"Heartwarming Victorian Romance!"
When Emma was summoned to Chavensworth, she was not
pleased. This time, it turns out the housekeeper was the
one who summoned her. Turns out the woman found her
husband, the Duke of Herridge dead. After the funeral was
over, Emma—Duchess of Herridge—returned to her own home in
London, where her uncle immediately moved in and installed
his own staff, a staff loyal to him and not Emma. Even
though her time of mourning isn't over, Emma's uncle has
told her she is to marry again. This is the last thing
Emma wants to do. After her uncle leaves her, a man comes
in through the window. He demands a mirror from Emma, the
very one she received from the Duke of Herridge as a
marriage gift. Unfortunately, Emma didn't take the mirror
with her when she left Chavensworth. When her uncle comes
back into the room, the man hides in a wardrobe. When he
hits Emma, the man comes out and strikes her uncle, then
grabs Emma and leaves the house. Ian McNair, Earl of Buchane, Laird of Trelawney has three
reasons to be in London right now. The first and most
important to him, is the dinner with his colleagues to
discuss his most recent scientific discoveries. The second
reason is to attempt to get the Tulloch mirror from the
Duchess of Herridge for his good friend, Lady Sarah, the
Duke's daughter from his first marriage. The third reason
is the one he dislikes the most, his cousin Bryce. The
last thing in Ian's mind when he went to see the Duchess
was kidnapping her, but that is exactly what he ended up
doing. When he saw Emma's uncle strike her, he could not
just allow it to happen, but intervened. Next thing he
realized, he was taking her with him when he left the
house. Ian and Emma spend three days together before he returns
her to her uncle. Three days of learning each other, being
honest with each other, falling in love, and finally
passion. Three days of Emma's life when she actually felt
wanted for herself, when she didn't have to be anything
other than herself. Three days of discovering just who she
is. Will Emma become married again? And who does her uncle
want her to marry? Will Emma and Ian find the Tulloch
mirror? Will Ian be able to give Emma up? A HIGHLAND DUCHESS is a very different type of Victorian
romance. Karen Ranny does a fantastic job of telling a
fascinating tale of life in Victorian England. From Ian's
fascination with science and devoting the entire first
floor of his home to a laboratory, to Emma's sexual
experiences with her husband. The characters are all very
realistically portrayed, especially Emma with the way she
relates to everything. How she deals with her past by
retreating into the Ice Queen her husband thought her, and
then coming alive when she's with Ian. I really loved
watching Emma come into her own as a person happy with
herself. The scenery was also wonderful, especially
Lochlaven. Even Ian's garden in London came to life
through Karen Ranney's words. This is a fantastic read,
complete with heartfelt sigh at the end and one I cannot
recommend highly enough.
Reviewed by Chere Gruver
Posted September 26, 2010
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The beautiful but haughty Duchess of Herridge is known to all the ton as the "Ice Queen." But to Ian McNair, the exquisite Emma is nothing like the rumors. Sensual and passionate, she moves him as no other woman has before. If only she were his wife and not his captive . . . Little does Emma know that the dark and mysterious stranger who bursts into her bedroom to kidnap her is the powerful Earl of Buchane, and the only man who has been able to see past her proper faÇade. As the Ice Queen's defenses melt under the powerful passion she finds with her handsome captor, she begins to believe that love may be possible. Yet fate has decreed that the dream can never be—for pursuing it means sacrificing everything they hold dear: their honor, their futures . . . and perhaps their lives.
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