Border Lass

by: Amanda Scott

Published by: Forever

Reviewed by Shawn Remfrey

Those who have read Scott’s Border Wedding already know Amalie, the main character in this book. Secrets from her past lead her to the conclusion that she never wants to marry, even though her family is pushing her to do so. For now she is working in Princess Isabel’s employ and quite content with where she is.

Once Garth, a knight of the realm, comes into the picture, she doesn’t change her mind. Though there is a strong attraction, she still doesn’t want to marry and will do all in her power to keep her freedom.

Political rivalry sets the backstage for this romance. A new king has just been crowned, but not everyone is happy with the choice. One person in particular feels he was slighted and will do everything in his power to take over the entire kingdom. Murder, mayhem, and mystery ensue.

I actually enjoyed this book once I was able to get through the first few chapters. I haven’t read the first book, Border Wedding, and that may be part of the problem. This book stands on its own, but the beginning of the book has several redundancies and too much description. Like any series of books, the trick is to make the book readable by itself, yet still make it flow with the other books. I feel like Ms. Scott had some trouble with this, and in her attempt made the beginning of the book stilted and difficult to enjoy.

Thankfully, once I was able to actually get into the storyline and find out who the characters were and what they were up to, I couldn’t put it down. The actual story almost completely made up for the difficult first few chapters.

I’m looking forward to reading the third book in the series, to be released January 2009. From the preview that I’ve read in the back of Border Lass, it seems to jump straight into the story and hold you there.

Armchair Interviews says: Like most series, it is to the reader’s advantage to read the books in order for clarity and full enjoyment.