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Beloved Imposter, by Patricia Potter
Penguin,
September 2004
ISBN-13: 978-0425198018
ISBN-10: 0425198014
Reviewed by Laurel, January 2005
It all started about the year 1420, when two clans The Campbell’s and Maclean’s married into each other. Dissatisfied with his wife and to save face, Laird MacLean chained his young wife to a rock and threw her into the sea. It would be easy to claim she drowned. He was not expecting two fishermen to save her and the fallout caused a 100-year curse on every female that married into the MacLean’s. One woman wishes to test this curse and one woman will succeed fighting incredible odds, a broken heart and a relentless but incredibly stubborn laird.
Felicia Campbell is distraught to learn that her uncle Angus Campbell has pledged her into marriage with a man three times her age, with King James consent. To avoid this marriage Felicia concocts a scheme with her cousin Jamie Maclean’s betrothed Janet Cameron to take her place when she leaves Dunstaffnage to return to her home. The plan was to separate herself from the riding party and make her way to London to see her cousin Jamie who would help spirit her out of Scotland and into France, away from this unwanted marriage. But what she was not counting on was the persistent Maclean’s who thought it was high time the current Laird remarried, what better way than to kidnap the intended bride for a Campbell and make her a Maclean. Now taken captive into enemy grounds, Felicia disguised has Janet Cameron, intermingles with her families’ enemies, making friends, seeing the horror and destruction her family reaps on these people opening her eyes to a world and place that was only considered evil in her home.
Rory Maclean has been summoned home to Inverleith, his older brother Patrick disappeared three years ago and his younger brother Lachlin shows no interest in assuming responsibilities of Laird until such time the rightful heir returns home. Having seen the ravishes of this never ending feud between the two clans, the death and destruction he wishes no part in this wild scheme that his clansmen devised for him and see him wed. However he is drawn to the lady he knows has Janet Cameron and she makes him question everything that he has kept suppressed for years. When the pieces of the puzzle start coming together as to why this lady does not wish to leave his home, he is faced with an even bigger problem. Now he has the niece to the Laird of the rival clan and also the son Jamie deep in the dungeons. Just what is the man to do to get himself out of this unwanted position of two hostages from a rival clan and only wants to bring peace and an end to the feud?
Well, you create a scheme by allowing one of your hostages to escape taking your younger brother with him, allowing both to be considered traitors all in the hopes of breaking a betrothal, obtain peace and protect the one he has come to love. The bond between Felicia and Rory was undeniable, even though he knew she was off limits he could not help himself, she showed courage, a spirit that he lost in himself. She made him re-examine his feelings and emotions. Casting off ten years of pain and the loss of two wives and a child, he is reluctant to even admit that he loves her. But with the help of a King, an uncle, and finally an unexpected friend, Rory is able to redeem himself to his clan and himself, proving that curses are just that, words used to terrorize for generations to come.
It’s not often that I am completely enthralled by a book and have to give it a lower mark based on the editing of the story. Is it the fault of the author that the proofreaders who read this book before it went to publishing missed major mistakes? For instance Felicia Campbell was a niece to Angus Campbell and cousin to Jamie Campbell, so why in some instances was she referred to as a daughter and sister? That was not all the mistakes, before her identity was revealed the hero was thinking out loud and referred to her as Felicia even though in the next paragraph he referred to her by the name he knew her as, Janet. It’s sloppy proofreading on the publishers part, and it really should not influence my grading system on the authors work however…one mistake I could overlook possibly two but there was at least seven errors referring to characters and three were on the same page. It is the fault of the publisher that this book Beloved Impostor receives a lesser grade than I originally intended to grade it. It’s a shame the story was riveting, the execution and the telling of it and the characters involved showed spirit; courage, chemistry and mostly they had a heart and held onto hope.
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