The Lover

Rating:
Summary: Finally, a good Scottish Romance!
Review: I'd just about given up on books set in Scotland, or staring Scots, but Nicole Jordan gives us a Scottish tale that FEELS Scottish!!! She knows her way around the highlands and a kilt . . . now if only more authors would follow her lead.

Rating:
Summary: There are differences between this version and the original!
Review: Just to clarify a few things. In the original version, Niall did commit adultery and was even more arrogant! In the re-write, the "adultery" scene was re-written. If you go to Nicole's website to can read what she has to say about this.

In this version, Niall is a bit gentler and more caring of a person than he was before -- this makes him more likeable.

Rating:
Summary: There are differences between this version and the original!
Review: Just to clarify a few things. In the original version, Niall did commit adultery and was even more arrogant! In the re-write, the "adultery" scene was re-written. If you go to Nicole's website to can read what she has to say about this.

In this version, Niall is a bit gentler and more caring of a person than he was before -- this makes him more likeable.

Rating:
Summary: This 2004 edition is even better.. the hero is better
Review: Niall does *not* commit adultery at all, or even fool around, once he and Sabrina are together, in this newer edition. I like it much better than the 1997 edition. It's really enjoyable.
Good read. I like Nicole Jordan's books a lot, and always look forward to them!

Rating:
Summary: Sensual
Review: Nicole Jordan is an excellent writer of romance. However, what I remember most about 'The Lover' was his pet name for her, 'Mouse'. It was used in the most tender of moments and the most casual of moments. If I wanted to elaborate more, I could comment on the way Niall is portrayed, in my opinion, as arrogant and oversexed. But even the questionable nature of the hero does not take away from the tenderness that he shows Sabrina. If you believe that a woman loses her identity through nicknames, then The Lover is not for you to read. But few rival Nicole Jordan's ability to deliver rapturous sensuality.

Rating:
Summary: *Extremely* satisfying... it reaches deep into your heart...
Review: Oh --my -- !!!
These are the first words which come to mind when I think about this strong and lovely story .. it took me by surprise! Not *completely* by surprise, since I trust I'll always be thrilled by Ms. Jordan's heartfelt novels. I want ROMANCE and PASSION in my historical romances, and I want those to be quite strong, so that I have no doubts as to the future happiness of the two main characters by the story's end.
I just finished the book, and, well, let's just say I'm having a hard time coming back to the 'real world' !! ... I'm still back in the book, there with Niall and Sabrina... I didn't want it to end.

I'd love a sequel, a whole series of books about them, in fact, taking us through the rest of their lives ... but no doubt I'm in the minority, wanting to see more about the same couple. One can always hope!

Niall McLaren, a Highland laird (who holds depths you'd not imagine; he's far from a stereotype) and Sabrina Duncan, the granddaughter of a neighboring friendly clan (but raised in Edinburgh, not in the wilds) are for the most part forced into marriage. It's a political arrangement, one neither of them wanted, brought on by the impending death of her grandfather, the head of the Duncan clan. She's the only heir, the only one able to represent the clan. Set in 1739, the backdrop of warring, vengeful Highlander clans is well-drawn, giving readers what they need to know about these times, and this place, but always woven within the context of the love story, so that you learn as you go... painless for non-history buffs, and fascinating for history-lovers such as myself.

Niall and Sabrina have fiery tempers, and the fact that their marriage was arranged exacerbates this aspect of their personalities. She's inexperienced and unsure of herself, having been jilted by a former suitor, and finds it impossible to believe that Niall, "the Lover" of the title and a man of vast experience and countless dalliances, could ever truly be attracted to her. She despairs of ever knowing real love, now that she's married to a man who openly admits he has no intention of denying himself the charms of other women, vows or no vows. When he DOES take her to the marriage bed (the only true sealing of a marriage in those days, after all), he IS the consummate lover, very considerate, and very generous... not because he loves her, but because he is a gentleman; again, he's not your typical Highland savage. She definitely learns, in a most beautiful way, that there's another Sabrina within her, one she never knew existed. MOST satisfying, indeed...

But a series of events involving the warring clans almost undoes their already-tense marriage. His desire for revenge, and her disbelief in her own charms, as well as a truly surprising twist in the plot (I was SURE the trouble was coming from somewhere else!) , create some pretty palpable tension... you WANT Niall and Sabrina together, and in love, and cannot imagine how it can ever work out. How can love even take root, much less thrive, under these conditions? I didn't like Niall in the first few chapters, but I knew Ms. Jordan would take care of that, and she did; again, in very satisfying ways.
When they finally really spark, the couple SPARKS... whew!!
A bonafide page-turner. I could not put it down.
Kudos, praise, thanks. I'm still reeling from the love scenes, both from the incredible physical descriptions ( Ms. Jordan should get special awards for these scenes ! ) and from the vivid and very real love the
characters find. Romance novels only 'work' for me if the love in them is believable. It is. Boy, is it ever. And the love makes sense; what amazes me is HOW she gets the lovers to that point where the love DOES make sense, and how real it feels. But Ms. Jordan always succeeds at this; I've enjoyed all the books in her NOTORIOUS series, and the new 'Master of Temptation' so much that I can hardly pick a favorite!

