Passion and Plunder (Highland Heather Romancing a Scot #5)

Lydia Farnsworth is in a quandary. Her father, the Laird, is dying and with all her brothers dead, she is set to be named the new Laird of Tornbury Fortress. Alasdair McTavish is commanded by his Laird to assist Lydia in training Tornbury’s men. Against this backdrop these two protagonists, each with pasts they would rather forget, are drawn to each other until what they have is threatened by enemies both within and outside the clan.

There is no doubt that the novel will transport the reader to the Scottish Highlands, with settings and scenery both vibrant and real: from the mountain vistas to the bone-seeping cold one experiences in the place. It is given further authenticity by the way the dialogue is written, with each phonetic syllable of how the Scots speak flowing in every page of the book. This is one of the book's greatest strengths, but also its weakness. Having to decipher the dialogue can make the reader lose a little of the enjoyment of reading this book. This is a question many authors grapple with, particularly if accents are necessary to make the story more real. Also, the similes were chock-a-block and could have been applied sparingly. There is no doubt that this is a page turner – just tone down the similes a bit.

M.P. Ceja