Here Burns My Candle

January 18, 2010
Prolific and popular Christy winner Higgs (Whence Came a Prince
) returns to Scotland with this historical tale set in the 1745 Jacobite rebellion led by Charles Edward Stuart, grandson of the deposed King James. In Edinburgh, Lady Elisabeth Kerr brings beauty, modest origins, and Highland-born sympathy for Bonnie Prince Charlie to her marriage to the handsome royalist Lord Donald Kerr, who loves his wife and has an eye for beautiful women. She secretly follows the auld ways, pagan worship of the moon. Donald, too, has his secret affairs; his widowed mother, Dowager Lady Marjory Kerr, has bags of gold hidden away. The story begins slowly, picking up speed after characters and tensions are introduced and rebellious forces take Edinburgh. The characters are remarkably flawed—the better to be redeemed in an evangelical Christian novel—though Donald's flaws and Elisabeth's notable patience may try some readers' patience. Higgs is a stickler for period authenticity and has done her homework on history and dialect. Fans have been waiting five years for this novel and will not be disappointed.

April 15, 2010
During the 1745 Jacobite uprising in Scotland, Lady Elisabeth Kerr and her husband, Lord Donald Kerr, are on opposite sides of the political divide. And both have secrets: Elisabeth follows the pagan religion, while Donald carries on affairs with several women. They, along with Elisabeth's mother, Marjorie, try desperately to guard their secrets as political tensions build in the country. VERDICT Christy Award winner Higgs ("Whence Came a Prince") has a faithful following, and though these characters are sometimes too whiny, the author's broad appeal makes this a winner for those who love period detail in their historicals.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.