A Scot of Her Own

The main storyline takes place on the Isle of Mull in Scotland in 1273. It is a time of political unrest and upheaval, and Thorburn MacDougall, the Gallóglaigh Constable (the Gallóglaigh are a band of warriors tasked with finding criminals, similar to a modern-day police force), has his hands full trying to quell the tensions. Adellis Bjørnsdóttir and Alrek Bjørnsson are twins but couldn’t be more different. Adellis takes the drastic measure of dressing like a man and fighting a skilled battle with Thorburn, just so she can get captured to escape the evil machinations of her brother, who is the self-proclaimed jarl of their clan. Alrek has been wreaking havoc and sowing political unrest on the MacDougall clan’s lands, and the clan chief has tasked Thorburn with stopping the carnage.

Adellis is an amazing fighter, as she holds her own against Thorburn—the best fighter in the clan—for quite a while. How did she learn to fight like this, while living as a pawn and nearly a prisoner for her brother to use? This, along with the fact that she is sexually liberated with multiple partners in her past, is extremely enlightened behavior for this time period, which is somewhat questionable behavior for the book. If readers can suspend their disbelief regarding this behavior, a delightful story awaits them, centered on these mentally and physically strong protagonists. There is a moderate amount of tension which escalates as needed, as the threat of Alrek hangs overhead throughout much of the story. The pacing is engaging and spot-on, making this an engrossing story that will surprise readers!

Carey Sullivan