On her deathbed, James Burnett's clairvoyant Scottish grandmother foretells that his bride is in mortal danger. James must save her or she will die. The problem is, James is a widower living in London and does not have a bride. Soon, though, he begins to have nightmares about Faith McBride, his first love to whom he was once engaged, but who abandoned him before their wedding. James has not seen her in the eight years since and has no desire to see her now. But when he dreams that Faith is being stalked by a murderer - a dream that is all too real - he is compelled to find her and protect her. Faith remembers their break-up completely differently, namely, that James left her for another woman and broke her heart. Now she wants nothing to do with him, or so she keeps telling herself. Then she is attacked by unknown assailants, and James comes to her rescue. It seems their love may yet get a second chance...if only James can keep his `bride' alive.
By and large this is a worthy read: the writing is good, the cast likeable, and the story draws one in. I especially like the way everyone assumes Faith and James are engaged (when they are not), and how tellingly feeble are the couple's denials. And the who-done-it is exciting and keeps one guessing till the end. But the couple's relationship, which has so much potential, falls short. For instance, Faith and James learn that they can communicate telepathically with one another, yet oddly give it little importance. One would think they'd be thrilled with such a gift and try to perfect it - particularly when Faith's life is in danger - but instead they muddle along and hope for the best until it is almost too late. The love scenes are fine but, when the couple becomes intimate, their reaction to it is unbelievably - and disappointingly - casual and uncommunicative. A certain lack of communication is expected in order to prolong the sexual tension, but this seems overdone. It somewhat weakens the romance, although of course true love prevails.
I like this author and have read many of her books. This is the first in a new series involving James' family, all of whom appear in this story and are very appealing. On the whole, it's a good start. 3 ½ - 4 stars