The Highwayman, by Doreen Owens Malek

Book Title: The Highwayman

Author: Doreen Owens Malek

Published By: Harper Monogram

Date Published: April 38, 1993

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 368

Recommended Age: Adults

Read & Reviewed By: Me

Rating: C/3

 "The Luck of the Irish was on the side of these two Romeo and Juliets." ---Theresa

I received this book from Amazon.  It was one of Amazon’s free Kindle books they were giving away on a particular day.

Summary:

Not wanting to be shipped off to a convent to live with nuns, Lady Alexandra Cummings disguises herself as a boy and follows her ambitious uncle to Ireland and to Inverary Castle.  While there she is kidnapped by ruggedly handsome Irish rebel Kevin Burke and spends month under him and falls and love.  Her uncle gets her back, and to save his reputation he does everything in his power to keep Alex and Kevin apart.

My Thoughts:

This was the first time I read a book set in the 1500s, and I enjoyed it.  Usually the farthest back in history I would read would be the 1700s so this was a refreshing look.

Malek developed the characters quite well and I liked how the queen was portrayed.  She was a selfish and spoiled woman, yet you can see the stress she was under having to rule such a vast territory and she tried to do what was right.

As for Alex’s uncle, he made me sick.  He keeps talking about doing his duty to his niece, but he only did his duty for appearances sake.  He was only concerned with moving up in the ranks of the Queen’s court. He would never have tried to get Alex back when she was first kidnapped by Kevin and his men if it wasn’t for his associates saying it would work towards their cause. Appalling!

I gave The Highwayman three stars and a grade of C because although I liked the book something was lacking.  I never felt that “Oh my Gosh” feeling when they got in a tough spot, and some situations were predictable in what the outcome would be.  If you are looking for a good romance to read on those sunny beach days I recommend The Highwayman.

Parents:

Language: none

Adult Content: Sex scenes

Violence: none.