Reviews

Gurur by Marsha Canham

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steph_holmes113's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

4.0

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is a romance that reads like historical fiction or fantasy. It is very violent and plot driven although the love story is there. It was also written in 1988 so there are some tropes that could be problematic for some readers including slut shaming and a disabled big bad. It’s not a bodice ripper but the consent isn’t super verbal or super enthusiastic, so if that is a theme you generally avoid or need in your romance, i recommend this with reservations. There is SA mentioned in the backstory of one of the characters and the threat of SA multiple times in this book, so again, if those are themes you avoid in books, be forewarned.

Content Warnings

diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition

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2.0

The start was promising. Chemistry between main characters and plot reminded me of [b:Gone with the Wind|18405|Gone with the Wind|Margaret Mitchell|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328025229s/18405.jpg|3358283], but soon the book loses it's charm and becomes boring. Romance stagnates, there are a lot of boring historical facts and travel.

michellesantiago's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a throwback from high school. I don't remember if I actually read this book back then, or I picked up book 2 (this series follows the same couple in the first 2 books, and the third book follows a different couple) without reading this one first? But, yeah, I was familiar with this series/author and had always remembered this series from back then, when I first started reading romance novels.

But, I really enjoyed it even though it took me almost a week to finish it. It was first published in 1988 though repubbed in 1997 and I think they edited it some then, but it does read like a historical romance from 1990s. They did recently release an audiobook edition so I picked it up. It revolves around the Scots rebellion and set just before the Battle of Culloden. Many of the secondary characters were based on actual historical figures, and the hero, Alex Cameron, was based on an actual person but the author completely dramatized his life. Really enjoyed it--very immersive in terms of historical facts. The romance was hate to love, which is always a fave of mine. Picking up book 2 very soon.

oriental_muse_0818's review against another edition

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3.0

DNF at 70%...

holies's review against another edition

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3.0

I feel like this is better researched and has much more history and a better sense of place and time than the average historical romance. Somehow the romance side of things didn't work for me. I will probably give this author another try, though.

kimberly_b's review against another edition

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4.0

littlebookjockey's review against another edition

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4.0

This book breaks one of the cardinal rules of romance: it doesn't have an HEA—but that is because, like a paranormal, the story continues in the next book in the series with the same couple. Since I knew that before I got to the end, I was saved from giving into a screaming fit of frustration. So just be forewarned. There are lots of little history lessons sprinkled throughout this book. Luckily, I'm interested in that history, but I can see how others might get tired of it. This book has a few villains you love to hate, but the main conflict isn't exactly a person. It's 1745 in Scotland, and Bonnie Prince Charlie is about to start his attempt at the throne. Most people coming to this book now will undoubtedly be familiar with Outlander and will know how that whole fracas is going to go down, but what I love about this telling of this part of history is that this book was published several years before Outlander. Not only that, but it blends both real and fictional people and places together in a colorful tale full of intrigue, gruesome fight scenes, and of course an enemies-to-lovers, forced-marriage romance.

bookphenomena_micky's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

This might be an oldie but it's also a goodie featuring:
-stuck-up English heroine
-argumentative Scot
-kind-of marriage of convenience
-slow burn
-feelings
-betrayals
-cliff hanger

I'll be carrying on.

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