Flowers Under Ice [Mass Market Paperback]

I've just read "Flowers Under Ice", by Jean Ross Ewing, which packs some of my favorite romantic elements into a rich and vividly drawn story. Ms.Ewing has combined a strong and intelligent heroine, a devastatingly attractive but tormented hero, and a wonderfully despicable villain into a romance that covers every mood from serious lust to sweet tenderness. Dominic Wyndham first meets Catriona minutes after he's climbed to the top of a church spire and back down to win a bet. He appears at first glance to be an aristocratic wastrel with a scandalous reputation and nothing better to do than risk his life in reckless wagers. Or at least that's the impression Catriona, a spirited young woman from the Scottish Highlands, first forms. Dominic is at a truly low moment in his life; having just been callously informed him that his estranged wife is dead. Catriona lands another blow by telling him that his wife has had a baby by another man, and that Dominic's duty is to journey to Scotland to take charge of the child. Dominic agrees, but adds two outrageous conditions: that Catriona will accompany him unchaperoned, and that she will agree to explore one of the seven deadly sins for each day of their journey. Bit by bit, however, Dominic's true nature and the reasons behind his pose of careless indifference are slowly revealed, while the reader discovers more about Catriona's real mission. Along the way they are pursued and harassed by a variety of villains, and it soon becomes apparent that even more is at stake than a child's life. Catriona is a challenging heroine, dauntingly strong in her purpose, but her reasons are selfless, and due to her strong sense of honor and duty. I liked those qualities, and also the way Catriona fell under Dominic's spell, despite herself. Under Ms. Ewing's skillful hands, their love affair progresses gradually from a sensuous physical attraction to a soul-deep need for each other that really rang true for me. If you enjoy reading Jo Beverley, Edith Layton, or Anne Stuart, I think you will also enjoy Jean Ross Ewing. I definitely did!

Still one of the most literate voices of the genre, but did not meet expectations with this one after her beautifully conceived Illusions. The heroine was not very sympathetic and was not fully developed as a character; she did a better job with Dominic Wyndham but I was hard pressed to see why he was falling in love with Catriona. Still, a welcome change from most of the pulp out there.

This is a wonderful book. I've haven't seen a writer bring Scotland to life like this since Gabaldon. Ewing's descriptions of the country and people brought them to life.

And let's not forget the romance<g>. Dominic is my favorite kind of hero, the embittered veteran of the Napoleonic wars who comes home to deviltry and drink because he's unwilling to face his past. He's not ready to allow himself to become attached to anyone, until a Highlander woman drags him to Scotland to save a child. The journey there is one filled with mystery, passion, and self-discovery for both the hero and heroine. Don't miss this one!