I love about historical fiction is that I get a little taste of history without any dry reading! Here Burns My Candle was set in 1745, during the Scots’ rebellion against the English rule.

But this isn’t a book about war and revolution, it is a book set during a revolution. We focus on a small family, the Kerrs, which consist of a mother (Lady Marjory Kerr) and her two sons, Donald & Andrew. Their wives More...

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Jul 23, 2011

Reedross rated it:

This story is a re-telling of the Biblical story of Naomi and Ruth set in 1745 Edinburgh, Scotland during a highly charged Jacobite rebellion. Marjory is the mother of two married adult sons, Donald and Andrew who are married to Elizabeth and Janet respectively. The history of the time period is fascinating and adds to the drama. Marjory doesn't want to let go of her sons and let them live their own lives. One wife (Janet) she chose and the other (Elizabeth) her eldest son chose. This create More...

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Jan 31, 2011

Carol rated it:

It was a little slow getting started, but maybe that was due to the fact that I wasn’t familiar to the history of the Jacobite rebellion. After getting hooked, there was no way that the book would turn me loose! I would recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction. One of the best things about enjoying historical fiction is the enjoyment of learning history and this book does teach effortlessly.

There is a lot to love about this book. All of the main characters, save one grew More...

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Mar 26, 2010

Molly rated it:

Being new to Liz Curtis Higgs books, I am pleased that I was able to have the chance to read this book. It's a story based on the Biblical times in the book of Ruth, and has both fact and fiction woven throughout. I was immediately captured by this, and transported back in time to historical Scotland, hearing the Scottish dialect and seeing the Scottish dresses worn by the Lady's. I felt a part of Scotland while reading this book of historical secrets and romance. It's got a twist of suspense ad More...

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Mar 26, 2010

Janalyn rated it:

Liz Curtis Higgs whisks us away to eighteenth-century Scotland for a spellbinding tale in Here Burns My Candle.

Lady Elizabeth Kerr, a highland beauty, possesses fine clothing, the love of a titled husband and a gentle life. But she is not all she appears, for she follows in secret the auld ways, looks to the moon and worships the Nameless One while outwardly displaying a form of Christian piety. Her husband, Donald, keeps his own secrets -- secrets that make him the butt of the town' More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 21, 2011

Rachel rated it:

Life in Scotland during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 was not easy for anyone, least not the noble Kerr family in the capital city of Edinburgh. Elisabeth Kerr cannot hide her Jacobite sympathies from her family, and slowly her husband begins to share her sentiments. But when her beloved Donald and his younger brother Andrew decide to fight for the royal pretender, denouncing their loyalties to King George, Elisabeth can’t help but question whether she should have kept her feelings to herself. More...

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Mar 23, 2010

Lydia rated it:

On the surface, this appears to be a book about a woman, Lady Marjorie Kerr and her two sons and their wives, Janet and Elisabeth. The setting is 18th century Scotland during the uprising of Bonnie Prince Charlie and his subsequent defeat at the hands of King George II.

This is unlike any Christian historical novel I've read - which was refreshing. The characters are full of flaws and, as a result, very real. There was no large amount of preaching and no "perfect" behav More...

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Jul 15, 2011

Deborah rated it:

I was excited to read my copy when I received it for review from Waterbrook Multnomah Blogging for Books for a couple reasons.First, I am a fan of Liz Curtis Higgs and I also had heard so many good things about this book.

The novel follows the Kerr family in 1745, the story focusing on Lady Elisabeth Kerr and her mother-in-law, the dowager Lady Marjory Kerr. The bonny Prince Charlie and his army of Jacobites have ridden into town and are preparing to take back their land. The Rising has More...

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Apr 29, 2011

Nikole rated it:

Elisabeth lifted her gaze to the High Street window where she often stood on the sixth day of the moon, hand pressed to the glass, beseeching the Nameless One. Thou moon of moons. Aye, she still recalled the simple rituals and sacred words her mother had taught her. What Elisabeth no longer remembered was why they mattered. – Pg. 16

The Book of Ruth is one of my favorite books of the Bible. Here Burns My Candle cloaks the story of The Book of Ruth in the Kerr Family.

It is 174 More...

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