The Crown in the Heather (The Bruce Trilogy Book 1)

I could not wait to start reading this book after I finished the first one in the series. It was fantastic and held my interest to the very end. I started the last one immediately after the end of this one.

This was a great read. It took me 2 days to finish it. I couldnt put the book down! I love stories about Scotland so I had to check this series out. I love the style of writing. I cant wait to start on the next one.

I wasn't expecting too much from this book after purchasing it for 99 cents for Kindle, but I really enjoyed it. The action is exciting and the characters well developed. If you like Penman books and are at all interested in Scottish history you will like these as well. This trilogy deserves to be sold at full price and widely read.

Traveled to Scotland and this story helped me understand the history of the country, even though it was historical fiction. The basic information about events, dates and people allowed me to get into the many sites we visited.

I enjoyed this book, but agree with a previous reviewer that the kindle version makes it a bit difficult to read due to the lack of ease in referring back to previous chapters/pages. I liked the story and thought it was well written. I look forward to more from this trilogy.

this was an excellant choice for me as once again it was a blend of history and character building. I became well engaged in the the charcters in the story. as i had some knowledge of this period of history made it that much more enjoyable. recc'd

Robert Bruce has an enormous passion for his people, country, honor, his duty and Elizabeth his love. Finished book 1and I want him to succeed but afraid to find out how much more it will cost to do so..

I really enjoyed The Crown in the Heather. It's interesting how the author writes the story through the eyes of several characters, but she pulls this off well. At first it was a little confusing as I was getting the characters mixed up, but as I got deeper into the story it made it more compelling and I became immersed in the setting and story and people she so vividly portrays. By the end, I didn't want it to end and I'm waiting eagerly for the next book to be released.

The reviews on this made me expect better than it is. The historical research is very lacking. The representation of Robert the Bruce, for example, seems to have come right out of the movie Braveheart rather than having anything at all to do with with the historical Bruce. If you are going to use actual historical characters as this author did, it's important to stick to the history. The writing was a bit boring and the constant changing of point of view kept me from getting interested in the characters if you could get past that they weren't very historically accurate. I can't recommend it. There is much better out there.

Anyone interested in Scotland's history would like this book. You really get a good picture of what Robert the Bruce and others were really like. Gives the details of what things were really like and not always paint a pretty picture.

If you're looking for not only well-written but entertaining historical fiction, you'll love this book. Sasson's characters lingered in my mind every time I put the book down...which is why I stayed up late for several nights in order to finish it! Wonderfully engaging and truly enjoyable.

I think those that give this book 5 stars are friends of the author, i think those that hate it were looking for a historical non fiction read. The book is a novel and it follows several characters through Robert the Bruce's first years and through his beginning of crown searching. The book is readable for sure and its characters are interesting but the problem i have with the book is that when it switches Points of View (pov hereafter) that sometimes you get lost wondering who the book is talking about, especially if you had put the book down and pick it up at random you might not know if your reading about Robert or James. I have no problem with how the book talks or is written i read the book in about a week and enjoyed it but there were several times where i had to flip back and see who that particular chapter was taking its point of view for. I dont mind first person pov but i only like it from one character per book. It is however still a good read if you can figure that part out. The book does lack a ending however and even though it hails itself as the first part of a trilogy i do like a little bit of closure.

Author and Reader.

Def worth the Kindle deal price i paid for it.

A fantastic piece of history not well told. I love historical fiction but here the author failed to bring the characters to life. The multiple narrators are confusing and disrupts the flow of reading. I gave up not far from the end. Grateful that I only bought the first one in the trilogy.

One of the disadvantages of e-books is that it's hard to flip back to review the cast of characters. I only read the first couple of chapters of this book. It was confusing(names and places) and overly graphic regarding violence. Another disadvantage of e-books is that you can't return them. I bought the other two books in the trilogy at the same time. This book is so bad I won't even finish it let alone try to slog through a second or third book.

The reviews on this made me expect better than it is. The historical research is very lacking. The representation of Robert the Bruce, for example, seems to have come right out of the movie Braveheart rather than having anything at all to do with with the historical Bruce. If you are going to use actual historical characters as this author did, it's important to stick to the history. The writing was a bit boring and the constant changing of point of view kept me from getting interested in the characters if you could get past that they weren't very historically accurate. I can't recommend it. There is much better out there.

Anyone interested in Scotland's history would like this book. You really get a good picture of what Robert the Bruce and others were really like. Gives the details of what things were really like and not always paint a pretty picture.

If you're looking for not only well-written but entertaining historical fiction, you'll love this book. Sasson's characters lingered in my mind every time I put the book down...which is why I stayed up late for several nights in order to finish it! Wonderfully engaging and truly enjoyable.