Well done, well done... I will ALWAYS read Ms. Jordan's books. I hope she'll be writing for many, many years to come!

Rating:
Summary: *Extremely* satisfying... it reaches deep into your heart...
Review: Oh --my -- !!!
These are the first words which come to mind when I think about this strong and lovely story .. it took me by surprise! Not *completely* by surprise, since I trust I'll always be thrilled by Ms. Jordan's heartfelt novels. I want ROMANCE and PASSION in my historical romances, and I want those to be quite strong, so that I have no doubts as to the future happiness of the two main characters by the story's end.
I just finished the book, and, well, let's just say I'm having a hard time coming back to the 'real world' !! ... I'm still back in the book, there with Niall and Sabrina... I didn't want it to end.

I'd love a sequel, a whole series of books about them, in fact, taking us through the rest of their lives ... but no doubt I'm in the minority, wanting to see more about the same couple. One can always hope!

Niall McLaren, a Highland laird (who holds depths you'd not imagine; he's far from a stereotype) and Sabrina Duncan, the granddaughter of a neighboring friendly clan (but raised in Edinburgh, not in the wilds) are for the most part forced into marriage. It's a political arrangement, one neither of them wanted, brought on by the impending death of her grandfather, the head of the Duncan clan. She's the only heir, the only one able to represent the clan. Set in 1739, the backdrop of warring, vengeful Highlander clans is well-drawn, giving readers what they need to know about these times, and this place, but always woven within the context of the love story, so that you learn as you go... painless for non-history buffs, and fascinating for history-lovers such as myself.

Niall and Sabrina have fiery tempers, and the fact that their marriage was arranged exacerbates this aspect of their personalities. She's inexperienced and unsure of herself, having been jilted by a former suitor, and finds it impossible to believe that Niall, "the Lover" of the title and a man of vast experience and countless dalliances, could ever truly be attracted to her. She despairs of ever knowing real love, now that she's married to a man who openly admits he has no intention of denying himself the charms of other women, vows or no vows. When he DOES take her to the marriage bed (the only true sealing of a marriage in those days, after all), he IS the consummate lover, very considerate, and very generous... not because he loves her, but because he is a gentleman; again, he's not your typical Highland savage. She definitely learns, in a most beautiful way, that there's another Sabrina within her, one she never knew existed. MOST satisfying, indeed...

But a series of events involving the warring clans almost undoes their already-tense marriage. His desire for revenge, and her disbelief in her own charms, as well as a truly surprising twist in the plot (I was SURE the trouble was coming from somewhere else!) , create some pretty palpable tension... you WANT Niall and Sabrina together, and in love, and cannot imagine how it can ever work out. How can love even take root, much less thrive, under these conditions? I didn't like Niall in the first few chapters, but I knew Ms. Jordan would take care of that, and she did; again, in very satisfying ways.
When they finally really spark, the couple SPARKS... whew!!
A bonafide page-turner. I could not put it down.
Kudos, praise, thanks. I'm still reeling from the love scenes, both from the incredible physical descriptions ( Ms. Jordan should get special awards for these scenes ! ) and from the vivid and very real love the
characters find. Romance novels only 'work' for me if the love in them is believable. It is. Boy, is it ever. And the love makes sense; what amazes me is HOW she gets the lovers to that point where the love DOES make sense, and how real it feels. But Ms. Jordan always succeeds at this; I've enjoyed all the books in her NOTORIOUS series, and the new 'Master of Temptation' so much that I can hardly pick a favorite!

Well done, well done... I will ALWAYS read Ms. Jordan's books. I hope she'll be writing for many, many years to come!

Rating:
Summary: Cheating is NOT romantic
Review: The hero cheating absolutely RUINED the entire book for me. I cannot enjoy an adultering leading man. The book became utterly useless to me at that point...

Rating:
Summary: Heartwrenching and sexy Highland clan historical romance
Review: The Lover is a Scottish Highland historical romance novel that centers on two allied clans. Niall McLaren, the hero, is the laird of a very strong and powerful clan. Niall has a prominent image of a fair laird who carries a lot of influence and commands respect. While Niall is well known as this authoritative laird, he also carries a second reputation as a notorious rogue. Niall had not expected to be laird of his clan. He had spent most of his years in pursuit of other financial endeavors and more infamously as a lover to many women. Six months ago his older brother, laird of the McLaren clan, died tragically and Niall had come home to take the leadership of his family's clan.

