In Love and War. By Charles Gibbon. 3 vols. (Bentley
and Son.) —Mr. Gibbon quite rightly describes his book as "a romance." We are glad to say that we have found it a refreshing contrast to the com- mon run of the novels of modern life, in which barren imaginations dealing with exhausted subjects stimulate their readers by expe- dients of doubtful or worse than doubtful morality. Mr. Gibbon begins his story with an exploit after the manner of the" Young Loehinvar," only that in this case the young lady is already married, at least if a mar- riage to which no consent has been given is valid. After this we are carried on over a breathless course of exciting events. The detested husband, we should say, is Robert Cochrane, the favourite of James [IL, created by his master Earl of Mar, the bride is the daughter of Sir Hugh Janfarie, and the lover, Sir Bertrand Gordon, of Lamington, the first being a real, the latter two imaginary personages. We shall not attempt to give any kind of epitome of the tale. It cannot claim to rank with such masterly reproductions of old times as our greatest novelists have sometimes given us, but it is vigorous and stirring, and always keeps up the reader's intereat
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