Customer Reviews

The Lover

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Oh --my -- !!!
These are the first words which come to mind when I think about this strong and lovely story .. it took me by surprise! Not *completely* by surprise, since I trust I'll always be thrilled by Ms. Jordan's heartfelt novels. I want ROMANCE and PASSION in my historical romances, and I want those to be quite strong, so that I have no doubts as to the future happiness of the two main characters by the story's end.
I just finished the book, and, well, let's just say I'm having a hard time coming back to the 'real world' !! ... I'm still back in the book, there with Niall and Sabrina... I didn't want it to end.

I'd love a sequel, a whole series of books about them, in fact, taking us through the rest of their lives ... but no doubt I'm in the minority, wanting to see more about the same couple. One can always hope!

Niall McLaren, a Highland laird (who holds depths you'd not imagine; he's far from a stereotype) and Sabrina Duncan, the granddaughter of a neighboring friendly clan (but raised in Edinburgh, not in the wilds) are for the most part forced into marriage. It's a political arrangement, one neither of them wanted, brought on by the impending death of her grandfather, the head of the Duncan clan. She's the only heir, the only one able to represent the clan. Set in 1739, the backdrop of warring, vengeful Highlander clans is well-drawn, giving readers what they need to know about these times, and this place, but always woven within the context of the love story, so that you learn as you go... painless for non-history buffs, and fascinating for history-lovers such as myself.

Niall and Sabrina have fiery tempers, and the fact that their marriage was arranged exacerbates this aspect of their personalities. She's inexperienced and unsure of herself, having been jilted by a former suitor, and finds it impossible to believe that Niall, "the Lover" of the title and a man of vast experience and countless dalliances, could ever truly be attracted to her. She despairs of ever knowing real love, now that she's married to a man who openly admits he has no intention of denying himself the charms of other women, vows or no vows. When he DOES take her to the marriage bed (the only true sealing of a marriage in those days, after all), he IS the consummate lover, very considerate, and very generous... not because he loves her, but because he is a gentleman; again, he's not your typical Highland savage. She definitely learns, in a most beautiful way, that there's another Sabrina within her, one she never knew existed. MOST satisfying, indeed...

But a series of events involving the warring clans almost undoes their already-tense marriage. His desire for revenge, and her disbelief in her own charms, as well as a truly surprising twist in the plot (I was SURE the trouble was coming from somewhere else!) , create some pretty palpable tension... you WANT Niall and Sabrina together, and in love, and cannot imagine how it can ever work out. How can love even take root, much less thrive, under these conditions? I didn't like Niall in the first few chapters, but I knew Ms. Jordan would take care of that, and she did; again, in very satisfying ways.
When they finally really spark, the couple SPARKS... whew!!
A bonafide page-turner. I could not put it down.
Kudos, praise, thanks. I'm still reeling from the love scenes, both from the incredible physical descriptions ( Ms. Jordan should get special awards for these scenes ! ) and from the vivid and very real love the
characters find. Romance novels only 'work' for me if the love in them is believable. It is. Boy, is it ever. And the love makes sense; what amazes me is HOW she gets the lovers to that point where the love DOES make sense, and how real it feels. But Ms. Jordan always succeeds at this; I've enjoyed all the books in her NOTORIOUS series, and the new 'Master of Temptation' so much that I can hardly pick a favorite!

Well done, well done... I will ALWAYS read Ms. Jordan's books. I hope she'll be writing for many, many years to come!

I am a big fan of Nicole Jordan and this is my least favorite of her novels. I found the passion to be somewhat subdued and she works very hard to craft the relationship between Niall and Sabrina, I feel they never really "clicked". Niall's continuing relationship with his mistress is also a break from Jordan's traditional standards and I found it rather unappealing. I would recommend this for die-hard Jordan fans, but not for someone just being introduced to the author.

Just to clarify a few things. In the original version, Niall did commit adultery and was even more arrogant! In the re-write, the "adultery" scene was re-written. If you go to Nicole's website to can read what she has to say about this.

