Barbara Henderson is back with a brand new fascinating historical adventure… The Reluctant Rebel – ‘A Jacobite Adventure’.
I was beyond chuffed that Barbara asked me to be a part of The Reluctant Rebel blog tour so thank you so much 🙂
And if you’re reading this and don’t know what a ‘Jacobite’ was or is… neither did I 😳 so here’s a little definition just in case:
Jacobite (meaning) –
in British history, a supporter of the exiled Stuart king James II (Latin: Jacobus) and his descendants after the ‘Glorious Revolution’.
Now that that is out of the way let’s get into it shall we!
The Synopsis…
There it is again, hope.
The defeat and the despair I can stand, but it’s the hope that kills me, as if the Cause wasn’t lost, as if Father hadn’t died in vain. As if any one of us could possibly come out of this alive…
Following the death of his father, 13-year-old Archie MacDonald has lost faith in the Jacobite Cause. Having witnessed their clan’s terrible defeat at the Battle of Culloden, Archie and his feisty cousin Meg flee back to Lochaber to lie low.
Or so they think.
Until the fugitive Prince’s life depends on them.
When Prince Charles Edward Stuart looks to the people of Borrodale for help, will the young stable boy support the rebellion that has cost him so dearly?
With enemies closing in, the Prince’s fate now rests in the hands of a stable boy and a maid with a white cockade.
Who will survive this deadly game of hide-and-seek?
My review of the The Reluctant Rebel
The story begins with Archie and cousin Meg, who although are too young to fight, are watching anyway!
What they see is heartbreaking! The Jacobites have been defeated and with that comes the feeling of dread that the cost of fighting for the Prince (aka They Young Pretender) is a high one.
The clans have been wiped out and the soldiers are now on the hunt for The Prince, and until his capture… everyone is in danger.
As enemy ships are spotted on the horizon Archie must return to Borrodale to warn the people! But this is a perilous mission and with his father gone, he must defend his family.
Daring escapes, cunning plans and brutal battles happen throughout but Archie and Meg have a secret.
A secret that could change change EVERYTHING. For them and for Scotland.
Archie’s loyalty to the Prince’s cause is waining by the minute but what’s more important? The cause or his family??
There are 3 things I absolutely love about Barbara Henderson and her writing.
The first thing is Barbara’s ability to thrust you into the heart of the action. It is the same here as it is in ‘The Chessman Thief‘ and ‘The Siege at Caelaverock‘.
I feel like I’m in the actual battle myself and feel totally on edge like I have to watch over my shoulder incase I need to engage my cat like reflexes and dodge an angry swordsman and their deadly blade.
The second thing is she has a great ability to beautifully describe the Scottish landscape her books are often set in. I’m a lover of the Scottish mountains and this book really takes you there.
And the last thing I love is that I always learn something. Barbara clearly has an awesome brain! Every book has been meticulously researched and comes from a place of passion for history which really does pull you in.
Leave a Reply