McClairen's Isle: The Ravishing One

Normally I have to work through the 1st few chapters to really get into her books. This time she had me from word one. Ms. Brockway had spun such good takes with Ash and Raine that by the time I got to Fia I simply couldn't wait to find out what would happen with her and Thomas. This book was great and the little twist at the end (you might find hints of it throughout the trilogy) was perfect.

This is the third in Brockway's McClairen's Isle trilogy (THE PASSIONATE ONE, 1999; THE RECKLESS ONE, 2000, and THE RAVISHING ONE, 2001). I loved the first two and gave them 5 stars. This last one is another enduring Scottish historical for the "keeper" shelf. Important backstory for this last in the trilogy: The three books tell the stories of two brothers and a sister, Scottish by their mother, Janet McClairen, and English by their father, the charming, selfish, ruthless Ronald Merrick, now earl of Carr. Many years ago, Merrick fled his debtors in London to come to McClairen's Isle in the Highlands. He came to woo the clan, and gain the Isle, but ended up winning the laird's cousin, Janet. She gave him two sons and a daughter and then mysteriously died falling off a cliff. Later, Merrick gained McClairen's Isle as his own, as well as the title of earl of Carr, by betraying the clan to help the English at Culloden. But his first wife's relatives who survived wanted revenge. Though they wanted to capture Lord Carr, they captured only his sons. The Scots didn't want to kill them (they were Janet's sons and half Scottish), so they were sent off to prison in France. Ash, the oldest son, was freed when his father paid the ransom, but Raine was left there to rot because he looked like his mother and Carr couldn't bear to look at him. Raine was finally freed as a result of a young McClairen woman's help--the same woman who saved his life years earlier. Carr never had much time for his half Scottish sons though he carefully groomed his daughter, Fia, with the idea to marry her off to the suitor who would do Carr the most good. At 15, Fia fell in love with Tom Donne, a Scot who had attached himself to McClairen's Isle, no one aware he was the heir, a McClairen, and a former Jacobite. Tom spurned both Fia and her family, calling them evil. It was a revelation to Fia, but she took it seriously and it changed her view of her father and her life. Fia became a seductress while having no man. She developed a plan to become independent of her father and later, goes to London at the invitation of some friends for her first Season. Without her father knowing, she eloped with an old, wealthy Scot thinking when he died, she'd inherit. But her husband failed to tell her he had two children--heirs. When her old husband dies, she continued to live at his Scottish home, Bramble House, until the day her father showed up and told her he owned it. Ever manipulating her, Lord Carr still intends to wed her to the highest bidder. But Fia will thwart that plan by spreading rumors she is a jezebel. Then Tom Donne comes to London. He loathes Fia and what her family has done to so many and, to remove her influence form his best friend, he decides to abduct her and take her to McClairen's Isle, which he now owns and is rebuilding. You have to feel for poor Fia. She has been played by so many for so long. All of London thinks she's a jaded woman, but inside, she is an innocent girl with a compassionate heart and great passion, as Tom will discover. Brockway writes well, her words, phrases and dialog capturing the time period. She has wonderful tag lines that put you in the moment. She uses wonderfully descriptive language so that you see each shadow cast by the moonlight and hear each cricket. It is a well-woven plot, the story is believable and the passion and conflict between the hero and heroine convincing. Some of the reviewers thought Tom was too weak. I don't agree. He was a strong man who rose to each challenge life threw at him. Once he and Fia go to Scotland, they both change. She drops her mask and becomes more the innocent lass she is; he becomes tender in response. Without giving away too much, While Tom had a weakness for Fia, his weakness was just that of a man in love. While perhaps not quite as good as the first (which I rated 5 stars), I did like this one very much. Tom and Fia are a well matched pair (another Merrick and a McClairen). It ties up a lot of loose ends and truly finishes the story of McClairen's Isle. We see more of Fia's brothers, learn more of Carr's deep perfidy, and finally, all comes right in the end--and with a twist! I recommend it and suggest you read the books in order.

It's with sweet sadness that I admit I am done reading the trilogy of McClairen's Isle. Great characters all around, including a villain who was very humorous with his pompous mannerisms. Connie Brockway is a great writer and I really hope she continues to write more high quality historical romances.

I found the ravishing one,featuring Fia and Thomas hard to put down. I enjoyed their adventure. I don't know what I expected to happen but there were many twist and turns. I do wish at some point Gunna would of revealed herself. I have read Ash and Raine's stories several years ago and found them as delightful and enjoyable as this one. Three must read great books. :)

I like The Ravishing One but more for sentimental reasons that are quite divorced from the practical merits of the book itself - it's of that batch of romance books that first came my way around the time of high school and I loved the McClairen Trilogy then. Rereading them more recently, I still love the books, but have to acknowledge the weaknesses of this last installment. As always, Connie Brockway writes beautifully, and the atmosphere of the previous two books, haunting, tragic, wild and dramatic, permeates The Ravishing One as well. I think Lord Carr is a great villain, a big evil spider spinning his webs of manipulation, blackmail, and power plays throughout all three books. He's a bit over the top, especially in this last book as he slips into madness, but I'm happy to go with it. As for hero and heroine, even though the set up for their romance was perfect, they still managed to fall a little flat somehow. Fia Merrick didn't really grab my attention. She's supposed to be "bad" - she has that evil Merrick blood flowing in her veins, after all. She's Carr's favored daughter, his creation, his (s)pawn. But it's soon apparent that she really isn't bad at all. She's just good at pretending, and hides her sweet, shy, mushy interior very well. But not good enough to keep Thomas Donne from eventually finding it out and falling in love with her. As for Donne he seemed kind of stiff and one dimensional to me. A very upstanding, strong type of guy, but not as thrilling or arresting as some other heroes I've come across. Though when he starts battling all comers in defense of Fia's honor near the end, I admit I was moved and compelled by such dramatics. All the same though, I would have liked a bit more from their relationship, especially some more development for Fia, and wish the series could have ended on a stronger note.

I really enjoyed the story of Thomas and Fia. It truly brought the trilogy together for me. I enjoyed that there was more passion and sexier scenes in this, book 3. I hope that the readers buy all three books.

Ups and downs in some of the writing, which restrict me from calling this series a "favorite", but overall a very well written, intriguing historical romance. And, considering how many books like this are written, that's not an easy thing to do. I think the author failed in #3 by making the heroine, Fia, too evil in #1, and unfeeling in #2. To make her endearing, sensitive, and delicate now felt untrue to the character developed in the first two novels. For the excuses given to why Fia was the way she was, I forgave the lapse in feeling this was a different character- the story line was worth it. I especially enjoyed the family reunion at the end, which I had been craving in #1 and 2 and was sad it hadn't come.

I loved this book which i read in one sitting. An evil Earl who prayed on every one with a lust for power and children he neglected a daughter he almost ruined and the tenacity of a mother's love to save her daughter from total corruption. In the end love won the day for the siblings

Absolutely the whole series - every book in it so different and I like to follow through with the same characters. Definitely one to keep your attention and not want to be interrupted while reading.

If you love Scottish Romance and Historical Fiction marrying together with another brilliant author Diana Gabadol Outlander Series or you will love this book not to be missed.