In this version, Niall is a bit gentler and more caring of a person than he was before -- this makes him more likeable.

Even though this was a rewrite, this was my first time reading it. I thought it was very good, but NOT as good as the notorious series in my opinion.
Contrary to other reviews, Niall did NOT have "sex" with his former mistress in this version. He considered it, but in the end could not go through with it.
I love Nicole's books!!!

I have read & enjoyed Ms. Jordan's "The Seduction" but have generally found her other books lacking something or other. When I bought this, I was not aware it was a rewrite, so I could approach it with a fresh view.

The love scenes are ample & steamy, and the plot is a good one. But frankly, I was getting annoyed at what I felt was way too much emphasis on the hero's good looks, and heroine's supposed lack thereof (though this was really in her own mind).

The hero is also somewhat annoyingly full of himself (with his extraordinary good looks, romantic prowess & all)...it's a drawback to be annoyed with a supposedly irresistible hero. It was also irritating to continuously hear (through supporting characters) what a GREAT lover the hero is, known through the length & breadth of Europe. Again, it was overload. I wanted to yell, I know he's attractive & sexy, OK? Leave it alone!

I was also irritated near the end of the book, when Sabrina tells Niall, "I'm not your mouse, your tiger, your..." (whatever other nickname he had for her), but then on the next page, Niall calls her mouse, again! At least four more times! OK, he was just being affectionate, but didn't she just say she wasn't his mouse??

Just harking back to "The Seduction", I thought this book read sort of a like a rough,rough draft of that plot, set in a different era. Did anyone else feel that way?

Did I believe that Niall fell in love with Sabrina? Well...sort of. But not like I believed Damian fell for Vanessa in "The Seduction". So, only 3 stars for "The Lover".

When I bought this book, I read the reviews and was a little iffy about it because how Niall cheated on Sabrina. Normally, I do not like the cheating but some reviewers made it sound alot worse then it really is. The scene was heartbreaking and real, which is why I thought it did the book good. It really is not all that bad. It more fits in with the story. Its the slap that Niall needed and its not like Sabrina let him walk all over her. She is a very strong heroine and Niall is a great hero. I look foreward to her next book with baited breath. I cant wait. And if you have read the reviews and are discouraged, don't be. This book will not disapoint.

I'd just about given up on books set in Scotland, or staring Scots, but Nicole Jordan gives us a Scottish tale that FEELS Scottish!!! She knows her way around the highlands and a kilt . . . now if only more authors would follow her lead.

There really wasn't much difference between the original version and the rewrite. The only difference is Niall does not have sex with his former mistress. The other version showed his true character and how repentent he was. This version was a bit too corny. I prefer the original version because the hero was true to form. He repented in due time and was made to beg by the heroine for forgiveness. What happened Nicole? I expected to read "mouse" giving Niall his comeuppance and making him grovel even more. I was very disappointed.

A timeless love story, set in the highlands of Scotland. Sabrina Duncan, a contented Scottish lass, lives life on the outside fringes, existing in the dull world of commonplace. Niall McLaren, a powerful Scottish laird, lives life in the golden spotlight, existing in the glory of ballrooms and bedrooms. Duty, debt, and obligation force Sabrina and Niall to wed.

Nicole Jordan wrote a novel saturated with sexual heat. The author developed and drew the wedding night with intense sensuality. The reader devours Sabrina's inexperience and Niall's instruction.

Sabrina is spunky; Niall is amused. Sabrina is loyal; Niall is impressed. Sabrina is clever; Niall is fascinated. Sabrina is crushed by his infidelity; Niall is unconcerned by her misery. Unable to understand his intense feelings for Sabrina, Niall has an affair. Sadness fills this adulterous scene; painful words shatter the reader's heart.

Sabrina is feisty and she makes Niall pay for his indiscretion. In the story's conclusion, Niall is begging for her forgiveness. Normally I find such a sexual liaison disturbing, and this was no exception. Nevertheless, Jordan handled it well, and sketched our heroine as a classy lady. Well done.

Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.