Strangely I am finding that I am struggling with this series the second time round. There are parts that I still find gripping, but other parts that I would just like to rush through. I was keen to reread the series to remind myself of events so that I could go on and read all the newer books that I've never before encountered. But I'm starting to lose my enthusiasm a bit and am questing whether I really want to do this. It seems a pity not to find out "what happens" but there are so many other good books out there...

Hmm. Will have to think about this one. ( )

The Maiden covers a period of forty years, from the South Sea Bubble crisis, up through the Jacobite rebellion and beyond. Jemmy Morland is the master of Morland Place, married off to the Lady Mary, even though his heart is elsewhere. Later, his daughter Jemima marries, while Marie-Louise, the Countess of Strathord and the daughter of royalty, entertains delusions of grandeur.

It’s always amazing to me how the Morland family can be on the losing side of history, and yet always emerge victorious—I’ve always found the family’s ability to survive anything to be really appealing. This time, the focus is more on the family’s story, though history intervenes when certain members of the family becomes embroiled with the Jacobite cause. However, things can become a bit confusing, especially with the difference between the “Morland Place” Morlands, and the “Shawes” Morlands (as with the other books in the series, there’s a family tree in the beginning of the book, and I found myself turning back to it often). It’s always interesting, too, how strong the Morland women tend to be, and I look forward to reading more about Jemima in later books in the series. In all, this is a very strong addition to the Morland Dynasty saga. ( )

The Maiden is the eighth book in Cynthia Harrod-Eagles’s Morland Dynasty series, which offers a survey of English history through the eyes of the fictional Morland family. This book opens in 1720 and focuses on the 1845 Jacobite rebellion, in which several Morlands fight on the side of Prince Charles, against the Hanoverian monarchy.

This period of English history is almost entirely new to me, and it is indeed fascinating, especially when told from the perspective of the losing side. I was particularly interested in seeing how different members of the Morland family coped with the reality that the throne simply would not return to the Stuarts.

Most of the book focuses on the happenings at Morland Place, and the Morland story was more compelling in this installment than in any of the previous novels. Most of the characters are given multiple layers, and it’s often not quite clear if certain people will eventually warm up and be kind and contended people, as they seem to want to be, or if bitterness and disappointment will harden them.

So far, this is my favorite installment in the series. I was never quite sure where the story would go or what sort of person most of the characters would become, and so I became much more emotionally invested. It’s a very successful addition to an enjoyable series.

See my complete review at my blog. ( )

#7 in the Morland Dynasty. Started off a bit slow, but the final chapter caused me to run through a range of emotions. ( )