The Pride of Lions (Scotland Trilogy Book 1)

The story moves the reader with passion, love and twisting outcomes from the beginning to the end.... I have just purchased the "Blood of Roses" for the next saga of Alex and Catherine. Marsha Canham holds your attention constantly, and if you enjoy these be sure and read "The Wind and the Sea" and "Across A Moonlit Sea". mm

Couldn't get beyond ch 2. Chapters were monstrously long. The main character walked into a ballroom, spotted the man she hoped to convince to propose by the end of the evening. Then we shift (without warning) to him and the group of men he is talking with and the next 10+ pages are their conversation about who is the rightful king and what to do about the other guy. What about the girl, wedding plans, the ball--come on already. Get on with it.

Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series made a big impression on me. I especially loved the Jacobite history, and was so voracious for a historical novel set during that same conflicting period between England and Scotland that I bought Marsha Canham's The Pride of Lions. That was two years ago. The Canham novel sank somewhere in the heap of my TBR pile, never to be opened... until now. The moment I extracted the book, dusted it off (shamefully admitting that my TBR pile is not only huge, but some of the books have gathered dust as well) and began to read, I knew I had a special book in my hands. Full of history, adventure and sensual romance, The Pride of Lions is indeed a treasure.

The year is 1745. Catherine Augustine Ashbrooke, a young English debutante, has one thing in her mind: to marry Hamilton Garner, a lieutenant for the dragoons. When she meets a tall, dark and handsome stranger with gorgeous dark eyes and a mysterious countenance, she decides to make her suitor jealous by flirting with the strange man, a successful merchant by the name of Mr. Raefer Montgomery. She succeeds with her scheme -- so much so that Hamilton challenges Raefer to a duel. Montgomery wins the duel... and a marriage to Miss Catherine. This doesn't sit well with either party, but they have no choice but to oblige. It is only through their journey to their "marital home" that Catherine discovers that Raefer Montgomery is actually Alexander Cameron, a Scottish Jacobite who has assumed the identity of a merchant to spy on the English. Aghast, she makes every possible attempt to escape, but Alex is always one step ahead of her. But during the journey she discovers that the English aren't Cameron's only enemy. The Campbells have been a thorn in Alex's life for many years, and they are determined to make his life miserable and get even for past misdeeds at all cost. Amid all of the drama, something happens to Catherine. She falls in love with Alexander. Now how did that happen? And will she be able to embrace the Scottish lifestyle as her own?

Now THIS is a historical romance novel! You literary get a history lesson as the sexual tension between the protagonists grows with each passing chapter. You get action, adventure, intrigue, villains and romance throughout the book. You will not be bored! The early Georgian era has always been a bit iffy for me. Bewigged and corseted men have always put me off, but I somehow managed to enjoy picturing this time period as I read the book. Also, it helped that most of the novel takes place in Scotland. Men in kilts and tartans sound far more delicious, and Canham describes their traditional dress beautifully. The Jacobite history comes to life in this novel, and I see from the preview of Blood of Roses that the next installment will take place during the battle of Culloden. The scenes that center on political talk are very insightful. It first happens in England, then in Scotland, and it's nice to "hear" both sides of the argument. The one bad factor -- if you can call it "bad" -- is that Catherine is extremely annoying during the first half of the novel. Then again, it is realistic that an Englishwoman would be upset about being taken to enemy territory. All in all, The Pride of Lions is BRI-LLI-ANT! One of the best historical romances I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Marsha Canham deserved the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award. I have ordered Blood of Roses and Midnight Honor and I look forward to reading them. Spring is here, which means I'll be reading more romances and lighter reads during the warm season. I hope to be wise and pick authors whose historical romances are in fact historical and not glaringly anachronistic trash.

Synopsis: Catherine Ashbrooke is determined to win Hamiliton Garner, a luitinent in the English army and is willing to go to any means to get him. Even if that means flirting with the mysterious stranger she met in the woods of her father's estate. Alexander Cameron is a merchant in disguise and is captivated by Catherine's beauty. When Hamilton catches him kissing Catherine in the moonlight, the soldier challenges him to a duel. Alexander wins not only the duel, but Catherine, a wife he doesn't need or want. Catherine is horrified and devastated by this turn of events but is forced to marry him. She soon finds out that the quiet merchant is not the man she thought he was...

