Highlander's Hopeby Collette Cameron
ebook, 430 pages
Published May 21, 2013 by Soul Mate Publishing
Premise:
Regency propriety and Scottish boldness clash in this Regency romantic suspense flavored with a liberal dose of humor and a dash of inspiration.Not a day has gone by that Ewan McTavish, the Viscount Sethwick, hasn't dreamed of the beauty he danced with two years ago. He's determined to win her heart and make her his own. Heiress, Yvette Stapleton, is certain of one thing; marriage is risky and, therefore, to be avoided. At first, she doesn't recognize the dangerously handsome man who rescues her from assailants on London's docks, but Lord Sethwick's passionate kisses soon have her reconsidering her cynical views on matrimony. On a mission to stop a War Office traitor, Ewan draws Yvette into deadly international intrigue. To protect her, he exploits Scottish law, declaring her his lawful wife—without benefit of a ceremony. Yvette is furious upon discovering the irregular marriage is legally binding, though she never said, "I do." Will Ewan's manipulation cost him her newfound love?
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My Review
*chuckle* What a fun ride!
Evvy is a sweet character full of spunk. It is fun to read
the story from her POV. She has heart and hope and is delightfully opinionated.
She is rescued on occasion, but she’s not just a hopeless heiress in pretty
dresses! She wields a knife with deadly precision!
Ewan is intelligent and quick. Having half the story from
his POV really takes everything to another deeper level. He is hot, which is
important, coming from a handsome family (I love why's!) His character is
revealed in pieces, so I wasn't sure of all his good qualities at once. Also
great.
The writing style is fun, very fun, starting with the first
startling rescue which had me laughing outloud. Cameron writes from exciting
moment to awkward moment, so the story skips along quickly. Fun.
What I enjoyed best was the light, skipping feel of reading.
The passion between these two is delightful and full of memorable moments. The
awkward, fumbling moments are hilarious… the passionate moments are bone
melting. They are perfect for each other. I like how they have history. I love
how circumstances keep trapping them. I don’t think I’ve read a story where
wishes come true TOO fast so that the main characters are confronted with
resisting their own heart’s desires. Well played!!
The down-side for me was the neatness of some resolutions, a
side effect of so many tangles. Evvy is irritated with passion overwhelming sense, herself, but until mid-way,
she kept up her own suspicions.
The ending demanded
that I remember characters from the beginning… characters who initially seemed like major
characters, but slipped out of the story early on. Yes, everything is
resolved, but I find myself committed more deeply to these minor characters and
unwilling to accept things without the details.
Ah… and one more tiny fuss. There is more HEART in the earlier romantic scenes. This leads me to give two ratings
for this book:
My Rating:
4.5 – I enjoyed the first half of this book hugely. I
couldn’t put it down. Love the characters, love the pace. The war room details
were a different pace, but I don’t mind strategic planning.
3 – Second half is a tad too “cute” in resolutions and
tender moments. The upside of this is that the book is complete on itself. This
could easily have grown into two books, which might satisfy my hopes for the
story, but there’s a lot to be said for completing a wonderfully complicated
story in one book!
3.75 for me overall.
A life-long Oregonian, Collette Cameron was born and raised in a small town along the northern Oregon coast. Today she makes her home in a rural community, 30 minutes west of Portland.
Her Victorian farmhouse sits on a one-acre certified wildlife habit, interspersed with a plethora of gardens: English, rose, butterfly, rock, water, and of course, vegetable.
A voracious reader of romance since her teens, she even named her daughter after a heroine in her favorite romance novel. An enthusiast of times gone by, and anything related to romance, she writes Historical Romance, with a dash of inspiration, a pinch of humor, and a liberal portion of suspense.
Having dabbled in interior decorating in her youth, Collette returned to school, graduating summa cum laude from Oregon State University, and went on to obtain her Master's Degree in Teaching. She is member of Romance Writers of America, Rose City Romance Writers, The Beau Monde, and Love Faith and Hope, Inc., and a whole slew of other author/writer groups.
Some of Collette's favorite things include unique blends of coffees and teas, trivia, Cadbury Milk Chocolate, inspirational quotes, and scented candles. Her Christian faith, husband, three adult children, and five miniature dachshunds round out her life quite nicely!
When she's not teaching or writing, she is a content and copy/line editor for an Ebook publisher, enjoys amateur photography, bird watching, gardening, interior decorating, rock-hunting, boating or fishing on the Columbia River, and reading of course.
I especially love Collette's bio because she's raving about MY home town!! :-D This is one of those wonderful moments where literal and real world intersect and authors know relatives. I don't recommend it for "every day", but on occasion, it is a TREAT! :-)
Yes... this is an ADULT BOOK with ADULT CONTENT!!! No, I don't read and review many adult titles. It is possible I am old enough and married enough, but it's rare to find the fun-loving youthful spirit I enjoy on the adult bookshelf. This is a fun exception. I'm glad I found Collette Cameron and I look forward to reading more of her books!!
