This book
is the first in a series. I added it to my to-be-read list after reading, and
enjoying, The Scottish Prisoner a few months ago. I’m very glad I did. I really liked this one, and have added the
rest of the series to the list.
If you are
a regular visitor to this blog, you’ll be aware that time travel is one of my
favorite kinds of stories. And, this is
a time travel tale. The story starts in
1946. Claire and her husband, Frank, have been posted at opposite ends of the earth
during WWII, and now that the war is over, they are enjoying a bit of a second
honeymoon in Scotland. Toward the end of
their planned stay, Claire makes a solo trip to a stone dance where she
stumbles through a thin spot in the space-time continuum and finds herself in
the middle of a skirmish between some Scottish raiders and English redcoats.
It takes
some time, but fairly quickly she discovers that this is no historical reenactment
or movie shoot. She really is in 1743.
She ends up being taken by the Scots back to their home, and must find a
way to escape them and return to the dance where she hopes she can make her way
back to her own time.
But fate
intervenes, and in order to avoid being turned over to the British to be
interrogated as a spy, she finds herself wed to Jaime Frasier, an outlaw and
fine specimen of a man. Once wed, the Scots trust in her begins to increase,
and her training as an army nurse puts her in great demand as a healer. Her
attempts to help the sick and injured are not always looked upon in a friendly
manner, though, and before long she finds herself accused of witchcraft.
She is
rescued at the last moment, and finally breaks down and tells Jamie that she
has come from the future, and has a husband and a life there. While obviously skeptical, Jamie takes her
back to the dance. And, while there, witnesses things that convince him her
story is true. He loves her enough to allow her to return through the time rift
to her life in 1946, but is not strong enough to watch it happen. He leaves her
standing before the stone.
And there
she stands, unable to take the final step through the rift. She realizes that
she is too much in love with Jamie to leave him, and chooses to remain in 1743,
despite the lack of indoor plumbing.
Together,
Claire and Jamie have further adventures as they attempt to avoid the British,
who have condemned Jamie to hang, and try to find a place where they can live
and love.
This is a
very long book. The original hardcover edition was 688 pages long. It took a
while to read it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can’t wait to get to Dragonfly
in Amber, the second book in the series.
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