Shona Imrie is the last female descendant of her family line. Her brother, the laird of Gairloch, has returned home from war, wounded and emotionally broken. Shona finds herself in the unenviable position of having married a titled gentleman and having been left penniless when he died. She's been living on the sale of her valuables, her jewels, and her treasures for seven years now, but the only thing of value she has left is her family's castle, Gairloch. Out of options, she returns home and makes plans to sell off her ancestral estate to some wealthy Americans. To her dismay, she encounters old memories of a lost love at Gairloch, as well as the very man who inspired those times of love and passion. Will Shona allow her pride to stand in the way of her happiness?

Colonel Sir Gordon McDermond is the newly minted Baron of Invergaire, surpassing his esteemed father, a decorated general, in position and title. Gordon's upbringing was difficult, and his father never let Gordon forget that glory was what was expected of him. The gorgeous girl who broke his heart is now an even more stunning widow, and when they encounter each other at the magical places of their romantic youth, sparks fly anew. His feelings of betrayal toward Shona remain, however, and he wants answers as to why she abandoned him and married a much older man she obviously didn't love. Can they hope for a future together or will the demons of the past wreck their happy ever after?

A Scottish Love is a Regency-era romance novel set in Scotland. There are intrigues aplenty here, with Shona's blustery facade, a possible buyer for the castle, a couple of wounded warriors (both in the emotional and physical arenas), and some random ghosts to spice things up. The problem with this story was just that - there was too much going on. There was enough plotting here for two books, and while the basic premise was good, the execution of the story was less than stellar. Shona's overly stiff backbone and even more unyielding pride made for some painfully awkward scenes, and it seemed almost gratuitous at times. The main conflict seemed to be one merely of her own making, and, in my opinion, wasn't compelling enough to carry the book. While I much enjoyed Gordon's personality and sense of duty, he often came off as too small of a personality to be Shona's match. The sidebar story of Fergus and Elizabeth, which I loved, was vastly more interesting to me than that of the lead couple. Three Angels.

Reviewed by: Michelle B.