Irresistible Macrae [Mass Market Paperback]

Her mother, Susanna, had sent a plea to her friend Fergus MacRae to see if he could help her figure a way out of the mess Riona had fallen into. Fergus couldn't come but sent his nephew James MacRae as his emissary. Once Susanna, saw James she concocted a scheme to have him spend time at her estate half hoping that an attraction would happen between Riona and James. Naturally, as they try to ignore the attraction - James being honorable realizing that she was betrothed and Riona having committed herself to a betrothal and trying to honor her agreement to save her family from scandal, the inevitable happens and they fall in love.

I have to say that I've read all of Karen Ranney's novels to date and have been most satisfied up until now. Her prose of course, is outstanding and you get all warm and fuzzy as these two fall in love - James being the more poetically sensitive of the MacRae brothers, but the plot really does not make sense. Once the mother had agreed to her daughters sacrifice betrothal what on earth did she hope to accomplish by maneuvering her daughter and James into a lustful encounter? But more importantly, knowing what a toad her betrothed was for manipulating her into a compromising position, and Riona being portrayed as an independent and resourceful daughter - what difference did it make which scandal would be worse - the Riona breaking off a forced betrothal with a man she despised - or running off to Gretna Green with a man who was her love and kindred spirit? Never mind that Riona was supposedly doing it all for her sweet sister so that the sister could marry the man she was in love with. Why didn't the sister see how miserable Riona was being forced into marrying someone she did not love? The secondary plot of someone trying to kill James was not of primary importance to the plot and was dealt with rather haphazardly and used, I believe, as a vehicle solely to put James and Riona in a compromising position.

I am sorry to say that the third book of Highland Lords series just did not live up to my expectations of a Karen Ranney novel especially after having read everything else she has written plus the first two books of the series that had much more excitement and sensuality to them. She did manage to pull off the ending so I did not rate this so much by the weakness of the plot as I did by her exquisite prose - Rating a 3 would have been too low but with no 1/2 points in this rating system I am giving it a 4*.

Riona's mother Susanna wants her daughters happy but cannot see Riona with this smiling con artist. She asks for help from her friend Fergus, but he is getting married so he sends his nephew James MacRae to assist Susannah. When he gets ready to go home, Susanna concocts a ploy to keep him here because she has a bigger plan that centers on James and Riona, whose passion for each other makes it easier to accomplish. However, Riona is betrothed and someone wants James dead making the permanency that Susanna envisions vey unlikely to occur.

Though the third Highlands Lord book reads somewhat like the previous two and has too easy solutions to Riona's dilemma, readers will relish this Scottish romance because the lead couple makes for a delightful pair that the audience will cherish. The story line is fast-paced and loaded with the intrigue of the late eighteenth century. Still the cast owns the novel especially Riona, James and that wile coyote Harold, who for the most part is, as clever villain readers will find in a historical.

Harriet Klausner