First of all, I have to say that I enjoyed the period setting of Here Burns My Candle. The Scottish background gives a slightly different flavor to a typical British regency era novel. My mind was given quite a workout however as Liz Curtis Higgs frequently uses unfamiliar (to me) Scottish terminology, like ilke and mercat and cauld. Most words I could figure out in context, but wish Id discovered the glossary BEFORE I finished the book!

It appears that Here Burns My Candle was inspired by the story of Naomi and Ruth. Lady Marjory is the mother-in-law who has left her family, eventually loses everything, and has nowhere left to turn but home. Lady Elisabeth Kerr is the pagan daughter-in-law who begins to follow (not really, in my opinion) the God of her mother-in-law and desires to take care of her husbands mother when all seems lost.

Although I enjoyed the setting and even the inspiration -- of Here Burns My Candle, I was disgusted in the time spent on Lord Donalds extramarital activities. I was equally disappointed in the detail given to Lady Elisabeths auld ways (moon worship).

Although I appreciate WaterBrook and CFBA for sending me a review copy, Im afraid that Here Burns My Candle will not be finding a permanent place on my bookshelf.

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I was a very fervent fan of Liz Curtis Higgs first Scottish series (Thorn in My Heart, Fair is the Rose, Whence Came a Prince etc.), so I was absolutely delighted to hear that this book was finally in publication. Happily, I was not disappointed by this book! As the start of a new series, it serves to create personalities for her characters based off of the Naomi and Ruth stories, but it doesn't try to hard to fit itself into the mold of the original story. This book only covers the first eighteen or nineteen verses of the four chapter long book of Ruth, but I felt that it was a great dividing place for this story. Yes, there are scenes concerned with Lord Donald's extramarital affairs (he represents the character of Mahlon, Ruth's husband), but they were never explicit, and are really only alluded to. Quite frankly, I thought it very tastefully done, considering how much sexual content can be found in much of today's Christian fiction. In all, it was a great book, and I can't wait for the sequel!

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This is my first book by this author and I must admit I almost quit reading it. It's historical fiction with a little bit of romance but so little I wouldn't classify it as a historical romance. I felt the story was very slow for about the first 100 pages, which is why I almost gave up on it, but I think it was because there were so many characters introduced due to the historical backdrop and if you aren't familiar with 18th century Scottish history and language it was a bit overwhelming at times. But I stuck with it and am glad I did! The author even included a Scottish glossary in the back of the book which was a tremendous help. Once I got the setting and the characters figured out, it was a very entertaining story -- a story of a prominent Scottish family choosing the "wrong side" and the fallout from their choice. Of particular interest to me was the author's use of my maiden name for one of the characters. My maiden name is not that common here in the States but apparently quite common for Scotland. It was a thrill to see the Grassie name in print. For those with a fondness for 18th century Scotland and its war with England, I highly recommend this book. I plan to read others by this author and have them on my TBR list.

Story = B+
Romance = B+
Originality = A
Characters = A-
BOOK = A-

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Overall I enjoyed reading this book once I was able to get into it. It started off slow, giving you a chance to get to know the characters, then moved on to suspense and the unknown. I enjoyed reading about the Sottish history and Jacobite rebellion. This book also gave readers a look at what it was like for people living during this time period. Readers will find that this book has love, war, heartache, betrayal, lies and hope all entwined into one. I can't wait to read the next book, "Mine is the Night".

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Here Burns My Candle is the first of a series by Liz Curtis Higgs.

These novels are set in the mid 1700's in England and are rich in historical figures and events of the day. Many Irish or Gaelic words are spread throughout the text with a glossary in the back. The story centers around the Kerr family and their role in the fight for independence. Cleverly veiled in the story is the Biblical story of Ruth and Naomi.

Great attention is given to detail of clothing and customs of the day. One of the main characters, Elizabeth, enjoys sewing and is quite an accomplished seamstress, taught at her father's knee. As times become difficult for her family during the rebellion, she is the stabilizing force in her family.

Overall, while I truly enjoy historical fiction, this story assumed that I was quite familiar with this time period but I am not. The story generally moved a bit to slow and got bogged down in the details. I often the felt that there were details that were important in the story but I did not understand the significance because I was unfamiliar with the history. I appreciate the amount of study and research that the author had to do in order to write this book!

For those of you who understand and enjoy English history, this is the story for you! And if you have an interest in weaving and sewing the details given in the story would be quite fascinating to you.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Waterbrook Press as a member of their Books for Bloggers program. All opinions expressed are my own.

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