| The Pride of Lions | 
 enlarge | Author: Marsha Canham
Publisher: Dell
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  25 reviews
Sales Rank: 114859
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2
ISBN: 0440224578
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780440224570
ASIN: 0440224578
Publication Date: October 6, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
They were torn between pride and passion. . .
It was a boastful wager, a bold flirtation meant to win a proposal from the most eligible officer in His Majesty's Royal Dragoons.How was the spoiled and pampered Catherine Augustine Ashbrooke to know the handsome stranger with the brooding midnight eyes would see through her plot and make her the pawn in a dangerous game of his own?
United by a reckless game of chance. . .
Alexander Cameron may have won the highborn English beauty in a duel, but not even the lure of long-forgotten desires could keep him from his meeting with destiny.He had no choice but to carry his reluctant bride off to the Highlands, to a world of ancient blood feuds and a brewing rebellion--a world where fiery passion and breathtaking courage would prove that even legendary warriors could lose their hearts.
Bestselling, award-winning author Marsha Canham sweeps us into the turbulence and romance of Scotland's quest for freedom in a saga of two born enemies whose lives and destinies are irrevocably bound to the fate of an empire.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 20 more reviews...
 GREAT READ August 30, 2008
I REALLY LIKED THE LOVE STORY IN THIS BOOK. BOTH LOVE STORIES. ALTHOUGH ALEXANDER AND CATHERINE ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERS ACCORDING TO THE WRITER I CAN TELL YOU THERE WERE TWO STORIES. THE OTHER LOVE STORY IS THAT OF ALEXANDERS BEST FRIEND AND CATHERINES PERSONAL MAID. I LOVED BOTH COUPLES.
THIS BOOK HAD EVERYTHING IT NEEDS TO BE A GREAT READ. I KNOW I'LL HAVE IT ON MY KEEPER SHELF. HOWEVER,THERE IS ONE ASPECT OF THE BOOK THAT I FOUND MYSELF SKIMMING OVER AND THAT IS ALL THE POLITICAL HAPPENINGS AND CONVERSATIONS
THAT WERE HAPPENING DURING THIS TIME PERIOD IN THE BOOK. I LIKE HISTORY AND SHE DID HAVE ALOT OF ACTUAL FACTS BUT I'M NOT SO MUCH INTO THAT IN ROMANCE BOOKS. BUT THATS JUST ME.
OTHERWISE THIS WAS A GREAT BOOK. THERE IS ANOTHER BOOK THAT CONTINUES THE STORY ABOUT BOTH ROMANCES. NOT MANY AUTHORS DO THIS BUT ITS NICE WHEN THEY DO. THE NEXT BOOK IS "BLOOD OF ROSES".
Now this is a HISTORICAL romance novel! April 3, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series made a big impression on me. I especially loved the Jacobite history, and was so voracious for a historical novel set during that same conflicting period between England and Scotland that I bought Marsha Canham's The Pride of Lions. That was two years ago. The Canham novel sank somewhere in the heap of my TBR pile, never to be opened... until now. The moment I extracted the book, dusted it off (shamefully admitting that my TBR pile is not only huge, but some of the books have gathered dust as well) and began to read, I knew I had a special book in my hands. Full of history, adventure and sensual romance, The Pride of Lions is indeed a treasure.
The year is 1745. Catherine Augustine Ashbrooke, a young English debutante, has one thing in her mind: to marry Hamilton Garner, a lieutenant for the dragoons. When she meets a tall, dark and handsome stranger with gorgeous dark eyes and a mysterious countenance, she decides to make her suitor jealous by flirting with the strange man, a successful merchant by the name of Mr. Raefer Montgomery. She succeeds with her scheme -- so much so that Hamilton challenges Raefer to a duel. Montgomery wins the duel... and a marriage to Miss Catherine. This doesn't sit well with either party, but they have no choice but to oblige. It is only through their journey to their "marital home" that Catherine discovers that Raefer Montgomery is actually Alexander Cameron, a Scottish Jacobite who has assumed the identity of a merchant to spy on the English. Aghast, she makes every possible attempt to escape, but Alex is always one step ahead of her. But during the journey she discovers that the English aren't Cameron's only enemy. The Campbells have been a thorn in Alex's life for many years, and they are determined to make his life miserable and get even for past misdeeds at all cost. Amid all of the drama, something happens to Catherine. She falls in love with Alexander. Now how did that happen? And will she be able to embrace the Scottish lifestyle as her own?
Now THIS is a historical romance novel! You literary get a history lesson as the sexual tension between the protagonists grows with each passing chapter. You get action, adventure, intrigue, villains and romance throughout the book. You will not be bored! The early Georgian era has always been a bit iffy for me. Bewigged and corseted men have always put me off, but I somehow managed to enjoy picturing this time period as I read the book. Also, it helped that most of the novel takes place in Scotland. Men in kilts and tartans sound far more delicious, and Canham describes their traditional dress beautifully. The Jacobite history comes to life in this novel, and I see from the preview of Blood of Roses that the next installment will take place during the battle of Culloden. The scenes that center on political talk are very insightful. It first happens in England, then in Scotland, and it's nice to "hear" both sides of the argument. The one bad factor -- if you can call it "bad" -- is that Catherine is extremely annoying during the first half of the novel. Then again, it is realistic that an Englishwoman would be upset about being taken to enemy territory. All in all, The Pride of Lions is BRI-LLI-ANT! One of the best historical romances I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Marsha Canham deserved the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award. I have ordered Blood of Roses and Midnight Honor and I look forward to reading them. Spring is here, which means I'll be reading more romances and lighter reads during the warm season. I hope to be wise and pick authors whose historical romances are in fact historical and not glaringly anachronistic trash.
