Having really enjoyed Book 2, An Oath Broken, I was very excited to receive an ARC via NetGalley of the last book in this trilogy, An Oath Sworn. Unfortunately, my personal oath to read/review every ARC I receive came very close to being broken. At 60% I was struggling to finish. What was missing? A strong Scottish factor for one. Despite his occasional brogue, this Scottish hero’s mannerism came across too English. Maybe it was because he was too much of a gentleman and not enough of a claymore swinging rogue. Don’t get me wrong. He was no girly man. He was quick to fight/protect the heroine, but somehow he didn’t seem as rugged as the hero in Book 2.
The heroine, who is supposed to be French, also came across too English. Since I am a stickler for characters matching how they are portrayed, I found this distracting.
What else caught my attention? At times, I felt I was told but did not feel what was happening. Equally frustrating there were plenty of times I did. I.e., the author, instead of describing their emotions, would just say he then kissed her passionately then continued with the story. Inconsistency in an author’s writing style is like fingernails down a chalkboard for this reviewer. Maybe the fault lies with editors using their pens like claymores to cut back the page length. Anyway, it was so subtle maybe I’m the only one who was bothered by this.
Yes, near the end there was quite a bit of life-threatening drama and a big plot twist. I do think An Oath Sworn will appeal to many avid Scottish romance enthusiasts. For me, the writing style and characters were simply not as engaging as I’ve come to expect from this author. It’s almost like the book synopsis conveyed this romantic tale better than the actual book itself.
Title: An Oath Sworn, Series: The Oath Trilogy, Book 3, Author: Diana Cosby, stand-alone, HEA, no cheating.
Book 1 – An Oath Taken, 12/8/14
Book 2 – An Oath Broken, 6/23/25
Book 3 – An Oath Sworn, 12/22/15
(This review is based on NetGalley ARC received in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.)