A Jewel in the Vaults

Flights of Love, Book 1

De: Lily Baldwin

Narrado por: James McCreadie

She has never met a man like him before. Then again, he has never met a lad like her.

In 1802, Edinburgh's poverty-ridden Old Town is rife with danger, but it is the only home Robbie MacKenzie has ever known. To safeguard herself against the worst villains of the street, Robbie conceals her femininity behind her shorn hair, dirt-smeared face, and tattered breeches. To all the world she is a lad, but beneath the ruse is a woman aching to break free.

Leaving his beloved Highlands behind in pursuit of his prodigal brother, Conall MacKay journeys to Edinburgh. There, he solicits the aid of a young street lad named Robbie. But Conall soon realizes that there is more to both Robbie and Edinburgh's Old Town than what meets the eye.

In a world where wickedness governs and darkness reigns, a savage struggle for dignity, survival, and love begins.

©2015 Lily Baldwin (P)2015 Lily Baldwin

Loved it!

Robbie conceals herself from being a lass by cutting her hair, wearing dirt and bruises and raggedy clothes. She lived in the vaults to survive. Her mother sacrificed herself to save her. Conall came and she helped him save his brother. Love conquers all! This is one of my favorite stories. Don't miss this one.

Wonderful story with rich atmosphere and places many writers ignore when telling stories from this time.

Lily Baldwin weaves a wonderful tale set in the bowels of Edinburgh. Of a woman cast off before she was born by her father, loved by her mother and hidden from the world under the guise of a boy. During her struggles to survive a man from the highlands comes to find his wayward brother and she's forced to face what she's ignored her own needs and a world she left behind.
James McCreadie's narration brings the story to life. This was a wonderful way to discover this story and my first audio book. I'm thrilled with it.

Captivating from start to finish!

I loved this story! It had elements of Les Miserables that pulled at my heartstrings, and similarly was a tale of sacrificing all for love. Combine that with braw highlanders and narration in a magnificent brogue. Well. What more can a lass want?

A Jewel in the Vaults.

Conall leaves the highlands to Edinburgh in search of his brother. He enlists the help of a street lad Robbie in his search, the only thing is Robbie is not a lad!

Quite An Unusual Love Story

What did you love best about A Jewel in the Vaults?

This is not the typical love story. I've read stories before where the heroine has to pretend to be male, for situational reasons, but I've not read or heard much about a young woman who was raised as a male to save her from the dangerous existence she was born into. I really appreciated the H/h characters, too. Robbie is a good person who has lived since birth in an underworld of the lowest of people. She does what she has to do to survive, and appreciates any kindness shown her. She sees the good in people who are invisible to others because of their unfortunate circumstances. Conall is a gentleman with good morals who loves his home and family, but he will fight if forced to do so.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Jewel in the Vaults?

For a novella, this story has quite a few memorable moments, but one that stands out is when Robbie explains to Conall why the sunrise is so important to her.

What does James McCreadie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It's just a beautiful story to listen to! I might try to read the story with a Scottish brogue but would definitely fail. He differentiated Robbie's Lowland dialect somewhat from that of Highlander Conall. He did the voice of the old woman, Peggy, very well. I really enjoyed his entire narration.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This story stayed with me for a very long time after I initially read it as part of an anthology. I was just amazed at how the author could create such beautiful characters, set them in a horrific place and still have it all work out.

Any additional comments?

I really loved the story and just had to listen to Mr. McCreadie's narration of it. He did a great job with it. I would definitely listen to him again.

NOTE: I was given the audiobook as a gift and wanted to leave a review in appreciation.