Book Review ~ The Master of Strathburn @AmyRoseBennett

I had the great pleasure of receiving an ARC copy ofThe Master of Strathburnby Amy Rose Bennett.
  Robert Grant has returned home to Lochrose Castle in the Highlands to reconcile with his long-estranged father, the Earl of Strathburn. But there is a price on Robert’s head, and his avaricious younger half-brother, Simon, doesn’t want him reclaiming his birthright. And it’s not only Simon and the redcoats that threaten to destroy Robert’s plans after a flame-haired complication of the feminine kind enters the scene...
Jessie Munroe is forced to flee Lochrose Castle after the dissolute Simon Grant tries to coerce her into becoming his mistress. After a fateful encounter with a mysterious and handsome hunter, Robert, in a remote Highland glen, she throws her lot in with the stranger—even though she suspects he is a fugitive. She soon realizes that this man is dangerous in an entirely different way to Simon...
Despite their searing attraction, Robert and Jessie struggle to trust each other as they both seek a place to call home. The stakes are high and only one thing is certain: Simon Grant is in pursuit of them both...
What did I think of the book? 
Robert Grant should have listened to his father. But he was young and naive. Ten years on from the failed Jacobite revolution, Robert, who has spent many years in exile, has returned home, in the hope of being granted a pardon for his part in the war.
Jessie Munroe does not know her place in society anymore; her family have fallen on hard times and now she is a servant. Just a little while ago, she had prospects, but now that the money has gone, her would-be suitors have disappeared. Her father is now in the employment of the Earl of Lochrose. The Earl is a kind man; it is a shame that the same cannot be said for his youngest son, Simon.
Jessie has caught Simon's eyes and he will have her whether she wills it or not. Desperate to escape his lurid advances, Jessie decides to run away to her family in Edinburgh, but alas she does not get very far when she is mistaken for a deer by the recently returned, Robert Grant.
The Master of Strathburn is a riveting page turning and the hours flew by as I read it. I liked Robert, he is very heroic and gallant  ~ He carries a burden of terrible guilt about the loss of life at the Battle of Culloden and he comes across as a man of deep morals. He was also incredibly romantic, and several times I caught myself sighing!!
Jessie was a very courageous young lady, and I felt real terror for her whenever Simon was in her presence. She falls for Robert very quickly when she meets him and she was very forward ~ sometimes I felt, a little too forward, for the time the novel was set in. Nevertheless, her relationship with Robert was very believable.
The only thing that struck me as slightly odd in this book was the Earl of Strathburn. He had his suspicions about what his son, Simon, was up to with regards to Jessie, yet he did nothing to stop it. However, as soon as he learnt that Jessie had spent a couple of nights under the protection of Robert, he demanded that they hand-fast??! He came across as incredibly feeble ~ he had no control of his wife or his youngest son and he only seemed to develop a backbone once Robert was back. He did not come across as the usual Scottish Lord that is so familiar with this time frame. However, this is only a very small complaint in what was a great read.
Bennet is a skilled story-teller and I look forward to reading more from this author.  
Where can I purchase this novel? AmazonBarnes & NobleiBooksGoogle PlayKobo About the author 
Amy Rose Bennett has always wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. An avid reader with a particular love for historical romance, it seemed only natural to write stories in her favorite genre. She has a passion for creating emotion-packed—and sometimes a little racy—stories set in the Georgian and Regency periods. Of course, her strong-willed heroines and rakish heroes always find their happily ever after.
Amy is happily married to her own Alpha male hero, has two beautiful daughters, and a rather loopy Rhodesian Ridgeback. She has been a speech pathologist for many years but is currently devoting her time to her one other true calling—writing romance.Useful LinksWebsite and BlogFacebookTwitterPinterest