Highland Fire

Highland Fire by Hannah Howell (1995)

Pages: 384

ISBN: 0821774298

Description: Swept overboard and stranded on the rocky shores of Scotland, Moira Robertson is left with only the tattered clothes on her back - and the mysterious stranger who came to her aid on the ship. Although their close surroundings unsettle her, she soon cannot resist his touch which awakens a burning ache deep within her. But an she trust her life - and her heart - to this darkly deductive man?

Tavig MacAlpin is a condemned man. Accused of a murder he did not commit, his escape is thwarted by a flame-haired beauty. He must continue his search for justice, but fate has bound him to this Scottish lass - and to a slow, sensual desire that will not be denied...

Review: From the beginning there was an attraction between the main characters. It also appears they have more in common than they thought. They are both heading towards the same destination and both have a "special" ability. I enjoyed the banter between them as the dialogue was rather saucy. The one thing that annoyed me was Moira's obsession that she couldn't be together with Tavig because of their abilities. It was getting tiresome by the end. Overall a nice quick read.

Score: 3 out of 5

Mine Till Midnight (The Hathaways, Book 1)

Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas (2007)

Pages: 384

ISBN: 0312949804

Description: When an unexpected inheritance elevates her family to the ranks of the aristocracy, Amelia Hathaway discovers that tending to her younger sisters and wayward brother was easy compared to navigating the intricacies of the ton. Even more challenging: the attraction she feels for the tall, dark, and dangerously handsome Cam Rohan.

Wealthy beyond most men's dreams, Cam has tired of society's pretty restrictions and longs to return to his "uncivilized" Gypsy roots. When the delectable Amelia appeals to him for help, he intends to offer only friendship - but intnentions ar no match for the desire that blindsides them both. But can a man who spurn tradition be tempted into that most timehonored arrangement: marriage? Life in London society is about to get a whole lot hotter...

Review: From the beginning it appears that Amelia and Cam have great chemistry and need to end up together. I was instantly enthralled with the story of the Hathaways rise from middle class to the aristocracy. Although many of the siblings are haunted by the past they come out of this story unscathed (for the most part). I do wish we would have learned more about Cam and his past, but I have a feeling we will be learning more as the series continues on. I would definitely recommend this.

Score: 4 out of 5

The Ghost Orchid: A Novel

The Ghost Orchid: A Novel by Carol Goodman (2007)

Pages: 368

ISBN: 0345462149

Description: For more than one hundred years, creative souls have traveled to Upstate New York to work under the captivating spell of the Bosco estate. Cradled in silence, inspired by the rough beauty of overgrown gardens and crumbling statuary, these chosen few fashion masterworks–and have cemented Bosco’s reputation as a premier artists’ colony. This season, five talented artists-in-residence find themselves drawn to the history of Bosco, from the extensive network of fountains that were once its centerpiece but have long since run dry to the story of its enigmatic founder, Aurora Latham, and the series of tragic events that occurred more than a century ago.

Ellis Brooks, a first-time novelist, has come to Bosco to write a book based on Aurora and the infamous summer of 1893, when wealthy, powerful Milo Latham brought the notorious medium Corinth Blackwell to the estate to help his wife contact three of the couple’s children, lost the winter before in a diphtheria epidemic. But when a séance turned deadly, Corinth and her alleged accomplice, Tom Quinn, disappeared, taking with them the Lathams’ only surviving child.

The more time she spends at Bosco, the more Ellis becomes convinced that there is an even darker, more sinister end to the story. And she’s not alone: biographer Bethesda Graham uncovers stunning revelations about Milo and Corinth; landscape architect David Fox discovers a series of hidden tunnels underneath the gardens; poet Zalman Bronsky hears the long-dry fountain’s waters beckoning him; and novelist Nat Loomis feels something lingering just out of reach.

After a bizarre series of accidents befalls them, the group cannot deny the connections between the long ago and now, the living and the dead . . . as Ellis realizes that the tangled truth may ensnare them all in its cool embrace.

Review: A captivating mystery that begins in the present and continues on in the past. There are two storylines that go on throughout the book and the future does impact the past. For the most part, I found this to be a captivating read. Once you start reading, you don't want to stop. My one complaint is that it was difficult to figure out there were two different storylines going on. Once you get the pace of the novel, it becomes interesting. The characters were great and well developed. I would definitely read this again.

Score: 4 out of 5