A story of great emotion, Here Burns My Candle, by Liz Curtis Higgs, is a timeless tale.  Set in the land of Scotland back in 1745, this story is full of excitement, suspense, love, and tragedy.

Elizabeth Kerr ran away from home, in order to protect both her mother and herself; when she married Donald Kerr, she in essence married his family, as she was expected to take up their traditions and beliefs.  Elizabeth harbored many secrets, though, including her old religious beliefs in the ways of the moon.  Not only that, but she was born a Highlander, and as such, sided with the Highlanders and Prince Charlie in the war that was taking over Edinburgh, in which most inhabitants were loyal to King George.  As time went on and the years of a childless marriage continued, Elizabeth could never quite be accepted fully into the circles of her mother-in-law, Marjory.

As war came upon Edinburgh, and the taking up of sides became inevitable, Elizabeth and Donald found themselves in the thick of it, with Donald and his brother, Andrew, finally deciding to side with the Highlanders.  Tragedy ensued, and as it did, Elizabeth was left to make decisions that would change the course of her life forever.  The ending of this story was inspiring in and of itself, as it was a picture of Ruth and Naomi.  As Marjory was left in ruins (having been stripped of her title and properties, her sons not staying loyal to King George), Elizabeth could return to her old life and her old ways….or she could travel with Marjory to a new life, a new land.  It’s a story of tragedy, yet a story of the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. Here’s a video trailer for more info:

As an avid reader, I would recommend this book; there were parts of the story, which were questionable, such as Elizabeth’s husband’s affairs….but the story was as real to life as it could be, just from a historical and reality-based standpoint.  I was impressed by the research that must have taken place in the writing of this book because of the detail that it contained, in regards to historical data and settings.  In fact, the back of the book contains the Author Notes, in which the author talks about some of the research that took place.  There is also a Readers Guide, which would serve well for a book club, in order to add discussion points.  You can purchase this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for $14.99.

Author Bio:
LIZ CURTIS HIGGS is the author of twenty-seven books with three million copies in print, including: her best-selling historical novels, Thorn in My Heart, Fair Is the Rose, Christy Award-winner Whence Came a Prince, and Grace in Thine Eyes, a Christy Award finalist; My Heart’s in the Lowlands: Ten Days in Bonny Scotland, an armchair travel guide to Galloway; and her contemporary novels, Mixed Signals, a Rita Award finalist, and Bookends, a Christy Award finalist. Visit the author’s extensive website at www.lizcurtishiggs.com.

(Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book, free of charge, by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group, for the purposes of this review.)