Aye, this a bonnie book about history and a part of the life of Flora MacDonald. However, it also introduced other characters, and one is left to wonder if they were real or fictional. This book certainly prompted me to research more into the life of Flora. The book provided good reading, but not so good that I couldn't put it down.

If you've ever bought a tin of shortbread from Scotland, you may see a picture of a man kissing the hand of a woman. The man, fully arrayed in Royal Stewart tartan is Bonnie Prince Charlie, the last hope for a Scot to sit upon the English throne. Who's that woman? In order to read this book, you must know your Jacobite history, or you'll be just as mystified at who she is in this book. Read a wee bit of 18th century Scottish history first, then enjoy this book's plot, filled to the brim with storms! pirates! spies! loyalists! and traitors. Read past the writing, however, for it is sadly stilted and filled with dialogue that informs you of past and present events, as opposed to people simply talking in the here and now. Ms. Fletcher knows her history and expects you to know it as well. She adores Scotland, where Flora and her kin live before they decide to come to America and find a stable life. Little did they realize the Revolutionary fervor that was gripping t! ! he land, and many of the Scots were compelled to now support the British Hanoverian King in his cause against the rebellious American colonists. This, of course, is mortifying to Flora, for she helped to rescue the Stuart "Young Pretender" Charles and now is being asked to support King George as she resettles in America. Ms. Fletcher does a nice job showing how the Old World didn't always fit in the New. Flora's husband wants to support the British, believing that it will bring peace to the land, and allow him to florish. Ms. Fletcher handles the tension between Flora and her husband nicely, but the writing's insipid quality made me cringe. It is an historical novel, but it is refreshing how well Ms. Fletcher did her historical homework. This book has led me to delve deeper into exactly who Flora MacDonald was--rescuing her from being just a picture on a tin or a character in a rather mediocre novel.