This was my first book by Canham and frankly, I was a little disappointed with it. I had to read the first chapter three times before I could really get into the story. I should've known that this book wasn't going to live up to the hype. Catherine was the typical pampered, spoiled English heroine that frequent these types of stories and Alexander was the typical hero that we know little to nothing about. They bicker and argue for the majority of the novel and then realize they're in love without any real explanation as to how that happened. I just didn't buy it, not even after Catherine realized that she had only fought with Alex because of how she felt about him. It just didn't work for me. Catherine hated his guts until they had sex then promptly changed her mind/heart. At least Alex seemed amused/impressed with her fiery attitude prior to that. Even so, him being madly in love with her seemed like a stretch, even at the end of the story. The characters didn't share any tenderness or intimacy of any kind before they fell in love which is something I crave in a romance novel. I don't mind fighting as long as it's balanced out with scenes like that.

Canham focused more on the history of the time than the romance between Catherine and Alexander. And her attention to history was very well done as were the descriptions of Scotland. She really captured the emotion of the time and the differing perspectives among the English as well as the Scots. It has been a long time since I've read a story that took place in Scotland and this novel reminded me of what I love about this particular time period. However, there were times where the arguments between the characters got confusing, especially for someone that isn't that familiar with Scottish history. This novel assumes you have some knowledge of the Stuarts and doesn't explain what was going during that time in history until the last half of the novel. By that point, I didn't care anymore. I like that Canham crafted a story that incorporated history but sometimes it read more like a historical fiction than historical romance. If that's what you're looking for, I think you'll enjoy this story immensely. I wanted to love it because Canham is a talented writer, but the story fell flat for me in the end. I only gave it four stars because of the writing, not the romance. I've already ordered "Blood of Roses" so I'll probably still read it, maybe it'll be better than this one.

A history lesson written like a perfect history text book. The romance mixed between the History was very interesting. I skipped many pages of boring technical stuff and could not keep track of history and so I tried to follow the story. To my surprise the story continues in a another book. If you want to read a novel that leaves you happy and fulfilled DO NOT READ the second book. I have never read a book that gets you so involved with beautiful characters and then have them die in the perfect Romeo and Juliet style. I can still feel the sadness. ALso the brother with the pregenant wife dies saving the sister. I read romances because they have happy endings.............I like mystery and sometimes characters do die. But in this cases the characters were the starts of the book and their death was just horrible. The heroine iand hero lives but it was a very very sad ending. This is not a book to lift the spirits after putting all that effort to try to decipher the history writings!!!!

Catherine Ashbrooke is beyond spoiled and pampered. For her 18th birthday, she is having a ball that will be the rave of English society. She is certain that her dream man, Lt. Hamilton Garner, will propose to her that night in front of all of her envious friends. However, when Garner spends time discussing war with the other gentlemen, Catherine decides to get his attention through making him jealous. She sends Garner to get her some water, while arranging a dance with another man. That man is Raefer Montgomery, a wealthy tradesman and friend to Catherine's brother. Her plan works... Garner is furious. He watches Montgomery dance Catherine outdoors, then walks out to find them kissing. Garner challenges Montgomery to a duel.

Montgomery is triumphant. Or at least he thinks he is, until Catherine's father forces them to marry after the duel. Montgomery gives in, with the thought that he will quickly annul the marriage in the first town they reach. Catherine plans the same. However, once they reach the town, Catherine overhears Montgomery talking with Scottish loyalists. She discovers his name is not Montgomery at all, but Alexander Cameron- a famed Scottish warrior. Now Alexander has no choice but to keep her with him. He knows she will run to the English army and turn him in. He takes her to his Scottish home with the intention of releasing her once he is safely over the border.

When Alexander arrives at his Scottish home, his kinsmen are outraged that he has taken a "Sassenach" woman to wife. He had hoped to send her home before anyone found out about her, but she has accidentally revealed their marriage to his family and friends. Now he must keep her for a while. Both act angry about the situation, yet they each are beginning to discover feelings for one another. Alex is terrified that his enemies will attack her, like they did his first wife. He is determined to send her home where she will be safe with her family. However, once she realizes her love for Alex, Catherine refuses to leave him. Alex's fears come true when she is kidnapped. He will risk his very life to get her back.

War is about to break between England and Scotland. With so many odds against them, how can Alex keep her safe? He makes a decision that devastates them both, but he knows it is the only way to save her. How will their love survive? The story continues from here in the sequel book, "The Blood of Roses." I suggest buying both books at the same time. You will have true urgency to find out what happens next. You won't want to have to wait for your next the store order to arrive.

