The Captive Heart Book

Not the Best in the Border Chronicles Series

I have become a fan of Bertrice Small and have enjoyed all the Border Chronicles but this is certainly the weakest of the series to my mind, and I have read all that are out. Frankly, since they are not really connected (except possibly the first two), I would just skip this one.

Here's the Border Chronicles series in order:

A Dangerous Love
The Border Lord's Bride
The Captive Heart
The Border Lord and the Lady
The Border Vixen
Bond of Passion

But for those of you considering The Captive Heart, I'll give you my review. The story begins on March 29, 1461 with the Battle of Towton in which the Lancasters were soundly defeated in a bloody encounter with the Yorkists. The Lancaster king, Henry VI of England, flees to Scotland along with his queen, Margaret of Anjou. Traveling with them was the queen's physician and his daughter, Alix Givet.

In Northumbria, they lodge with a baron, Sir Udolf Watteson. When it appears that Alix's father is not well enough to continue traveling, an arranged marriage of the 16-year-old Alix to the baron's son is hastily arranged by the queen and Alix's father. But the son has a mistress he loves and resents the marriage and treats Alix horribly. When her husband takes his own life and his father the baron wants to take Alix as his wife, Alix flees to Scotland.

Much of the story concerns the baron's continual pursuit of Alix. In Scotland and traveling on foot, Alix encounters an early snowstorm and takes refuge with some long-haired cattle. Half frozen, she is saved from death by the men of a handsome border laird, Malcolm Scott. Malcolm was betrayed by his first wife who, the story goes, was found dead on the moors after Malcolm killed her lover. Malcolm has a young 6-year-old daughter from that marriage who is charming and needs a mother. Alix offers to stay and teach the daughter to become a lady and Malcolm, who has no intention of remarrying, agrees. Soon Malcolm wants the beautiful Alix in his bed and takes her for his mistress. That's the basic set up for the story.

I liked the hero and heroine and the 6-year-old daughter with whom you will fall in love. The negatives for me in this story were three twisted individuals, including the baron and his son, and some weird pacing in the story. It was a bit slow in the middle and then at the end too much happened too fast and Alix's forgiveness of Malcolm's deception was too quick in coming. There was also some abusive sex by one of the twisted characters that I could have done without. All in all, I like Bertrice Small but I cannot recommend this one. I'm giving it 3 stars for the fact she still tells a story that will hold your interest.