My Thoughts

Although I’m not a giant fan of the Lord John series, I was thrilled when I found out that the next book in the series was going to be about Jaime.

I adore the Outlander series, and the review of this audiobook is going to be strictly from a die-hard fan of Jamie and Claire; for all you that don’t know who Jaime and Claire are, I highly recommend the book, “ Outlander” to get acquainted with one of the most epic couples in a romantic novel.

Jamie’s life as Jacobite paroled prisoner of war comes suddenly apart with the appearance of Tobias Quinn, an Irishman and a former friend from the Rising, whose passion for the Stuart Cause still as alive as ever, and he has a Plan. A particularly dangerous idea, involving Jamie Fraser and an ancient relic of the Irish kingship—the sacred cup of the Druid King.

When Lord John Gray discovers damming documents pointing at the corruption of an English officer that contains a mysterious message left in “Erse,” the tongue favored by Scottish Highlanders. Lord John, who oversaw Jacobite prisoners when he was governor of Ardsmiur prison, thinks Jamie may be able to translate.

Lord John’s brother, unbeknownst to him, sends for Jaime to help with the translation of the document- and to ask him to assist his brother with the apprehension of the officer in question.

Soon Lord John and Jamie are reluctant companions on their way to Ireland, where amidst the danger they begin to depend on one another.

During this time, the foundation for their friendship it’s formed. If you are like me, and are dying to know what transpired during Jamie’s time as a paroled prisoner, and how the relationship between these two gentlemen was formed, this is going to be a terrific read/listen.

I loved every single of Jamie’s chapters; the mystery, adventure and characters were a clear reminder of why I love Diana Gabaldon. The writing is as unimpeachable as ever; she’s brilliant at transporting you to the world she crafted so accurately based on that time in history, and the perfect narrative lets you experience every emotion from the characters as well as from the setting.

Let me be clear, if you are an Outlander fan, this novel is not to be missed.

OK….This is when it gets difficult- if you are an audio fan of the Outlander series no doubt you accustomed to the magnificent performance of Jamie by Davina Porter. I can easily anticipate your disappointment when you first listen to Rick Holm’s voice and interpretation of Jamie, but in my case after a few chapters of listening I was just delighted to be savoring the superb writing style of Ms. Gabaldon, and despite the unusual rendition of Jamie’s point of view, I still managed to enjoy the book tremendously.

Jeff Goodman  does an  admirable Job with Lord John’s point view- in fact I wish he would have narrated the entire book, I liked his interpretation of Jamie a lot more than I did Mr. Holms,

My advise; listen to the sample first, and if you can deal with Jaime’s different tone, you won’t be disappointed with this novel.