So in Love

The Highland Lords #5

by Karen Ranney

Was ever a betrayal so cruel?

Jeanne du Marchand adored her dashing young Scotsman, Douglas MacRae, and every moment in his arms was pure rapture. But when her father, the Comte du Marchand, learned she was carrying Douglas's child, Jeanne was torn from the proud youth without a word of farewell—and separated not long after from her newborn baby daughter. Jeanne feared her life was over, for all she truly cared about was lost to her.

Can the power of love prevail?

Once Douglas believed his lady's loving words—until her betrayal turned his ardor into contempt. He cannot forget, even now, ten years later, when destiny brings her to his native Scotland, broken in spirit but as beautiful as before. His pride will not let him play the fool again, although memories of a past—secret, innocent, and fragile—tempt him. Can passion lead to love and forgiveness?

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Scotland, Childrens, Fiction

374 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

I’m a writer who’s been privileged to have attained the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Lists.

Although I've primarily written historical romance, I've also written contemporary romantic suspense, a murder mystery, and I'm having a wonderful time writing about a vampire who is being challenged by her new state of being. (The Montgomery Chronicles: The Fertile Vampire and The Reluctant Goddess coming March 12, 2015.)

I believe in the power of the individual, the magnificence of the human spirit, and always looking for the positive in any situation. I write about people who have been challenged by life itself but who win in the end.

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Website: http://karenranney.com
Email: karen@karenranney.com
Twitter: @Karen_Ranney

Reviews

[Jena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5stars

Heartbreaking, intense, emotional, and so angsty! This book makes you feel.

Reason for only 3.5 stars =
-the h was a doormat for the H. 😑
She thinks he ditched her, broke all his promises to her, that due to this, she ended up losing their child, but she’s totally ok hopping into his bed a day after seeing him again..
and then staying around so he would continue to come to her bed..even if she has to be the governess to his daughter (that she thinks he had with another woman! And I’m over here thinking, you lost your own kid, spent 10 years getting tortured, your backs scarred up, all because of this asshole….where’s your spine? Are you this much of a loser🤮).
I just can’t deal with pathetic women like this.



- they’re apart for 10 years, and she remained completely celibate in body as well as in her heart.
- The H of course fucked around.
- She pined for him for 10years, while he lived and made his life all about their daughter. This guys #1 priority isn’t the h but their child. It’s so extreme that he is obsessed with the child.

Their separation wasn’t due to cheating. No other people were involved. Her father tore them apart. It was all based on a misunderstanding. She loved him, he loved her. The continue to love each other blah blah… the h loved more in this situation, the ordeal she went through because of him was painful to read about.
This book is so angsty!

Spoiler
The daughter is the MC’s child. The h thinks child died.
The H tore the country apart and found their infant daughter abused and dying. But the h doesn’t know that until way later,
To her he ditched her, so their child died, and so she became a governess to his child with ow.

[Lillie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I regret reading this book. That's it. I said it.

I really wish I had read the previous reviews just to give myself a bit of a heads up, possibly even quell some of my disappointment or prepare myself, but alas I delved in and went in blind. NEVER AGAIN! Read the reviews first future self!

There were a lot of factors going on in this book that i didn't like but i'll hit the main things.

First off, i hated that the whole book depended solely on the fact that it was all a huge misunderstanding. Neither the heroine nor the hero wanted to talk about what happened, which was frustrating. I didn't understand how they could just go on thinking the other betrayed them and fall BACK in love. It left this big gaping hole in their relationship as they fell back in love. You're telling me you're just going to ignore the very thing that broke you guys up in the first place? Never gonna address that going forward? Ok. sure.

It was just too much suspension of belief for me at that point.

Yes, it was an emotional roller-coaster of a ride (sometimes bordering on whiplash) and yes the writing was good but sadly the overall story depended on the misunderstanding and after a couple hundred pages I was over it. I hate miscommunication tropes, I hate misunderstanding tropes, I hate two people who are supposedly head over hills in love unwilling to take two seconds to explain or listen to what the other has to say. It's aggravating!

Second, i never understand people who just take others at their word. ESPECIALLY, when said person has more to GAIN from your relationship ending than it continuing.

"Oh, weird, looks like if you and your fiancee break up I get a million dollars. Hey, funny coincidence I saw your significant other kissing some chick in a bar! How terrible!"

You get the picture.

All she had to go on was her FATHER'S word that Douglas betrayed her. There was no letter, no confrontation, just her father flipping out and telling her he'd left. And she's like "well, this definitely checks out as something Douglas would do and my father has never lied to me EVER when it comes to Douglas and he FOR SURE only wants me to be happy and definitely WANTS me to marry Douglas. He MUST be telling the truth!"

