A book to be avoided at all cost!First, the change of POV from one scene to another is utterly confusing. Then - is the woman called Annabelle or Annabel? The author obviously could not decide! Moreover, there is a lack of flow in the writing; there are change in tenses from past perfect to past tense while telling the same part of memory.
Then we have the sister of the heroine, a gentlewoman, 'studying voice' to sing at the Opera! That was something no gently born lady of that time would ever dream of doing - opera and theatre were associated with prostitution, to put it bluntly.
What annoys me most, however, is the horrific lack of research! For example, the author seems to mistake Scotland for Italy - the Lira was never a currency in Scotland or in England!
Next, in 1810, where the book is set, the clan system as described in the book no longer existed. It had been destroyed after the 45 rebellion. In 1810, there were no more fights between the clans.
It is hilarious how the author lets her protagonist say "Must I remind you of the blood shed at the Glencoe Massacre, and the Catholics fighting the Covenants". First of all, they were called 'covenanters'. Next, after the horror of the 45 rebellion, the horror of Culloden and its aftermath, for a laird to refer back to Glencoe and to the covenanters (17th century) is more than ridiculous.
Then - what, please, is a 'woolery'? Does the author try to sound English, Scots, 19th century? Again, there is the horrendous lack of research along the lines of 'I don't know about this, I'll just make something up. Readers are stupid, they won't notice.' In fact, the mistakes from lack of research are so numerous that to list them all would take way too long.
