Clan Sinclair #3
Karen Ranney
Historical Romance
Published in 2014
H/h - Ross Forster, the Earl of Gadsden/Ellice Traylor
Setting: Scotland, 1875.
Read in June, 2014.
My rating:
[spoiler alert]
The Virgin of Clain Sinclair, book 3 and the final
installment of Karen Ranney’s Clan Sinclair series was more of a letdown
for me. Even though I liked reading this as a part of the series and
revisiting the other couples and secondary characters, the dynamics of
the main characters, h Ellice and H Ross left much to be desired. I’ll
just get down to my review to try to explain why I felt that way.
Ellice
is the daughter and sister of the deceased Earls of Barrett. She’s the
youngest of her siblings. Sadly, in the course of the first book, The Devil of Clan Sinclair,
she loses her elder sister Eudora to an epidemic of smallpox. Her
brother, Lawrence had already died by then, leaving her the then SIL,
Virginia in a dilemma. I never liked Virginia, so will not go into the
details but she goes to find happiness with a man she’d loved before
marrying Lawrence; Macrath Sinclair, a handsome Scottish inventor. The
dilemma of begetting an heir to the earldom left Virginia with a lot of
trouble with Macrath, yet there was no apparent solution. Ellice and
Enid would’ve been poor and dependent on the mercy of relatives had
Virginia have not taken them in. Though Macrath started out very humbly,
his brilliance, determination and skills, together with his invention
of the ice-machine made him very rich. His family already consisted of
his two sisters, Mairi and Ceana and an orphaned cousin, Fenella. Taking
in two more very distant relatives wouldn’t have been that big of a
deal for him. And he would’ve done anything for his
Virginia... which is how Ellice comes to find a home at Drumvagen.
We
meet both Mairi and Ceana in book 1. Ceana marries and moves away with
her husband. The last I heard of her, she was pregnant. She was
mentioned in book 2, The Witch of Clan Sinclair, a few times
and was said to have had a girl? Apart from that I never felt that she
was a part of the whole series. Not sure why she never made an
appearance ever again. Fenella was more of a strong recurring character
in both book 1 and 2. In book 2, hers was the secondary romance with
Mairi’s pressman, Allan. She has since gotten married to him, still
living in Edinburgh and now expecting their first child. Mairi’s life
revolved around her press and the newspaper, The Edinburgh Gazette for
as long as she can remember. Her father was a pressman too. When Macrath
got busy with his own ideas, he gladly left the responsibility of the
press and its broadsides to Mairi. She, the strong and stubborn h of
book 2, thought she’d be happy this way, being a spinster, printing
broadsides, hiding behind mask of stoicism, which was also fashioned to
forget her own heartbreak of a failed relationship. But that was until
she meets the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, the big and sexy Logan
Harrison. And the rest is rather (I’d say with flourish); a crazy,
messy, yet glorious history! You gotta read their story because Mairi
and Logan’s relationship was so entertaining!
This one starts out
some years after book 1 and 2. Ellice is still living in Drumvagen with
her mother. She has always been portrayed as an introvert who doesn’t
really speak until spoken to. Even though Macrath and Virginia have been
kind to them, Ellice still feels lonely to the core. Then there’s her
ever critical mother’s pinching comments about how she’s not what a Lady
should be or how she’s too impetuous; one of the reasons why she gives
the air of a vacuous nature because she had been scolded for her
curiosity since she was little. The best one has to be the comparison
between ‘beautiful and elegant’ Eudora and her poor ‘plain’ self. This
kinda verbal assault takes toll on one’s psyche and self-esteem. Ellice
believes in every single negative thing that has been repeated
throughout her life. To drive away the misery, Ellice drowns herself in
an imaginary world. She loves writing stories. And in that body beats a
passionate heart that seeks to be free. She sees Macrath-Virginia or
Mairi-Logan, feels envious of their loving and passionate relationship.
