REVIEW: The Virgin of Clan Sinclair by Karen Ranney

The Virgin of Clan Sinclair by Karen Ranney takes place just slightly after the events of the previous book in the series The Witch of Clan Sinclair, and is the third book of the Clan Sinclair trilogy. This book focuses on Ellice Traylor. Her former sister-in-law is Virginia, who is now married to Macrath Sinclair, and whose home in Scotland she lives in, along with her overbearing mother, Enid, the Dowager Countess of Barrett. Virginia and Macrath kindly took them in when they had nowhere to go after Lawrence, Ellice’s brother, died, although they have no blood ties to Virginia at all. Ellice also has a deceased sister, Eudora, in whose shadow she lives. Ellice herself has become a shadow, living very quietly, biting her tongue, and living out her life in fantasy between the pages of the book she has written. Her book is completely scandalous, and stars the fearless Lady Pamela, who does, and says, everything.

One day, seemingly out of the blue, Enid decides that Ellice needs to marry. Ellice decides that a spouse chosen by her mother is not for her, and decides to go to Edinburgh where Mairi, Macrath’s sister, lives with her husband Logan. Mairi, she feels, would read her book and publish it, and she would then have the future she desires for herself. Fortuitously, on that very day, a visitor, Ross Forster, the Earl of Gadsden, had made a sudden visit to Drumvagen, the home of the Sinclair’s, while on his way to Edinburgh. While Ross and Macrath are visiting, Ellice slips into his carriage, document in hand, and hides in the blanket box below the seat.

When Ross was a child, his father owned Drumvagen, but his father, an erratic and unkind alcoholic and womanizer, never finished the job and Macrath had purchased it from the estate after he had died. Ross had good memories of visiting Drumvagen as a child while it was under construction, and impulsively had decided to visit. Although he intends for his visit to be short, bad weather persuades him to stay the night. While returning to his carriage to get his bag, he sees a woman climbing out of his carriage. He is startled, and insists on knowing who she is. Ellice, having realized that the carriage wasn’t going to Edinburgh that day, and being hot and uncomfortable, had given up and climbed out. Ellice is nonplussed by the sight of a man who looks similar to the hero in her book, and is very bold with him in conversation. He thinks she’s a servant, although a beautiful one.

He suspected that her laugh would captivate, just as her tears would act like a razor to whomever brought them forth. Her smile had already charmed him, and now her silence incited his curiosity. Not about who she was and why she was here, but about more. Who was the woman behind the smile?

Ellice has a huge problem, however. She has left her manuscript and her bustle in the handsome man’s carriage. Deciding that she could go back later for them, she and the man go to Macrath’s study, where she finds out that “the man” is the Earl of Gadsden. While she is being questioned by the men, Macrath suddenly gets the news that Virginia is giving birth her third child, and there are complications. That night, while the entire household is occupied with the drama of birth, Ross’ carriage driver brings him a pile of papers and a bustle that he found in the carriage. Curious, Ross begins reading Ellice’s novel, and is soon aroused by the explicit nature of her writing and shocked that the hero of the book strongly resembles him. Even later that night, Ellice slips out of the house to retrieve her missing items, but meets Ross in the carriage house. There, he tells her that she can’t publish her book because it would create a scandal, ruin her reputation, and ruin his reputation, because the hero resembles him too much, and he is running for parliament. She tells him that is silly and, in one of the best put-downs ever, says:

“There’s no scandal involved,” she said airily. “I have no connection with you whatsoever. I have nothing to do with you. You are a thimble filled with water next to my ocean. You are a grain of sand to my beach. You are a tiny star in the sky. You’re nothing to me.”

As can be seen in the length of the summary, this is a long, involved book. The characters are interesting and convoluted, and there is much going on all the time. Along with the complications of Virginia’s labour, the rain that made Ross stay the night ends up being an epic flood, and Ross and Ellice take care of sandbagging to protect the neighboring village. They are irresistibly physically drawn to each other, and kiss in gazebos and dark rooms. Ellice is a delightful character, acting quiet and demure because she has learned that is what her mother expects, but having a wild and explicit imagination—possible scenes and conversations whirl through her mind in an unfettered spree—and is the embodiment of “still waters run deep.” Ross is a steady and steadfast man, having learning that a calm and sober demeanor is the antidote to his late father’s dissolute lifestyle. He genuinely wants to help people, and be a voice for good if he gets elected to parliament. His irrational fear of the publication of Ellice’s book seems like too much, until you realize that yes, Ross has an irrational fear of being like his father, or even thought to be like his father. Both are also deeply insecure; Ellice for being always compared to her sister and always being found lacking, and Ross because his first wife was in love with another man and left him. Together they bring out the best in each other, Ellice giving voice to her inner Lady Pamela, and Ross breaking free of his restrained shell. Eventually, they get caught in too many compromising positions and have to be married, and the adventure of getting to know and love each other despite their differences and backgrounds fills the rest of the novel.

This was a truly enjoyable novel. Having now read the second and third books, this series has made me aware that I had somehow missed the first one. I am now filled with a yearning to learn how it all started with Macrath and Virginia. The writing is clever and dialogue is sparkling, and you will not regret reading this book!

Book Info:

4.5 Stars HJ Recommends No Alice Ching-Chew
Published May 27th 2014 by Avon

Ellice Traylor has a secret. Beneath her innocent exterior beats an incredibly passionate and imaginative heart. She has been pouring all of her frustrated virginal fantasies into a scandalous manuscript. But when her plans for her future are about to be derailed by her mother’s matrimonial designs, she takes matters into her own hands.

Ross Forster, the Earl of Gladsden, has spent his life creating order out of chaos. He expects discipline and calm from those around him. What he does not expect is a beautiful, thoroughly maddening stowaway in his carriage.

But when Ross discovers Ellice’s secret book, he finds he can’t stop thinking about what other fantasies the disarming virgin can dream up. He has the chance to learn when a compromising position forces them to wed. But can the uptight Earl survive a life with his surprising new wife? And how will the hero of Ellice’s fantasies compare to the husband of her reality?