Daria Babcock is a proper English miss who's tired of seeing her friends get married and have children while she turns into a spinster. When her grandmother sends a letter from Scotland saying she needs some money, Daria volunteers to make the long trip to deliver it. She arrives at her grandmother's cottage to find that Mamie is no longer the elegant lady she remembers. Now, Mamie dresses simply, does her own laundry, and keeps a naked, wounded man in her back room.

Laird Jamie Campbell believes Mamie bilked his ailing uncle out of a thousand pounds. He needs the money to care for his people during the long Scottish winter. He confronts the older woman about the money, never expecting her to shoot him in the back. When her lovely granddaughter appears through his laudanum haze, he realizes she could be the key to getting his money back. All he has to do is hold her for ransom.

THE LAST DEBUTANTE is part of Julia London's The Secrets of Hadley Green series. Hadley Green is the small town where Daria grew up, and some of those secrets play an important part in this latest book. The story holds its own, and it's not necessary to have read the other books, though if you have, you'll appreciate the ending that much more.

Daria and Jamie are drawn to each other from the beginning, but they fight the attraction. Jamie knows he should look at Daria as "the Ransom" and his clan's future, not as a woman. Daria tries to see Jamie as a savage kidnapper, but she finds it hard not to appreciate his gentleness, humor and good looks. The people of Dundavie, Jamie's castle, are well-drawn characters, most of whom resent the English interloper. The reasons that Jamie and Daria can't consider a life together are strong and hold up through the whole story. I really wondered how they were going to overcome those obstacles, but Ms. London ties it up neatly.

THE LAST DEBUTANTE will appeal to Regency readers and Highlander fans.