85. The Maiden, #8

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Rated:  4 Stars
From:  Amazon

There are so many rich characters in this series but Annunciata is the one that stands out the most for me so far.  I have a list of characters in my head that I Love to Hate and she is definitely on it.  I really admire an author who can create a character that will stick in a readers head long after the last pages have turned on them.  I have to give CHE credit for wringing the very last drop out of Annunciata before she finally let her die, and like the Specter at the Feast, the consequences of her reckless behavior, dangerous fantasies and delusions of grandeur will probably haunt her descendants for at least a couple more books.  She stands toe to toe with Margaret Lennox on my Love To Hate list.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
1720: political intrigue besets the kingdom as the Stuarts try to claim the throne occupied by the Hanoverians and the Morlands have to use all their wiles to keep their fortunes intact.

Jemmy Morland, sole heir to his father's will, has no option but to marry the cold-hearted Lady Mary to secure Hanoverian protection and safeguard his inheritance. Then the rebellion of '45 and the bloody massacre at Culloden thrust his daughter Jemima into the spotlight as the savior of the family.

Intelligent, single-minded, and a rare beauty, Jemima is a capable caretaker of the Morland heritage. Although Morland Place and its lands suffer from the excesses of her dissolute husband, Jemima's quiet courage earns her an abiding love and loyalty.

84. The Chevalier, #7

Cynthis Harrod-Eagles
Rated:  4.5
From:  amazon

The historical detail in these books are some of the most reader friendly I have ever read.  And a good thing it is too because this book is not populated with very appealing characters.  At least to me they are not.  But keeping the continuity of this marvelous series has become important to me so I grit my teeth and JKR.  Will Annunciata NEVER die?  *sigh*

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:  1689: the Restoration enabled the Morland family to restore their own fortune, but now the Jacobite rebellion brings another threat to their security.

Annunciata Morland, fiercely loyal to the Stuart cause, follows her beloved king, James II, into exile. She leaves her gentle grandson, Matt, to oversee Morland Place in her absence. Without her wise presence, Matt finds himself in an arranged marriage to India Neville and at the mercy of a woman as heartless as she is beautiful. After a lonely and sheltered life he lurches between the exquisite pain of love and the torment of deep despair.

When James III � the Chevalier � returns to claim the Stuart throne, the Morlands are reunited in one country. Death and defeat threaten them, but their loves and loyalty prove stronger than kingly ambitions.