I think those that give this book 5 stars are friends of the author, i think those that hate it were looking for a historical non fiction read. The book is a novel and it follows several characters through Robert the Bruce's first years and through his beginning of crown searching. The book is readable for sure and its characters are interesting but the problem i have with the book is that when it switches Points of View (pov hereafter) that sometimes you get lost wondering who the book is talking about, especially if you had put the book down and pick it up at random you might not know if your reading about Robert or James. I have no problem with how the book talks or is written i read the book in about a week and enjoyed it but there were several times where i had to flip back and see who that particular chapter was taking its point of view for. I dont mind first person pov but i only like it from one character per book. It is however still a good read if you can figure that part out. The book does lack a ending however and even though it hails itself as the first part of a trilogy i do like a little bit of closure.

Author and Reader.

Def worth the Kindle deal price i paid for it.

A fantastic piece of history not well told. I love historical fiction but here the author failed to bring the characters to life. The multiple narrators are confusing and disrupts the flow of reading. I gave up not far from the end. Grateful that I only bought the first one in the trilogy.

I started "The Crown in the Heather" not knowing anything about Scotland's early history or about the power struggle for the throne. A few pages into the novel, I marveled at the author's ability to tell a compelling story about people caught up in complicated events. There are just enough historical details to anchor the reader but the details never overwhelm the characters. The novel is the right balance of love, intrique, and ambition.

Now it's on to the second book in The Bruce Trilogy!

I thoroughly enjoyed the time i spent reading this great novel. Character development was well executed and the author stays true to the history and time line of the actual events. Take the time to read this one, you wont be dissapointed if you do. It'll be hard to put down!

If you enjoy historical fiction this is a must read. It's one of those books you can't put down. It's a fast paced story about Robert the Bruce's desire to become the King of Scotland. There are many excellent battles that are realistic to the times. You will feel as if you know these characters intimately.

I have read many, many, books over the many years and must say that this is, in my regards, one of the better, if not the best, of those I have had the pleasure of reading. My advise to the author....keep up the fine work, only make them longer!

Traveled to Scotland and this story helped me understand the history of the country, even though it was historical fiction. The basic information about events, dates and people allowed me to get into the many sites we visited.

this was an excellant choice for me as once again it was a blend of history and character building. I became well engaged in the the charcters in the story. as i had some knowledge of this period of history made it that much more enjoyable. recc'd

I was interested in reading about the latter part of Edward I's reign, but also in learning more about the era of William Wallace of Braveheart fame. I learned more about the people of that time, including Robert the Bruce. The book was not the most well-written of books I have read---but I did gain a better understanding of the plight of the Scottish people during Edward I's reign---so I would recommend it.

Robert the Bruce and the struggle for independence from English tyranny comes to life in the pages of this book. I love this era, it speaks to me of my own heritage. I have been to Scotland, walked where my ancestors blood soaked the ground. The descriptions of the land take me back.

This is a marvellous fictional account of a dramatic period in Scottish history that has inspired the imagination of writers through the centuries amd more recently film makers across the globe. I read it a couple of years ago and the broad and vivid strokes the writer uses to portray both the stunning beauty of the Scottish landscape and the multi-layered complexity of the characters and the challenges they faced has lingered in my memory. My knowledge of Scottish history is woefully lacking and previously was limited to folkelore from childhood stories and a nod towards the Wallace Monument when passing in the car. This book brought everything to life for me. It's beautifully written and I recall being so gripped by the story that I read it over just a few days and was enriched by the experience. Highly recommended.

Good read. You'll like it if you like historical novels. The author does a good job of explaining the complexities of the king conflicts in Scotland and the politics of this time. Robert Bruce and Stirling Castle play major major roles.

An interesting perspective on Scotland's early history. I truly enjoyed the use of the first person narrative on three important individuals in history. By using this technique, I found myself connecting with the characters. I am looking forward to reading the next two installments of this series.

I started "The Crown in the Heather" not knowing anything about Scotland's early history or about the power struggle for the throne. A few pages into the novel, I marveled at the author's ability to tell a compelling story about people caught up in complicated events. There are just enough historical details to anchor the reader but the details never overwhelm the characters. The novel is the right balance of love, intrique, and ambition.

Now it's on to the second book in The Bruce Trilogy!

I thoroughly enjoyed the time i spent reading this great novel. Character development was well executed and the author stays true to the history and time line of the actual events. Take the time to read this one, you wont be dissapointed if you do. It'll be hard to put down!

If you enjoy historical fiction this is a must read. It's one of those books you can't put down. It's a fast paced story about Robert the Bruce's desire to become the King of Scotland. There are many excellent battles that are realistic to the times. You will feel as if you know these characters intimately.

I have read many, many, books over the many years and must say that this is, in my regards, one of the better, if not the best, of those I have had the pleasure of reading. My advise to the author....keep up the fine work, only make them longer!