 Way more than a romance novel! February 13, 2008
My husband bought this book for me because I have a great fascination with historical fiction, and with Scottish history. I do not typically read "romance" novels, but this is so much more. Actual historical details are expertly woven into the story; the main female character has several "flaws" that make her at once annoying and endearing; and finally, there are a few very nice surprises in the plot--I hate predictable stories! If you enjoy this, check out the sequel: Blood of Roses.
I need to get my hands on "The Blood of Roses" September 3, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I don't even know where to begin this book was so amazing. I could not put it down, I started reading it Saturday night and finished it Sunday night, barely able to tear myself away to eat during the day.
Marsha Canham has done a brilliant job of combining a great story with history and painting beautiful pictures within her pages. You can't help but love the characters in this story, even though Catherine in her spoiled ways takes some warming up too. Alexander Cameron Is a highlander who wins Catherine in a duel, and is forced to marry her. He uses Catherine to sneak past the English Dragoons, and back into Scotland. Once there the adventure really begins. Even the secondary characters are charming. I'm hopping there will be a bit of a love story between Aluinn and Deirdre, and I want to know what happens to Lauren Cameron, will she be found out? I was so disappointed that I was left hanging at the end to find there is a sequel to conclude this story, but I got over this very quickly when I realized there is a whole other novel waiting out there for me to read... I can't wait.
Once I am done reading the next book "The Blood of Roses" I will be sure to see what else Marsha Canham has written.
A yummy hero and an engaging scottish romance February 3, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I read Blood of Roses and Pride of Lions in reverse order. While I really didn't care for Blood of Roses (too much war, too much history, too much blood & gore and a tragic ending), I loved Pride of Lions.
The reason I liked POL so much is primarily because of the characterizations of Alex and Catherine. In fact, I instantly fell in love with the luscious hero Alex Cameron (alias Raefer Montgomery). He's a gorgeous, hunky, worldly and sophisticated highlander who has been exiled from his home for 15 years while spending this time on the european continent and is a jacobite spy masquerading as an english merchant. He makes quite a (literal) splash with his entrance when Catherine spies him bathing half-nude at the pond on her father's estate. He's quite witty, suave and self-assured (Catherine equates this with arrogance) while still being able to laugh at himself. He's proud, but then again I think he has alot to be proud of. His brother is laird of one of the most powerful and influential clans in Scotland and they live in a palatial castle/estate. He's quite wealthy because he has made a fortune in the import/export business since he's been in "exile." His skills as a warrior are legendary and he's gorgeous and knows it. Yet he's also filled with self-loathing and afraid to love again because he blames himself for not being able to protect his late wife from rape and murder.
I had trouble understanding why Katherine hated Alex so much in the beginning. I think Katherine's anger was misplaced. Alex was forced to marry her after being caught kissing her at her birthday ball and wasn't trying to ruin her life. Instead, She should have blamed her father for ruining her life by forcing the marriage in order to "protect her reputation." The only thing Alex did to bring about this turn of events was to kiss her and when questioned, insolently admit that he "saw something he wanted and took it," causing him to be forced into a duel he didn't want to fight. Even so, being the better swordsman and having "won", he could easily have killed his opponent, Hamilton, and instead he decides to show mercy and walk away after delivering the incapacitating blow, this depite Hamilton's demands to "finish" him (the duel was to be to the death). He could also have insisted on his conjugal rights once he was married to Catherine, but the fact that he didn't do either of these things indicates to me that he's a kind man. Despite his suffering and bad experiences, he's still able to be kind and is never deliberately cruel unless he's fighting to defend someone he loves--then he's absolutely ruthless.
Alex is also still terribly hurt and vulnerable over his late wife's rape and murder 15 years ago (for which he blames himself) and as a result won't let himself care about any woman, instead opting for a string of mistresses over the years. When he and our headstrong, fiesty, independent heroine Catherine meet, the sparks fly right away. At first she hates him, callling him arrogant and heartless (he doesn't seem like such a bad guy to me--after all he only injures the man she's in love with (Hamilton Garner) rathering than fighting him to the death as the terms of the duel call for. Then, he's willing to give her an annulment once they reach the next town. That is, until she finds out he's a "murderer" and jacobite spy and threatens to turn him into the authorities. When Catherine confronts Alex about the murder, he admits to it, while too proud to explain that he killed his late wife's murderers, who had forced him to watch her rape and murder. After Katherine's threats to turn him in, Alex then realizes he can't release her until he makes it home to scotland or she will sick the authorities on him. Still, he is willing to release her and send her home.
Alex has been fighting his attraction to Catherine for weeks and trying not to touch her until she pushes him over the edge one day. Still, he doesn't force himself on her, but seduces her. The two finally passionately consumate their marriage and Katherine declares her love shortly thereafter despite the fact that Alex feels guilty about it, and says that it was all his fault and that he was motivated by pure selfishness (despite the fact that she wanted it as much as he did). When Catherine is soon therafter kidnapped by the men who raped and murdered his late wife, it's like Alex is reliving his worst nightmare and he risks his life to save her and finally admits to himself and Catherine that he loves her too.
I found the story very touching and especially liked Alex's character development. He was very appealing in terms of how he was described physically as well as his strong but kind personality. I consider him the perfect hero--gorgeous, strong, witty, educated, wealthy and a passionate lover. Being a bit tortured as well only makes him more attractive.
I liked this novel so much that, in the historical romance genre, I think Marsha Canham is the only author who can hold a candle to Diana Gabaldon (Outlander). I only wish the sequel, BOR, had concentrated more on the H/H rather than the war.
Overall, I rate it excellent and a worthwhile read if you have any interest in historical romance or Scotland.
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