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Border #3
Chieftain
A MAN'S YEARNING FOR FREEDOM
After seven years in the Tower of London, the infamous Highland Chieftain Drummond Macqueen saw his prison door swing open. He swore to seek revenge on the faithless bride who had betrayed him. Yet the wife he encountered seemed like a stranger -- defiant, lovely, and inexplicably changed.
A WOMAN'S DESPERATE GAMBLE
At the death of her twin sister, Johanna Benison had begun a journey of no return. Now, the unexpected arrival of Drummond, the domineering Chieftain she'd believed executed long ago, threatened her precious independence. But soon her fear gave way to a soul-deep longing for the lover who stormed her castle and claimed her heart.
A PASSION NEITHER COULD DENY
Through harmonious days and impassioned nights, Johanna and Drummond reveled in their happiness...until the vengeful King Edward II delivered an unholy ultimatum. Obeisance to his royal command could engender only disaster, setting a shattering price on a woman's honor and the future of their love...
After seven years in the Tower of London, the infamous Highland Chieftain Drummond Macqueen saw his prison door swing open. He swore to seek revenge on the faithless bride who had betrayed him. Yet the wife he encountered seemed like a stranger -- defiant, lovely, and inexplicably changed.
A WOMAN'S DESPERATE GAMBLE
At the death of her twin sister, Johanna Benison had begun a journey of no return. Now, the unexpected arrival of Drummond, the domineering Chieftain she'd believed executed long ago, threatened her precious independence. But soon her fear gave way to a soul-deep longing for the lover who stormed her castle and claimed her heart.
A PASSION NEITHER COULD DENY
Through harmonious days and impassioned nights, Johanna and Drummond reveled in their happiness...until the vengeful King Edward II delivered an unholy ultimatum. Obeisance to his royal command could engender only disaster, setting a shattering price on a woman's honor and the future of their love...
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
27 people are currently reading
303 people want to read
About the author
Arnette Lamb
19 books66 followersArnette Lamb was an American writer of 13 romance novels from 1995 to 1998. She was born in 1947 in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. and she died prematurely from cancer on September 18, 1998. Her funeral service was held in the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 5, 2023
2 Estrellitas. No ha estado mal, pero tampoco me ha parecido muy reseñable. Se deja leer, pero no sé si es el poco tiempo que tengo para leer o que no he disfrutado el libro porque realmente no me estaba enganchando.
Lo escogí para un reto literario y quizás es que tampoco me llamaba mucho leerlo. Es lo primero que leo de Arnette Lamb, pero si no la hubiese leído me habría quedado igual.
"Secreto conyugal" tiene un argumento muy manido que me ha costado creer, quizás porque ya llevo mucho recorrido en cuanto a novela romántica, o porque el libro en sí no me estaba diciendo nada. En la frontera de Inglaterra con Escocia nacieron dos niñas gemelas de las que se dice fueron las únicas herederas de fallecido rey Alejandro III de Escocia. Eduardo I supo de ellas y las marcó en la piel para diferenciarlas, las escondió en una abadía y planeó su futuro como si de un juego de tronos se tratara.
De ellas, Clare Benison fue la elegida para desposar a Drummond Macqueen, un caudillo escocés, pero éste fue apresado por Eduardo I en la Torre de Londres. Mientras, Clare acabó muriendo en un estúpido accidente, pero antes de su muerte, le suplicó a su gemela, Johanna, que se hiciera pasar por ella y cuidara de su bebé Alasdair.
Han pasado 7 años, y Johanna ha hecho de Fairhope, las tierras que Eduardo le legó, su hogar y construido un hermoso castillo. Durante esos años, Johanna ha suplantado a Clare, la señora de esas tierras, y criado a Alasdair como si fuera su propio hijo. Durante esos 7 años se ha comportado como una viuda, hasta que de repente, Drummond aparece y completamente vivo. Y no lo hará solo, pues también viene con él un elefante, una bestia de la Torre de Londres que se encariñó con él.
Durante esos 7 años, Drummond estuvo prisionero y su familia creyó que había muerto. Ahora, tras la muerte de Eduardo I, su hijo, le concede la libertad a cambio de que nunca vuelva a Escocia. Así pues, Drummond vuelve a Fairhope, las tierras que heredó su esposa.
