Out of the Mist (Stewart Sisters Trilogy) [Mass Market Paperback]

JoAnn Ross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 2008 | Series: Stewart Sisters Trilogy (Book 1)

Following her wildly popular Callahan Brothers trilogy, national bestselling author JoAnn Ross begins the sparkling Stewart Sisters trilogy with this fun, sexy riff on the classic movie To Catch a Thief -- with a Scottish twist!

Lily Stewart is busy planning the summer Highland Games at her family's Great Smoky Mountain resort. So the last thing she needs is some arrogant, demanding Scotsman -- no matter how sexy -- arriving to film the annual festival. It's bad enough that he's constantly interrupting her days -- but even worse that he's tempting her to rev up her nights with a Highland fling.

Filmmaker Ian MacDougall MacKenzie is actually there to steal back the Brooch of Lorn, which has gone back and forth between the Stewarts and the MacDougalls ever since it was ripped from Robert the Bruce's tartan in 1306. But when Ian realizes Lily has stolen his heart, he wonders whether love can prevail once she discovers he's been deceiving her all along....

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Veteran romance author Ross follows up her Callahan Brothers trilogy (River Road, etc.) with this fun but fitful offering, the first in a new series based on a trio of Scottish-American sisters. The story starts when ornery Scotsman Duncan MacDougall sends his grandson, Ian, to America to reclaim the Brooch of Lorn, a historic jewel that the feuding Stewart and MacDougall clans have been stealing from each other for centuries. Genius filmmaker Ian masks this surreptitious mission by pretending he's making a film about the annual Highland Games that the Stewart family sponsors in their small Tennessee community. Then he meets and falls in love with art gallery owner Lily Stewart the same woman who, Duncan says, stole the brooch from him months earlier. Though Ian quickly deduces Lily is innocent, he can't figure out how to tell her the truth about his motives. Lily herself struggles to clean up her family's many messes while fearing that Ian will leave town once the film is done. It's never clear why otherwise sane adults like Ian or Lily give in so easily to their families' preposterous agendas, and the background information that forms the trilogy's foundation is often inserted at awkward moments. However, the story's robust momentum and lively characters make this a fun, energetic read.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Internationally renowned documentary filmmaker Ian MacKenzie arrives in North Carolina to find the famous Brooch of Lorn for his grandfather. Lily Stewart, organizer of the famed Highland Games, has the brooch, but she thinks Ian is there to consider filming the games. To say that sparks fly when they meet is a vast understatement, but things quickly get complicated thanks to misunderstandings, false accusations, and the meddling of family members. Lily's father is intent on marrying Jenny, a woman half his age, so Lily's sisters arrive: Lark, the famous folk singer with haunted eyes, and Laurel, hotshot investigative reporter, who finds she likes arguing with Ian's sound assistant. Then Ian's grandfather, Duncan MacDougall, shows up disguised as a woman. Despite the hilarity, Lily and Ian have some deliriously marvelous sex and figure out how to accommodate his wanderlust and her homebody urges. A wonderfully engaging story and terrific characters make up for a bit too much Scottish history in Ross' promising series starter. Mary K. Chelton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (July 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416580786
• ISBN-13: 978-1416580782
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #449,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I wrote my first story -- a tragic romance about two star-crossed Mallard ducks -- as a second grade writing assignment. The paper earned a gold star. And I kept writing.

I've since written around a hundred novels and have been published in twenty-six countries. Two of my titles have been excerpted in Cosmopolitan magazine and my books have also been published by the Doubleday, Rhapsody, Mystery Guild, and Literary Guild bookclubs. As a New York Times, U.S. Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller, I'm also a member of the Romance Writers of America's Honor Roll of best-selling authors.

I'm currently writing my Shelter Bay series, set on the magnificent Oregon coast where, when I was eighteen-years-old, my high school sweetheart bought me a bag of taffy, then proposed. The smartest thing I ever did was say yes!

My husband and I live in our beloved Pacific Northwest, with three rescued dogs who pretty much rule the house. (And, in case you're wondering, that taffy store is still there! )

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An easy to read, fun-to-read romantic tale!, October 24, 2003

By 

J Morgan "Writer/Reader" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of the Mist (Mass Market Paperback)

JoAnn Ross's first book of her Stewart sister trilogy is a unique blend of Scottish-American culture with historical facts and fantasy centered on the Brooch of Lorn, a historic jewel which has gone back and forth between the feuding Stewarts and the MacDougalls ever since it was ripped from Robert the Bruce's tartan in 1306.

The main characters, Lily Stewart and Ian MacDougall MacKenzie, aren't looking for romance or commitment, but the attraction that sparks when Ian appears at the Stewart castle resort in the midst of a terrible storm will not be ignored. The castle, affectionately called Stewart's Folly, straddles the North Carolina-Tennessee border of the Smoky Mountains and is home for the eclectic Stewart clan.

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.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very fine contemporary romance, October 1, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Out of the Mist (Mass Market Paperback)

Lily "no talent" Stewart no longer looks forward to the upcoming Highland Games at her family's Great Smoky Mountain resort as she has in the past. She is concerned because Oscar winning documentary filmmaker Ian MacDougall MacKenzie is thinking of filming the event. His work is critically acclaimed, but extremely cynical, negative, and dark.

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

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ah...is there anything like a Scotsman?, July 10, 2005

By 

Holly Fuhrmann (PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Out of the Mist (Mass Market Paperback)

Well, no! Especially Ian MacKenzie who's been sent to retrieve a family heirloom. He expects a few obstacles, but he doesn't expect a woman like Lily Stewart and the sparks that fly between them. Their respective families make any sparking difficult, especially considering their feud over the Brooch of Lorn. But sometimes a heat like Lily and Ian's just can't be denied.

A sparkling story that showcases Ross's storytelling mastery, her great dialogue and her wonderful sense of humor!