Customer Reviews

Scottish Brides

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Scottish Brides, an anthology featuring mostly Regency era novellas that take place in Scotland, is a fun read though not spectacular.

Under The Kilt, by Christina Dodd, does a good job of painting two likeable and lusty characters in just 62 pages. Handsome amateur historian Hadden returns to the crumbling castle of Andra MacNachtan, the last of Clan MacNachtan, to again confront the beauty who stole his heart. He ostensibly wants to interview her about the clan's marriage kilt, but the encounter takes a surprise turn that proud and independent Andra never anticipated. This is an enjoyable romp with lots of fire between two absorbing characters.

Rose In Bloom, by Stephanie Laurens, has well-developed main characters and an interesting story, but it fails to satisfy. With Laurens' work I can never quite get into the characters. They somehow come off as an excuse to display as much eroticism as possible rather than seeming real and letting the eroticism grow out of who they are. This novella presents us with Duncan, a young perfectionist earl who's worked very hard the past ten years in the investment world to enable his gorgeous ancestral home to once again prosper. Now he's hosting a Midsummer party to court his visiting prospective bride. But he doesn't count on the presence of Rose, his companion and nemesis from his younger days, who now drives him wild with desire and who, like Duncan, is about to make a loveless match. Laurens emphasizes the fireworks between them.

As usual, Julia Quinn is superb in Gretna Greene, a spirited tale about Margaret Pennypacker, an English woman who rushes to Gretna Greene to prevent her brother from eloping, and a burly Scot, Angus Greene, who saves her from disaster. These warm, sympathetic and fun-loving characters are a joy to watch as they fall in love.

Finally, Karen Ranney creates a beautiful and adventuresome tale in The Glenlyon Bride, a Cinderella-like story that dazzles the reader. More than any of the other stories, this one captures the beauty and the magic that is Scotland. Nearly penniless Lachlan, laird of the Sinclairs, reluctantly agrees to a loveless match with a wealthy English harpy in order to save his clan. But when he meets the woman he nicknames Ealasaid and assumes is his bride-to-be on the grounds of her estate, he is pleasantly surprised at her refreshing wildness and goodness. Together they embark on a series of delightful adventures that culminate in their falling in love and consummating their union. But Ealasaid is actually the proud Scottish-born servant to the harpy, and she thinks Lachlan is a mere castle rustler who works for the laird she knows her venomous mistress will marry. When the truth comes out, a fun twist allows the couple to overcome not only the situation that is tearing them apart but also to solve Lachlan's financial dilemma.

Scottish Brides is an enjoyable read for lovers of Scotland and of historical romance.

I can't understand why anyone would not instantly fall in love with the four stories in this book. It's the best collection of short stories I have ever read. Each story was beautiful -- full of emotion, love and exciting endings. I hope these authors make another short story book. I will be first in line to get it.

I used to prefer long novels to short stories, but this book has convinced me of the pleasure of a good short story. Get it.

Anthologies are usually a mixed bag, but this is good.

Christina Dodd's "Under The Kilt" is sexy, sensuous, and funny. It works despite its short length and is a worthy story of Hadden Fairchild.

Stephanie Laurens' "Rose In Bloom" is sexy and funny, but its slow pace and stereotypical heroine hampers my enjoyment somewhat. Still, a good read.

Julia Quinn's "Gretna Greene" is a light, humourous story that works despite its sometimes too-modern language. It has me laughing out loud here and there.

Karen Ranney's "Bride of Glenlyon" is my favorite - it's poignant and lovely despite its short length. It's a lovely story of moonlight courtship that had me smiling and sighing at the thought of how wonderful love can be.

This is a wonderful book. Enjoy!

I had never read any of the four authors in this book. However, I will now! All four stories are well written. It's just too bad they could not have been longer. A must buy for all the Scotland Romance lovers.

I bought the book after reading the glorious praises on this site, and I was very disappointed. Only Julia Quinn's story saves the rest of the book, her humorous characters made out a lively story. I know Stephanie Laurens' style so I didn't mind her slow pace."Rose in Bloom" is just sweet enough for short romance. My biggest disappointment is on Christina Dodd's "Under the Kilt", the characters are premature, the dialogues boring and the plot weak. The last story by Karen Ranney is so illogical. Mixed up identities from both main characters until the end of the story? Give me a break. Reading romance does not mean losing our mind.

I am so very glad to say that miracles (even minor ones) do still happen. This is an anthology (usually to be approached with extreme caution by me, yet I continue to buy them) which actually has four, yes, count them, four GOOD stories. I almost didn't buy the book because of the diverse range of ratings from other readers but I am wholeheartedly glad I went ahead and got it. The plots of the four stories are very well described in other reviews so I will just say that I acutally enjoyed all four of these stories. No one stood out more than another but I also did not find one to be significantly weaker than the others.

Maybe the reasons some reviewers saw these stories in a negative way are the same reasons I liked them very much. They are all very simple love stories, relatively uncomplicated, containing very few secondary characters. Because of the brevity, the characters must deal with each other and their situations and not allow THE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING to take up page after page after page of unproductive activity. They are sweet and even innocent (even though each has a liberal sprinkling of sensual moments).

I found all four stories entirely to my liking. I know that the book was published in 1999 and literary styles have changed but not all those changes suit all readers. I, for one, still enjoy a good, old fashioned love story.

One of the most enjoyable anthologies I have ever read. I always enjoy Stephanie Laurens (Rose in Bloom) and the three other stories (Julia Quinn - Gretna Green, Christina Dodd - Under the Quilt and Karen Ramney - The Glenlyon Bride) were a treat. It's not often that I find an anthology where I enjoy all the stories, but I certainly did with Scottish Brides

This book has everything humor, trails and tribulations, but most of all it has four wonderful stories about love. Each story is a joy and each author a very talented treasure. This is a not to be missed anthology. Whoever decided to put these four authors together should be kissed on both cheeks. Their works compliment each other and each walks away a star. I, myself, will read this book over and over until the pages fall out. I didn't want it to end and have now added eight more wonderful characters to my family of great heros and heroines. Bravo Ms. Dodd, Ms. Laurens, Ms. Quinn and especially Ms. Ranney for a brillant job of storytelling.

I know it's hard to establish character development in short stories, but I was so disappointed by this book. Even as a huge Julia Quinn fan, I can't give this book more than one star. I found the plots stilted, boring and not at all captivating. What's more, I just didn't care about any of the characters. For a much better book of similar nature, try The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown by Julia Quinn, et al. Skip this one.

What a true delight to read these Scottish stories. Each one is a little less than 100 pages, however each has a full story that leaves you feeling you just visited Scotland. Christina Dodd, Stephanie Laurens, Julia Quinn and Karen Ranney each wrote unique stories filled with the spirit and time worn traditions of the Scottish clans. I was already a fan of Christina Dodd and Julia Quinn. Stephanie Laurens and Karen Ranney were new authors that I haven't read before and I am so glad that I found this older book to introduce myself to their written treasures. I will definately read more books from Karen Ranney and Stephanie Laurens. What a hidden gem to find this collection of wonderful authors and stories waiting to take you to the land of strong Scottish men, independant lasses and long lost traditions. I am excited to read more novels from Karen Ranney and Stephanie Laurens.