MacFarlane House, Scotland – Early 1800's

Sophia MacFarlane is beside herself with anger and unbearable sadness. When her father took her late mother's diamonds to Edinburgh to sell so they could put a new roof on their house, he got waylaid in Stirling. A man who's lived by the cards and his wits his whole life, he let himself bet the deed to their house and lost. Now Dougal MacLean is on his way to lay claim to his new house and throw Sophia and her father out of the only place her mother and father ever called home, the one place in the world Sophia feels safe. Not one to give up easily, Sophia comes up with a plan to make MacFarlane house the most uncomfortable place in Scotland so that Dougal will be glad to give them their deed back...or if all else fails, Sophia is no slouch in the card playing department either, and will win it from Dougal in a game of cards.

Dougal merely wants to view his new house and give the deed to his young nephew, but as he drives down the lane, the potholes on an otherwise smooth road are unusual. When he hears through the front window of the plan to make the house so uncomfortable that he will leave, his interest is piqued, especially when the woman making these plans is beautiful. With inedible food, old furniture, dirty walls and lumpy beds, any man who didn't know the nefarious plot was afoot would have quickly left. But a little light flirtation quickly grows into something he can't control, and soon Dougal is playing cards for the house and trying to protect his heart from being broken. Dougal has the unusual tendency to start storms when he is angry, so he guards his heart closely to avoid losing control of himself. That makes the question of Sophia's motives doubly important. Does Sophia really want him, or is it all merely part of her scheme to relieve him of the house?

In TO CATCH A HIGHLANDER, Karen Hawkins has taken the historical novel and given it a spin that is unique and fascinating. With her riveting and unusual characters and a daring plan to save the house, Ms. Hawkins has imbued Sophia and Dougal with lively imaginations with the added element of feelings of fear over Dougal's ability to start storms and how it has changed his character through the years. Character development is the name of the game here, and Ms. Hawkins has perfected this to an art form.

Unlike many women of this age, Sophia has traveled the world and seen life as a sort of gypsy. She has guts, determination, and a longing to remain in the house that reminds her of the love of her mother. Dougal has his curse that he constantly thinks about, if he gets too close to someone and he gets hurt, his ability to start storms could cause floods, and cause irreparable damage to the area; he's done it before. But, when two totally non-conformist people meet, the attraction between them is usually hard to ignore and even harder to not act on.

Secondary characters are Sophia's father Robert, a man who spent his life moving and playing cards with his wife and daughter, only to settle down shortly before his beloved wife died. Angus and Mary are borrowed from a neighbor to act as butler and maid, only doing everything wrong, of course. But Dougal and Sophia's relationship is filled with enough conflict so that others merely form the backdrop to their tentative steps toward one another.

TO CATCH A HIGHLANDER is a definite buy for this month and will provide you with enjoyment as you are drawn into Sophia and Dougal's life.

Carolyn Crisher