My only gripes:
Catherine is extremely spoiled and even very selfish at times. She does, thankfully, begin to grow up as the story progresses. In the first 3/4 of the book, she can be very annoying. But her behavior was actually typical for the English of that time period.
There are a couple of places in the book where I skimmed over a page or two, to get me past unneccasry government info. (TMI, Ms. Canham... let's get back to the story.) However, the story was good enough to make me overlook this.

YOU MUST FOLLOW THIS BOOK WITH IT'S SEQUEL!!! The second book will send you reeling. Be prepared to be haunted and effected in a way that no other romance novel has ever done.
Here is the link:
Blood of Roses

I stumbled across this book by chance, browsing around the store.com as I looked for books to spend an electronic gift card on. After reading the blurbs for this novel, and its sequel, The Blood of Roses, I ordered both books. And I am very glad I did! As an individual who is an ardent fan of Gabaldon's Outlander series, I am constantly on the look-out for books set in the same time & place. Canham's novels are an awesome read! At first I feared another Gabaldon rip-off, but that is not the case here, not by far! I was further surprised to see the publish dates of both The Pride of Lions and The Blood of Roses is before the 1991 publish date of Outlander. Just a little tidbit to keep in mind when reading these books.
Anyway, Alexander Cameron is a remarkable hero. Brave, proud and handsome, he returns to his native Scotland after a 15 year exile in France. Posing as Raefer Montgomery, a wealthy English merchant, he accidentally meets Catherine on the grounds of her family home, Roswood Hall. Enroute to the Highlands, he wins the hand of Catherine Ashbrooke in a duel. As they venture cross country north, they encounter much drama, which serves as a catalyst to bring them together. Delightful secondary characters include Deidre O'Shea, Catherine's maid, and Aluinn MacKail, Alex's foster brother. These two characters eventually are drawn together despite a rather rocky beginning. Struan MacSorley is a gigantic, fierce Scot whose sister was handfasted to Alex 15 years ago.
Villains include the Campbell clan, especially Malcom Campbell, whom Alex almost killed years ago. In fact, he did kill Malcolm's two brothers as revenge for the death of his young bride, Annie, which is the reason he was in exile.
Lauren Cameron is an excellent she-cat villain. She hates Catherine on sight as she believes she was destined to be Alex's wife. She will stop at nothing to realize her goal, becoming Alex's wife or lover, and escaping her perceived confines of Achnacarry castle.
I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy a detailed histroical read, with an endearing love story mixed in. The ending of this book is no ending at all, but a weigh station before proceeding to the next book.
Which is another must read.
I can only agree with another reviewer here, in that it has taken me this long to discover this author. I hope her other works are as good as this!

This is a romantic historical novel that will keep the reader turning the pages. Steeped in Scottish and English history during the time of the Jacobite rebellion, the author finely hones the romance against this tumultuous historical backdrop. While I am not particularly enamored of romance novels, this one certainly kept my interest due to the author's attention to historical detail.

When eighteen year old Catherine Ashbrooke, the spoiled minx of a daughter of a Member of Parliament, plots to get a handsome lieutenant in the Royal Dragoons to propose marriage to her, her plan backfires. Instead, she finds herself forced by her father into a shotgun wedding with a veritable stranger, the darkly handsome, wealthy, and mysterious merchant, Raefer Montgomery.

Miserable that her seemingly well-laid plan had gone so awry, Catherine is taken by her new husband on a journey to Scotland. On the way, she has many adventures and soon discovers that her husband is not who he purported to be. It turns out that Raefer is really Alexander Cameron, a dashing highlander who had spent many years in exile due to an ancient blood feud gone badly with the Campbell clan. He is now returning home to Castle Achnacarry with Catherine, she a reluctant bride and he a reluctant husband.

Thrust into the Cameron clan, Catherine and Alexander fight the mutual attraction that they have for each other only to succumb to a passion that would seal their fates and dictate the turn of events that would bind them as one. As suddenly as they discover their passion for one another, however, Catherine is rent from Alexander, when the ancient blood feud with the Cambell clan once again rears its ugly head and threatens all that Catherine and Alexander now hold dear.

I found myself compulsively turning the pages of this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am now looking forward to reading the sequel, "The Blood of Roses". Those readers who enjoy historical romances will find much to like in this adventure packed novel that has just the right amount of romance.

