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When
the Scottish branch of the Lockhart family find themselves teetering on
the brink of financial ruin, they devise a plan to get back a small,
ugly but priceless statue which, they felt, the wealthy English branch
of the family had wrongfully appropriated a long time ago. Proud of his
soldierly training, the eldest son of the Scottish faction, Royal
Highland Captain Liam Lockhart volunteers to go to
London
and steal the statue back from their estranged relatives. Once in
London, this simple
Highland man finds himself baffled and irked at every turn, but manages
to become the tenant of a miserly Englishman and thus begins his search.
Before long, a curious little girl baffles him with her fantasy world
while her beautiful and elegant mother, Ellen, holds this gruff Scottish
soldier utterly captivated. Passion soon flares between these two most
dissimilar people and they grow very close. Thanks to her past
transgressions, Ellen and her daughter have long lived an isolated and
deprived life. And when into this bleak world comes Liam with his
vigorous masculinity and Scottish charm, both Ellen and her daughter
fall deeply for him. But despite her growing feelings for Liam, Ellen
had plotted her escape for too long and she won’t stop at nothing – even
if it means betraying Liam! Will their tempestuous relationship survive
this treachery? Can Liam finish what he started?
“Highlander Unbound”
is the first novel in the Lockhart trilogy of Scottish historical
romances by author Julia London. Set in 1816 England and Scotland, this
novel revolves around an ugly but precious statue and the fateful legend
surrounding it. Liam is wholly entertaining and convincing as the
Scottish soldier who feels completely out of place is the haute
London
society, with its foppish dandies, glittering balls and all. The antics
he gets up to thanks to his miserly landlord, are tailor-made for
laughter. Thorough the character of the beautiful but flawed Ellen,
readers are introduced to a rigid and unforgiving society where even the
slightest mistake could get a woman ostracized for life. The romance bit
between the main protagonists is sexy and sensual as ever. Ellen’s
lovely daughter Natalie, who prefers to escape into an imaginary world
rather than face the harsh reality, tugs at the readers’ heartstrings.
The story is heartwarming, has an authentic historical flavor to it,
raises some controversial issues, tackles them as best as can be under
historical limits, and during the entire process, entertains the readers
while simultaneously provoking them to think.
Reviewed By Rashmi Srinivas for The Road to Romance
January 6, 2004 |