Pero no hay nada en Clare que a Drummond le recuerde a su esposa. Su Clare era una joven vanidosa y caprichosa, además de adúltera. Esta Clare es más madura, más fuerte y tenaz y mucho más inocente.
Johanna y Drummond se enfrentarán durante el libro a un choque de voluntades, pero si soy sincera, no se ha mantenido mucho. Lo más reseñable son las tiernas escenas con Alasdair. Johanna estará todo el libro pendiente de que Drummond no descubra su secreto, que en realidad está suplantando a su gemela fallecida. Mientras por otro lado, Drummond hará lo posible por seducir de nuevo a su esposa, una Clare mucho más fascinante que la que dejó.
Como digo, no ha sido muy reseñable, y la trama no se sostiene. Me ha costado muchísimo creerme la historia de las gemelas, así como el cautiverio de Drummond, su puesta en libertad y que lo acompañe un elefante por toda Inglaterra. No, no, no se sostiene. El libro me ha parecido muy inverosímil, y tan pronto como lo he cerrado estoy segura de que voy a olvidarlo.
Arnette Lamb no escribe mal, pero quizás no es una autora para mí.
Lo escogí para un reto literario y quizás es que tampoco me llamaba mucho leerlo. Es lo primero que leo de Arnette Lamb, pero si no la hubiese leído me habría quedado igual.
"Secreto conyugal" tiene un argumento muy manido que me ha costado creer, quizás porque ya llevo mucho recorrido en cuanto a novela romántica, o porque el libro en sí no me estaba diciendo nada. En la frontera de Inglaterra con Escocia nacieron dos niñas gemelas de las que se dice fueron las únicas herederas de fallecido rey Alejandro III de Escocia. Eduardo I supo de ellas y las marcó en la piel para diferenciarlas, las escondió en una abadía y planeó su futuro como si de un juego de tronos se tratara.
De ellas, Clare Benison fue la elegida para desposar a Drummond Macqueen, un caudillo escocés, pero éste fue apresado por Eduardo I en la Torre de Londres. Mientras, Clare acabó muriendo en un estúpido accidente, pero antes de su muerte, le suplicó a su gemela, Johanna, que se hiciera pasar por ella y cuidara de su bebé Alasdair.
Han pasado 7 años, y Johanna ha hecho de Fairhope, las tierras que Eduardo le legó, su hogar y construido un hermoso castillo. Durante esos años, Johanna ha suplantado a Clare, la señora de esas tierras, y criado a Alasdair como si fuera su propio hijo. Durante esos 7 años se ha comportado como una viuda, hasta que de repente, Drummond aparece y completamente vivo. Y no lo hará solo, pues también viene con él un elefante, una bestia de la Torre de Londres que se encariñó con él.
Durante esos 7 años, Drummond estuvo prisionero y su familia creyó que había muerto. Ahora, tras la muerte de Eduardo I, su hijo, le concede la libertad a cambio de que nunca vuelva a Escocia. Así pues, Drummond vuelve a Fairhope, las tierras que heredó su esposa.
Pero no hay nada en Clare que a Drummond le recuerde a su esposa. Su Clare era una joven vanidosa y caprichosa, además de adúltera. Esta Clare es más madura, más fuerte y tenaz y mucho más inocente.
Johanna y Drummond se enfrentarán durante el libro a un choque de voluntades, pero si soy sincera, no se ha mantenido mucho. Lo más reseñable son las tiernas escenas con Alasdair. Johanna estará todo el libro pendiente de que Drummond no descubra su secreto, que en realidad está suplantando a su gemela fallecida. Mientras por otro lado, Drummond hará lo posible por seducir de nuevo a su esposa, una Clare mucho más fascinante que la que dejó.
Como digo, no ha sido muy reseñable, y la trama no se sostiene. Me ha costado muchísimo creerme la historia de las gemelas, así como el cautiverio de Drummond, su puesta en libertad y que lo acompañe un elefante por toda Inglaterra. No, no, no se sostiene. El libro me ha parecido muy inverosímil, y tan pronto como lo he cerrado estoy segura de que voy a olvidarlo.
