Karen Hawkins 'To Catch a Highlander'

Another story of the MacLean siblings who have been cursed to foment the weather with their tempers. Once the storms start they can't really control them, sometimes causing inconvenience and sometimes causing dangerous mayhem.

Sophia is the daughter of a one time gambler who has fulfilled his wife's last wish and retired with their daughter on a nice Scottish estate. But he manages to lose the estate to Dougal MacLean in a game of cards. Dougal arrives to inspect his new possession and Sophia entices him into a card game staking her virtue against the deed to the estate.

I really liked both these characters. Dougal was so in love with beauty you could almost believe him hanging around to find out what Sophia was up to. I enjoyed the author's choices with the outcome of the big game, and a few later plot twists even mildly surprised me. They take their time hopping into bed, but there is a nice amount of sexual tension and the consumation is thorough. Overall this is a well crafted, thoroughly amusing book.

Historical Romance 2008: 4.5 of 5 diamond necklaces.

Karen Hawkins 'How To Abduct A Highland Lord'

Fiona MacLean's family feud with the Kincaid's has just been reopened after years of peace between them. When she comes across Black Jack Kincaid face down in the mud she has her man drag him unconscious to the alter so they can marry and prevent more violence from breaking out. The priest baulks at marrying an unconscious man until Fiona tells him she's in the family way. And so their marriage is off to a terrific start.

These two have a bit of history of course, and the first few scenes between them in the carriage to London are witty and entertaining. The two characters very soon fall into a loving stupor that seems to dull their wits entirely. They go shopping together, with no irony, and take a bath afterwards and talk about how there's nothing left in the city to buy. Did she finally hook up with her ne're-do-well lover or his gay brother. (Not that in reality I wouldn't rather marry a gay man over most romance heros, but these are fantasies after all.) I really almost entirely lost interest in these two. Did the author think that the plot was going to keep me going all the way to the end?

This book is well written, the sex is fine, secondary characters are almost engaging, and the characters are occasionally funny but not often enough.

Historical Romance 2007: 2 of 5 plaids.