In 1891, life in New York is unforgiving for a young woman with no prospects, especially when her family wants nothing to do with her. SHE HAS NOWHERE LEFT TO TURN Jane Middlebourne needs a way out. For fans of Linda Lael Miller and Catherine Anderson. After living with Jamie for over seven hundred pages, I was sad to part with him.1 In Want of a Wife (Bitter Springs) By Jo Goodman In Want of a Wife (Bitter Springs) By Jo Goodman 'Dazzling' -Publishers Weekly (starred review) When his mail-order bride arrives from New York, a Wyoming rancher gets more than he bargained for in this first-rate romance from the bestselling Jo Goodman. It would be a spoiler to reveal the ending, but I thought it was a poignant twist. I felt that Jenny’s story, while interesting to read, could have been cut from the book without losing its main thrust. Squeamish readers might find this reality a step too far. But reality is complicated, and, in the context of 18 th-century English expansion, extremely bloody. Reflecting reality is a strength of this book. That, and French, the language of their allies, reflects the truly multicultural world that Jamie inhabits. It took me a while to “get my ear in” to follow the Scots dialect, intended to illustrate the language of the Scots. Much of the dialogue is written in a rich Scottish brogue, or in French.

We are mainly with Jamie, or Jenny, but from time to time, the author flits to other people, other places. Vast numbers of characters come and go, some of them known historical figures, others fictitious. We are shown everything, either richly imagined, meticulously researched, or probably both. This is a book that rewards the reader for perseverance. Jenny too is captured by the English, her punishment long on revenge and short on truth. Jamie becomes far-travelled: first taken to Inverness, then to Edinburgh, London, Maryland, and onward. Hence, we are thrown into the complex and brutal politics of the 18th century. He shelters with crofter Jenny Ferguson but is captured by the English. Jamie, of Clan Chattan, escapes death at the Battle of Culloden. Scotland, 1746, and Jamie MacGillivray, shivering in the rain, brings a message from France to Lord Lovat, the Auld Fox, his Hogarth portrait vividly animated by the author. Jamie MacGillivray: The Renegade’s Journey

The Last Renegade by Jo Goodman