Author: Diana Gabaldon
Narrator: Allan Scott-Douglas
Publisher: Recorded Books
Publication Date: April 2016
Genre: Historical Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Mourning the death of his father and gravely injured at the hands of the English, Jamie Fraser finds himself running with a band of mercenaries in the French countryside, where he reconnects with his old friend, Ian Murray. Both are nursing wounds, both have good reason to stay out of Scotland, and both are still virgins despite several opportunities to remedy that deplorable situation with ladies of easy virtue.
But Jamie's love life becomes infinitely more complicated - and dangerous - when fate brings the young men into the service of Dr. Hasdi, a Jewish gentleman who hires them to escort two priceless treasures to Paris. One is an old Torah; the other is the doctor's beautiful daughter, Rebekah, destined for an arranged marriage. Both Jamie and Ian are instantly drawn to the bride-to-be - but they might be more cautious if they had any idea who they're truly dealing with.
My Thoughts: I was already a fan of this series but was happy to see this short story that features Jamie and Ian long before Claire arrives on the scene. They are in France serving as soldiers for a mercenary group tasked with delivering a woman to Paris for an arranged marriage. As a fan of this series would expect, where Jamie Fraser is concerned, things usually do not go according to plan and Jamie’s ability to improvise and his talent for quick thinking serve him well in this story too.
This story also highlights the events surrounding the death of Jamie’s father and Jamie’s cruel treatment at the hands of Black Jack Randall, which reminded me all over again how much I loathe that man.
This story contains hard to witness scenes that this author illustrates brilliantly as well as the tongue in cheek humor displayed throughout this series. The narration was expertly performed by Allan Scott-Douglas with the beautiful brogue as well as accurate pronunciations of Gaelic words and phrases that I would absolutely butcher were I to say them.
My Final Verdict: This story is a prequel to the events of the rest of the series and is not required to enjoy the series, but fans of the series will still enjoy the reunion of Jamie and his dear friend, Ian and the adventure they find themselves on.
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