The Freemason's Daughter

Gr 7 Up—Jenna MacDuff is the only child of the Scottish leader of a group of Freemasons who must flee Scotland for England to hide their support of the exiled King James Stuart. Ironically, Jenna and her makeshift family of Freemasons are hired by the Duke of Keswick to build a garrison to protect his household from themselves and other Jacobites. In addition to building the garrison, the Freemasons have covert plans to use it to their advantage. Jenna has doubts about her family's strategy, especially in light of the feelings she has for the duke's son, Lord Pembroke, and the danger to herself and her family. Though readers are told that the heroine is in danger, they likely won't feel it until the very abrupt end. They will, however, tire of the constant reminder of how unusual it is for a girl, especially one of Jenna's station, to be educated. Though the protagonist is empowered, the character development is heavy-handed. An educated, spunky, yet poor heroine; a brooding, aristocratic hero; and an intriguing and suspenseful setting should make this a worthy romance, but the slow pacing of the beginning and the rapid conclusion leave readers with a very mixed bag. Although the characters are appealing and well drawn, this doesn't redeem the work.