Ellice craves it for herself but somehow she knows she’d never really
win a Prince Charming of her own. So she gives all her passion to her
erotic writings, the main character being Lady Pamela, someone who is
nothing like her. Lady Pamela is tall, elegant, red haired and
green-eyed. She’s very beautiful and sophisticated, and decidedly a
non-virgin! Then there’s this Scotsman called Donald who’s her ardent
admirer, someone who seeks to win her heart. Donald is tall and handsome
with dark hair and stormy gray eyes.
One day, while she was
sneaking out to a cottage away from Drumvagen to have a bit of her own
time and do some writing, Ellice comes across this stranger talking to
Macrath. Though she couldn’t see his face because his back was turned,
she’s is enchanted by his voice. But then, a plan forms. She notes that
the stranger is leaving for Edinburgh. Just now, Enid had made it clear
that Ellice should marry and soon, all because of her insane and petty
competition with Brianag, the housekeeper, who boasted that her own
granddaughter just got engaged to be married! Ellice has no intention to
be forced into it. She wants to reach Mairi somehow. I’d like to
mention here that Ellice is a fan of Mairi’s strong personality and her
accomplishments as a voice for women’s rights. Ellice wants Mairi to
read her manuscript, publish it so that she has some means of her own. A
very farfetched plan, but that’s what she intends to do to escape her
mother.
I thought the whole plan of hiding in a stranger’s
carriage was plain idiotic (which it was cause she gets stuck there for a
long time). The man in question, Ross Forster, the Earl of Gadsden, was
just passing by. He stopped at Drumvagen to take a look. This was
supposed to be his home one day, as his father, the deceased Earl was
building it. After he left it incomplete, Macrath bought it and made it
his home. Ross has no ties to this big house, yet he
felt compelled to stay. He finds no fault in Macrath’s hospitality,
though unfortunately, he lets Ross know that Virginia is very near her
third pregnancy and can’t meet him at the moment. When the volatile
Scottish weather strikes, Ross finds himself without any option. At
nightfall, he decides not to bother his groom and goes to his carriage
to fetch his bag from his carriage… and that is how he meets this
beautiful girl with brown hair and beguiling dark eyes. She doesn’t tell
him her name but at length, Ross figures out that she’s one of
Macrath’s relatives.
Ross’s life has been nothing like a
privileged Earl’s only heir should have had. Ross’s father was a
notorious womanizer, so much so, the tales of his debauchery and wild
escapades have put the whole family’s good name in utter shambles. Ross
is ashamed of the man but there’s another big reason why he’s hates him.
Ross is also very, very determined to return that
reputation, hence, apart from a few discreet liaisons, he’d lived the
life of a monk. Then there was the time when he got married to a sweet
and innocent girl, a suitable wife by all means. The thought brings back
a very painful memory laden with hurt and betrayal. Though Ross thought
he was in love with his now-deceased wife and her goodness and beauty,
nowadays, a more mature man, he knows it wasn’t really ‘love’. Besides
she did run away with his father! Ross’s father never really cared for
his mother, a fact that needles him still. Of course, he never bothered
with fidelity. Janet is still an elegant lady with regal bearing. She’s
also a gentlewoman who was in love with her husband. The bitter memories
of what were done and how they both died in an accident sometimes after
their elopement has done nothing to improve Ross’s life. He doesn’t
really believe in love anymore and definitely wouldn’t trust anyone with
it if the question ever arises in future.
As they return to the
house, news comes that Virginia has gone into a very difficult labor.
You can imagine the state of Macrath’s mind. Everyone is scared for
Virginia’s life and a dark shadow falls over the entire house. The
weather doesn’t improve, and because of the incessant rain, flash flood
threatens the village. Ross is still stuck here and none too happy about
it either. Without anything to do, Ross turns to the manuscript he has
found in his carriage, that obviously the girl left in a hurry to evade
him. And what he finds in it, oh boy! It starts giving him all sorts of
feelings, most of it in his nether region. :p He can’t believe that that
innocent looking girl wrote these vivid, descriptive erotic scenes! But
what strikes Ross the most is that the hero looks exactly like him, and
that the house described sounds like his own home, Huntly. Ross decides
that he needs to confront her about it.
