A review by laufox
Rebellion, by Nora Roberts

4.0

My first Nora Roberts book, and I have to say -I am impressed! Nora does a skillful job at weaving history into this romance, and the book transcended its romance roots to bring true humanity and historical perspective to the work. Because of that, it felt very real and present, and gave the characters an unexpected depth that I often find lacking in romance. While this was written pre-Outlander (and a big part of me wonders how much inspiration Outlander actually drew from this because the number and types of similarities are almost beat for beat; although at 300 pages this is more "Outlander lite"), it felt like it set the tone for the whole Scottish lord romance sub-genre so many authors have capitalized on since. I also generally don't buy into the hate-to-love trope, but it was well-executed here because of Nora's follow-through from misplaced perceptions a la Pride and Prejudice to actions that appeared to uphold those prejudices (without the abhorrent miscommunication tool that is often wielded for too frequently as a character development device), to character growth as they understood how their own personal failings and experiences colored their interactions as their romance began to coalesce. Well done.