Sometimes you just bond with an author and their characters. I did that many years ago when I read the first in Gabaldon’s series, Outlander, and every time I  read one book I look forward to the next book. So even though this is book nine in the series and it was over 900 pages long, I savored every bit of it. If this seems like too big of a commitment or the length of these books is too intimidating, I can highly recommend the TV series based on these books that is being shown on Showtime and Netflix. They do a great job in getting to the essence of the story and the actors have done remarkable job in bringing the characters to life!

This book is set in 1779, during the revolutionary war. Claire and Jamie have been reunited with their daughter, Brianna, her husband,  Roger and their children after they made the perilous journey through the stones and away from dangers they encountered in the 20th century. Although Frasers Ridge, where Jamie and Claire have settled, is located in the back country of North Carolina, the winds of war are sweeping closer and closer. Meanwhile, not too far away, William Ransom, Lord John’s heir, is trying to come to terms with the knowledge of his real father’s identity.

As the drumbeat of war sounds ever closer, William must decide where his loyalties lie and for who he will fight for, while Jamie, Claire and her family must find a way to survive the war while fighting off the ever present dangers that war brings- starvation and disease.

In reading the reviews many complained that there was very little action in the first half of the book and that it seemed a bit dry and lacking that spark that was in previous books. I have to agree with that in part, but it didn’t bother me too much. I felt like this was staging book, anticipating what might come in the future, but it certainly could have been edited better if that was the intent. That being said, I was overjoyed to be once again immersed in a world with Jamie and Claire. By now they feel like old friends and watching them grow old together has been a wonderful experience!

Brenda’s Rating: ***1/2 (31/2 Stars Out of 5)

Recommend this book to: Lauren and Marian

Book Study Worthy Yes, but only for fans of the series

Read in ebook format.