Hiilgava aristokraadi Alistair Kildononi jalge ette langeb üksteise järel suurilma iludusi. Ta vastab neile noorusliku kire kogu tulisusega, kuid ta süda jääb külmaks. Ootamatult kohtab ta dramaatilistel asjaoludel noort imeilusat Arinat, kes äratab temas puhta armastuse leegi. Ent nende õnne teele astub julm ja salakaval võistlejanna ning Arina pea kohale tõuseb surmaoht...
Born in 1901, Barbara Cartland started her writing career in journalism and completed her first book, Jigsaw, when she was just 24. An immediate success, it was the start of her journey to becoming the world’s most famous and most read romantic novelist of all time. Inspiring a whole generation of readers around the globe with her exciting tales of adventure, love and intrigue, she became synonymous with the Romance genre. And she still is to this day, having written over 644 romantic fiction books. As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales. Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade. Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all. Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
I liked this one. A little different in that the Hero is younger than her usual ones. He is the 3rd son of a Scottish Duke, but has been estranged from his father since he age of 12 when he left with his mother. The father was a domineering tyrant and his mother didnt want to put up with it anymore.
The Hero is having an affair with a young widow who intends to marry a wealthy titled gentleman and although the Hero is well off, he is not exactly wealthy. He still gets an allowance from his father that supports his lifestyle but not much else. Also with 2 older brothers he has no expectations to the title.
All that changes when the solicitor of his father arrives to inform him of the death of his two older brothers. He is now his father’s heir, and the father demands his presence back in Scotland. The Hero has resented his father all these years but cannot take the risk of being disinherited. Further, the solicitor informs him that the Duke his father also demands he marry the daughter of the neighboring chieftain, McNain, to end the feud between the two clans.
The Hero decides, that he will go back to Scotland but instead marry his lover, now that he is the heir to the dukedom. His father cannot force him into marrying anyone if he is already married.
When he goes to put the proposition to his lover, he overhears her conversation with her niece. The niece is pleading with her aunt, since her mother is very ill snd they have no money. The Hero is surprised that the lover, who is quite wealthy on her own, has no compassion at all for the plight of the niece.
The lover leaves the room, before the hero can be announced. The Hero enters the room and he finds the niece passed out. He helps her get a carriage, which he pays for and gets her address so he can bring her some food later. He feels so sorry for her.
Later, when he speaks to his lover, she is less than thrilled when he proposes, because even if he is the heir, he still needs to inherit and she does not want to live in Scotland. So she refuses him and they have a fight.
The Hero remembers his promise to the niece and brings her food. He is further shocked at how impoverished they are. He tells the heroine that he will give her the money for her mother’s operation if she will come with him to Scotland and pretend to be his wife. Of course the heroine agrees.
When they arrive in Scotland, the Hero is surprised but touched at the joyous greetings of his clansmen. And although he is still gruff, the father just seems like an old man. And, though he is surprised that the Hero is married, he treats the heroine well. Except for Morag McNain, the daughter of the neighboring chieftain whose nose is now out of joint. She is very hostile to the heroine.
The Hero and the heroine get along well, he realizes he had a narrow escape from his ex-lover. The heroine is a much nicer, compassionate and sweet person. The Hero also starts to enjoy being in Scotland, and can see himself eventually taking up the reins as chieftain.
One evening as the heroine walks in the garden she is suddenly hit on the back of her head. When she regains consciousness she realizes that the people who kidnapped her intend to drop her int he middle of a lake to drown. From what they say, it’s apparent they are working upon the instructions of Marag McNain!
However, the heroine is a strong swimmer and is able to swim practically to shore where she collapses and is found by an old man. They bring her back to the castle where she recovers. The Duke calls the old man so the heroine can thank him herself and when she does so in Gaelic, he is shocked.
SPOILERS:
It turns out the heroine’s mother is Scottish, and when she ran away with he heroine’s father, she was disowned by her grandfather the old Earl. Not only that, she is a McNain and the present Earl is her brother.
The Hero assures the heroine that as soon as her mother recovers, they will bring her to Scotland to reunite with her family. The half sister Morag and her henchmen will be punished.
The Hero and heroine declare they love each other and the Hero tells her he has submitted their marriage for registration in Edinburgh.
They dont need a ceremony since Scotland recognizes marriage by hand fasting. 😁
meh. I read Barbara Cartland's novels more for the cultural and historical information she includes in them than for the romance. I LIKE romance, but especially when she starts going on at the end about how they love each other and they are love and love is God and they are God....BOOOORING! and lame. not romantic. but reading about the clothes and the history and the settings...in this case, highland Scotland and clan life--less specifics than I would have enjoyed, but still, how can you go wrong with Scotland? :)
I was in the mood for historical romance so I borrowed my grandmother's copy of The Call of the Highlands. It's the first Barbara Cartland book I've read, and while it wasn't terrible, it wasn't great either. It was just ok. Lord Alistair is a real playboy, although every now and then you do see evidence of a soft heart underneath his self-absorbed exterior. Arina is a sweet girl, but the author wrote so much about Lord Alistair's lover Olive that it sometimes felt like Arina wasn't really the main character. The book also comes to quite an abrupt end. All of a sudden they realize they are in love and then "the end". I know this is typical of Mills and Boon books but it would have been nice to have an epilogue that is set a few years in the future.
Alistair has been exiled from his home in Scotland since he was a child when he mother took him with her to run away from his horrid dad. But now he has to come back home... and marry from the rival clan... so he finds a way out of the forced marriage part of it by convincing Arina to pretend to be his wife. I love fake relationship tropes. Arina didn’t show much back one until the very end, but I didn’t see the plot twist coming regarding her secret! Alistair grew on me - as soon as he showed sincere kindness for Arina and her sick mother (before he even came up with the fake marriage idea), that made me like him.
I must be in a good mood for 2025, because I didn't hate this one. It was cheesy, and the heroine was a stammering child, but for some reason, I kind of liked it. I loved the twist at the end, something new for Babs. Plus, Scotland, a personal favorite of mine. Rounding up to three stars.
Handsome, noble Lord Alistair McDonon’s gay life, as a denizen of London’s Beau Monde far, far away from his Scottish roots, comes to a sudden and abrupt end. When the tragic news arrives that his two brothers have drowned at sea, he is summoned to Scotland by his estranged father not only to take up his title of the Marquis of Kildonon and position of heir to the Chieftainship of the Clan but also to marry, Lady Morag McNain, in order to unite their Clans, who have been at war with each other for centuries. Horrified, Lord Alistair hastily proposes to his current lover, Olive Beverley – only to be refused and it seems that he is doomed to a loveless marriage in the windswept and distant Highlands. Suddenly, though, everything changes when he overhears a delicately beautiful young woman, called Arina, desperately begging the heartless Olive for enough money to pay for her beloved mother’s life-saving operation. Alistair steps in to help Arina, asking in return only that she accompany him to Kildonon Castle pretending to be his wife. So now no one can force him to marry Lady Morag – but little does Lord Alistair know that his demure ‘young pretender’ will soon be laying an irrevocable claim to his heart!