Karen Ranney can write a Scottish love story in her own
unique way which no other author does. A SCOTTISH LOVE is
one of those stories. There is depth to the characters,
they don't just suddenly fall in love with each other. They
each have to grow as the story grows, they each have their
own
problems both past and present to overcome, and they each
have their own internal struggle against the most powerful
emotion called love. I really loved the depth that Ranney
gave these two characters. They felt more like people and
not so fairytale happy-ever-afterish than some characters
do. I will warn you though that some readers may not like
the downside to this book. It is not all happily ever after,
it is harsh it is cold and it is tragic as well. It is the
story of personal struggle and the wonders of discovering
you no longer have to struggle alone.
Gordon MacDermond should have everything his heart desires.
He has been given a baronetcy for his valor and bravery
under fire and he can have his pick of women anytime anyway.
Yet he finds that the one thing he has always wanted has
still managed to elude him...Shona Imrie the girl he was
supposed to have married seven years ago. It wasn't as if he
didn't ask her, because he did. It wasn't as if he didn't
love her, for he did that too. It wasn't as if she didn't
love him, he thought she did. But she refused him and his
broken heart was swept away to war. Gordan is back and set
on winning her hand this time around. No matter what he must
do, no matter what the cost Gordon will see Shona as his
wife.
Shona Imrie has lost everything. The husband she didn't love
nor want, almost all of her family is gone the Imrie's are
down to just her brother who was crippled in the war and
herself. Left to provide for the household Shona's struggles
are far from over. She was left widowed and penniless. Now
Shona has reached the point where desperation is setting in.
She has come to the realization that she must sell her
ancestral home. Finding family of sorts in America
interested in buying turns out to be the easy part of the
task. Managing to survive their visit will be a true trial
and now that her childhood love has returned Shona finds
herself more confused than ever. She is strong, she is
independent, and she is determined not to take Gordon's help
if it is the last thing she does even if it is the only
thing she truly wants to do.
There are clouds in Scotland and Ranney has truly shown them
throughout this book. Ranney has depicted the Scottish war
hero, the headstrong lass, the castle, the times, and even
the ghostly essence of the place with stunning clarity. Life
was hard, life is full of choices that we sometimes regret,
and the fairytale ending does not come for everyone. The
good thing about life is that some people get second
chances, but you will have to read it to know if Shona and
Gordon see the rainbow at the end of the storm.
Shona Imrie should have agreed to Gordon MacDermond's
proposal of marriage seven years ago -- before he went off
to war and returned a national hero -- but the proud
Scottish lass would accept no man's charity. The dashing
soldier would never truly share her love and the passion
that left her weak and breathless -- or so she believed --
so instead she gave herself to another. Now she faces
disgrace, poverty, and a life spent alone for her steadfast
refusal to follow her heart.
Honored with a baronetcy for his courage under fire, Gordon
has everything he could ever want -- excerpt for the one
thing he most fervently desires: the headstrong beauty he
foolishly let slip through his fingers. Conquering Shona's
stubborn pride, however, will prove his most difficult
battle -- though it is the one for which he is most willing
to risk his life, his heart, and his soul.