TAKEN BY STORM

Author: Donna Fletcher ISBN: 0061136255 10/2006 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON
Time Period: Scotland

Burke Longton planned on freeing his brother from captivity—not being imprisoned himself! But even that shock is nothing compared to what he feels when he is rescued by a motley band of outlaws, led by the beautiful and daring Storm. A legend throughout Scotland, Storm is unprepared for the impact this man has on her. Tempted like never before to let down her guard, Storm fights against the unfamiliar feelings Burke stirs up. But as each day passes, Burke grows more determined to prove that he walls Storm has built around her heart will be no match for the power of his love.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

My first inclination with a Donna Fletcher book is to tear right into it and not put it down until I have finished. The reason for this is very simple. Donna Fletcher can tell a brilliant story. She writes them like no other and I ALWAYS love what she puts out.

Storm is an outlaw by default. Upon witnessing the brutal murder of her beloved husband, she decides to take it upon herself to free other peasants who have been wrongfully incarcerated and abused. She is beautiful, rebellious, and bossy to a fault, but you just have to love her. She stands up for what she believes in, and risks her own life every single day to free the less fortunate and keep them from her husband's plight. She has wonderful characteristics and is a good ol' fashioned tomboy, which is precisely why Burke Longton cannot get enough of her.

Burke Longton has come to Scotland for one reason alone—to find his brother, Cullen. He has no intentions of ending up a part of an outlaw band or falling in love with their fearless leader; and yet, that is exactly what seems to be happening. Burke goes to Storm's group to ask them for help finding his brother after she frees him from a prison, and she says yes, but only under one condition—that he stay out of her way and let her do her job. He agrees with Storm, thinking her just a means to an end. But somewhere along the way, the parameters shift, somehow, and Storm and Burke begin to realize a budding camaraderie, a slight relationship building that can prove to be nothing but a disaster if they don't put a stop to it.

TAKEN BY STORM is a wonderful book with a great "Robin Hood-esque" quality that I really liked. The ending is a tearjerker and leaves the story open beautifully for a sequel. Donna Fletcher has outdone herself and given us a great new book for our keeper shelves with TAKEN BY STORM.

Kristal Gorman