3 out of 4 stars
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Highland Bloodline, by Florence Love Karsner, is a historical fiction novel and the third book in the Highland Healer Series. This book begins during the continuing aftermath of the Battle of Culloden. Caitlin MacKinnon is gifted as a healer, but still struggling to control all of her powers. She is also with child and nearing the end of her pregnancy. Word is spreading throughout Scotland that the British are hunting down Jacobites and throwing them in prison to await either execution or enslavement in the Caribbean. The MacKinnon men, including Alex, Caitlin's husband, are skeptical about the news, but deeply concerned nonetheless. Unexpectedly, a boy of 14 appears at their door. Robbie turns out to be Alex's son. He had only learned about his true father just before his mother's death. Having grown up in Edinburgh, Robbie is unfamiliar with Highland life and initially struggles to fit in with the family.
Not long after Caitlin delivers her baby, scarlet fever strikes the family. As Caitlin tends the sick, Robbie discovers one of his strengths as he helps nurse the little ones. Alex and his brother Jack head off to Edinburgh to find out how much truth is in the rumors they have heard. When they don't return as expected, Caitlin and Robbie make the dangerous trip in search of them. What they discover in Edinburgh will test them all and reveal a shocking truth about an old acquaintance.
I love the history of Scotland and enjoyed this book tremendously. Even though I have not read the first two books in the series, I had no difficulty following the storyline. Caitlin's unique powers make her a fascinating character. She is a strong woman and yet she lets her husband lead. The historical setting provides the fuel for much of the tension in this book. This gives the plot a very natural flow since the events that occur in the life of the Mackinnon family are largely plausible. Robbie turned out to be my favorite character. His development, and the development of his relationship with his father, Alex, is truly heartwarming. This novel concludes with plenty of opportunity for the series to continue, which I certainly hope it does.
I found only a few typos in this book and one minor formatting error that recurred sporadically throughout the book. A number of times, the paragraph break appeared as an extra large space, with the next paragraph starting on the same line. I did not find this problematic as far as reading and understanding the book. My only complaint would be a few little anachronisms. It does not seem too likely to me that cocoa would be available in post-Culloden Scotland, at a time when scarcity was nearly everywhere. The use of the metric measurement, meters, also seemed rather out of place in the 18th-century Scottish setting.
I am giving the book 3 out of 4 stars. I would have given it 4, but with the formatting problem and the anachronism, I feel it just doesn't quite make the cut. I would recommend this book to Outlander fans and anyone else interested in Scottish history. This book contains to adult content, so it would be suitable for younger readers a well.
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Highland Bloodline
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