As the flood threatens,
the villagers are in immediate need of help. Since Macrath is unable to
concentrate on anything but Virginia’s state (it’s been 2/3 days at that
point), Ellice becomes concerned. When she’s pondering what to do, Ross
steps in to help. And why won’t he? Ross has been managing his
thousands affairs related to the Earldom, including Huntly, all by
himself and very efficiently if I might add, unlike his father ever had.
Together they work to build a makeshift dam. One thing leads to
another, and before you know it, they find themselves alone and kissing
like the two crazies. :p Though Macrath finds them together in a faraway
gazebo, he doesn’t say anything. But Ellice is hurt to know that Ross
knows about her little secret, and suspects she’s no virgin. She leaves
with a promise to avoid Ross but unfortunately, when you’re so attracted
to a man, who, it seems, has been conjured up from your deepest
desires, how can you ignore him when he’s around? Worst of all, when,
now you know how his kisses taste like? Ellice didn’t think she can
really stay away, yet she knows heartbreak is written all over it.
Avoiding
Ellice would’ve suited Ross just fine but sadly, for him too it’s
impossible. He still needs an heir, so he knows he’ll have to marry
sometimes in the future, but Ross doesn’t want to think of it at this
moment. Yet now, this charming girl seems to be threatening his sanity
and peaceful existence with her innocent stares and curious questions.
And even though he still believes she’s no virgin, Ross can’t deny the
strong pull between them. The hurt of past betrayal just won’t let him
be. When he later confronts Ellice about her book, she stubbornly tells
him that she’s going to publish it no matter what. But to Ross, it’s a
recipe for his downfall! When the public get hold of these tales, they’d
easily identify him in it! Together with his father’s reputation, Ross
can kiss his ambition for pursuing politics goodbye. The election is
near and Ross can’t risk it. Well, wasn’t that odd. Even though I
understood Ross’s overly cautious state of mind about such things, I
still thought it was a bit over the top for him to think that people
would readily identify him in Donald. Even Ellice mentions that point,
though fails to convince Ross.
Gradually, others get to know
about Ellice’s book as she seeks out help from Virginia, who has been
recuperating from that hellish birthing (though, I’m sure, the face of
her little Carlton made it all worthwhile). Ross and Ellice are in a
standstill about the publication of this erotic novel. Both are stubborn
but Ellice is just desperate to escape here and live her own life. Yes,
she wants Ross for herself but hasn’t the point already been proved
moot, that she can never have him in her life the way she dreams of at
night?
For poor Ellice, a sweeping love-affair doesn’t happen.
When they, again, are caught kissing each-other’s face off (oh, the
irony!), this time by none other than Enid, a marriage is imminent.
Ellice never wanted things this way, yet she gives in; one, because of
her mother’s commands and two, of course, any kind of bond with Ross is
good enough for her. That girl was just starving for love and
acceptance, and as I said, Ross was like her dream-lover come true. What
annoyed the hell outta me was that Ross goes into this marriage still
believing Ellice is not a virgin. I don’t know how he could be such a
douche. He seemed very adamant to believe the worse about his union with
her. Ross keeps thinking that the healthy dose of lust he feels for her
would be enough get that heir, right? *SMH*
After they marry,
with Ellice’s thoughts all scattered, they journey to Ross’s estate with
Enid. Both mother and daughter are dumbfounded to find how huge Huntly
is, something none of them ever seen, or even expected. It gave Ellice
some idea of how rich her new husband is. Truth be told, instead of
rubbing her hands with glee, Ellice finds herself flabbergasted, afraid
that she’d never be a Countess worthy of the Forster name, that low was
her self-esteem. Unfortunately, Ross wasn’t doing much to help her
either. His first plan was to see if she’s pregnant(????) before he
consummates the marriage. I was like WTF dude? Stop being so
obtuse! But he doesn’t tell Ellice anything, instead ignores
the wedding night, again hurting her. Ellice though, makes it her
mission to confront Ross, telling him that what she thinks of her is
wrong. She’s a definite hussy for him, and quite gladly, but no other
man has ever fueled her imagination the way he does. And that, Ross
finds most unexpected! Then I begin to realize that though he’s touted
for his good-looks, Ross also has some self-esteem issues, reasons you
can only guess. He just can’t seem to come to terms with the fact that
this girl is so head over heels for him! This does egg on their
consummation process *wink*... in Ross’s huge library no less.
