Raider's Tide

Raider's Tide #1

by Maggie Prince

Strong historical fiction and powerful romantic drama set in border country during Elizabethan times - forbidden passions and family loyalties; heresy and witchcraft, but at the heart of it, the burgeoning love of a young girl. The year is 1578 and Queen Elizabeth 1 is on the throne. Sixteen year old Beatie, the daughter of a North Country farmer is defying her family over the matter of her proposed marriage to her cousin Hugh. She is too busy being the elder daughter and watching over her family - overseeing the kitchen work; riding her horse, Saint Hilda, and most importantly keeping a watchful eye out for the first sign of marauding Scots from over the border. The family live in Barrowbeck Tower - a stronghold which should keep out invaders. But the Scots do invade and Beatie has to push at the face of one of them who appears - courtesy of a grappling iron - at an upper window. It is a young face and one that Beatie will never forget. It is the first Scot she has injured, probably killed. Next day, Beatie finds a dirty, bleeding body in the old hermit's hut in the wood, and discovers that it belongs to the Scot she pushed from the window. Through guilt she determines to nurse this enemy back to health, despite the terrible danger to herself which could have her burned at the stake. A smouldering tension of love and intimacy develops between patient and carer, but that isn't the only possible relationship for Beatie. She is also growing very close to the young parson, John Becker. This is an exceptionally atmospheric novel, written in the first person through the voice of this feisty Elizabethan teenager. The reader is immediately taken on a journey to Elizabethan England - the country, not the city - and the smells and sounds are vividly brought to life. Maggie Prince draws a vivid picture too of the wild landscape of the Border Country and the eternal teenage struggle to break free of childhood and lead an independent life.

Genres: Historical, Romance, Historical Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult

208 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2002

Reviews

[Whitney Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the book that made me fall in love with reading

[Kate Hendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Guest house book in El Salvador. It was an ok read but not a recommend.

[Farida Talibli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. I like it because it's about forbidden love

[Chan Maree · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that I have read numerous times hoping for the ending to be different but alas some things are not meant to be

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young instead
Same kind of premise but less disappointing ending
Vikings instead of Scots

[Victoria Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic young adult enemies to lovers story occurring when the Scottish and English border families raided each other.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved it !!! totally believeable. it was everything in one book.

it's about a girl called beatrice who lives in a tower. she is from a kinda noble family and they look after the villagers nearby when the scots attack. it all starts with them thinking the scots are coming and keeping watch. these watches fail and the scots still manage to land a surprise attack. in the attack beatrice meets a hansome scot but pushes him out of a window (lol) the scots soon retreat afterwards and leave the dead and some wounded behind. beatrce while out with her futer husband aka her cousin hugh spots the wounded scot and hides him even though it is punishable by burning at the stake. as she starts to develope feeling for him she can't help him cut of his arm to save his life so even though it is dangerous gets cedric to help. she finds out many secrets about her family and falls in love with robert (the scot) but he starts to get found out and so must go back to scotland or be hanged. he want beatrice to go with him but she will not betray her country. in the end robert nearly gets caught resulting in beatie risking her life. he gets away back to scotland but there are alot of thing left un answered. like will she marry her cousin? will robert come back? will the english raid the scottish for revenge?? i hope the next book tells me.

[Serenity · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simply adored this book.
I have bought the second installment (as I hope there will be another!) called North Side of the Tree, and I am reading it now.
The story is told by a brave, admirable heroine and has characters you really care about, such as (spoiler warning, just in case, though I doubt it is much) Robert, the Scot she injured and then rescued, John, the parson, who may also be one of her love interests, and, I think, also Hugh, although I don't doubt people will argue otherwise.
The characters manage to be endearing and so interesting, and at the same time don't hold that stiff facade of 'perfection' as I have read in many books (ahem, Twilight included).
Anyway, it is well worth the read, and I couldn't recommend a better historical romance to read when you are in search of a good book and have little time.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es gibt einen Blick in das Leben dieser Zeit. Die Geschichte wirkt aber künstlich und das die Autorin in mitten der Erzählung auf einmal den Leser anspricht hilft auch nicht.
Vorhersehbare Geschichte über verbotene Lieben.
Offenes Ende. Liest sich flüssig und leicht.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book about living on the English-Scottish border is well-written. I enjoyed it at the time!