Arnette Lamb no escribe mal, pero quizás no es una autora para mí.
July 5, 2013
This was pretty fun to read, though a few recurring themes/grudges/assumptions carried on too long IMO, or perhaps were mentioned too frequently for it to be a rollicking, who-is-she and what-the-hell-happened-while-I-was-gone read. 3.5 stars. Also no kilts, but no deduction due to my assumption, leghose can be hot, too.
The story involves some great weaving in of 12th century historical figures (not 'present' in the story but influential on events) and a switched-at-death premise that kept me reading.
Johanna is the identical twin who's assumed her dead sister Clare's identity to raise sis' orphan and live her life as the 'widow' of Scots Chieftain, Drummond Macqueen, who's been hauled off and presumed executed by Edward I, as part of his infamous hammering of the Scots.
After seven years in the Tower of London, Drummond: 1) is pardoned by the new king, (Ed II, who'd cuckolded him years ago); 2) banned from his beloved Highlands but allowed to go to an estate bestowed by royal favor on his 'widow'; 3) arrives to find nothing is as it seems; 4) expects his wife to beg his forgiveness for cuckolding him, 5) finds himself falling in love with the woman she is now even though she never explains herself or apologizes; 6) brings up her infidelity much too frequently.
Why his bottomless resentment? It had to stick in a Scotsman's craw to know his wife was 'whoring' for England's Hammer of the Scots Jr., so Clare's betrayal added unthinkable insult to the chieftain's injuries. (Aside: but IF his anger had been put in the historical context once clearly, it wouldn't have had to be repeated soooo many times to demonstrate how much it bothered him.) Anyway, this infidelity is the crux of his distrust of her. And I don't blame him. And in spite of all his venting about her betrayal, he's studly and sweet most of the time.
From Johanna/faux-Clare's POV, everything's ticking along nicely, her son is growing up bright and good, the estate is prosperous, her people are thriving. Then bam! out of nowhere, Drummond Macqueen shows up in her keep with an unusual pet and an incomprehensible Welshman, ready to resume being lord and master all the while deeply resenting her for 'her' infidelity. His appearance threatens everything she's worked for: her son, her home, her identity (Aside: Why she doesn't explain to him that she/Clare slept with the prince hoping to prevent her husband's execution, I cannot say. She could've defended the action and its motivation without unmasking herself. It was a gratuitous misunderstanding strung along to the bitter end instead of being tied off first, leaving the bigger mysteries to be solved.)
She struggles to convince Drummond she is Clare, yet dreams of having a husband who loves her, Johanna. For his part, Drummond struggles to become a husband to this unfamiliar wife and father to his son, all of which is delightful. Once the chieftain knows she's not his wife, he plays a pretty funny cat-and-mouse game trying to learn her real identity, but then a few pages later everything is neatly tied up at the end. There's a clever twist that lays to rest his resentments and her fears about never being loved for herself.
I enjoyed most of this a lot but what I didn't enjoy was repeated incessantly and the gratuitous refusals to explain annoyed me.
The story involves some great weaving in of 12th century historical figures (not 'present' in the story but influential on events) and a switched-at-death premise that kept me reading.
Johanna is the identical twin who's assumed her dead sister Clare's identity to raise sis' orphan and live her life as the 'widow' of Scots Chieftain, Drummond Macqueen, who's been hauled off and presumed executed by Edward I, as part of his infamous hammering of the Scots.
After seven years in the Tower of London, Drummond: 1) is pardoned by the new king, (Ed II, who'd cuckolded him years ago); 2) banned from his beloved Highlands but allowed to go to an estate bestowed by royal favor on his 'widow'; 3) arrives to find nothing is as it seems; 4) expects his wife to beg his forgiveness for cuckolding him, 5) finds himself falling in love with the woman she is now even though she never explains herself or apologizes; 6) brings up her infidelity much too frequently.
