Maggie Craig

Romance is a tricky genre. What I think is romantic might not light someone else's coals, and what they find appealing might not do a thing for me.

I loved the detailed historical setting and strong sense of place in this novel, but I was driven mad by the dialect--something I nearly always have trouble with in fiction and something that's very hard to do well. Here, I found the use of dialect sometimes interfered with my ability to understand what the characters were saying, rather than show more communicating class differences, as was the author's intent.

The plot that's driving the dialect is a charming, if fairly pedestrian love story between a young woman from the lowest of Edinburgh's lower classes, and a young man from the aristocracy who is studying to become a doctor. show less

"One Sweet Moment" tells the story of not just a young love, but perseverance over circumstances when being orphaned. Kate, in making decisions to do all that is possible to make a future for her young brother and herself, finds hope along the way in the form of a young lover interested in marrying her. Against a historical background set in Scotland in the 1830's, the author uses sexual abuse not to sensationalize but to add one more element to this heart-wrenching story. Carrying you from show more reading about abuse, to historically detailed Edinburgh's South Bridge, to triumph in the form of love from opposite sides of society, the author beautifully captures it all. show less

I loved this story. It had a great sense of place, a fascinating storyline and beautifully defined characters. It felt fresh and wholly believable. Like all good historical fiction it has made me keen to find out more about the real history of the time. I would not have come across this book if I had not found it on a Goodreads review. Thanks to everyone concerned.

I didn't particularly care for this novel, to be honest. I love historical fiction, and the Scottish setting was something that interested me. The book actually turned out to be a combination of history and bodice-ripper, and the two didn't go together very well. Just as I would start thinking it was a serious historical fiction novel, Craig would start the drooling scenes. And the ending! It's almost like she couldn't get the problem between the two main characters resolved, so she ended it show more in the only way that seemed possible, which was a bit too convenient for me. The cover of the book has nothing at all to do with the story, which I found a bit strange. show less