Kaethe

This book  exemplifies what I enjoy so much about modern historical romances, as opposed to those of the mid-twentieth century. Most of the story is set in 1817. The romance is a forced-marriage plot between an English woman who now owns a Highland castle and a Scot, Captain Logan MacKenzie. It's not always played for laughs, but it is a comic set-up. Madeline Gracechurch is a woman with both a private income and work she loves, so she doesn't really have to marry him except to avoid some embarrassment, plus, he's handsome. But there's more to him. The Clearances have left some of his men with no home to return to, these are the ones who've suffered the worst injuries and the greatest personal losses. It's not as much of an anachronism as calling their trouble PTSD, but MacKenzie recognizes that these particular men will require more care of many kinds, and if marrying a pretty young woman is the easiest way to achieve it, well...

So there's a traditional sort of romance plotline, but the characters have rather more modern insight into the lives of those around them. It isn't enough to create a happy ending for just one couple: Dare is giving a happy ending to her whole group of characters, like Oprah, bestowing gifts on her audience: "Happy Endings for Everyone!"

Library copy

About the cover: this is why women love their electronic readers. I refuse to believe that the most popular genre of books is in any way inferior because it is by women for women. But I cannot take that book out of the house without blushing.