Why his bottomless resentment? It had to stick in a Scotsman's craw to know his wife was 'whoring' for England's Hammer of the Scots Jr., so Clare's betrayal added unthinkable insult to the chieftain's injuries. (Aside: but IF his anger had been put in the historical context once clearly, it wouldn't have had to be repeated soooo many times to demonstrate how much it bothered him.) Anyway, this infidelity is the crux of his distrust of her. And I don't blame him. And in spite of all his venting about her betrayal, he's studly and sweet most of the time.
From Johanna/faux-Clare's POV, everything's ticking along nicely, her son is growing up bright and good, the estate is prosperous, her people are thriving. Then bam! out of nowhere, Drummond Macqueen shows up in her keep with an unusual pet and an incomprehensible Welshman, ready to resume being lord and master all the while deeply resenting her for 'her' infidelity. His appearance threatens everything she's worked for: her son, her home, her identity (Aside: Why she doesn't explain to him that she/Clare slept with the prince hoping to prevent her husband's execution, I cannot say. She could've defended the action and its motivation without unmasking herself. It was a gratuitous misunderstanding strung along to the bitter end instead of being tied off first, leaving the bigger mysteries to be solved.)
She struggles to convince Drummond she is Clare, yet dreams of having a husband who loves her, Johanna. For his part, Drummond struggles to become a husband to this unfamiliar wife and father to his son, all of which is delightful. Once the chieftain knows she's not his wife, he plays a pretty funny cat-and-mouse game trying to learn her real identity, but then a few pages later everything is neatly tied up at the end. There's a clever twist that lays to rest his resentments and her fears about never being loved for herself.
I enjoyed most of this a lot but what I didn't enjoy was repeated incessantly and the gratuitous refusals to explain annoyed me.
October 28, 2014
Unravelling royal secrets that have lead to degradation, shunning & a woman stepping into her dying sister's life.
I admired the strength, courage & intelligence of Johanna. The way she took on the mantel of responsibilities & made a loving haven & profitable concern. I particularly like her method of dispute settlement
I realise that Drummond may have cause for rancor towards his wife's infidelity but he can hold a grudge. His highhandedness when he admits Johanna's stewardess has done well is a bit OTT.
I admired the strength, courage & intelligence of Johanna. The way she took on the mantel of responsibilities & made a loving haven & profitable concern. I particularly like her method of dispute settlement
I realise that Drummond may have cause for rancor towards his wife's infidelity but he can hold a grudge. His highhandedness when he admits Johanna's stewardess has done well is a bit OTT.
September 18, 2014
Uma história sensível sobre as gemeas Johanna e Clare, que não sabem que pertecem a nobreza da Escócia e cujas vidas são decididas pelo rei Inglês. Quando Clare morre acidentalmente, Johanna a substitui para continuar nas terras e cuidar do filho de Clare. Mas tudo se complica quando um dia Drummond- o esposo de Clare,- reaparece e a quem todos sabiam que estava morto. Johanna recorre a todas suas artes para manter a farsa, já que Drummond não sabia da existência dela, mas enganar a Drummond no leito conjugal não será fácil, considerando que ela é virgem. Uma boa história, escrita com senso de humor, personagens adoráveis, situações engraçadas e uma criança que preenche a história com louvor.
September 8, 2014
Very good storytelling. Loved the story and characters. This is one of those 'old-time' authors which I used to read when I first starting reading romances. Since it was written awhile back, it reads a bit differently than those of today and I really enjoyed it. Plus the setting - Scotland - was a nice change of place to visit.
I haven't been able to get through a romance book for MONTHS, but thanks to Ms. Lamb - wherever she may be - I'm finding my interest in them rekindled! :)
I haven't been able to get through a romance book for MONTHS, but thanks to Ms. Lamb - wherever she may be - I'm finding my interest in them rekindled! :)
October 12, 2012
Please release these as eBooks!!!!!!!!!!
March 23, 2022
There are so many sketchy things in this book and yet I still liked it.
Like the others in the series, it's a nice book with a low re-read value. Maybe once a year.
So we have twin girls, Clare and Johanna. Clare just gave birth to a boy child and also fell off her horse and was trampled and dying. Both girls were raised in a convent, and we learn right off the bat that both girls are the lost twin children of the previous Scottish King Alexander III and Margaret, who is a a nun at the convent they grew up in. She promised to join the convent and never let the girls know their birthright in order to keep them.
