The Ruby Brooch

The Celtic Brooch, Book 1

By: Katherine Lowry Logan

Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt

A Sweeping Saga

As the sole survivor of the car crash that killed her parents, grief-stricken paramedic Kit MacKlenna is stunned to learn her life is built on lies. A legacy from her father includes a faded letter and a well-worn journal. The journal reveals she was abandoned as a baby 160 years ago. The only clues to her identity are a blood-splattered shawl, a locket with the portrait of a 19th century man, and a Celtic brooch with magical powers. Kit decides to continue her father's 25-year search for her identity and solve her birth parents' murders.

Scotsman Cullen Montgomery, a San Francisco-bound lawyer who resembles the ghost who has haunted Kit since childhood, helps her join a wagon train heading west. More dangerous than the river crossings, bad water, and disease encountered on the trail is Cullen's determination to expose her lies and uncover the source of her unusual knowledge and lifesaving powers.

Kit is convinced that if she can survive the perilous journey and Cullen's accusations, as well as thwart his attempts to seduce her, she might solve the mystery of her heritage and return home without leaving her heart on the other side of time.

©2012 Katherine Lowry Logan (P)2015 Katherine Lowry Logan

Oregon Trail - Southpass Massacre Mystery

The Ruby Brooch starts with Kit MacKlenna as the sole survivor of a car accident. While grieving, Kit discovered that she was adopted and was angry that her parents lied to her about being a MacKlenna. The things left surrounding her heritage was her father's notes regarding the South Pass massacre on the Oregon Trail, a locket with a portrait of a 19-century man, a bloody-splattered shawl, and a ruby brooch with magical powers.

Kit decided to embarked on a time-traveling journey into 1852 to find her true parents and her identity of who she is. With her paramedic background, she packed everything that she needed based on a journal from someone who made the Oregon Trail journey.

What she didn't plan to encountered was Cullen Montgomery, Scotsman/cowboy. With her knowledge of life-saving skills, Cullen was determined to find out who Kit is and where she knows so much healing. Kit now has to guard her heart against Cullen and knowing that she will have to leave him to return to her home in the 21st century.

What I like about the story is that Kit was pushed from one tragedy to to another life-shattering secret her parents have withheld from her. She was dealing the best she can. I love the interaction of Cullen when he started digging into Kit's past and discovering what cannot be and then accepting it. For someone in the 19th century, Cullen could have decided that Kit is insane or a witch. He was open-minded that Kit was here to harm anyone and accepted that she was on a quest to find out who she is.

I love the complicacy of time-traveling. It is a complicated matter but Kit kept her time-traveling from the present to the past minimum and the rationality that the ruby brooch is not a revolving door. I also love that the story is from Kit and Cullen's point of view as a third person.

I was given this audiobook from the author via Audiobook Blast for an honest review. I was not compensated or influence in any way in writing the review.

Slow and annoying start but did improve.

It felt like a first book for this author as it was a pretty rough ride in the beginning. The story jerked forward almost leaving me behind. However, I persevered because I'm a sucker for time travel and was glad I did. The main character leveled out and the story became interestingly complex. I liked that she didn't feel overwhelmed by contaminating the past bringing and using items from the future.

The love story got a little sappy at times, but it is a romance novel. I won't read the next book in the series right away but will in the future.

I have seen it compared to the Outlander series but this book is not even close to Outlander in my opinion.

Narrator needs to learn The difference between acc

Nice tale, but I cringed at every mispronunciation of "Oregon" and "Edinburgh"; at the ridiculous Irish brogue imposed oń characters who were Scots. Callendar....is not in the Highlands, but Central Scotland?.unless 19th Century Scotland held it to be in the Highlands.
Had the Narrator been better, I Would have rated it higher.

Completely swept away!

I'm always a little leery of time-travel because some of them can just be too far out there for my taste. That is not the case with this book. The Ruby Brooch, by Katherine Lowry Logan, had me hook, line, and sinker within the first 10 minutes of listening.

Kit MacKlenna is a 21st century paramedic who, after the sudden death of her parents, discovers that her entire life has been a lie. She discovers that the parents she loved so dearly, and now mourned, were not her birth parents. Her adoptive father has left her his journal, a portrait necklace, and a magical Celtic brooch as clues to her true identity and Kit decides to travel back in time to find whoever it was that murdered her birth parents and discover her true heritage.

She uses the brooch to take her back to the mid 1800's where she finagles her way onto a wagon train traveling the Oregon Trail. She and wagon master, Cullen Montgomery, butt heads immediately but have a healthy respect for each other that will eventually grow into much more. The families on the wagon train take to Kit right away and turn to her when they are sick, or to help with their children, and they soon discover that she can also help protect them from marauders and wild animals along the trail.

Kit's plan is to discover her true identity, find the treacherous thugs who murdered her birth parents, and then return to the 21st century to put the pieces of her life back together again. As the saying goes - - - "the best laid plans . . ."

The characters in this story are well defined and fleshed out and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each and every one of them. They made me laugh, made me angry at times, made me cry, and made my heart soar. Narrator, Teri Schnaubelt brought each of the characters to life with their own distinct voices and personalities. I love when you listen to a book and you become so lost in the characters and story that you pay no mind at all to whether the narrator is male or female, you only hear and experience each individual character.

Every element of life was embodied in this story, mystery, excitement, fear, sorrow, joy, love, and contentment. I was so invested in the story I actually felt a little sad when it ended. There are two more brooches to be discovered and I will definitely be picking up the rest of this five-book series to find out who will benefit from them and what magical will occur the brooches are all together again.

Loved this Book

I was leary about reading a time travel book after the Outlander Series. I felt anything would be a let down in comparison. While the two are not to be compared this is a wonderful book if you are interested in American history with a really good love story as well.