Monday, December 17, 2012

Rivals for the Crown by Kathleen Givens

Rivals for the Crown by Kathleen Givens
Historical Fiction

In 1290, the young Queen of Scotland dies en route to the crown, which causes the entire Scottish nation to take sides of who should next be on the throne. Highlander cousins Rory and Kieran are sent to Berwick by their parents to keep them out of trouble and get some intel. They meet Rachel, a Jew that was kicked out of London with her family who then moved to Scotland and opened up an inn. She had to abandon her best friend Isabel who was about to become a lady in waiting for the Queen. Rachel and Kieran lust after each other and she convinces him to send a message through to Isabel. When Rory and Kieran visit London after the Queen dies, they meet Isabel who Rory can't stop thinking about.

With King Edward I trying to take back Scotland, there is a lot of turmoil. As the cousins try to help keep their country independent, they are also trying to woo their ladies.

The Scottish element of this novel brought the life to the book. The two cousins had a lot of character and helped progress the novel along. This was just as much historical romance as it was historical fiction. Parts of the romance were definitely corny but not bad enough to make me want to stop reading the book.

There were some interesting history lessons in this novel although I felt like the end was quite rushed.

First Line: "Rachel! Rachel, wake up!"

Rating:
(4/5)

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