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A Rogue In A Kilt – Sandy Blair
Zebra,
December 2004
ISBN-13: 978-0821777671
ISBN-10: 082177767X
Reviewed by Laurel
November 2004
Her name was Birdalane Shame, orphaned at a young age by her mother, living in a crofters hut and a cailleach, feared and bound to Macarthur land. She has great healing powers and a witty sense of humour, and a heart made of gold. Naïve to ways of the world outside her croft in the glen, she hungers to learn more, see silk tapestries and stained glass windows and be around people. When she decides to go for a swim in the river near her home, her life is shaken upside down and her world is torn apart. Saving the life of her beloved pet wolf by transferring his wound and pain to her person, she wakes up miles away from her home, hand-fasted and deathly afraid someone will discover her secret.
Sir Angus MacDougall made a daring bet with his liege lord that he could wed a Lady of the realm in a certain amount of time to secure the keys to a fife that he desperately wants to call home. Encountering one set back and let down after another he is travelling across Macarthur land when a splash distracts him. Upon further investigation he finds the most stunning woman he has ever laid eyes on. When a wolf emerges from the woods he fears for the ladies safety and whips a dagger into the wolves side. But to his astonishment the woman ends up being the one wounded, not knowing how he could have misjudged his aim by so much he is horrified, scoops her up and tries to seek help for this beautiful woman. With doors closed in his face one after another, he travels with her and tends the wound. In a attempt to protect her from riders who are out for a bit of sport, he claims her has his woman. Hand-fasted Angus sees all his well-laid plans, and the hope of a home to call is own go up in smoke.
Now bound and hand fasted to each other they waffle in their desire for each other. At first outraged that this brute just so matter of factly hand fasted himself to her, Birdi wants it undone and returned to her glen, but along the way feelings develop between the two of them that cannot be denied. Angus is smitten with this mysterious woman and when he uncovers her secret he is shocked but events that occurred in the book make complete sense to him now. With a fierce urge to become her protector he takes her back to his Liege Lord Duncan MacDougall’s home to protect and shelter her from the ones that would surely do her harm.
Sandy Blair is relatively new to the romance genre and this is her second book published. It was really funny, even in the parts where it should be suspenseful I had a hard time keeping a straight face. Ms. Blair’s writing is infectious, and written so descriptively that every time Angus said ACK! I could visualize his arms flying over his head and fits of giggles would erupt. But not one scene was more priceless then when he was trying to teach her the Christian way of life and the explanations and dialogue on both sides, or when she encountered the priest. My side hurt by the time I got finished reading these parts and must confess I had to read them a couple of times making it all the more harder to keep a straight face and get through it.
The book is only 256 pages but was just the right amount of pages, both characters were developed nicely and anymore to the story probably would have hampered rather than help to move it along. It was a charming read, full of giggles and a perfect blend of love, friends and understanding. It was nice to see Beth and Douglas from A MAN IN A KILT included in this story the closing chapters of the book. Birdi had her moments that ripped my heart to pieces especially when she did one sacrifice after another through this story. Her powers to heal were amazing and the chances she took could have had devastating and tragic effects but reinforced to me that she was a kind-hearted woman and just needed someone to love.
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