This book is lots of fun to use while traveling around Sonoma Valley. You can't go a mile or two anywhere in the valley without passing by some landmark that's been written up. Each point of interest is described with an amusing story behind it. There are also fun (and scandalous) vignettes that relate to the Sonoma history.

All in all the perfect book to accompany any wine tour.

The Rexanne Becnel story, LOVE MATCH, is the best of the four. The hero's sister elopes with the heroine's brother. Nice, quick read, good development of the characters.
BEAUTY AND THE BRUTE by Barbara D. Smith was the next best, but I felt the story went on too long and the heroine had the patience of a saint. A WEDDIN' OR A HANGIN' by Jill Jones was marginal because I felt that the feuding between the clans wasn't believeable. I did not like Brenda Joyce's story, IN THE LIGHT OF DAY, at all.

Very entertaining and romantic

Bravo! I set an all time record for completing a paperback. This is a wonderful book for those of us who feel good when we read romance. This book will leave you wanting to read more titles from the authors. I strongly recommend this book.

I'll admit that as a big fan of Diana Gabaldon's OUTLANDER series I'm drawn to Scottish based romance. I bought the collection knowing nothing of anyone but Jude Deveraux, but if this is any example of their work I'll be hitting the search button after this review is finished. The book of 5 novellas was a wonderful escape from home and work.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS sneaks a ghost story into a sassy romance between 2 people who upon first glance couldn't be more wrong for each other.-- Tyler Stevens is convinced Joel Kingsley is completely wrong for her young cousin. Krissy is terribly infatuated with her older boss and despite Tyler's efforts to convince her otherwise, the girl thinks she's in love. Going to Scotland was Krissy's idea. If Tyler took her cousins place on the business trip she could keep an eye on Mr Kingsley for her while she recouperates from her terrible cold. What Tyler didn't count on was that "Old Mr. Kingsley" wouldn't be that old...in fact he was rather appealing. Having them thrown together to solve a centuries old mystery (complete with ghosts) only complicates an already tricky situation.

FALL FROM GRACE's humor really got to me. I felt so silly laughing out loud in the breakroom at work, but then that's what I needed the breakroom for....a break.---Grace McNish was fiercly protective of her clan after years of their being subjected to the McNab's theiving and raiding. When one of the McNab sons falls into her hands she and her rag-tag band of highland "merry-men" think they have it made. Ransom. One problem. He's not who they think he is.

COLD FEET who could resist a cowboy from Texas in the first place. This story had all of the things I love humor, romance and a bit of the supernatural.--Rand Jenkins is lost on the Scottish moors. He's supposed to be guiding his friends bride to the ancestral home, but as a Texan he's a fish out of water. Rand stumbles upon the cottage of a friendly local woman who takes them in out of the cold. She claims she's a witch and when strange things start happening to Rand he's convinced she has put a spell on him....and she has in more ways than one.

THE MATCHMAKER has modern business owner Kathleen MacKenzie fending off the efforts of the local matchmaker Harriet. She doesn't need a husband and even if she did she could find him all on her own. For example, the handsome American who stops by every morning for coffee and a scone. Harriet will not be thwarted. A little coaxing and (of course) a little magic will throw the hesitant couple into the past where they are not only fighting their feelings for each other they are fighting for their lives in the time of Mary, Queen of Scots.

THE CHRISTMAS CAPTIVE was read at the perfect time of the year...well Christmas of course. Mairi is on the run from her fiance. Niall is more than happy to keep her hidden after discovering the young runaway on his families lands cowering inside a hollowed out tree. She's full of secrets and a mysterious past that the logical physicain refuses to beleive. When her fiance comes looking for her, the Scottish lord has to deal with a murderous enemy when he admits that his soul mate will be staying right where she is... with him.

These 5 tales weave a pattern of magic, history and romance that really reel you in. I highly recommend them to anyone who needs to "get away". The shorter novellas let you finish one when you might not have the time to read a longer book. It's perfect for someone who really does need a vacation and a little romance but just doesn't have the time.

A Season in the Highlands" is one of the best compilations that I have ever read. Jude Deveraux tells the wildly romantic story of Tyler Stevens, a women who is too afraid to love, and Joel Kingsley, a man who has given up finding true love. When Tyler goes to Scotland to cover at work for her young cousin she and Joel clash and help a pair of seemingly hopeless Scottish lovers. I hated to see this story end. It was told in the best Deveraux tradition, with love and laughter.

Jill Barnetts' story "Fall From Grace" about a highland lass and her captive 'chieftain' was a revamped re-release and was the weak link in this compilation as far as I am concerned. It was however, a decent story just not as good as the others in the book.

"Cold Feet" by Geralyn Dawson has a Texan escort an estranged noblewoman back to Scotland and while there they fall for a mesmerizing hereditary witch. This was a great story with a great hero and heroine but there was a back-story about the noblewoman who the Texan took home that was not told. Very annoying, but a good story overall.

In Pam Binders' "Matchmaker" A matchmaker throws a Scottish tea shop owner and her handsome American software mogul back in time to Queen Mary's Court. There they learn about the true worth of love vs. work. It was a great story and I would have loved it if it were longer.

In "The Christmas Captive" Patricia Cabot links a runaway maiden and her doctor lord in a tale that frees the maiden from a "curse" and a hateful guardian.

This compilation is worth the time to read and the money to buy. It is a great showcase for several fantastic authors.