Huh?!?

Sorry, but for me, I'd want to be told face-to-face. I'd want HIM to tell me, I want MY OWN EYES to see the betrayal, not get it from someone else that doesn't even have my best interest at heart.

I feel like if two people really love each other they'd have a bit more faith in the other person or at VERY least enough respect to talk to one another, hear the other person out, or hell, to even just confront them about it! Not go around believing what other people are saying.


Third, there was very little, if any, actual plot going on. The only real conflict was the misunderstanding. Everything else was kind of just brushed aside or easily dealt with in comparison to the "misunderstanding" and not being a fan of this trope in the first place made it a real chore to read.

Overall, i wouldn't suggest this book to someone else. I feel like had the whole plot not hinged on this stupid misunderstanding I would have been a bit more forgiving but it was just a miss. I genuinely think with her writing style and her obvious talent she could have avoided all these tropes and cliches, made me really like the story even in spite of the "misunderstanding" theme but it fell flat and forced to me.

[T from Istria 💛💚 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intense and angsty but I skimmed a lot.
Too much torment on heroine. Too long separation and why did they just not talk?

[Susan (the other Susan) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost too intense, thanks to the angst-ridden premise and H/h who just refuse to TALK ABOUT IT, DAMMIT! I kept going, though, because Karen Ranney has never let me down. She's tied with Connie Brockway and Karen Marie Moning for my favorite Highlanders.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is genuinely excellent and severely underrated—I recommend it highly. I was instantly hooked by the intense angst woven throughout the story. The narrative tension was consistently high, which made the final chapter feel like a bit of a letdown. While that slightly anticlimactic ending caused me to deduct one star, my overall feeling is one of absolute adoration for this book.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a sweet and sad book.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well....I know HEA is what most of us want in our romance novels...but this one was wrapped up kinda quickly, IMHO, considering ten years of pain for both hero and heroine.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have rated this historical romance a 4 out of 5 stars,not because it is a great work of literary fiction,but because the author was able to ring out all of the romantic feelings that I hope to get when I read a romance. Even though basically the hero and heroine were under a misunderstanding (that lasted 9 years!) and could and probably should have been resolved a lot sooner, the author was able to show how even with this misunderstanding the two were able to fall back in love. If you want a nice little romantic mental trip, I recommend this novel.

[iStarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

The End

This book takes place some 40 years after Book one. Douglas, the youngest of the MacRae brothers is the MMC, and his childhood sweetheart, Jeanne is the MFC. The daughter of a wealthy French Comte, Jeanne bears a child out of wedlock and is sent to a convent where she suffers deprivation, starvation, and harsh punishment. She believes that the daughter she had is dead.

Douglas, thinking Jeanne abandoned their child to starvation, harbors a bitter hatred even though he believes Jeanne died when their chateau was razed by a mob just prior to the Terror in France. Then he sees her, as a governess to a bus ness associate in Edinburgh.

Long story short, Douglas rescued their daughter and has raised her for 9 years and offers Jeanne the position of governess to their child.

Plot twists and turns, and it all works out in the end.

The saddest thing is that Ian & Leitis MacRae are lost when their ship, Ionis, is shipwrecked travelling back to Nova Scotia.

All of the brothers, their wives, and children make appearances. While good, these characters don’t seem to have the depth that those in the first couple of books have.

It is a somewhat disappointing end to this series of books.

[ShyAnn64 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was ever a betrayal so cruel?

Jeanne du Marchand adored her dashing young Scotsman, Douglas MacRae, and every moment in his arms was pure rapture. But when her father, the Comte du Marchand, learned she was carrying Douglas's child, Jeanne was torn from the proud youth without a word of farewell—and separated not long after from her newborn baby daughter. Jeanne feared her life was over, for all she truly cared about was lost to her.

Can the power of love prevail?

Once Douglas believed his lady's loving words—until her betrayal turned his ardor into contempt. He cannot forget, even now, ten years later, when destiny brings her to his native Scotland, broken in spirit but as beautiful as before. His pride will not let him play the fool again, although memories of a past—secret, innocent, and fragile—tempt him. Can passion lead to love and forgiveness?

[Copper78 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this. I liked the premise and storyline but the execution did it work for me. This book could've been half the length, but it had so much pointless detail and rambling. Hero and heroine or madly in love and forced apart and there is a twist on the secret baby trope because for once it is the mom who doesn't know her child lived and the dad has been raising it for nine years. The primary thing that made me dislike this book is that when the hero and heroine meet up after nine years they never have a conversation about what happened to break them up or about their child! It was absurd. The conversation didn't happen until after the 80% mark. I wanted to strangle them both, it was so stupid. The drama with the Dad and the jeweler was unnecessary. The book was a bit of a mess for me so 2.5 stars rounding up to 3.

