Mine is the Night (Kerr #2) - Liz Curtis Higgs

Elisabeth and Marjory Kerr arrive in Selkirk stripped of their titles and riches, in desperate hope that a distant relative will take pity on them and offer them her home. Entering Annie’s one-room lodging, the former Ladies Kerr find themselves building a new life that could not be further from the one they lived in Edinburgh, before their men were taken from them in the Jacobite Rebellion. While Marjory learns to be a housekeeper, a job she once employed another woman to do for her, Elisabeth picks up her needle and is determined to provide for her mother-in-law and cousin with the skill that God has blessed her with. Soon, her quick needle propels her into Lord Jack Buchanan’s home, where she finds herself outfitting his new maids for a very handsome income. Unable to shake off the remnants of her noble life, her stature and speech quickly bring her to the attention of Jack, in whom she finds a kindred spirit and new friend. But Elisabeth knows that she could never pursue a relationship with a man of such standing, for fear that he might bring her family back to the attention of King George and Lord Mark Kerr, who are determined to wipe out anyone who aided the Jacobite cause. Have she and her mother-in-law truly escaped the worst of their troubles? Can Elisabeth trust the Lord enough to believe that he can bring joy back into her life after all of her losses?

Having read Here Burns My Candle not that long ago, I found myself surprised by the much lighter, happier tone to its sequel. That’s not to say that the characters didn’t have their trials and struggles; after all, this is eighteenth century Scotland and no one exactly breezed through life, least not noble women who had lost their titles to the Jacobite cause. But if you’re expecting something akin to the heartbreaking events that occurred in Here Burns My Candle, you’ll be relieved to hear that the Kerr women finally receive their much awaited happy endings. While I did occasionally feel that life was drifting along a bit too smoothly for these women, especially in light of so much suffering in the previous book, on the whole I felt that Mine is the Night was a perfect example of how God can take a life that’s been near destroyed and make it whole again.

As with her previous novel, Liz has clearly done her research, and I honestly believe that I got an authentic feel of eighteenth century Selkirk and what it was like to be a single woman in this period. Although I would class this novel as a historical romance, the historical detail is essential to the novel and not merely an added extra. From Elisabeth’s occupation as a seamstress to trips to the market to the dilapidated state of the church to the inner workings of Jack’s home, Liz has got every detail perfect. Even if you’re not an avid reader of romances, this novel is worth reading in order to understand the trails of eighteenth century life and the difficulties met by women who had to support themselves and their families. There are some fascinating sections at the back of the novel on Liz’s research on Selkirk, which I’m now determined to visit – after all, I’m one of the fortunate readers who actually lives in Scotland!

While the prequel focused mainly on the relationship between Elisabeth and her mother-in-law, Marjory, I would consider Mine is the Night to be more of a conventional historical romance. Although we witness the women interacting, the majority of the novel focuses on the development of romantic relationships: between Elisabeth and Jack, Annie and a local man, and Marjory – whose relationship I will keep secret as it’s too sweet to spoil! Jack’s wooing of our heroine is just as it should be in a romance novel and I adored reading the development of their relationship. Jack isn’t usually the type of hero that appeals to me, but he and Elisabeth were clearly perfect for each other and Jack fits his role just right. Those of you who bemoaned Elisabeth’s troubled relationship with Donald in the previous book will find this one a refreshing, pleasant change.

In a way, amongst all the blossoming relationships and luscious landscapes of Scotland, I did miss the action and drama of Here Burns My Candle. I’d have to say that I didn’t love Mine is the Night quite as much as its predecessor, but I still fell in love with it for entirely different reasons. I was so pleased to see all of the characters recovering from their devastations and finally receiving their much deserved happy endings. On the whole, this is a wonderful story and the perfect example of how God can bring something brilliant out of a bleak and hopeless looking situation. Even days after I’d finished the novel, I found myself dwelling on the times that God has brought me out of dark times and blessed me abundantly. I hope that other women find themselves similarly uplifted by the lives of the Kerr women. 9/10

This book was generously provided by Waterbrook in return for an honest review.

Look out for a contest to win this book next week at The Christian Manifesto!

Here Burns My Candle - Liz Curtis Higgs

Life in Scotland during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 was not easy for anyone, least not the noble Kerr family in the capital city of Edinburgh. Elisabeth Kerr cannot hide her Jacobite sympathies from her family, and slowly her husband begins to share her sentiments. But when her beloved Donald and his younger brother Andrew decide to fight for the royal pretender, denouncing their loyalties to King George, Elisabeth can’t help but question whether she should have kept her feelings to herself.

