When Andrew MacKenzie’s grandfather dies, he finds himself in possession of an English earldom. But what will his stiff English relatives make of his uncouth Scottish ways? Irritated by the prejudice surrounding him, the new Lord Hadley dons a kilt and makes himself as Scottish as can be. Will his outragous behavior crack the brittle exterior of the prim and proper Lady Jane?
Jane Everard has been schooling her “baser nature” into submission ever since she was young girl. No one wants a high-spirited filly for a wife–or so she has been told by her mother and elder brother ad nauseam. But when the ungentlemanly and unattractive Lord Hadley takes up residence at the country estate, Jane is sorely tempted to forgo propriety and ring a peal over his head. Will the broad-shouldered interloper never stop plaguing her? And why does he have to be so competent, so kind, and the only one who really sees her for who she really is?
This clean Regency romance was full of well-drawn characters. A dashing, self-made man plays the hero and a beautiful but wronged heroine finds herself very much in need of rescue. Though much of the story is lighthearted, the subplot surrounding the death of one of Andrew’s friends adds a darker cast to the story, and the mysterious elements of the plot build up the drama in this enjoyable read. Nichole Van has a talent for creating intriguing premises in her novels (see my review of her novel Seeing Miss Heartstone), and her plots are not easily forgotten after the book is finished.
Rosanne E. Lortz 