Book Review: The Scottish Rose Trilogy by Liz Curtis Higgs

Summary:

Two brothers fight to claim one father's blessing. Two sisters long to claim one man's heart.

In the autumn of 1788, amid the moors and glens of the Scottish Lowlands, two brothers and two sisters each embark on a painful journey of discovery.

Jamie and Evan McKie both want their father Alec's flocks and lands, yet only one brother will inherit Glentrool. Leana and Rose McBride both yearn to catch the eye of the same handsome lad, yet only one sister will be his bride.

A thorny love triangle emerges, plagued by lies and deception, jealousy and desire, betrayal and broken promises. Brimming with passion and drama, Thorn in My Heart brings the past to vibrant life, revealing spiritual truths that transcend time and penetrate the deepest places of the heart.

Perhaps this tale of two brothers and two sisters sounds vaguely familiar…and no wonder! The lives of Jacob and Esau, Leah and Rachel can be found in Genesis 25 and 27-29.

Review:

This is another great Christian fiction trilogy.  The books are:  Thorn in My Heart, Fair is the Rose, and Whence Came a Prince.  The books bring to life the stories of Jacob and Esau, and Leah and Rachel, set in Scottland.  They are more full of drama than Francine Rivers' The Mark of the Lion trilogy and less on the action.  These books are more about love: love between siblings, love between parents and children, and love between husbands and wives.  The trilogy is appropriate for readers of all ages.  They are excellent!

Just One Gripe:

The dialogue is written in Scottish brogue.  That can get old after a while.  Example:  "'Dinna be walking' awa from us, lad.'  Duncan produced a wicker creel weighed down, not with fish, but with stones.  'In case ye dinna know, today marks yer first day back to work.'"  You have to kind of figure out the language as you go along.

The Best Thing About This Series:

I love the ending.  It's perfect without being sappy.

Appropriate for a younger audience:

Yes

Score:

Characters:  5/5

Plot:  5/5

Setting/Imagery:  5/5

Originality:  5/5

Ending:  5/5

Total Score:  25/25