HIGHLANDER IN DISGUISE

Author: Julia London ISBN: 0743465075 2/2005 HISTORICAL Publisher: POCKET STAR
Time Period: Regency 1817

Griffin Lockhart holds the key to his family's fate. Since his brother Liam failed to reclaim the priceless heirloom that could save their ancestral Scottish estate, it's now up to Grif to find it -- among the lords and ladies of fashionable London society. Disguised as a Scottish earl, Grif attends the most glittering balls, hunting for the woman who is rumored to possess his family's treasure. Along the way he catches the eye of Anna Addison, a highborn young woman whose sharp tongue and even sharper wits have limited her marital prospects but enable her to detect Grif's deception. Determined to find a husband this Season, Anna draws Grif into a scandalous bargain: She will deliver his precious heirloom -- and keep secret his true identity -- if Grif can teach her how to seduce a man and win his heart. Well aware of what a man wants from a woman, Grif reluctantly instructs her. Soon Anna is besieged by suitors and Grif's exasperation with the troublesome beauty turns into heated desire. With time running out, Grif commits a reckless act in order to claim not only his treasure, but the passionate woman he believes is his and his alone.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Once again, Julia London gives us a romantic tale filled with humor, sensuality, and just plain fun.

The second in her Highlander series, HIGHLANDER IN DISGUISE features Griffin, Liam Lockhart's (from HIGHLANDER UNBOUND) more gentlemanly brother. Sent back to London to fetch the "Beastie" that Liam failed to nab, Grif, the more socially acceptable Scot in the Scottish side of the Lockhart family, must wade through the ton's myriad balls and soirees while searching for the location of the gargoyle (as Anna calls it). While Grif has vowed not to return without the precious family heirloom, a chance meeting with the Addison sisters, particularly the eldest, Anna, soon leads to a bit of blackmail, mayhem, and downright fun.

I'll be the first to admit that there's nothing new about the plot: Man meets soon-to-be-on-the-shelf woman, woman blackmails man to teach her the art of seduction, wherein in the end, the teacher becomes the seduced. The difference here is that London makes this all so much fun to watch, such as when Grif and his "valet" (best-friend Hugh McAllister), along with his butler, Dudley, ponder just what makes up a woman's ability to seduce a man and physically demonstrate the more finer points of this womanly art. The discussions between the men, as well as the dialogue between Anna and Grif—not to mention the simmering tension between these two, through London's pen turn what could have been just another "been there, read that" plot into something quite unique and enjoyable.

It would be remiss of me not to point out that Grif, throughout the story, talks in a dunna, canna, wouldna type dialogue. While it wasn't displeasing or distracting to me, I know it may be to some readers. At least Grif is consistent—he starts and ends the book with the same accent. Nothing irritates me more than a Highlander in a Scottish romance whose dialogue begins with a Scottish twist, and then he ends up losing it halfway through the story.

Filled with fun and endearing characters, this dialogue-driven, warm romance stands well without reading HIGHLANDER UNBOUND first. If you want a book that makes you smile, makes you laugh, and is just a fun diversion, then HIGHLANDER IN DISGUISE may be just right for you. The last in the lineup, HIGHLANDER IN LOVE, which is Liam and Grif's sister Mared's story, is set to be released in August 2005. That leaves plenty of "catch-up" time for those of you who missed the first two go-rounds in this latest London offering.

Nancy Davis