Highland Justice

by Doug Godsman

From the Highlands of Scotland to the bustling halls of Ellis Island over the Atlantic, Highland Justice is a tale of vigorous action and sweet romance set in the early 1900s. A chance encounter at a farewell street party sparks love at first sight between young Bella Gordon and Sir David Rennie. But just as fate seems to separate them forever, they are drawn back together at the eleventh hour, unknowingly voyaging to America on the same ship. Under threat from the loathsome desires of powerful people, both on the ship, in Ellis Island and beyond, the young admirers soon find themselves battling for life and for love.

Genres: Historical Fiction

279 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 22, 2019

Reviews

[Linda Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highland Trinity
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Highlands of Scotland, NYC, northwest Arkansas, then on to San Francisco, California in time for the 1906 earthquake. What a whirlwind journey! What a beautiful and captivating story!

Book 1 Highland Justice
It is 1905 in the Highlands of Scotland and we are introduced to Bella and family on the very first pages. It’s a going away party for the Gordons as they will be emigrating to America in the morning. There’s so much here to captivate the unsuspecting reader. I was totally immersed, even though I knew what was in store for Bella or thought I knew. What came glaring from the pages right off was the class distinction between the titled and the common masses. It seems both Bella and Sir David have been struck by Cupid’s arrow, only to be leaving for America the very next day. Bella with her family to settle in California and Sir David, along with Tam somewhere in Arkansas for family business. Cupid certainly has his work cut out for him.

The journey by ship is tense, gripping and terrifying for Bella and I was right there in the midst of it. The plot is well constructed and believable without becoming graphic of Bella’s situation. Being a bit of a history buff; I was aware of the reality of the ugliness that occurred during the crossing and upon arrival. The Ellis Island scenes were moving, heart wrenching and enlightening to the plight of those who emigrated here. Although the author also emigrated here much later; you got the feeling that he somehow felt the fears, sorrows, hope and anticipation of all who came before. Godsman paints a realistic, seedy and implied picture of this ocean crossing. This part of the world building is vital. I felt the horror, sadness, and relief of all the passengers

However, the strength of Highland Justice are the characters and their development. Not only the development of Bella and Sir David; but the secondary characters as well; including Bella’s family and Tam, Sir David’s all around protector.

A climactic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hang on to your bonnet for #2!
Highland Journey…

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining from start to finish!

[Paige Nifong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought the trilogy at a Scottish festival directly from the author! Very interesting story and easy to read! Looking forward to the next two books!

[JulieAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m glad I bought it to support the author at the St. Louis Highland Games. I probably won’t continue with the next book simply because the storyline was off putting. I don’t enjoy storylines where there is danger of women being raped at every turn and having to be saved. I learned about the perils for some women to be taken advantage of during immigration a sad reality. Carrying s firearm by each woman with laws to protect women who use it would curb a lot of the problems spelled out in this book.

[Dale Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to give bad reviews but, in my opinion, this one deserves it. It has an great story line and a well researched history of the immigration to U.S. and what Ellis Island was like. After those two good points, for which I give one star each, I can't think of a single reason to recommend the book. I kept wanting to stop reading and put the book away, something I rarely, if ever do with a novel. I kept thinking, "I can write better than this." I know I can't but I think you get the point.

[Beth Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time author did a good job writing his book. Some parts lacked depth and may have skipped over things that shortened the telling of the story. But I look forward to reading books 2 and 3 of this series to know how the story ends.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was great but a good editor would've definitely helped the flow of the book.