Blog Tour Review: Catriona

Catriona

Jeanette Baker

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Release Date: August 2011 (paperback)

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Pages: 464 (paperback)

Author Site: http://www.jeanettebaker.com/

My Rating: 3.75/5

Source: Received for review from Pump Up Your Book


Synopsis:

[from jeanettebaker.com]

Kate Sutherland always felt out of place in brash and modern Southern California. But when she comes to her ancestral home in the Shetland Islands to seek a mystical guide who may shed light on her true heritage, she is caught between the present day and visions of a life from five centuries past....

A fiery young woman of royal English blood, Catriona Wells is determined to save her family from the deadly political clashes of 15th-century Britain. But Cat's cunning is no match for Scottish border lord Patrick MacKendrick. When this powerful warrior betroths her against her will, Cat must decide whether she dares to love him--and to trust him with lives that are more precious to her than her own.

Review:

Catriona started a bit rocky for me. I had a bit of a rough time staying focused and getting used to the jumps between Catriona Wells and Kate Sutherland. I didn't mind the different perspectives or even the different time periods...there were just moments where I felt things were moving too quickly. But when I finally found my comfy little niche I was captivated by the story and plot! I loved the historical parts of the story. This is my first time delving into Scottish history so it was a real treat! As soon as I was done I wanted to know more about James IV's story and more about Scotland. Jeanette Baker brought a lot of the characters to life and I really became interested in them.

The modern story involving Kate was more of a backdrop for me. I liked seeing how Kate's life was unfolding after she found out she was adopted and traveled to Scotland for answers. I got a bit lost when she met Maura though...The paranormal aspect of the story was also a bit iffy for me. I definitely felt the magic at times, but other times I was left a little perplexed. But don't let these observations deter you from checking this out... Catriona is a beautiful story that will appeal to a lot of readers. There are two romantic arcs to follow in the plot and like I mentioned earlier I leaned more towards the historical one involving Catriona and Patrick. Kate and Niall's relationship moved a bit too fast for me...but I still enjoyed reading it. I think I'm just in more of a historical fiction niche at the moment...

I can't express enough how strong and developed the characters were. Characters are so important to me and many other readers I'm sure. I loved the latter part of the story when the secondary characters really start to get involved with the plot. The Scotland setting, both historical and modern, was detailed and so easy to picture. Reading Catriona has definitely gotten me more interested in Scotland and I love that about good stories. I'm excited to read more of Jeanette Baker's work and I recommend Catriona to romance lovers of all kinds!