[Alce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise and story is interesting enough, but there's somethings lacking here. It doesn't make me feel much for heroes here. I don't know. It's like I read full synopsis of a book, instead of a book itself. I don't feel their emotions and had no empathy to any of them really.

Whatever, I read it from the beginning to the end and don't regret that. But I don't see myself reading it again or anything else of this author really.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series quite a bit. I’m rather sad to see it end.

The worst part of the whole thing was reading this book and seeing what happens to the parents from the first book. It was rather abrupt and out of the blue. Makes no sense if I’m being honest. A bit nonchalant. But everything else was good.

[Penelope · Rating 2 out of 5]

i'm booboo the fool cuz i read the reviews and have the same feelings. they coulda talked at any point but decided to stay silent for plot reasons. and the first time they slept together i kept skimming thinking it was a dream. this book didn't make no sense.

[Sali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mouais l’histoire est un intéressante, par contre je n’aime pas du tout la manière dont elle est racontée. Ni la fin, ça faisait un peu trop brouillon. Dommage.

[Debbie Dodd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the whole series.

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tant d'amour dans tes yeux est la réédition du cinquième tome de The Highlands lords dont seul le tome 4 a été traduit en français. Jeanne du Marchand, jeune fille de la noblesse française, tombe sous le charme de l'Écossais Douglas MacRae. Elle se retrouve enceinte de son amant et est envoyée à Vallans, le domaine à la campagne de la famille, le temps de sa grossesse, avant de rejoindre un couvent où elle est censée finir sa vie. Après dix ans, et la Révolution française, Jeanne du Marchand a tout perdu et s'exile à Édimbourg pour tenter de refaire sa vie. Mais quelque temps après son arrivée, elle revoit Douglas MacRae, qui est bien décidé à se venger de celle qui, selon lui, a trahi leur amour.

Cette romance historique ne m'a pas totalement embarquée. J'ai eu du mal à m'attacher aux personnages et à être touchée par leur histoire. Jeanne semble détachée de ce qui peut lui arriver (ou ce que Douglas peut lui faire) et Douglas ne pense qu'à se venger, avant d'être totalement dominé par sa libido (et un reste de ses anciens sentiments). Les événements vécus par Jeanne sont plutôt durs et douloureux et on comprend qu'elle tente de les laisser derrière elle et de ne plus rien ressentir pour éviter de souffrir. Mais au final, elle semble trop distante. Ses retrouvailles avec Douglas, et après leurs échanges, sont ternis par les non-dits. Cela a fini par être agaçant de savoir que leur histoire pourrait être plus facile si seulement ils voulaient bien parler du passé. Même si ce genre de technique est souvent utilisé en romance, là c'était un peu trop énorme pour moi. En ce qui concerne le héros, il ne m'a pas non plus emballée. Il est amer et mesquin au début, et ensuite, il est trop tard pour rattraper l'opinion qu'on a de lui.

Ce livre séduira peut-être les fans de romances historiques à base de non-dits et de péripéties douloureuses pour les héros, mais cette histoire n'a pas fonctionné pour moi.

[WhiskeyintheJar · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning of the book is very intense. Jeanne has a meeting with her father where it is revealed she is with child. She thinks it is no big deal and will marry the father, Douglas. Her father however gets quite nasty and says Douglas left her. Jeanne is then sent to a convent. Douglas meanwhile is told Jeanne wants nothing to do with him and he will never see her again. Kind of a typical set-up for a romance book, the big misunderstanding, but as of right now I am digging the intensity of the story.
I had a love-hate relationship with how Jeanne and Douglas skirt around their past. I love how Ranney writes the story so you can feel the pain and lingering emotions between them. There is such deep hurt for both of them, Jeanne and Douglas are almost scared to come right out and ask what happened for both of them 10yrs ago. On the other hand I hate how if they would just address the past all misunderstanding would be cleared up and they could move on. Guess there wouldn't be much of a book if that happened though right?
There is not a lot of action in this book, except towards the end where Jeanne's father makes an appearance. This book is more about watching two very compelling characters come together. This book was a really fast read for me, I seemed to breeze right through it. It felt like a comfort book, the kind where your emotions don't get too high or too low. It was a nice (is nice the kiss of death when you describe something?) book. I find I don't really have a lot of comments for it, because not a lot happened in the story. However, Jeanne and Douglas were very well written characters who draw you into their pain and love for each other. If you want to read a book that is engaging and different than a lot out there I would recommend this one.
The first book in this series "One Man's Love" was very good and the second,third, and fifth (I reviewed them on here) good reads but probably not ones you would read again. The fourth book I really disliked and would recommend to skip all together. If you want to read books in the 18th century that involve a different storyline than the tried and true ballrooms, dukes, and Almacks I would suggest this series.
Oh and note to the publishing agency, I much prefer seeing a man's chest instead of a woman's on the cover.

