With a start similar to Scottish classic 'Braveheart', we
meet young Paul Fraser as he has to flee the highland croft
or be hanged for a sheep raid by the overlord. Juliette
Andrews, daughter of a well-off officer, sympathises but
has no choice but to let her friend go.
UNRAVELED BY THE REBEL is in a series called Secrets in
Silk. The story proper opens in 1811 as Paul, now an
Edinburgh doctor, attends the wedding of Juliette's
sister. The crofter families have been forced off the land
to make room for more profitable sheep, and are camping out
in bitter weather as they try to rebuild their lives
elsewhere. Since Juliette's father came into his title,
there is an uneasy situation and she tells Paul that he
should not be interested in her. Juliette has a secret in
her past however, and she believes that he deserves a wife
who could give him children as she cannot.
As so often we see that war is a driving force. Uniforms
are needed for soldiers to fight Napoleon, and wool is at a
premium, so even Juliette's family are under threat as the
landowner wants their property. The wedding is disrupted
and her family has to seriously consider their future. One
of her sisters, Victoria, makes garments from silk and
satin for wealthy London ladies, but this extra income
cannot begin to address the debts their father inherited.
Juliette is good with accounts, and believes that she
should live quietly in London. Paul is determined to win
her heart but he will have to go slowly.... Paul also
privately wants to bring about the ruin of the landowner
who has wrecked the crofters' lives.
From these difficult circumstances a strong friendship
begins to grow. A cottage industry helps crafter women,
sewing dainty undergarments, and Juliette's family arranges
the materials and sales. The contrast between Scotland and
London is well described, with Paul's occupation as surgeon
and physician explaining why he was not serving in the war
like Juliette's father. His connection to a viscount
allows him to attend parties, and he romances Juliette with
her sisters' approval.
This adult romance builds a powerful
relationship which is tested when the crafters and
landowner come to blows and the couple have to take
sides. Michelle Willingham has written a fine novel of
contrasts in UNRAVELED BY THE REBEL and I always enjoy her
work.
After being seduced and ruined by her worst enemy, Juliette
Andrews has vowed to marry no man — especially not Dr. Paul
Fraser, her childhood sweetheart. Content to bury herself in
accounts and numbers, she refuses to let the devastatingly
handsome Highlander back into her life.
A rebel with a cause . . .
Paul Fraser's heart burns with the need for vengeance
against the earl who executed his father and drove the Scots
from their homes. But when he learns that his enemy hurt the
woman he loves, Paul has sworn to destroy him.
Can Juliette overcome the darkness of her past in the arms
of the man she once loved? Or will her secrets tear them
apart?
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