TILL THERE WAS YOU by Lynn Kurland

Till There Was You by Lynn Kurland (Published by The Penguin Group, April 28, 2009)
Zachary William Smith was finished with unreasonable, demanding clients. He was finished with high maintenance, titled women. He was also finished with the paranormal, time travel in particular. Zak just wanted a normal, boring, life. But that was not what fate and a few meddling, match-making ghosts has in store for him. For while he was visiting Artane, an ancient, beautifully intact castle located in Northern England, meeting with an old family friend, Zak steps innocently through a door to find himself inexplicably back in time to the year 1258. Zak doesn’t panic, however, because for the last several years he had been investigating many of the time gates located on his brother-in-law’s property in Scotland. Zak’s brother-in-law happens to be a Scottish Laird originally from the 14th Century. (A DANCE THROUGH TIME by Lynn Kurland.) He ducks into a garderobe (a medieval bathroom) to hide until he can figure out how to get out of this situation and discovers he is not alone. Hiding from an unwanted suitor in that same garderobe is the beautiful, feisty daughter of the keep, Lady Mary de Piaget. When the castle guards try to break down the door with their swords, Zak mistakenly thinks Lady Mary is a simple maid and tries to protect her. Even though he is quite skilled in modern karate and sword play, he is no match for the numbers of men and ends up in the castle dungeon.

Lady Mary is passionate about two things: training her father’s horses and avoiding marriage. In her determination to thwart a dogged, but unsavory suitor and she attempts to break Zak out of the dungeon to enlist his aid in escaping the keep and hiding until her suitor gives up his quest to marry her. That plan is upset by Lady Mary’s father, the infamous Robin of Artane (IF I HAD YOU by Lynn Kurland), England’s most notorious swordsman and one of its most powerful lords. Lord Robin wants his daughter to marry well and is determined that Geoffrey of Styrr, her latest suitor in a long line of suitors, is the least objectionable. Lady Mary has seen a side of Geoffrey that her father has not seen and fears for her very life. No amount of persuasion will convince Lord Robin that Lord Geoffrey will not make her a good husband. Hence, Lady Mary’s plan to flee.

Lord Robin is intrigued by the man who wears strange clothes, with unusual but deadly fighting skills, who speaks passable Norman French and who by his bearing is unquestionably is not a peasant. Zak knows of other time gates located not far from Artane and just wants to get back to his century. He finds himself, however, constantly seeking out the beautiful Lady Mary, despite the whispers he hears in his head warning him to leave no footprint in time. Lady Mary is desperate to avoid the betrothal to the frightening Geoffrey, and at first seeks out Zak for his help, but then discovers herself falling in love with him. You have two people from two different centuries who fall in love and discover that their love could affect countless of generations to come by upsetting the fabric of time and the future.

For those of you who haven’t read one of Lynn Kurland’s books, you are missing a wonderful experience. She writes such amazing romances about two families: one in medieval England - the de Piaget’s; and one in present day Scotland – the McLeod’s. Not all of this series are time travel stories. Some of them involve the story of a romance in their time period. The stories in the books overlap, as well as the families, and you quickly become familiar with both family trees. Each book can stand alone because Ms. Kurland does a wonderful job of explaining who is who within the fabric of each story.

But one thing is certain. You will laugh, your heart will melt, your toes will curl, you will shed a tear or two and you will come to love the two families through all her books. This is old fashioned, feel good romance written so beautifully that the pages fly and you hate to see it end. Heartwarming, sweet, poignant, magic, enchanting are just a few of the adjectives that come to mind. Ms. Kurland writes one of these books a year. It is a long year waiting to see who the story will be about, but each year it is well worth the wait.

I read this book in one day. Tomorrow, I will read it again but slowly this time while savoring each beautifully-turned phrase, each heart stopping second, each witty response and each tender moment. Give yourself a treat and start the series with Kendrick de Piaget’s story STARDUST OF YESTERDAY. You won’t be sorry.

Oh, in case I didn’t say it, I highly recommend this book. ;)

HIGHLAND SCANDAL by Julia London

Highland Scandal by Julia London (Published by Pocket Books, April 21, 2009)
Jankin "Jack" MacLeary Haines, Earl of Lambourne is a man on the run. He is fleeing England from allegations of adultery with the Princess of Wales. As he is traveling through his native Scotland, he is abducted by a group of Highlanders and brought before Laird Carson Beal. Laird Beal quickly learns Jack’s status and about the bounty hunters that are hot on his heels. He makes Jack a proposition - handfast with his niece Elizabeth "Lizzie" Drummond Beal or be turned over to the prince's men and be hung for high treason. (Handfasting is an antiquated Scottish custom where a man and a woman vow to live as man and wife for a year and a day. At the end of that time, the couple chooses to either enter permanently into marriage or split.) Given Jack's choices, he reluctantly agrees. For her part, Lizzie has been abducted from her home by her Uncle Carson. She had been quietly living on her small impoverished estate on Beal land, in mourning for her dead father, and caring for her crippled sister. Her uncle threatens to turn her over to the constable for her mounting debts if she does not handfast with this stranger. Fearing for her sister's welfare and safety, Lizzie unwillingly goes through with the ceremony. Lizzie believes that her uncle is trying to thwart her chances of a respectable marriage with a rival clan member with whom she has an "understanding." Right from the beginning, however, Jack suspects there is more to the situation than just an ancient rivalry between clans and is determined to discover it.

HIGHLAND SCANDAL is heartwarming story about a rogue you can't help but like and a hellion you can't help but admire. Jack is charming, witty, kind and experienced in English ton society. Lizzie is tenacious, independent, and headstrong and has only known the country life in the Scottish highlands. And yet, the attraction and the sparks they ignite in each other are there from the beginning and only grow as the story progresses. Fight the attraction as they might (and, oh, they do try), they can’t help but be drawn to the other.

I thoroughly enjoyed this second book in the series of The Scandalous Novels by Julia London. When Jack and Lizzie are quite literally forced into each other’s company, the repartee is lively and entertaining. The “odious” Uncle Carson is portrayed and written well, making him a character you thoroughly despise. The secondary characters of Charlotte (Lizzie’s sister) and Newton (Charlotte’s guard/protector) only add to this delightful tale. Julia London has another winner with HIGHLAND SCANDAL. It is a fun, romantic read and I would recommend it.

I look forward to the next book in this author’s Scandalous Novel series, A COURTESAN’S SCANDAL, due out in November, 2009.