Amanda Scott, Lady’s Choice

Lady's Choice

Amanda Scott

Warner, Aug 2006, $6.50

ISBN: 0446616699

In 1380 in the Highlands, a masked man with associates rides amidst a wedding party and grabs the bride Adela Macleod before she can exchange "I do" with her much older groom Lord "Pompous" Ardelive Calum Tolmic. Her family is not concerned as everyone assumes Sir Hugh Robison romantically abducted Adela.

Over a week later, Adela's family finally meets Hugh who knows nothing about the kidnapping of Adela. Everyone becomes fretful especially Adela's sister Sorcha, who thought she "arranged" for Hugh to elope with her older sibling. As Sorcha and Hugh argue and worry over the fate of Adela, they fall in love, but the rescue from a fanatical Christian must come first.

LADY'S CHOICE, the sequel to LORD OF THE ISLES and HIGHLAND PRINCESS, is a terrific fourteenth century romantic suspense that contains two subplots that eventually tie together with an exhilarating climax that also sets up the next one in a high quality series. The well written prime story line follows the fighting between Sorcha and Hugh; the secondary subplot and more fascinating subplot involves Adela and her captivity as the Stockholm Syndrome takes hold (perhaps too quickly) with her being grateful towards her abusive kidnapper for little things. Amanda Scott is at the top of her game with this deep historical tale.

Harriet Klausner