Two brothers fight to claim one father's blessing. 
Two sisters long to claim one man's heart. 

In the autumn of 1788, amid the moors and glens of the Scottish Lowlands, two brothers and two sisters each embark on a painful journey of discovery.

Jamie and Evan McKie both want their father Alec's flocks and lands, yet only one brother will inherit Glentrool. Leana and Rose McBride both yearn to catch the eye of the same handsome lad, yet only one sister will be his bride.
 
A thorny love triangle emerges, plagued by lies and deception, jealousy and desire, betrayal and broken promises. Brimming with passion and drama, Thorn in My Heart brings the past to vibrant life, revealing spiritual truths that transcend time and penetrate the deepest places of the heart. 

An Enduring Story

Perhaps this tale of two brothers and two sisters sounds vaguely familiar…and no wonder! The lives of Jacob and Esau, Leah and Rachel can be found in Genesis 25 and 27-29. After carefully studying those passages of Scripture, then thoroughly researching eighteenth-century Scotland, I wrote Thorn in My Heart, hoping I might demonstrate the timeless nature of God’s truth. May their ancient stories set in bonny Galloway ring true for you!

"With Thorn in My Heart, Liz Curtis Higgs places herself among the best novelists writing today. The story held me spellbound from beginning to end, capturing my heart and never letting go."
     —Robin Lee Hatcher, author of Beyond the Shadows

"An unforgettable saga…as multilayered, mysterious, and joyous as love and faith can be."
     —Susan Wiggs, New York Times best-selling author

Leana slipped beneath the woolen covers, leaving one taper burning high on the dresser where it would not disturb her slumber. Clouds had moved in and blotted out the moon, for the window was dark, and her whole room, except for the tiny flame, remained pitch black. “As dark as a Yule midnight,” Neda would say.
     Darkness was nothing to fear. Far greater fears gnawed on Leana’s soul. A life without love, without a husband, without children. For her it was no life at all. But what if that was the life the Almighty had chosen for her? If it pleased him, could she bear it?

" Wise, heart wrenching, and ultimately triumphant. I couldn't put it down."
 —Francine Rivers, author of Redeeming Love

The biblical stories of Leah and Rachel, Jacob and Esau, are among the oldest of texts—and the most ageless of family conflicts. As such, they are the ideal foundation for a powerful historical novel that engages the imagination, even as it teaches biblical truth. In Thorn in My Heart, these stories are planted in the fertile soil of the Scottish Lowlands. Deception, bitterness, and envy soon take root. Despite Jamie’s love for her sister, Rose, gentle Leana discovers a source of love that transcends earthly cares.

 "A moving account of love, deception, redemption, and hope.
I was hooked from the first page."
     —Tracie Peterson, author of Treasures of the North

Liz Curtis Higgs is the author of twenty-six books, with three million copies in print, including her best-selling historical novels, Thorn in My Heart, Fair Is the Rose, Whence Came a Prince, a Christy Award winner, and Grace in Thine Eyes, a Christy Award finalis.; Her best-selling nonfiction books include Bad Girls of the Bible and Really Bad Girls of the Bible; and she has written two contemporary novels: Mixed Signals, a Rita Award finalist; and Bookends, a Christy Award finalist.