This is a romantic historical novel that will keep the reader turning the pages. Steeped in Scottish and English history during the time of the Jacobite rebellion, the author finely hones the romance against this tumultuous historical backdrop. While I am not particularly enamored of romance novels, this one certainly kept my interest due to the author's attention to historical detail.

When eighteen year old Catherine Ashbrooke, the spoiled minx of a daughter of a Member of Parliament, plots to get a handsome lieutenant in the Royal Dragoons to propose marriage to her, her plan backfires. Instead, she finds herself forced by her father into a shotgun wedding with a veritable stranger, the darkly handsome, wealthy, and mysterious merchant, Raefer Montgomery.

Miserable that her seemingly well-laid plan had gone so awry, Catherine is taken by her new husband on a journey to Scotland. On the way, she has many adventures and soon discovers that her husband is not who he purported to be. It turns out that Raefer is really Alexander Cameron, a dashing highlander who had spent many years in exile due to an ancient blood feud gone badly with the Campbell clan. He is now returning home to Castle Achnacarry with Catherine, she a reluctant bride and he a reluctant husband.

Thrust into the Cameron clan, Catherine and Alexander fight the mutual attraction that they have for each other only to succumb to a passion that would seal their fates and dictate the turn of events that would bind them as one. As suddenly as they discover their passion for one another, however, Catherine is rent from Alexander, when the ancient blood feud with the Cambell clan once again rears its ugly head and threatens all that Catherine and Alexander now hold dear.

I found myself compulsively turning the pages of this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am now looking forward to reading the sequel, "The Blood of Roses". Those readers who enjoy historical romances will find much to like in this adventure packed novel that has just the right amount of romance.

Catherine Ashbrooke wanted to make Lieutenant Hamilton jealous, so she flirted with a stranger at the ball. Only the flirtation led to a kiss between Catherine and Reaf and they ended up being discovered. This led to a duel between Reaf and Hamilton, with the winner having to marry Catherine.

On that same night a very distraught Catherine finds herself married to the mysterious Reaf, only to later on discover that his real name is not Reaf Montgomery but Alexander Cameron (the dark Cameron). So the adventure and romance start.

Catherine started out as a spoiled girl and then grows throughout the story. Alexander starts out as a hard and closed off person, but slowly softens towards Catherine. One of my favorite lines said by Alexander: "I have no soul madame, it died in my arms 15 years ago".

This book is a mix of intense romance and historical intrigue/suspense, with a backdrop of looming war. The only drawback is that this book can be slow at some parts and it ends sort of abruptly. So for the reader to get the full story, they must read the second book as well "The Blood Of Roses". I found "The Pride of Lions" to be a better read than its sequel(which is more focused on the war).

In the end,"The Pride of Lions" is a great read that had me flipping the pages to see what happens next.

I loved the hero, but never liked the heroine even in the end. I usually warm up in the end and find some redeeming qualities, but not in this one. I felt like the book was much more about the war and neglected developing the relationship. I really felt it was them arguing, then when she finds out what happenned to him she is in love. Well what exactly made him fall in love with her? Was it her spoiled and selfish ways..lol? I'm contemplating reading the sequel, but in no hurry for sure.

The entire story (The Pride of Lions and The Blood of Roses) was amazing! Alexander and Catherine had one of the most beautiful and tortured love stories I have ever had the pleasure to read. I will admit however, that the scene of Deirdre O'Shay and Aluinn MacKail on the battlefield made me cry more than I have ever cried over a book in my life! I have never been so touched by secondary characters in all my years of reading. I cried so much I had to stop reading until I could calm down. Even years later, all I have to do is think about that scene and I get choked up all over again! Loved it, truly!

I'm a historian, although not a student of Scottish history, and I love a GOOD historical novel. This enthralling novel has convincing characters and a riviting story. It is set against the Scottish revolt that ended with the battle of Culloden, the shadow of which hangs over the story. There is a lot of history, much more than the ususal romance, but if that's not your cup of tea, you can skim the politics and the battles and still be entranced by the romance. Marsha Canham's two wonderful novels, Pride of Lions and Blood of Roses, should be read together as one work.

I really enjoyed the romance of this story, along with the historical references and the love of family displayed between the Cameron men and women. I especially liked how Catherine grows up from a spoiled, naive girl into a woman who finds herself in love with the most unlikely man for her. I look forward to reading the rest of this trilogy and have enjoyed many of Marsha Canham's series....