For
a while, they go at it like the bunnies, making Ellice the happiest
hussy in the whole planet (no kidding! :p). But then, Ross begins
feeling the familiar twinges on the left side of his chest. He
identifies it too! Love. He’s falling in love with
his wife! And that doesn’t sit well with the man. He wouldn’t trust his
heart with anyone, not even Ellice, no matter how much she tempts him.
One day, after discovering Ellice’s writing about their time together,
with the same vivid descriptions and her emotions all over the page,
Ross decides it’s time to regroup. He stomps away to discourage that
sort of affinity, vowing to ignore his wife ‘for the best’... whatever
the hell that means. *eyeroll*
Darn, I was SO annoyed at him. It
was overly frustrating the way he’d just start ignoring Ellice when he
thought she’s somehow ‘threatening’ his peace of mind. Worse is, it
wasn’t even her fault. That girl was already in love with her husband.
So when Ross begins ignoring her, again, Ellice’s world quite comes
crashing down on her. She doesn’t know why he’s doing this, hell she
can’t even find him anywhere in this behemoth-like house to confront.
The coward has run off to London to attend ‘business matters’. Yah,
right!
Another thing I found increasingly wearisome was Ellice
daydreaming, as if she’s still living in her imaginary world, especially
when it came to her relationship with Ross. What Lady Pamela would’ve
done in this situation or said to Donald? She’d imagine lines and scenes
too! I wasn’t sure what to think of it but TBH, I didn’t like it. All
their frustrating encounters also, at times, made me think that they
don’t really belong to each-other.
The third annoying thing would
be the author’s vain attempts of trying to make Virginia look like a
saint throughout the story. Am I suppose to forget how she betrayed
Macrath in book 1 and hurt him over and over again to help Ellice and
Enid? And after he took them in is when she agreed to marry him, not
once before that? I don’t think I can, sorry.
Fortunately for
Ellice, she found a true friend in her MIL Janet from the moment she
stepped inside Huntly. Janet seemed truly happy to see Ross remarry and
in acquiring a daughter. I really liked this woman and felt so sad the
way she was mistreated by her abominable husband. There is a scene
between her and Ellice where, after Ross’s abandonment, they sat
together at her own house (a wing of the mansion), contemplating on her
own marriage. Janet imparts some words of wisdom born of experience,
though Ellice doesn’t understand how she can forgive her husband after a
betrayal of that kind. But right now, the most important thing for her
is to do something about this situation she’s in. Ellice means to win
her husband back and for that, she goes to Drumvagen to talk to Virginia
about this plan that began forming all of a sudden.
When Ross
returns, to find an empty house without Ellice, he just runs to
Drumvagen. I believe he had the scare of his life, believing she left
him. OMG, I LOVED it cause the idiot needed that jolting to see the
truth and face his fears, because for the better or the worse, he’s in
love with her and there’s no turning back. It was quite entertaining
when they profess their love to one-another, Lady Pamela and Donald not
shadowing Ellice’s mind for once, for this time, she has won her
straying Prince Charming back. :D
The epilogue was about a family
get-together and some updates on Virginia-Macrath and Mairi-Logan
(still the best!). I absolutely loved these last few chapters. Wish I
could say the same for the rest. 3.5 stars.
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