LauraJ’s review of Where There’s A Will by Katriena Knights
Contemporary Romance eBook released by Samhain Publishing 7 Oct 08
I’m a sucker for contemporary romances that take place in Scotland. That was the main reason I picked this book to read. I love the Scottish accent, the beauty of the land there, and how time seems to have stopped. I know that I will probably never get to travel there (pout, hint–just in case hubs actually reads one my reviews), so by reading those books I can at least pretend that I have.
American Chloe has traveled to Scotland to settle the estate in the Scottish village of she has inherited from her uncle. When she arrives, she learns there is a small part of the will that was not to be revealed to her until her arrival, a part that she is unsure if she can fulfill. She must marry a Scot in order to keep the property, if she doesn’t by a specified time the property will be auctioned off. Her uncle even gives a suggestion for a husband a man named Malcolm MacTavish.
Malcolm lives in the small village near his aunt. While he works in the city he prefers the the quiet life of the village, most of the time. When everyone seems to know your business it does make it hard have a relationship. He is immediately attracted to Chloe when he meets her at the airport, but Chloe is from a large city and will never fit into his life in a small town. He’s been down that road before with his former fiancé.
I really enjoyed reading this. Ms. Knights brought Scotland vividly to life through her description of the country and the people who live there. In some books, authors try too hard to capture the Scottish accent that it becomes overwhelming and confusing for readers and sometimes distracting. I never once felt this way in this story. Malcolm will probably end up on my top heroes of 2008. He was gentle, funny, sexy, caring and alpha when he needed to be and he had an accent, who doesn’t love a man with accent. Chloe was a big city girl with a small town heart. She was very likeable and I enjoyed watching her find her place. The secondary characters were fun, especially Malcolm’s aunt Agnes. I loved their “plot” to save Chloe’s uncle’s estate from possible British investors.
I’m really hoping that Ms. Knights will write more contemporary romantic comedies (especially set in Scotland). This was a really fun book and enjoyable book that kept me turning the pages well past my bedtime. Now to convince my husband to take me to Scotland.
Grade: B-
Summary:
The terms of the will seem crazy…until she meets the man to fulfill them.
When Chloe Sullivan’s great uncle dies, leaving her his house and a not-quite castle in the Highlands of Scotland, Chloe’s more than willing to take a vacation across the pond to check it all out. When she gets there, she finds out there’s a catch—if she wants to keep her inheritance, she has to marry a Scot.
And her great uncle even left her a suggestion as to who.
Malcolm MacTavish is taken with the lovely, straightforward Chloe the moment he sees her at the airport. But they can’t enjoy more than a brief fling, since she’s planning to go back to the States. The more he gets to know her, though, the more he wants to try to change her mind.
Until he finds out about the will…
Warning: This title contains a Highland fling (a.k.a explicit sex), Scottish accents and gratuitous jokes about the Loch Ness Monster.
Read an excerpt here.
