rebeccatc 's review for:

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon

3.0

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This is the second of the Lord John Grey novels. It takes place about six months after the first. Lord John's regiment is about to leave London for the Seven Years' War in Germany, and his mother is remarrying. This spurs events that lead to John trying to clear the name of his late father, the disgraced Duke of Pardloe. The mystery angle of the book was eclipsed by its more personal elements, giving us a much more deeper view of John's life as a career soldier and a closeted, but active, homosexual. The plot seemed contrived with too many side characters I couldn't keep straight, and the fact that everything led back to the Jacobites seemed like a weak excuse to have a few chapters featuring Jamie Fraser, who seemed strangely unlikable in his scenes. I like John Grey a lot so I will read others of his adventures, but this one bored me in parts and was so dark it was somewhat depressing.