TAMING THE HIGHLAND BRIDE

Author: Lynsay Sands ISBN: 9780061344787 2/2010 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON
Time Period: Scotland & England

She was ready to let her heart run wild . . . Merry Stewart has had enough! Enough of her brothers, whose behavior would make even the most improper lady blush. Enough of their Highland home, which would surely have fallen to ruin were it not for her. She dreams of escaping into the arms of her betrothed, Alexander d'Aumesbery—even though they haven't yet met. But when they do, Merry is devastated. It seems he's no better than the men in her family. So beautiful, so brazen . . . From the moment he meets Merry, Alexander is determined to make her his. Desperate to convince her he's nothing like the members of her roguish clan, he will prove he is every bit the well-mannered gentleman. Yet, beneath it all beats a heart as intense and uncontrollable as hers. And finally, when his life is threatened, Merry realizes he's the husband she's been waiting for . . . and their passion becomes the one thing that cannot be tamed.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Lately I feel like all of my review books are just that, review books. Even my favorite authors appear to be serving up works that I just cannot get into. So, when I got this Sands book, I was hoping to be swept away, excited, and no longer looking at a book that was just for review. Well, I got half of that, I guess.

On the positive side of things, the trademark humor Sands normally puts into her books is present in TAMING THE HIGHLAND BRIDE. That makes for some entertaining moments. The storyline is the type to keep you guessing until the end, which makes for a slightly suspenseful romance. So what with all of this praise could be the downside, you ask? The dull hero.

Okay, he is not dull precisely, just not the manly man I am used to seeing from Sands. He is capable, but that isn't known until the book is half over. Mind you, someone is trying to kill him, but because he is knocked out twice in a matter of days and drunk when I first met him, he simply is not all that active. His wife coming to his rescue often makes this role reversal in the story where my confusion lies. I think I am used to alpha males, and Alexander isn't exactly one.

I guess the bottom line here is that true fans of Sands stories will enjoy TAMING THE HIGHLAND BRIDE simply because it contains her classic signatures. I am one of those fans, but also am still looking for my review book that doesn't feel like one.

Shannon Johnson