Scotland Highlands – 1347

For years, Jamie Macpherson has waited in vain for the day his father calls him home. Now it seems he will be returning to Baldreagan Castle, but whether his father wants to reconcile or not is of little consequence. The clan needs Jamie. All nine of his elder brothers have been lost to tragedy, which evidently has sent his father out of his right mind. It is now up to Jamie to make the advantageous match with the neighboring clan that his brother would have made, and to lead the Macphersons.

Upon his homecoming, Jamie is both dismayed and pleased at what he finds. His father believes he is being haunted by his brothers’ ghosts, but Jamie suspects foul play. He is determined to uncover the truth behind his siblings’ deaths and reveal who or what is really plaguing his father. As for his bride-to-be, Jamie could not be more relieved. He was under the assumption that all the lasses of Fairmaiden Castle were either large, hairy, or smelled like onions, but Aveline Matheson is truly a vision. Jamie is immediately taken with her beauty and her passionate nature, and he is eager to make her his bride.

Aveline Matheson has reservations about marrying Jamie Macpherson. It’s not that he is a very, very large man, which has earned him the ironic nickname Jamie the Small. Indeed, she is well pleased with his appearance, and his size is of no matter to her. Rather, it is her diminutive stature that is troubling, as well as her father’s craftiness. More than one suitor has decided she is too small to be a wife and mother. And she is certain her father is taking advantage of the Macphersons somehow. But when Jamie arrives at Fairmaiden, he assures Aveline that he is well-pleased with the match, and in that instant, he secures his place in her heart.

BRIDE FOR A KNIGHT is the anticipated tale of Jamie Macpherson whom readers first met in Ms. Welfonder’s UNTIL THE KNIGHT COMES. At the beginning of this tale, he has two glaring problems. One, he is estranged from his father and longs for a reunion. Two, he is extremely large, including beneath the kilt, which makes for difficulties in his love life. Unfortunately, poor Jamie’s troubles are multiplying. His return home lands him in the middle of a mystery. He is highly suspicious of the “ghosts” that are haunting his father, and this leads to questions about the deaths of his brothers. His search for a villain adds conflict and turmoil into the plot, while his relationship with Aveline is a smooth romance. There is none of the typical stubbornness on either part that must be overcome. Nor are their misunderstandings or resentments to be dealt with. Instead, Aveline immediately becomes a helpful partner in Jamie's quest for the truth about his brothers, and she aids him when it comes to healing the rift with his father.

In BRIDE FOR A KNIGHT, Ms. Welfonder again gives readers a true sense of time and place and characters to enjoy. Jamie is a giant of a man with a heart of gold. He’s one of the most chivalric knights ever to grace the pages of a romance, and Aveline is a vibrant Scottish lass. The mix of romance and mystery is well-done, and the surprise ending is a nice treat.

Sandra Brill