This was a good story. I found myself disappointed in Catherine's spoiled, annoying personality. She really only becomes likeable towards the end...
BUT...
this is, I'm sure, an intentional evolution by the author which really culminates in the sequel, Blood of Roses, which I would have to give a 5 or close to it.
Read both and you will have a wonderful, if heartbreaking (in terms of the way the Culloden history always breaks my heart) love story. Even the secondary characters steal your heart and there is no shortage of drama or action...or tenderhearted love.
I may give this story a 4 but the 2 combined are an 8.

I simply cannot say enough about all of Marsha Canham's wonderful books, and especially my personal favorites, The Pride of Lions and the continuations/sequels, The Blood of Roses, and Midnight Honor. What a monumental undertaking all of these books were! The primary characters, Alex and Catherine share a heartwarming and heartwrenching romance. Of course, the journey begins on a very rocky road - but as always, true love does conquer all obstacles. Aluinn and Deirdre, the main secondary characters, have the most poignant and heartbreaking love story in the history of all love stories. The first time I read Aluinn's and Deirdre's story in The Blood of Roses, I wept openly. I cannot compare Marsha Canham's rich and evocative writing to any other author of historical romances. When you read her novels,you are placed in that period of history, in that moment in time, and you feel every emotion those characters feel, as Ms. Canham steers you through the maze of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Ms. Canham also has the concept of good vs. evil down to a science. Her bad guys/ladies are among the most evil I've found anywhere. It's very soul cleansing to see good triumph over evil in her novels. I have read all of Marsha Canham's novels and it is my opinion that this truly gifted author will be remembered on par with Jane Austen and Emily Bronte in years to come. I eagerly await any and all new releases, and simply cannot wait! I have begun to re-read her novels to pick up the details I missed the first time around. Ms. Canham, I hope you continue to entertain and delight us for many years to come!

One of the best historicals I've ever read, beautifully written. Make sure you have the sequel on hand (the Blood of Roses) because you'll by dying to know what happens next. I wish someone would make a movie out of these two books. The characters, settings, descriptions...everything was crafted wonderfully.

If you enjoy reading about the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion and are looking for a quick read this one is for you. Tall dark haired highlander falls for stubborn yet spunky english woman. Your standard stuff for romances of this period. Enough suspense to keep you turning the page and enough hot stuff to keep you interested. Good summer beach read.

diana gabaldon is a true genius. ms canham comes close to replicating the depth of emotion and love between two characters but this more a traditional romance novel with a lot of history thrown in for good measure.
i loved the outlander series and this book and the sequel, "blood of roses" are good but not quite close to rendering the same emotional attachment to the characters.
very good reading for the most part.

Ugh...typical "really cheap on the store" romance novel. Young stupid female lead, the predictable "arranged/forced marriage" to the super-hot, rich, good-at-everything, scottish guy. Of course she hates him on sight, and instead wants to be with the handsome-evil-bad-guy (rolls eyes). I couldn't even finish this. Is there some kind of "romance author template" that everyone uses for these kinds of books? They're almost always the "I hate the hot guy I've been forced to marry" book or the "I love him as soon as I saw him and we are getting married 2 weeks later" book. Throw in some variations on theme: scottish highlander, a pirate, a prince that doesn't know he's a prince, the duke who thinks he'll never love again... whatever. I think I'm getting too old for this crap. I used to like these kind of books when I was younger.

When will I learn my lesson that just because it's free (or nearly free on the store), doesn't mean I need to download it.

My husband bought this book for me because I have a great fascination with historical fiction, and with Scottish history. I do not typically read "romance" novels, but this is so much more. Actual historical details are expertly woven into the story; the main female character has several "flaws" that make her at once annoying and endearing; and finally, there are a few very nice surprises in the plot--I hate predictable stories! If you enjoy this, check out the sequel: Blood of Roses.

Very well written book, keeps you reading until late at night. Tons of action and a good story line. I would have given five stars but it is a SERIES and does not say so on the cover. It should be my choice if I want to read a book that continues. It actually is a trilogy so there are two other books that you have to wait to read when they come out later. I feel like they think they are fooling you to get you to buy more books when they don't tell you it is a series. It is not a cliff-hanger at the end but the wife is left sailing off to another country while the husband goes to fight for Scotland. I'll let others tell more of the story, I am just giving my opinion of the cover not telling you upfront that it is a series.

The reviews lead me to believe that this story would be great but it wasn't for me. I think it is a nice story with good characters and plot but now a whole lot of emotions, intrigue or romance. Certainly nothing steamy. I am starting the second in the series so maybe that one will be better.