Damask Rose

by Haywood Smith

The Damask Rose takes readers to the mystical, magical Isle of Skye, in Scotland of 1430, where two clans, MacKay and MacDougald, have been engaged in a blood feud for years. As the story opens, it seems as though the MacDougalds have been defeated and young Tynan MacDougald, only eight years old, has been taken as a slave. But as the years pass the seeds of revenge are planted in his mind. When the laird of the clan discovers that he has a long-lost granddaughter, he offers a reward for anyone who can deliver her safely to him. Tynan will find this woman, Nara. But instead of delivering her to safety, he will kill her and get his revenge. What he doesn't count on is falling in love with her, and becoming torn between his newfound love and his blood oath to avenge his clan.

Genres: Historical, Historical Romance, Romance, Medieval

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 15, 1998

Reviews

[Meredith is a hot mess]

dnf @ chapter 5. The writing is decent, but the characterization felt shallow and I couldn't find it in myself to care about the MMCs. It's clear from the opening chapter he's been terribly wronged by Laird Cullum, but it went by so quickly I just...didn't care. The storytelling never grabbed me.

This book uses a common trope: enemies to lovers. In this case, a guy kidnapping a girl of a rival family to enact revenge. Then they fall in love. This trope has to be executed in a really creative/engaging way for me to stick with the story. I see this all the time in Mafia/MC books and typically give them a pass in those genres too.