The Taming

The book opens with Sir Alex Sinclair arriving at a desolate keep on the coast of extreme northern mainland Scotland, his presence a mysterious request by an old family friend. He's not happy to find out that his friend wants to "gift" him with the guardianship of a wildly out-of-control child who tries to outrun storms and gives primal screams for no reason at all. The old guardian has allowed the child to be as free and unfettered as Scotland itself, setting up both the child and Alex for interesting times indeed. Once Alex discovers that his new charge is actually a girl, it complicates things. He resents his dead father for falling apart upon the death of his wife, and so Alex has an aversion to being vulnerable to anyone. Cameron likewise refuses to show weakness, preferring to be prideful and self-destructive, much like Scotland itself. The story takes place in the years after Culloden Moor, where the English boot heel became stronger and there was a sharp divide between those who sought to co-exist out of pragmatism and those who wanted to keep throwing themselves against the wall of a lost cause. Alex represents the former, and Cameron the latter - the book is almost a metaphorical struggle for Scotland's future, distilled down to two people. There is very little "historical" in this romance, beyond some details of the changing nature of Scotland (industrial serfdom). It is mainly a story of two strong-willed people, violent and frustrating to each other, who learn how to compromise and co-exist without losing what makes them who they are. In the meantime, objects fly and they both abuse the other in different manners, both physical, mental, and sexual. Alex is frustrating in his cruelty borne of his fear of the affect Cameron has on him, and Cameron is aggravating in her stubborn contrariness (though the psychological baggage she carries dares a reader to imagine she could act any other way). However, she is only 14 years old when the story opens, and always had free rein of her temper and impulses. Her age will probably turn off many modern romance readers from following this book through to the end. Not knowing about "civilized propriety," she follows her sexual urges, and even before she makes a move, Alex fantasizes about her "in that way" and then hates himself, and her, for it. By the end of the book, she has just passed 15 and they are fully man and wife. If that is one of your squicks, then I doubt this will be a nice read. Also, there is a scene where Alex cruelly forces his mistress to sleep with another woman. Again, if you don't like that kind of stuff, then you might want to give this one a pass. A positive note, however, is that Alex undergoes far more redemptive change in his personality than Cameron, which may keep hold of those readers who aren't turned off but the squicks mentioned above. I have no problem with these un-PC "bodice rippers", so I found the book a fascinating change of pace from the more cautious, "ac

I have not read this book in a while. But its one of the books I first read when I started reading romance novels and it has forever stuck in my mind. I love the heroine; Cameron. She is the driving force of this book and its sequel which I liked equally well. However, the last book, Daughters of Cameron, was not as spell binding, though still good. I always wonder what happened to this author.

Despite its generic title, this book has it all: depth of character, a moving plot, mystery, romance, sex, etc! I laughed and cried througout this novel. Tells the story of a young (almost too young) scottish lass who is hidden in the Scottish Highlands. On the death of her adopted grandfather, she is given to Alex as his ward. She is wild and free, and can't understand society's rules. He is brutal at times, dealing with his own troubled bast. The mystery of her birth is uncovered, and they live happily every after.A bit predictable, but still great!