Virgins by Diana Gabaldon

Mourning the death of his father and gravely injured at the hands of the English, Jamie Fraser finds himself running with a band of mercenaries in the French countryside, where he reconnects with his old friend Ian Murray. Both are nursing wounds; both have good reason to stay out of Scotland; and both are still virgins, despite several opportunities to remedy that deplorable situation with ladies of easy virtue. But Jamie’s love life becomes infinitely more complicated—and dangerous—when fate brings the young men into the service of Dr. Hasdi, a Jewish gentleman who hires them to escort two priceless treasures to Paris. One is an old Torah; the other is the doctor’s beautiful daughter, Rebekah, destined for an arranged marriage. Both Jamie and Ian are instantly drawn to the bride-to-be—but they might be more cautious if they had any idea who they’re truly dealing with.

Series: Outlander 0.5 | Publisher: Dell | Genre: Historical Fiction | Source:  Purchased| Rating: 3 Cups

Challenges Read For: Outlander Series Challenge

Of course I *had* to read this because, hello, it’s Jamie Fraser and I just can’t get enough.

 

Here’s what’s going on. Wanting to get an injured Jamie away from the hands of the Redcoats, particularly Black Jack Randall who flogged Jamie, Murtagh delivers him into the care of Ian Murray, his friend and fellow Scot, who is currently a mercenary in France. Now Jamie and Ian are given the job of transporting a religious scroll and the doctor’s granddaughter to Paris, but things soon go awry when both the scroll and the woman come up missing.

 

Have you ever had a book that both pleased and disappointed you? Well, that was Virgins for me. When I first started this book, it was on audio and I thought that maybe I wasn’t connecting with the narrator because I could not get past the first chapter so, I scrapped the audiobook, pick up a print copy, and still had the same problem. Eventually I managed to get into the story, but it took me a bit to get into it.

 

I think I was expecting too much from this book. While I was able to learn a bit more about Jamie and Ian and their bond of friendship, I still didn’t get the answers I was searching for. I was expecting to get information about their time spent fighting in France but, sadly, I didn’t.

 

Overall, this one was enjoyable but lacking. Given that Jamie’s take on things is rarely given, I wanted more and was disappointed that I didn’t get it.

 

Are you a Jamie Fraser fan?