Hello, and welcome back! I hope you're all staying cozy and warm with a nice cup of hot tea and a good romance novel. We had our Indian Summer here over the last weekend, and now fall has returned with a vengeance. The weather forecaster even mentioned the possibility of snow this coming weekend. It's a good thing I've got such a towering TBR pile and a rather large selection of teas, I suppose.
If you're a regular reader, you know Scotland is one of my very favorite romance novel settings, even before my visit there this past spring. All the history, the gorgeous countryside, the castles...the kilts. Well, this week, we're lucky enough to have two new Scottish romances, by two brand-new romance authors as well.
The first is by Laurin Wittig, 
Devil of Kilmartin (Jove Highland Fling). Elena of Lamont has lost much in a short period of time--first her father and now her home as she flees Dougal of Dunmore. But she finds herself trapped with another dangerous man, Symon MacLachlan, the Devil of Kilmartin. Symon requires the healer of Lamont, and he believes Elena is the woman he seeks, no, requires, to save him from his madness. Yet her enemy will become his, and this pair will have to overcome much to be together. If they are able to trust, that is. Elena is strong, stronger than even she believes, and Symon, well, what more can be said about a clan chief who'd worry more for his clan than himself, or take on the enemy of his chosen woman even though it may bring him grave harm? Great storytelling and likeable characters. Of Cupid's five arrows, this one earns four. I can't wait to see what's next from Ms. Wittig.
The second is Elizabeth Holcombe's 
Heaven and the Heather (Jove Highland Fling). Lovely Sabine de Sainte Montagne is quite unhappy at her fate, being sent from her home in France to Scotland with her queen. Worse, she is to wed a man she does not even like. But she has plans to avoid both. Too bad the outlaw Niall MacGregor ruins her well-laid plans. Or is it? Niall and Sabine have to work together, despite some trust issues and belief differences, to save the queen, and in doing so, find that perhaps things can work out much better than either of them had hoped. Sabine has not only cultural difficulties, but physical difficulties, yet she's still a woman to be reckoned with. Niall has his own problems to overcome, but one thing he is sure of is that he doesn't want to let this beautiful Frenchwoman leave his Scottish home. I quite enjoyed this one, too, and am giving it four arrows as well. Let's hope these ladies are prolific.
I also want to mention that Dorothy Garlock's 
High on a Hill (Warner) is now available in paperback. I reviewed this one back in June, so I won't again. But if you were waiting for the paperback version, run to the bookstore!
Finally, I wanted to let you know about a few things going on here. If you don't visit the forum regularly, you might want to reconsider that. For the last couple weeks, I've had books to give away, and still have a couple more to go. Simple rules can be found there. Also, I've updated the selections in our art shop , just in time for holiday shopping--or for making your own list of desired gifts. And one last note: our chat time has changed from Wednesday afternoons to Thursday evenings at 9:00 p.m. ET. I hope you'll join us.
Until next week, happy reading!