Sabrina Duncan is very satisfied with her life as a lowlander living in the city of Edinburgh. She resides with her stepfather who is a very wealthy merchant. Sabrina spends her time assisting her stepfather in business matters and tolerates a rather boring but necessary social life. Sabrina had lived in the Highlands until her father's death at the age of four. Shortly after his death, Sabrina's mother remarries and they both move to Edinburgh with her new stepfather. She has not returned to the Highlands in all of the years since although she realizes she is the only descendent of her grandfather who is laird of the Duncan clan.

Sabrina is summoned to come immediately to the Highlands to see her grandfather. He is on his deathbed and insists on seeing his granddaughter and only heir. When Sabrina arrives at her grandfather's home, she soon discovers that he has arranged a marriage for her with the laird of the McLaren clan. She has absolutely no desire for this marriage. Not only does she dislike the idea of leaving her life in Edinburgh but she also doesn't want an arranged marry without love and commitment. And Sabrina knows a lot about the reputation of her future husband, Niall, and does not want the unfaithful rogue for her spouse. Niall is also opposed to the marriage but the Laird Duncan asserts that the marriage is absolutely necessary to save his clan once he dies. There is no male Duncan strong enough to lead the clan and Niall will be laird of both the McLaren and Duncan clans once the marriage has occurred. Since the two clans are extremely close allies, Niall grudgingly accepts the fact that they could lose one of their most important allies if the Duncan leadership is weak and taken over by one of the enemy clans.

From the beginning pages, Niall is just too much of a rogue for me to like his character much. He hopes to shame Sabrina into breaking the betrothal by carousing with other women in front of her. He blatantly informs her that he will not be faithful to her as her husband. He does not consider fidelity as even a possibility once he marries. I found the story a little lacking at this point. Although it was very entertaining reading, Niall was just too mean during this portion of the tale. Actually, he is very thoughtless throughout the book on this subject of fidelity. Oh, he is the handsome laird of the McLaren clan with much to offer a wife - other than faithfulness. But Sabrina fully realizes what she is getting in a husband and doesn't like it but is too proud to let him see her true feelings on the matter.

Sabrina is a great heroine. She is determined to remain with Niall - no matter what and begins fulfilling her role as the laird's wife almost immediately once they are married. She proves to be very good at working with the clan members and truly holds them in high regard and treats all of them with respect. I liked her throughout the book with the exception of the ending where she treats Niall so horribly that it is totally out of character. Oh, he really deserves this treatment but it did not ring true to Sabrina's personality.

Although there is a slight mystery or two playing out in the background of Niall and Sabrina's romance, their romance covers most of the pages in the book. That is one thing I really enjoy about Jordan's books. She can make a long book very interesting while centering the majority of the attention on the leads' relationship. At times, this writing was very intense and I found myself incensed with Niall's behavior more than once. I was actually in tears at one point because of his treatment of Sabrina. But, please don't get the idea that this book is all about Niall's shabby treatment of Sabrina. Throughout the book, Niall is finding himself more and more fascinated with Sabrina. He discovers that he WANTS to be faithful to her and, as we so often see in these emotionally immature heroes, he feels he must prove his new desire for fidelity is foolish. He is constantly fighting his deep feelings for Sabrina. And Sabrina does not allow Niall to mistreat her. She may be subdued in her actions towards him but is certainly assertive and will not allow him to run over her.

A few major occurrences really increase the intensity of the story but I cannot say more without giving away too much of the book. Before the end of the book, Niall is on the receiving end of Sabrina's wrath, as mentioned earlier. He undoubtedly merited this ill treatment. I relished him receiving his comeuppance. But once again, just as I believed the author wrote Sabrina out of character in the extent of her revenge towards Niall, I also believe Niall is written out of character in those same scenes. He is just too much of a rascal at heart to be so subdued and accepting of her ill treatment. It somewhat emasculates him.

Overall, this is a highly enjoyable read and I did not want to put the book down. It had a few overused plot lines such as the mean rogue and the embittered heroine. But Jordan knows well how to write these characters and I delighted in this tale of a tough, desirable hero and a smart, endearing heroine. It had just enough of a mystery to be truly interesting without dragging us through page after page of worthless mystery writing. The sensual scenes are a 4.5 out 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). These scenes are somewhat frequent once they begin and are not gratuitous. Jordan does this type of writing very well.

One of the sure signs of a great romance novel, in my opinion, is the amount of time the leads spend together. As I indicated earlier, Niall and Sabrina have a lot of time together - both positively and negatively. This is a fantastic book and is a definite keeper for my Read Again shelf. Nicole Jordan remains firmly one of my favorite authors. I have read all of her books and they nearly all come in at the five star rating level.

Rating:
Summary: disappointing rewrite
Review: There really wasn't much difference between the original version and the rewrite. The only difference is Niall does not have sex with his former mistress. The other version showed his true character and how repentent he was. This version was a bit too corny. I prefer the original version because the hero was true to form. He repented in due time and was made to beg by the heroine for forgiveness. What happened Nicole? I expected to read "mouse" giving Niall his comeuppance and making him grovel even more. I was very disappointed.