Her emotions are torn even further when she discovers that the rumours about her husband’s infidelity were more than just idle gossip. This news comes at the worst possible time, and Elisabeth resigns herself to waiting until her husband’s homecoming to work on restoring her marriage. But will the Kerr men ever return from battle?

As she waits for news of her husband, Elisabeth finds herself drawing closer to Marjory, the mother-in-law who had previously scorned her for being a Lowlander. Outlawed for their allegiance to the bonny prince and lost without their men, these two women learn to find trust in each other as their position in society and their beloved country begin to crumble around them.

No review I write of this book will ever be able to do it justice. There are some books that I find myself so enamoured with that I cannot even begin to think of any flaws in them, and Here Burns My Candle is one of these. Having considered it, I could understand that those of a sensitive nature may be upset by the discussions of adultery and mistresses. And non-Christians may find Elisabeth’s conversion to Christianity uninteresting and feel the need to skip over these sections.

And I must confess, I am of a bit of an advantage when it comes to understanding the Scottish dialect in this novel, having grown up in area of Scotland where most of the residents speak with a rather broad Scots accent. (Although I will admit that my own accent is incredibly neutral, causing all of my foreign friends to complain that I don’t sound “Scottish enough”. So while I can decipher old Scots, I couldn’t pronounce it to save my life. Please don’t ask me to read this book out loud!) Fortunately, the author has included a wonderful glossary at the back of this book. If you have not yet discovered this, I’d recommend searching for it now! Even I had to use it a couple of times. The idea of having to look up a glossary in a novel might seem strange at first, but I know that most Amish novels now include these so the idea is not entirely new. But I can sympathise with those who are put off this novel due to the dialect.

That said, I honestly cannot think of one aspect of this novel that I did not love. I was cautious at the idea of reading a book set in my own country, as my one previous experience with a Scottish historical romance wasn’t particularly inspiring. Eighteenth-century Scottish history isn’t a period that I’m overly educated in, and I’m fairly certain that the Jacobite Rebellion was covered in a one-hour lecture in my first year of university. Thus, I’m certain that there are American readers who came to this book more read on this subject than myself! Like many, I started this book rather blind, and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

I was immediately taken in by the strong, yet somehow vulnerable character of Elisabeth, who was treated like an equal by her husband yet looked down on by his family. While she stood up to her mother- and sister-in-law, she was scared at confronting her husband about the rumours she’d heard whispered about him. As would any woman, Elisabeth tried to deny any thoughts of her husband’s infidelity, yet on another level she believed them enough that she didn’t want to risk confronting him for an answer. It was truly heartbreaking to witness Elisabeth’s internal turmoil and to wait for the moment when she would learn the truth. And while you wouldn’t think that Donald could be a terribly endearing character, I did wish that he would get the chance to reform himself and cut the ties to his mistresses.

But this is Edinburgh during the Jacobite Rebellion, and I knew that the outcome of Elisabeth and Donald’s story wouldn’t be a pleasant one. Those who recall the Biblical story of Ruth will also know how this plot will pan out, since both Here Burns My Candle and its sequel, Mine is the Night, are based upon the Book of Ruth.

Unlike a lot of the historical novels I read, the premise of this one was not a boy-girl romance, but the growth of a relationship between mother- and daughter-in-law. Marjory was originally a rather unlikable character, the typical matriarch who cared more about the appearance of her family than her relationships within it. But when her sons left to fight in battle, she found herself alone with her two daughters-in-law, and it was Highlander Elisabeth, not the more respectable Janet, in whom she found comfort. It was wonderful to watch the growing relationship between these two women, despite the bleakness of their situation, and the reformation of Marjory’s personality. Their friendship also helps Elisabeth to draw closer to God, a figure who had been entirely absent in her upbringing but in whom she finds comfort after her husband’s departure. Mother- and daughter-in-law relations are not often the subject of novels, but they are a topic that most women will be able to relate to.

While I felt that the conclusion to this novel was largely optimistic, I’m also very glad that I have the sequel sitting in front of me! The Kerr saga is captivating, and I’m now a convert to the works of Liz Curtis Higgs and historical fiction of my homeland. It was so refreshing to read a novel not focused on romance, but the relationships between women in an extended family. If you’re a historical fiction fan and have not yet discovered Liz Curtis Higgs, I highly recommend starting with Here Burns My Candle.

Review title provided courtesy of Waterbrook Press.

This review is also posted at The Christian Manifesto, who will be featuring a giveaway of this book in the near future. Keep checking back for more information!