AN AMERICAN IN SCOTLAND (MacIain #3) by Karen Ranney

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 23, 2016

Rose MacIain is a beautiful woman with a secret. Desperate and at her wits’ end, she crafts a fake identity for herself, one that Duncan MacIain will be unable to resist. But she doesn’t realize that posing as the widow of the handsome Scotsman’s cousin is more dangerous than she knew. And when a simmering attraction rises up between them, she begins to regret the whole charade.

Duncan is determined to resist the tempting Rose, no matter how much he admires her arresting beauty and headstrong spirit. When he agrees to accompany her on her quest, their desire for each other only burns hotter. The journey tests his resolve as their close quarters fuel the fire that crackles between them.

When the truth comes to light, these two stubborn people must put away their pride and along the way discover that their dreams of love are all they need.

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REVIEW: AN AMERCIAN IN SCOTLAND is the third installment in Karen Ranney’s MacIAIN historical, romance series. This is Rose and Duncan’s storyline. AN AMERICAN IN SCOTLAND can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous storylines is revealed where necessary. The timeline of 1863 places the storyline during the American Civil War; the Emancipation Proclamation; and the American South was gradually losing control of the people, the slaves and the war.

Told from several third person perspectives and crossing three continents AN AMERICAN IN SCOTLAND follows Rose as she endeavors to keep her sister’s family, and the cotton plantation in Charleston from going under. In her attempts to earn some quick cash, Rose heads to Scotland to visit her brother-in –law’s relations to secure a promise to purchase the cotton bales currently in storage. While the US civil war between the North and the South has claimed many lives, Rose’s current situation on her sister’s Charleston plantation is bordering on starvation and ruin. What ensues is a case of mistaken identity when Rose all but convinces the MacIain family in Scotland to help the family back in America. Enter Duncan MacIain, a Scottish businessman who agrees to return to Charleston with Rose in order to help out his extended family. What Duncan does not know is that Rose is not quite whom she claims to be; and Duncan’s cousin is a truly evil human being.

The relationship between Rose and Duncan begins under the guise of a little white lie. Duncan’s family believes Rose is their cousin’s widow, and takes our heroine into their home. Duncan and Rose’s attraction to one another escalates on their ocean voyage to America, wherein Duncan will proclaim that Rose is the woman who holds his heart and his future. The $ex scenes are intimate, but mostly implied.

The world building focuses on the war between the Yankees and the Confederates; slavery in America; and the cotton plantations of the South; as well as the connection between the Bahamas (the British West Indies), and the American slave plantations. Our leading couple travel across the ocean from Scotland, to the Bahamas, through the Blockades, and onto American soil wherein years of war, and a devastating fire have all but destroyed what is left of Charleston, South Carolina. There is some culture shock on both sides of the ocean.

AN AMERICAN IN SCOTLAND is a fascinating and enjoyable storyline with a little bit of suspense and romance. The premise is moving and heartbreaking; the characters are energetic and inspiring; the romance is passionate. Karen Ranney weaves a little bit of American history into a story of romance and love that finds one woman trying to save a family that doesn’t want to be saved.

Copy supplied by Edelweiss

Reviewed by Sandy