Stars: 5
Synopsis: There is still treasure to be found among the Isles of Scilly...and Lady Emily Scofield is determined to keep her cruel, greedy brother Nigel from finding it. Alongside the grumpy Lord Bram Sinclair, the compassionate Tremaynes, and the quirky Howes, Emily discovers a wealth of treasure greater than even the legends told—love, forgiveness, and redemption.
What I Loved: What can I say? Every aspect of White’s novels is (almost) impeccable, and Worthy of Legend is no exception. She immediately drew me into the story with her adorable knight in shining armor, Bram Sinclar, and timid Lady Emily Scofield and their tender love story.
Naturally, Bram was a doll. He did remind me a great deal of Barclay, Samuel, Brice, and a whole host of her other heroes, which kept him from standing out like he had in the previous two books...and he simply cannot compare to Sheridan, so there’s that. I wanted more of him being a grump face too, but I guess that’s because I am a grump have a weakness for grumpy characters.
ANYWAY, he was such a dear, and I loved getting a glimpse into his mind and witnessing his fierce desire to protect Emily (and the other women in his life). That trait, so wonderful and pure and right, is so despised in today’s culture, and it saddens me. *sighs* But I digress, else I’ll start ranting.
As for Emily...she was lovely—not a favorite, no, but actually tolerable enough to dance with. Since I have a hard time liking heroines, it means a lot when I say Emily didn’t annoy me at all and was rather admirable. I ADORED her character growth and the way she recognized her faults and strove to do better, seeking God all the way.
And of course I loved the rest of the cast—especially Sheridan, but y’all know that. Vandermeer was a new favorite—so full of wit and precarious mystery and Americanisms, naturally. I shipped him and Millie right from the start, and his interactions with Bram? Pure gold.
The themes and messages and character growth were all exceptional, and I just love how authentic the faith content is. There’s nothing forced or over-the-top or too subtle—everything flows smooth and feels natural and addresses tough questions in a way that reads as real instead of academic paper on the subject. That’s a rare find in anything these days.
Even though this is the last book, let it be duly noted once more than I love the concept. Buried treasure (in a more realistic way than typically depicted in popular culture)? A beautiful island setting? A wee bit of adventure, suspense, and action? Tell me, what is not to love?
What I Didn’t Love: I hate to say it...but even though Emily didn’t annoy me, she didn’t stand out much to me either, but not for lack of character strength and development. It was simply that she reminded me of other characters, and I simply didn’t connect with her and her personality. Is that typical? Yes. Does that mean I like that? Nope.
But moving on…
I tried SO hard to like Tommie...but I failed miserably. For one, she seemed like a copied-and-pasted version of Deirdre from the Ladies of the Manor series, and similar to several other characters too. She didn’t have a very strong personality, and I felt like she either needed more page time to fully develop her or less so that Emily and Bram could flourish.
Speaking of page time and development, it may have just been me, but both romances—Bramily’s and Tomyon’s—seemed kinda rushed. I think a couple more scenes might have helped in that department, though.
And the fact that one minute Bram wanted to protect Emily and the next minute wanted her to protect herself seemed like a bit of a random contradiction. Like, I get it, and I agree that Emily needed some confidence and a gun, but the way it was written seemed a little feministic. *shrugs* But I am paranoid about that stuff, so it could’ve been me.
Also. WHERE WAS MAMM-WYNN??? Like, I feel like she only had two sentences in the whole novel, and that is WRONG. She is the backbone of the series, and for her to just fade into the background is like sin. *sobs* I missed her so much. Same with Sheridan and Beth. I wanted moooore.
Long Story Short: Regardless, this was still a five star read. (Maybe more like four and a half, but whatever.) My pet peeves aside, Worthy of Legend was a worthy ending to this legendary romance series! White did it again, folks. She pulled you into this wild treasure hunt, spun stories of pirates and kings the likes of Mr. Gibson’s tall tales, and led you to the ultimate treasure: love.
(That said, I expect a Christmas novella with all these couples—all seven of them, I think it is—celebrating as a huge family in the Scillies!)
Disclaimer: I received an advanced review copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.
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about the author
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. She and her family make their home in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. You can learn more about her and her stories at www.RoseannaMWhite.com.