Out of the Mist [Mass Market Paperback]

In order to maintain the sprawling manor, the family sponsors the Highland Games on the castle grounds. Ian, under the guise of filming a documentary about the games, has really come to steal the brooch for the MacKenzie clan. Lily is the coordinator of the games. Lively sensual dialogue snaps back and forth between the two as each attends to his/her personal agenda. The twists and turns in their romance provide a fun read.

The transitions between character history, brooch history, and storyline are a little awkward at times, but Ms Ross's superb and evocative word pictures paint the Scottish Highland games firmly in the reader's mind.

The engaging personalities of her secondary characters add yet another level of charm to the book. Duncan MacDougall, the ornery Scotsman who sent his grandson to America to reclaim the brooch; Lily's father John Angus Stewart and his very young fiancée Jenny; zany, mystic Aunt Zelda; divorced Aunt Melanie and her bag piping daughter, Missy, and Lily's grandmother Annie are all quirky, captivating characters who draw you into the story.

OUT OF THE MIST is a terrific combination of Ms Ross's distinct contemporary writing style and her story weaving gift. Her subtle, witty humor interspersed with all that Scottish history, firefly science and even the geological review of plate tectonics keeps you turning the pages. The snippets and hints of the coming stories of Lily's two sisters, Lark and Laurel, will have you eagerly awaiting the sister's stories.

A rain soaked Ian arrives at "Stewart's Folly" after walking a mile in a storm when his car rental failed. He and hotel hostess Lily are attracted from the first moment they see each other; shaking hands they emit enough electricity to light a city. Lily worries about the film that she believes will accentuate the negative. The truth is Ian is here to take back a seven-century-old broach his grandfather insists was stolen by the Stewarts decades ago. Although Ian and Lily act wary towards one another, they fall in love, but neither wants that at this time.

OUT OF THE MIST is a fine contemporary romance that highlights the Scottish-American culture. The entire clan is fun to observe, but especially delightful is the lead couple and a geriatric duo. Fans of JoAnn Ross will enjoy this tale and take pleasure with the thought that two sisters remain for their tales to be told.

Harriet Klausner