Louise Turner

Fire & Sword covers a tumultuous time in Scottish history. There are a lot of players just in and around the old and new king let alone out in the countryside. Add in the change of titles as the old guard falls to the new and titles switch from one to another and it’s enough to need a scorecard. And a scorecard I did need especially as the book switched quickly from place to place and character to character. At the start of the book it felt a bit like whiplash but I did finally settle down into the rhythm of the book,

James Sempill follows his father to war against the forces fighting for the young prince. He finds himself on the losing side. He is gravely wounded but survives, unlike his father. He goes home to take over his hereditary title as sheriff but things are not to run so smoothly as it’s possible he might be considered a traitor. He does have the support of another laird and they form an uneasy alliance.

There are a number of stories circulating around the main character of James as he struggles to find his way in a new world. He must claim his inheritance, marry and make sure his line continues. The nobles behind the new king are all jostling to secure their new power bases and no one is really safe.

I think I might have enjoyed this book a bit more had it not been as disjointed as it was, It made it hard for me to get into and hard for me to learn who was who at the start of the book. As the sections were so short before they switched to another character I didn’t have time to invest and learn the character before another was introduced. I spent the first third of the book a touch confused. I eventually sorted it all out but I just never found myself lost in the story as I generally do with a book.… (altro)