Clare slept with the Prince of England, later to be Edward II, when he promised her to speak to his father about saving her husband. He lied. Her husband knew it happened and turned away from her but also was sent to England to be hanged.
Clare had married her husband, Duncan by order of Edward I. She was not allowed to mention that she was a twin and Johanna wasn't allowed to leave the convent.
So at the impending death of her sister, with her sister becoming a widow and being given an estate by the king of England, they hatch a bit of a plan. When Clare dies, they'll pretend that Johanna was the one that died. Johanna will go live as Clare at the estate and raise Clare's son as her own.
This plan goes well until about 8 years later when Edward II takes over the thrown and releases Duncan from the Tower of London where he'd been a prisoner for years.
Now Duncan is at the estate, not quite ready to forgive Clare but planning on a future.
So the story is basically about how the hero thinks the heroine made him a cuckold. The heroine is trying to maintain her deception that she is Clare and between them they kind of want to move forward and be a family.
The heroine wants a life with a husband and children and the hero wants a wife and more children etc.
I think what I rather like about these books is that they don't throw all the current ideology into the past. The hero had mistresses while he was married to Clare and he had children with them as well. Those children died, though we only hear about one. But it wasn't something that Clare was super jealous about, and she mourned the loss of his child with him. Johanna also was sad for his child and while it was brought up that he wasn't the best husband because of the mistresses it wasn't expounded on for current ideals.
I believe the hero wasn't going to carry on with other women in the present but it wasn't because the heroine showed him up for how bad it was, it was because he got along with his wife and didn't want anyone else. There really wasn't a big revelation about it, even when the heroine does confront him about it being two-faced that he slept with other women while married to Clare but was mad that she slept with another man.
The acceptance of things, it feels very time appropriate to me, but some of it made the book a little squicky for now.
Sibling sharing is generally not my thing for books, and mostly I could overlook it, but sometimes I was like...ick. It wasn't emphasized, so it could mostly be overlooked, but sometimes, just no.
I did like the book though, it just existed in kind of a bubble. Nothing overly angst ridden, just a fun light read.
Like the previous books, this book just kind of ends. More could happen, it just doesn't and we hit the HEA. I just feel like she was going for a more normal setting, and in a time where you married someone without knowing them and dealt with life and death as everyday occurrences, too much unrealistic climactic events happening at the end would ruin the over all feel of the books.
Like the others in the series, it's a nice book with a low re-read value. Maybe once a year.
So we have twin girls, Clare and Johanna. Clare just gave birth to a boy child and also fell off her horse and was trampled and dying. Both girls were raised in a convent, and we learn right off the bat that both girls are the lost twin children of the previous Scottish King Alexander III and Margaret, who is a a nun at the convent they grew up in. She promised to join the convent and never let the girls know their birthright in order to keep them.
Clare slept with the Prince of England, later to be Edward II, when he promised her to speak to his father about saving her husband. He lied. Her husband knew it happened and turned away from her but also was sent to England to be hanged.
Clare had married her husband, Duncan by order of Edward I. She was not allowed to mention that she was a twin and Johanna wasn't allowed to leave the convent.
So at the impending death of her sister, with her sister becoming a widow and being given an estate by the king of England, they hatch a bit of a plan. When Clare dies, they'll pretend that Johanna was the one that died. Johanna will go live as Clare at the estate and raise Clare's son as her own.
This plan goes well until about 8 years later when Edward II takes over the thrown and releases Duncan from the Tower of London where he'd been a prisoner for years.
Now Duncan is at the estate, not quite ready to forgive Clare but planning on a future.
So the story is basically about how the hero thinks the heroine made him a cuckold. The heroine is trying to maintain her deception that she is Clare and between them they kind of want to move forward and be a family.
The heroine wants a life with a husband and children and the hero wants a wife and more children etc.
I think what I rather like about these books is that they don't throw all the current ideology into the past. The hero had mistresses while he was married to Clare and he had children with them as well. Those children died, though we only hear about one. But it wasn't something that Clare was super jealous about, and she mourned the loss of his child with him. Johanna also was sad for his child and while it was brought up that he wasn't the best husband because of the mistresses it wasn't expounded on for current ideals.
