Throwback Thursday: Blog tour - Border Bride by Amanda Scott

Author: Amanda Scott
First published in 1990 by Dell.  
Re-issued by Open Road Media March, 2013

Set in treacherous sixteenth-century Scotland, the first volume of Amanda Scott’s Border Trilogy tells the unforgettable story of a woman sworn to defy the knight she is forced to wed—only to discover a love she’ll do anything to claim

As Mary, Queen of Scots, languishes in the Tower of London as a prisoner of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth, war tears Scotland apart. To save her beloved homeland, a proud Highland beauty named Mary Kate MacPherson must wage her own battle when she’s forced into wedlock with a knight, Sir Adam Douglas, from the barbaric borderland of Tornary.

Even as she succumbs to her seductive husband’s sensual demands, Mary Kate vows never to give him her heart. She will belong to no man. But Adam burns with something deeper than desire. Sworn to carry out a long-awaited revenge, he won’t rest until he has vanquished his enemies. Accused of treason, the last thing he expects is to lose his heart to the woman he’s determined to tame but never to love: his own wife.

Having read a few historical romances that take place in the Highlands lately, I was looking forward to reading Border Bride for this blog tour. It's an older book by Amanda Scott and perfect for Throwback Thursday.  I really wanted to like this book.  And, I did, at first.  The conflict and tension between Adam and Mary Kate looked to be promising.  I always love a strong woman who can hold her own against an alpha.

In the end, I really can't honestly say that I enjoyed the book. It wasn't the writing, it was the story-line and the characters.  I found nothing romantic or even appealing about a man who abuses his wife, not only verbally but physically.  He spends the entire story berating Mary Kate, spanking/slapping her, and treating her like dirt.  His blatant flirtatious behavior toward his cousin and other women at parties was just in poor taste.  I also saw no point in the child out of wedlock story-line   How cruel can one get by not warning his wife about that one ahead of time?  I kept hoping that Adam would get a clue, but he never got there.  I didn't once believe his declaration in the end.  I just felt badly for Mary Kate.  She is so naive and never really finds her true back bone.

I understand that this story is probably very true to the time period.  Relationships like this were probably more the norm.  Knowing that doesn't make me like it any better.  Some people may enjoy a story like this, but it just wasn't for me.

About the author:

A fourth-generation Californian of Scottish descent, Amanda Scott is the author of more than fifty

romantic novels, many of which appeared on the USA Today bestseller list. Her Scottish heritage and love of history (she received undergraduate and graduate degrees in history at Mills College and California State University, San Jose, respectively) inspired her to write historical fiction. Credited by Library Journal with starting the Scottish romance subgenre, Scott has also won acclaim for her sparkling Regency romances. She is the recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award (for Lord Abberley’s Nemesis, 1986) and the RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award. She lives in central California with her husband.

For more information on Amanda Scott’s novels, please visit the official website.