B

[Bladelor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je boude un peu les romances ces derniers temps car j'ai l'impression (en fait c'est la réalité !) de tourner en rond et de me lasser. Celle-ci est la dernière que j'ai lue, et si son souvenir ne sera pas inoubliable, je l'ai trouvée plutôt agréable à lire. A vrai dire, pendant toute ma lecture, j'ai pensé au film Firelight de William Nicholson avec Sophie Marceau. En effet, les deux histoires se ressemblent un peu.
Jeanne du Marchand, aristocrate française, s'est éprise d'un bel écossais, Douglas MacRae. Alors, qu'enceinte de lui, elle attend qu'il demande sa main à son père comme il le lui a promis, elle apprend qu'il a tout simplement disparu. Elle est contrainte d'abandonner son enfant, une petite fille née entre temps, et se voit enfermée dans un couvent où elle passera une dizaine d'années. Elle parviendra enfin à en partir et quittera la France pour l'Angleterre, où, comble de hasard (!) elle va se retrouver embauchée comme gouvernante de sa propre fille.
L'intrigue, bien que convenue (comme toujours dans les romances), m'a bien plu. J'ai éprouvé de l'empathie pour cette mère qui pense sa fille morte et ce père qui doute quant à l'instinct maternel de son ancienne amante. Il y a un jeu de quiproquos, quelques retournements avant le dénouement final, le tout servi par une jolie écriture.
Plaisant.

[Etty Kurnianingsih · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meski ini buku ke lima tapi gw baca ini pertama, jadi agak bingung dengan beberapa tokoh yang merupakan tokoh utama di buku2 sebelumnya. ceritanya menarik sekali karena jarang banget ada cerita tentang seorang wanita bangsawan (tokoh utama pula) memiliki anak di luar nikah dengan tokoh hero. cuma agak ngantuk aja kalo baca masa lalu si Jeanne tentang masa2 indah bersama Douglas, selebihnya lumayan menikmati alur ceritanya yang sangat simpel. Douglas MacRae ternyata bener2 cowok yang gentleman, diusia muda sekitar 18 tahun dia sudah jadi seorang ayah dari anak perempuan cantik yang bernama Margaret, dia mulai bertanggung jawab dengan tidak bermain-main dengan wanita lain, dia sangat membenci Jeanne karena dipikirnya dia telah membuang anaknya sendiri tapi setelah sepuluh tahun berlalu mereka kembali bertemu dan masing2 masih memendam rasa kesalahpahaman dan cinta. Sebel banget dengan tokoh ayahnya Jeanne, sang Comte perancis yang kejam, tega nian dia menyuruh mistressnya yang merupakan pelayannya membunuh cucunya sendiri.

[Melodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love love stories with a huge misunderstanding in the plot. It frustrates me sometimes how easily all the heartbreak can be avoided but the endings of these stories are all the more precious. I think because in my mind, the hero and heroine has already overcome a huge block in their relationship to become stronger together. In the future, when they encounter more conflicts in their relationship, I have the confidence that they will learn from their past mistakes and will be fine.

Not much of a review but my book reviews are typically just a dump for my thoughts after reading the book.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would really rate this book three and a half. I liked it because for some reason the story touched me. It wasn't a normal story in the sense that a man of title claimed a "bastard child" as his own. I loved the twist of the romance too.

[Maggie Bermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the only book in the series which actually brought tears to my eyes.

was a wee bit out out how Ian and Letitis were sort of relegated abt what happened to them, wanted a HEA!! Didnt like it and didnt see the point of what happened to them

[anita.thebookaddict · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one heck of an emotional read. I read this series, but this was ond of my favs. I have also read other books by Karen Ranney. She writes very emotional intense historical romances in her genre. I love her too!!!♡♡

[BJ Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was as good as the first one in the series! It's great when a series starts and ends so strongly.

[Harper Haven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok but not the best in the series

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. really rated 4 1/2. A tender love story and a beautiful ending. Highly Recommended. I have enjoyed every Highlander book by her.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

So sad to see the series end :( I was irritated how neither Douglas nor Jeanne would ever just tell each other what needed to be said. But other than that it was a great book.

[Jultri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many inconsistencies from the estimated age of the child to the behaviour of the characters. A shame as I expected better from this author.

[Gaylene Mclean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad that the series had ended as I feel like one of the family.