A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S ROMP – Katie MacAlister
A Matchmaker in Wonderland Romance
The Ainslie Brothers Series, Book 2
Signet Select
ISBN: 978-0-450-47138-5
May 2015
Contemporary Romance

Ainslie Castle, England

After Elliott, Baron Ainslie, brought his American bride home to his seventeenth-century castle in England, Alice set her mind to coming up with moneymaking schemes to help pay for much needed repairs to the castle. (See book 1, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ALICE.) The estate itself can barely support itself, never mind Elliott and his ten siblings, nine of whom were adopted by his charitable parents. Then Gunner, his oldest adopted brother brings news that a TV reality show, Dig Britain , wishes to film a month-long archeological search for ruins on the grounds. They hope to find ancient artifacts, perhaps even dating back to Roman times. And they are willing to pay.

Meanwhile in America, Lorina Liddel, a French teacher in a community college, says goodbye to her best friend and long-time roommate. Sandy's ex boyfriend left her with a dire souvenir, a case of HIV. Sandy's heading to Nepal and a group of nuns there who have had success in helping HIV sufferers. Lorina is furious at the man who did this. And when she hears that her friend's ex will be heading up a team of archeologists and volunteers in England, she wangles a place on the dig. Not being much of a student of ancient things, she poses as a photojournalist—with borrowed cameras—who plans a book about the making of the show. She has a plan that, if successful, would expose Paul Thompson for the slime he is and save other women from ruin. Lorina has to play up to him and somehow get evidence against him. She also must stay far away from Gunner who, though he has a degree in anthropology, is a professional photographer who could expose her. Unfortunately, the producer asks her and Gunner to do a daily spot in which he explains the more esoteric parts of archeology to her as a representative of the audience.

Now Gunner likes woman and women like him, but he's not into long relationships. Lorina, on the other hand, does not trust men at all. You would think that this would make it easy for them to ignore any sparks that might fly between them.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S ROMP is rich in characters, plot lines, and lively dialogue. The crew and cast of the show are a mixed bag, and lots of suspense is added by the dig itself. A sweet touch is Gunner's personality-plus seventeen year-old daughter who adds much to the fun. A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S ROMP is a romp indeed, but much more besides.

Jane Bowers