Child of Awe

I bought this book on impulse for twenty-five cents at a discount book store. It was sitting on the counter when I checked out. I had no clue what to expect from it, but it turned out to be a fantastic historical fiction novel, with a light romantic element. The story is set in the Scottish Highlands about the 14th century. Muriella Calder is the heir to vast properties when her father dies shortly after her birth. She becomes a pawn as different factions seek to control her inheritance. There is a lot of political intrigue, a few sex scenes and very well developed characters. A surprising delight.

Child of Awe is the story of Muriella Calder whose father left her at a very young age as heiress to his large estates, much to the chagrin of the rest of the Calder and Rose clans. Muriella's guardianship was given to the powerful Earl of Argyll and he eventually takes her away from her mother's family (the Rose clan) by force with plans to wed her to his younger son John, who is not thrilled with his father's choice for his bride. Muriella was also born with "the sight" and is haunted by visions of the future that cause her much angst in her relationships with her new husband and family.

The story carries on through multiple clashes between the warring clans, along with John and his older brother and their sister Elizabeth who was wed show more to one of Argyll's great enemies, as Muriella struggles against her visions and comes to know the one great love of her life. This is not your standard romance where the H&H are drying to jump each other's bones from their first glance and there were many times I wasn't sure who she was going to end up with, as the first few years of her marriage had gotten off to such a rocky start.

Although this book is billed as historical romance, the author's notes at the end of the book state that Muriella and John along with their clans did exist in early 16C (early 1500's) Scotland, so I have to agree with another reviewer who stated that this is a tough toss up between calling it historical fiction instead of romance. Not the best in the genre (that's still Outlander), but far from the worst either. show less

Scotland, clan troubles. 1500's.