"Hot Scottish historical romance."

TO PLEASE A LADY is the sequel to Johnson's earlier novel, OUTLAW. Set in Scotland in the 1700s, it is the story of Robbie Carre (the brother of the hero from Outlaw) and his lover Roxane Forrester.

Robbie and his family have been exiled to Holland, and this book opens with Robbie returning to Scotland 'undercover' so that he can see Roxane again. Robbie is only 18, and Roxane is a twice-widowed mother of five. (Her age isn't specified but she's obviously a lot older than 18!) Still, Robbie is obsessed with his love and need for Roxane. Likewise, Roxane is enamored of Robbie -- although more mindful of the age difference than he. Roxane is, however, worried about the danger to her children by Robbie's presence while he is a 'wanted man'. Robbie and his family are working on resolving the issues surrounding their exile, and in the meantime he can see no reason why he and Roxane can't be together. He wants them to marry as soon as possible. Roxane has already had two husbands and she is wary of letting any man take away her independence. As much as she loves Robbie, she can see only problems in the logistics of their relationship. She is also caught up in the political intrigue surrounding Robbie and his family -- and in particular, is wary of the dangers posed by his enemies. The Duke of Queensberry is responsible for seizing the Carre lands and will do anything to keep them. His nemesis, Argyll, is even more influential in the current political stage, and he wants Roxane for his mistress. All this leaves Roxane caught in the middle -- trying to rationalize her relationship with Robbie, and fighting off the dangers posed by Queensberry and Argyll, among others.

First, I have to say that I found this book difficult to get into. I hadn't read Outlaw, and I think this is a drawback. Johnson doesn't spend any time familiarizing the reader with the background to this story, and it is therefore quite confusing for those who haven't read Johnnie's story. Likewise, we are plunged into the middle of the relationship between Robbie and Roxane without any understanding of how this developed and who they are. For me, this detracted from my involvement and enjoyment of the story.

While the sensuality of the book is hotter than many others, it is quite tame compared to some of Susan Johnson's other novels. As is typical of her style, the book is full of language containing both the "f" and "c" words. I know some readers dislike this, and while I don't take particular offense, I did find this language overdone and sometimes jarring. The age issue is another consideration. While I don't generally have a problem with an older heroine and a younger hero, this one didn't ring true for me. I just felt 18 was TOO young for a hero, and I can't really imagine a woman of Roxane's age being nterested in someone that young. Especially as he is only 5 years older than her own eldest child! Eighteen-year-olds have no attraction for me, and therefore I found it difficult to fit this to the 'hero image' of Robbie.

Another detraction from the flow of this story is Johnson's continued use of footnotes. These aren't just small comments or explanations of terms, but rather lengthy paragraphs of background material regarding the historical and political period. Personally, I found that these constant footnotes broke the flow of the story and were unnecessary. While I find it is interesting to understand some of the history, I would rather that pertinent information be included within the story, rather than making me turn continually to the back of the book. Still, like me, you can always choose to just ignore many of the footnote references and read past them.

Once I was able to push through the beginning and get further into this book, I found it relatively enjoyable. However, I don't think it is one of Johnson's better books, and I would definitely suggest that it would be more enjoyable for readers who have previously read Outlaw.

Reviewed by Cathryn Jones
Posted February 26, 2002