Marshall Ross, Earl of Lorne, was a highly decorated diplomat with a terrible secret. His last mission to China failed abysmally and led to the deaths of twenty-six of his men. He can't forgive himself even now. Even though he had little choice as a prisoner of the Chinese, he also feels a deep shame for allowing himself to become addicted to opium. Opium is the reason for his hallucinations, for the visions that plague him and for his deeply held belief that he is going mad. Not exactly the right time to become a bridegroom. But he has an obligation to marry before his condition becomes worse, and he does, to an unlikely bride: a twenty-seven year old stranger, the daughter of his uncle's mistress. His uncle's mistress, however, is not all she appears to be.Theresa Robertson is Davina's aunt, and determined to provide for her niece. Almost as determined as she is to see Garrow Ross hang for his crimes. What began as a marriage of convenience between Marshall and Davina soon becomes a battle of wits and will as Davina McLaren decides that she wants more from marriage than Marshall wants to give. She hadn't wanted to marry, after all, but who would have known that such a union would bring her a mystifying, magnetic sort of husband, one who introduces her to passion with such skill?Although his habit of disappearing at night was disconcerting, she didn't believe that Marshall was insane. If he was mad, he was the kindest, most gentle, madman she'd ever met. Something, however, was going on at Ambrose. The mystery deepens as Marshall's hallucinations become more terrifying. When Marshall pushes Davina away for the last time, she leaves him, returning to Edinburgh with hopes that he'll follow her. Instead, Marshall is taken away to a private asylum, leaving Davina no choice but to mount a siege against the Black Castle to rescue her husband. Davina succeeds in her mission, Marshall is cured of his visions, and the mystery of why he believed himself going mad is solved.
The Devil Wears Tartan
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Helen Hancox
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Despite the clearly Scottish-themed title, this book wasn't particularly Scottish in feel; instead it was an exploration of how a young woman, married to a man she doesn't know, begins to chip away at her husband's reserve and to try to forge a future with him.
The husband in question is the Earl of Lorne, a Scotsman who had a distinguished career in the foreign service until he was imprisoned by the Chinese and tortured. Since his return to England he has shunned society and lives alone in his castle, finding himself succumbing to visions and fearing the onset of madness. Because of his responsibilities to his title he realises he needs to get an heir and so arranges a marriage with a local woman, Davina McLaren, whose reputation was ruined by an indiscretion and who is likely to remain a spinster.
Davina isn't the shy, retiring type of young lady, however. She finds herself wed to the Earl of Lorne, otherwise known as The Devil, and yet she barely sees him. Davina is something of a bluestocking and rather direct in her speech and she tries to learn about her husband and to forge some kind of a friendship. As she uncovers his secrets she may also uncover love, and she may be called upon to fight for the future of her marriage and even the life of her husband.
I very much enjoyed this book with its central romance, initially not particularly encouraging but gradually becoming something of warmth and understanding. There are occasional nods to the Scottish setting and the Victorian era, with reference to the opium trade with China, but overall this is a romance developing from an arranged marriage. There were some rather unfortunate errors in the text, including likening a character to a chipmunk (an animal not seen in the UK) and various characters speaking American words in the Scottish setting, and the habit, oft-found in American-authored novels, of the heroine retaining her maiden name as a middle name after her marriage - something that almost never takes place in the UK. I was also not entirely convinced by some of the behaviour of the characters, certain plot elements seemed rather too unlikely and the siege of the lunatic asylum at the end felt pretty far-fetched. However this was overall a good read and Davina was a rather unusual heroine and one to whom I warmed.
Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008
The husband in question is the Earl of Lorne, a Scotsman who had a distinguished career in the foreign service until he was imprisoned by the Chinese and tortured. Since his return to England he has shunned society and lives alone in his castle, finding himself succumbing to visions and fearing the onset of madness. Because of his responsibilities to his title he realises he needs to get an heir and so arranges a marriage with a local woman, Davina McLaren, whose reputation was ruined by an indiscretion and who is likely to remain a spinster.
Davina isn't the shy, retiring type of young lady, however. She finds herself wed to the Earl of Lorne, otherwise known as The Devil, and yet she barely sees him. Davina is something of a bluestocking and rather direct in her speech and she tries to learn about her husband and to forge some kind of a friendship. As she uncovers his secrets she may also uncover love, and she may be called upon to fight for the future of her marriage and even the life of her husband.
I very much enjoyed this book with its central romance, initially not particularly encouraging but gradually becoming something of warmth and understanding. There are occasional nods to the Scottish setting and the Victorian era, with reference to the opium trade with China, but overall this is a romance developing from an arranged marriage. There were some rather unfortunate errors in the text, including likening a character to a chipmunk (an animal not seen in the UK) and various characters speaking American words in the Scottish setting, and the habit, oft-found in American-authored novels, of the heroine retaining her maiden name as a middle name after her marriage - something that almost never takes place in the UK. I was also not entirely convinced by some of the behaviour of the characters, certain plot elements seemed rather too unlikely and the siege of the lunatic asylum at the end felt pretty far-fetched. However this was overall a good read and Davina was a rather unusual heroine and one to whom I warmed.
Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.9 out of 5 stars
17 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable Victorian romance
16 Dec 2008
By Helen Hancox
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Despite the clearly Scottish-themed title, this book wasn't particularly Scottish in feel; instead it was an exploration of how a young woman, married to a man she doesn't know, begins to chip away at her husband's reserve and to try to forge a future with him.
The husband in question is the Earl of Lorne, a Scotsman who had a distinguished career in the foreign service until he was imprisoned by the Chinese and tortured. Since his return to England he has shunned society and lives alone in his castle, finding himself succumbing to visions and fearing the onset of madness. Because of his responsibilities to his title he realises he needs to get an heir and so arranges a marriage with a local woman, Davina McLaren, whose reputation was ruined by an indiscretion and who is likely to remain a spinster.
Davina isn't the shy, retiring type of young lady, however. She finds herself wed to the Earl of Lorne, otherwise known as The Devil, and yet she barely sees him. Davina is something of a bluestocking and rather direct in her speech and she tries to learn about her husband and to forge some kind of a friendship. As she uncovers his secrets she may also uncover love, and she may be called upon to fight for the future of her marriage and even the life of her husband.
I very much enjoyed this book with its central romance, initially not particularly encouraging but gradually becoming something of warmth and understanding. There are occasional nods to the Scottish setting and the Victorian era, with reference to the opium trade with China, but overall this is a romance developing from an arranged marriage. There were some rather unfortunate errors in the text, including likening a character to a chipmunk (an animal not seen in the UK) and various characters speaking American words in the Scottish setting, and the habit, oft-found in American-authored novels, of the heroine retaining her maiden name as a middle name after her marriage - something that almost never takes place in the UK. I was also not entirely convinced by some of the behaviour of the characters, certain plot elements seemed rather too unlikely and the siege of the lunatic asylum at the end felt pretty far-fetched. However this was overall a good read and Davina was a rather unusual heroine and one to whom I warmed.
Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008
The husband in question is the Earl of Lorne, a Scotsman who had a distinguished career in the foreign service until he was imprisoned by the Chinese and tortured. Since his return to England he has shunned society and lives alone in his castle, finding himself succumbing to visions and fearing the onset of madness. Because of his responsibilities to his title he realises he needs to get an heir and so arranges a marriage with a local woman, Davina McLaren, whose reputation was ruined by an indiscretion and who is likely to remain a spinster.
Davina isn't the shy, retiring type of young lady, however. She finds herself wed to the Earl of Lorne, otherwise known as The Devil, and yet she barely sees him. Davina is something of a bluestocking and rather direct in her speech and she tries to learn about her husband and to forge some kind of a friendship. As she uncovers his secrets she may also uncover love, and she may be called upon to fight for the future of her marriage and even the life of her husband.
I very much enjoyed this book with its central romance, initially not particularly encouraging but gradually becoming something of warmth and understanding. There are occasional nods to the Scottish setting and the Victorian era, with reference to the opium trade with China, but overall this is a romance developing from an arranged marriage. There were some rather unfortunate errors in the text, including likening a character to a chipmunk (an animal not seen in the UK) and various characters speaking American words in the Scottish setting, and the habit, oft-found in American-authored novels, of the heroine retaining her maiden name as a middle name after her marriage - something that almost never takes place in the UK. I was also not entirely convinced by some of the behaviour of the characters, certain plot elements seemed rather too unlikely and the siege of the lunatic asylum at the end felt pretty far-fetched. However this was overall a good read and Davina was a rather unusual heroine and one to whom I warmed.
Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The devil you say
17 Nov 2008
By Deborah Haupt
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Ms. Raney has given us a wonderful novel with characters who have so much depth that you can't help but fall in love with them. Marshall Ross the Earl of Ambrose came back from China a changed man who lived through torture and the loss of half of his men, he needs a wife to carry on the name and so he chooses Davina McLaren to play the role, he wants a wife of convenience who will give him an heir and leave him alone but Davina has other plans, she has secrets of her own but wants to chase away the ghosts that haunt Marshall and be a wife in every way. See where the road takes these two unfortunate lovers.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Will read again soon
14 Nov 2008
By Paula
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I just loved this book. The characters were complex. Davina was one of the most fascinating and compelling heroines I've read in a long time. She was fearless, funny, candid and just fun. She wasn't cowering or whinny like most heroines would have been in her situation. The ending is surprising. The love scenes were beautiful, especially when Davina and Marshall are in the Egyptian house- I believe. It was just a great read. My only complaint is the model on the cover does not match Marshall's discription. He has brown eyes while the model obviously has blue/ green eyes.
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3.9 out of 5 stars
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