Unwilling to share Murdo and convinced he still intends to marry, David despairs over the end of their relationship. It’s not as though thousands of others don’t do it every day!” “Christ, why don’t you just let yourself have a bit of happiness? Marry a woman who loves you and slake your needs with men on occasion. Adding to David’s anxiety about the future is a nagging suspicion that Murdo is keeping a secret and despite their emotional and physical closeness, he’s never forgotten Murdo’s angry words from long ago: Especially since it’s clear to the reader, if not to David, that Murdo loves him and profoundly dislikes any mention of a separation between them. The sadness and fear he feels about his future – without Murdo (more on that in a bit) – is palpable and devastating. The days pass swiftly in blissful sojourn from the outside world, but unfortunately, as David’s leg becomes stronger, so too does the pressing need he feels to return to his practice and a life he’s essentially left behind in Edinburgh. Acting as Murdo’s man of business/secretary, he’s discovered the work is both satisfying and fulfilling – as is his romantic relationship with Murdo. He’s spent the past five months at Laverock, Murdo’s Highland estate, recuperating from a badly broken leg, and those months have been the happiest of his life.

Told exclusively from David’s point of view, the story picks up not long after the cliffhanger ending in Beguiled, wherein he was badly injured helping his friend Lady Elizabeth Kinnell (née Chalmers) escape an abusive husband. This trilogy – and the relationship at its heart – is one for the ages tender, moving and deeply romantic. The subplot – and the familiar secondary characters involved in it – slowly and irrevocably bind the men to one another. Chambers brilliantly dovetails the evolving relationship (and its inherent challenges) with a subplot that emerged in Provoked, ended in a dramatic cliffhanger in Beguiled, and reaches its conclusion in Enlightened. Regrets, missteps, and misunderstandings ensue, but Ms. Chambers largely eschews the political and social focus of the first two books to concentrate on the evolving romantic relationship between David and Murdo Balfour as they each try to answer that question. Unlike the previous novels wherein David Lauriston struggled to accept his sexuality and then to develop – for the first time – a physical and emotional relationship with another man, Enlightenment begs the question: What happens after you’ve met the love of your life? Ms. To understand the relationship between the principals and to avoid spoilers in this review, you should read Provoked and Beguiled first.Įnlightened is the last book in the Enlightenment trilogy and the strongest. Note: The books in the Enlightenment trilogy build on each other.

Enlightened by Joanna Chambers