Valor (Sons of Scotland, book 2)

Victoria
Vane
Genre: 
Historical

Davina of Crailing is only a girl when she loses everything — home, family, friends — in the never-ending wars between the highlanders and those who would rule them. As an orphan and an heiress, she finds herself the ward of the king. An enviable position…unless you happen to be in love with a bastard highlander who also has claim to the throne.

Domnall Fitz William has spent his life trying to please the man who disowned him, but when fate and an ambitious king conspire to steal both his inheritance and the woman he loves, he lays everything on the line — and loses. Now, years later, he must choose. Will he avenge the past and seize his rightful place on the throne, or risk everything, again, to find the missing woman he has always loved?

Ms. Vane crafts a historical novel of epic proportions, spanning both time and distance as characters grow from children to young adults battling for their birthright and their right to love. Unfortunately, the book never feels epic: lack of detail and atmosphere, a narrative that moves too quickly, and clumsy prose makes the reader feel as though they were reading a first draft rather than a completed novel. A touch more polish and then any reader who enjoys tales of adventure, romance, and intrigue will find plenty here to keep them entertained. 

Janice Martin