Society
Author Reviews
The Marsh Hawk
Dawn MacTavish
ISBN-10: 0843959347
ISBN-13: 978-0843959345
Leisure, July 3, 2007, 368 pages
Historical – Regency
$6.99 (US) $8.50 (CDN)
Reviewed by Marilyn Rondeau
September 2007
With her debut of THE MARSH HAWK, author Dawn MacTavish (who also writes paranormals and fantasy as Dawn Thompson) has gifted true Regency lovers with a jewel of a story that will find its way to a multitude of keeper shelves. She’ll capture you with her vivid story telling, impeccable historical research, and thrilling love story from the very first pages till the splendid end and leave you breathless for more.
Frustrated with lack of response from authorities to catch the notorious Marsh Hawk highwayman whom she believed killed her beloved father, Lady Jenna Hollingsworth takes matters into her own hands when she stalks him in order to bring him to justice. Instead she accidentally shots him and thinking she’d done murder, she quickly rode away.
Months later at a masked ball to announce her engagement to Viscount Rupert Marner, she is instantly taken with a stranger whose brilliant blue eyes found hers. During the masked ball a man dressed in a highwayman’s costume approached her and caused Jenna to faint when she thought it was the ghost of the man she thought murdered. During the course of the festivities, after seeing her intended show his cowardly true colors, Jenna ran off with and was married to Simon Ruutherford, the Earl of Kevernwood. Unfortunately, both kept dangerous secrets from one another that would threaten their marriage and passionate love affair. In the meantime the jilted Viscount Marner waited to unfold an evil plan for revenge against them both.
MacTavis has woven an adventuresome regency set in Cornwall, England that the reader is sure not to forget. Pairing two wonderful protagonists together who fell in love at first sight before getting to know one another helped to show and define the areas where their lack of trust caused such angst. As Jenna uncovered clues that pointed to secrets Simon was keeping she was mortified to think she had married the man who had killed her father. Their love was so palatable that the reader could feel the emotional dismay Jenna felt upon discovering the man she’d fell so deeply in love with could be her fathers’ murderer. The reader could also feel the deep hurt and anger Simon felt that she hadn’t had enough trust in him and confided to another instead. Filled to the brim with a complementary cast of secondary characters you will find yourself totally engrossed in the adventure and the romance. Bottom line is that this is a full-bodied and riveting historical tale full of multi-dimensional characters you’ll remember long after the last page is turned. Be prepared to savor every word from this fresh new voice in this genre.