I believe the hero wasn't going to carry on with other women in the present but it wasn't because the heroine showed him up for how bad it was, it was because he got along with his wife and didn't want anyone else. There really wasn't a big revelation about it, even when the heroine does confront him about it being two-faced that he slept with other women while married to Clare but was mad that she slept with another man.
The acceptance of things, it feels very time appropriate to me, but some of it made the book a little squicky for now.
Sibling sharing is generally not my thing for books, and mostly I could overlook it, but sometimes I was like...ick. It wasn't emphasized, so it could mostly be overlooked, but sometimes, just no.
I did like the book though, it just existed in kind of a bubble. Nothing overly angst ridden, just a fun light read.
Like the previous books, this book just kind of ends. More could happen, it just doesn't and we hit the HEA. I just feel like she was going for a more normal setting, and in a time where you married someone without knowing them and dealt with life and death as everyday occurrences, too much unrealistic climactic events happening at the end would ruin the over all feel of the books.
December 29, 2021
(Explícito). Muy bonito, Johanna no se dejó vencer y me encanta, Dummond también aunque al inicio del reencuentro con su supuesta esposa se comportaba muy cruel, incluso con todas esas pistas de que no era la Clare que conocía.
Y para mi la Clare original se me hizo un completa inútil buena para nada y que nada más quería estar rodeada de cosas bonitas.
Como me he dado cuenta con el libro anterior, un final muy abierto y apresurado. Final feliz y no tiene relación con el libro anterior.
Narrado en tercera persona y ofrece los puntos de vista de los protagonistas.
Y para mi la Clare original se me hizo un completa inútil buena para nada y que nada más quería estar rodeada de cosas bonitas.
Como me he dado cuenta con el libro anterior, un final muy abierto y apresurado. Final feliz y no tiene relación con el libro anterior.
Narrado en tercera persona y ofrece los puntos de vista de los protagonistas.
November 12, 2021
4to para el #noviembredulce con @Neus_sinlibrosnosoynada.
💞 Hace mucho que no leia una historia medieval y me ha gustado muchísimo. Tiene partes muy graciosas y otras muy románticas. La trama histórica de último rey de los escoceses me ha parecido muy interesante.
🙋🏻♀️ No note para nada que fuera parte de una serie 😊😉
💞 Hace mucho que no leia una historia medieval y me ha gustado muchísimo. Tiene partes muy graciosas y otras muy románticas. La trama histórica de último rey de los escoceses me ha parecido muy interesante.
🙋🏻♀️ No note para nada que fuera parte de una serie 😊😉
March 8, 2017
A good tale.
Written with much detail of the time period and an unusual story of a Scottish Lord. So many secrets caused the story to bog down a bit but still worth your while .
Written with much detail of the time period and an unusual story of a Scottish Lord. So many secrets caused the story to bog down a bit but still worth your while .
July 29, 2011
I had read this when it first came out and really enjoyed it.
This is a very tender story. A dying woman switches places with her twin sister. For seven long years Joanna raises her sister's child while her husband (thought to be executed) is in prison for treason.
He was spared execution because Joanna's sister willingly had an affair with the Prince in exchange for leniency.
She is released by that prince (when he becomes king) and he arrives at her doorstep thinking her his late wife.
He struggles to forgive her and wants to become reacquainted with his wife. She is frightened that if he finds out she is not his late wife that he will take the son she raised and leave her.
There are some other secrets that make this a very interesting story and the emotion between these two is very touching and wonderful. You can feel her fear and worry as you read the story.
All and all, a very enjoyable read and one I have reread a few times now.
This is a very tender story. A dying woman switches places with her twin sister. For seven long years Joanna raises her sister's child while her husband (thought to be executed) is in prison for treason.
He was spared execution because Joanna's sister willingly had an affair with the Prince in exchange for leniency.
She is released by that prince (when he becomes king) and he arrives at her doorstep thinking her his late wife.
He struggles to forgive her and wants to become reacquainted with his wife. She is frightened that if he finds out she is not his late wife that he will take the son she raised and leave her.
