Just in Time for a Highlander (Sirens of the Scottish Borderlands #1)
by Gwyn Cready
Blurb:
It's
tough being a woman in a man's profession, especially for Abby Kerr, the
unexpected chieftess of Clan Kerr. Loathe to marry but in need of a strong arm,
Abby wishes for a Scots warrior and gets . . . Duncan, the historical
reenactment hobbyist.
Wall
Street Impresario Duncan MacHarg isn't bad with a fencing foil, but he's no
Highlander. When a misdirected spell plucks him from the 21st century, he lands
in 1705 Scotland at the feet of the fiercest woman he's ever laid eyes on...
Themes: historical,
paranormal, time travel
Rating: 3 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
Well now that was an interesting twist on
historical romance, and highlander romance, pulling in the bit of time travel
and paranormal to give this couple even more hurdles than the typical to find a
way to be together. I have never read
anything by this author until I came across this story in the review gallery
and was immediately drawn to it by the title and cover and the story seemed one
that I might find interesting, even though I usually have a hard time with any
type of time travel romance, because it takes a truly good author to make it believable
to me. And while I can say I enjoyed
this story I don’t know that I’ll be running out to get future stories, mainly
because I couldn’t really enjoy either the story or the characters until almost
the last quarter of the book, but I’ll try to be open-minded if I come across a
sequel. The story was interesting in
several ways with historical facts thrown in, and even the awesomeness of a chieftess
of a clan, but other than that I wasn’t much a fan of the characters themselves
or how they interact with one another, it just seemed slightly choppy and
awkward an many points and lacked the desired flow for me.
Duncan
is thrown back in time by a spell cast, not intentionally but by accident and
then he finds himself in serious hot water as he tries to fit in with the new
clan he has been brought into and find a way to serve his time (so to speak) so
he can make it home. Abby doesn’t want
help from any man, much less a weak man from centuries in the future, but when
he lands in the middle of a war, she just has to deal with him. I found that I lacked interest in the fact
that he was brought by accident and was written as being a character that could
be ridiculed by Abby as well as her clansmen.
Honestly, couldn’t he have been a bit more physically imposing, along
with the strength of his mind?
Regardless I also wasn’t a fan of Abby’s approach to dealing with this
man that has landed in her world, even if she brought him there accidentally,
there just lacks a certain compassion and sensitivity, even in private, that I
would like to see from any leader, male or female. A person cannot lead by physical strength alone;
there must be a balance to me in a truly great leader. The characters both waffle back and forth
between decisions and plans, until finally, the world around them forces a
confrontation, and finally when things come to a head they have to make a true decision. This was when I started to enjoy the
characters and the story, but sadly, it ended quickly after that. I did love the bit with Duncan’s grandfather,
though it seemed rather random thrown in at the end of the story, and it was
good that they were able to find an HEA, but it just lacked that special
something needed to make me really enjoy the story. Ultimately, while I enjoyed the overall
story, there were too many inconsistencies and issues I personally had for me
to say I loved it, but I’m willing to give future stories a try because there
were several side characters that I liked and I would enjoy their stories I
think. Sadly, there is just something
about time-travel romances that never seem to hit the mark for me, but if
you’re a fan of them, this book should be right up your alley.
*eARC provided by publisher (via
netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No
compensation was provided.
No comments:
Post a Comment