There are some other secrets that make this a very interesting story and the emotion between these two is very touching and wonderful. You can feel her fear and worry as you read the story.
All and all, a very enjoyable read and one I have reread a few times now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2018
I was a bit uncomfortable with the deception required in this story. The heroine has taken the place of her identical twin who has died in order to safeguard her sister's son. The husband/father is believed dead. Then he shows up. Because the truth protects others and she has been sworn to secrecy, the heroine must stay true to her role play. Sticky wicket!
What is so fabulous is the finesse of the author as she entwines the hero and heroine into a love match even while trust is at a minimum. He's no intellectual slouch and notices discrepancies at the same time he is falling in love with his "wife" for the first time. The devil is in the details because she is a virgin who has a son. No miracles are called upon to sort this out and that is the expertise of Arnette Lamb.
Got the dishes done but that was it today.
March 2017: Can't get through it at this time.
What is so fabulous is the finesse of the author as she entwines the hero and heroine into a love match even while trust is at a minimum. He's no intellectual slouch and notices discrepancies at the same time he is falling in love with his "wife" for the first time. The devil is in the details because she is a virgin who has a son. No miracles are called upon to sort this out and that is the expertise of Arnette Lamb.
Got the dishes done but that was it today.
March 2017: Can't get through it at this time.
February 22, 2014
Me pareció que fue un libro que prometía, sin embargo no lo logro del todo. La narración estuvo bien y el argumento también, sin embargo la forma en que se desenvolvió la historia fue mala, a mi parecer. El modo en que todo era un secreto, un misterio y luego de repente el protagonista simplemente descubre todo por suposiciones, no hubo nada que se lo confirmara mas que unas vagas declaraciones de la protagonista. Hubieron escenas muy relleno, como que la autora no supo que mas hacer. Ademas el final fue muy acelerado, como que se canso de escribir y dijo "nada, termino esto ya", fue decepcionante porque al leer la sinopsis pensé que seria un libro bastante bueno, y no lo fue.
March 8, 2008
Clare is forced into an affair with the Scottish prince to protect her husband, but earns his scorn and his death sentence. Dying herself, Clare begs her identical twin sister Johanna to take her place and raise her son. Now seven years later, Johanna is shocked when Drummond returns.
Amazingly, the whole 'taking her sister's place' scenario doesn't lead to any bad blood or mistrust between Johanna and Drummond. That in itself is a novelty. However, this just seemed a little on the bland side.
Amazingly, the whole 'taking her sister's place' scenario doesn't lead to any bad blood or mistrust between Johanna and Drummond. That in itself is a novelty. However, this just seemed a little on the bland side.
March 24, 2012
I would have rated it 2 stars but I enjoyed it until the end. The ending seemed rushed, it was building & then it was over. Drummond was okay with her pretending to be her sister? He suddenly knew who Johanna & Clare were when he realized they were twins & he who their parents were?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2014
Okay
Okay
I like the story line of the twin girls but the entire book was spent with the heroine being deceptive. Good dialogue but storyline could have been better.
Okay
I like the story line of the twin girls but the entire book was spent with the heroine being deceptive. Good dialogue but storyline could have been better.
August 3, 2015
I can hardly admit this was my first book of 2015. Corny silly nonsense, but kind of fun in a faux-angsty way. Suspend all disbelief- in the first five pages a medieval prioress refers to a spinal injury- but enjoy the big understanding and dramatic arguments between the protagonists.
July 12, 2013
I'm a fan of switching places books. They create all sorts of mayhem you just can't get any other way.
It's a sweet love story about forgiveness.
It's a sweet love story about forgiveness.
August 8, 2019
Ach... proč jsi to nemohla říct dřív? Bylo by to všechno snazší..
April 21, 2017
I really enjoyed reading this. I'm going with 3 1/2 stars as I would like to read this again, but not too often. It took just a little while to get into, mostly due to confusion on what was going on, but once I started reading I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. I really liked the characters and would like to get to know them more and get to know the other half of the Macqueens. This has a drop of intrigue, emotions, strength (in all ways), forgiveness, humor, and a great HEA. I would definitely like to read more in this series. Enjoy!
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