These five novellas take readers on a journey to the Scottish Highlands - those who are not already in love with the heather-covered hills and strong Highlanders will certainly be when they finish this book. I am not usually a huge fan of anthologies but this book has changed my mind. These are great reads for the busy woman who doesn't have time to sit and read an entire book in an evening.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

by Jude Deveraux

Contemporary Romance

New York attorney Tyler Stevens has always looked after her young cousin Kristin Beaumont. When Kristin becomes ill and is unable to accompany her boss, tycoon businessman Joel Kingsley on a trip to Scotland, Tyler takes her place. There she helps solve a murder mystery hundreds of years old and finds the love that has eluded her all her life. While a few inaccuracies and improbabilities near the beginning of the novella might take the more discerning reader out of the story, this is a pleasant tale which should please devoted Deveraux fans. Those who are looking for her to return to her earlier brilliance will be disappointed. Despite the fact Deveraux's name on the cover will probably make this book a bestseller, her story is the weakest of the five.

FALL FROM GRACE

by Jill Barnett

(rewrite of "Saving Grace" from 1993's HIGHLAND FLING Anthology) Historical Romance (1600s)

When the branch of the tree Grace McNish is sitting in breaks landing her right on top of who she believes to be a dastardly McNab - sworn enemy of the McNish Clan - Grace believes it to be an act of God and hatches a plan to hold the unsuspecting (and unconscious) Highlander for ransom. Jill Barnett delights readers with her trademark humor in this novella set around the historic feud between the McNab and McNish clans. There's truly a laugh a minute in this charming tale complete with a female bagpiper who's partially deaf. I just love Barnett's heroines - strong but a bit awkward, smart and caring. Those of you who remember this story from the Highland Fling anthology should be aware this story is a COMPLETE rewrite. Although the basic plot is the same, many, many things are different. Warning: Don't read this in public unless you want to be victim of strange looks - you'll be laughing out loud for sure! There's rarely a better reading experience than a story by Jill Barnett.

COLD FEET

by Geralyn Dawson

Historical Romance (1886)

Texan Rand Jenkins travels to Scotland to deliver Sarah Ross to her husband, the Marquess of Weston, and becomes the "Pied Piper of Pussycats" after stopping at the cottage of Annie Munro to ask for directions. Is Annie really a witch or just the local herbalist? One really wonders - even Annie who appears to have cast a spell over Rand as well. Annie doesn't know why the cats are attracted to Rand and he is getting mighty irritated. Of course, it doesn't help matters when he finds he's allergic to them. Geralyn Dawson gives readers yet another Texan meets Highlander story to savor as she did with Simmer All Night and Sizzle All Day (the main characters of which make appearances in this novella). This is yet another winner from Ms. Dawson with a nice twist at the end.

THE MATCHMAKER

by Pam Binder

Time Travel Romance (Present Day to 1500s)

The contribution of talented newcomer Pam Binder (The Inscription, The Quest) has Edinburgh baker Kathleen Mackenzie and American computer whiz Duncan MacGreggor thrown back in time right into the middle of one of the more shocking events of Scottish history - the murder of Mary Queen of Scots' friend Riccio carried out at the direction of her husband, Lord Darnley. This is a not-too-often used concept as both hero and heroine and thrown back into time and together use their skills to adapt to the time period while there as well as to figure out how to return to the present. There's some nail-biting moments here as they try. I particularly enjoyed this story as I had spent time in Edinburgh and toured the Palace of Holyroodhouse last year. The historical details are well executed and the plot and characters so well done I was sorry it wasn't a complete book. And the sexual tension - ooh la la! This is such a wonderful story that I am quite certain readers who discover Pam Binder via this novella will be search for her other two books - and will look forward to her next The Enchantment in the summer of 2001. Simply outstanding!

THE CHRISTMAS CAPTIVE

by Patricia Cabot

Historical Romance (1827)

Cabot is the only author in this anthology whose books I hadn't read before. "Mairi" flees the estate where she's lived for the past ten years after the death of her parents as the ward of Alistair MacLean, Lord Sutherland. After caring for her, he has now become her fiancé as well. Apparently she has reasons not to wed him and escapes to the estate of the Duke of Camden only to discover the Duke as died and his eldest son Euan has taken over. Visiting his brother is Niall, recently having graduated from studies to become a physician. When Niall discovers "Mairi" has an injury needing immediate attention, he comes to her aid. The sparks soon fly but Niall does not know who Mairi really is and she isn't giving out any detailed information. While Ms. Cabot seems fond of run-on sentences (one leaving me out of breath as it went on for an entire paragraph) and left the secrets unrevealed for longer than was desirable for a novella, her storytelling and characterization were strong enough for me to look forward to her book Lady of Skye in 2001. The main ingredients are there and she needs just a bit more polish.

Reviewed by Maudeen Wachsmith for Romancing the Celtic Soul

This book is rather slow in the beginning, but worth it when one finally gets into it.

As a reader of modern times one cannot help but to compare today's standards to those of 80 years ago. Edie's husband is quite cruel to her. Whereas today there are so many ways for a woman to get out of a marriage like that, in those days, she was trapped. Even her family seems to turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to her husband's shortcomings, seeing only that she is a married woman, and therefore 'secure.'

The reader sees Edie become mature and insightful as the book moves along. In my opinion, however, there is not enough said about Fred, the reader never feels as though they 'know' him.

This story is haunting in the fact that it is true. One almost feels Edie's helplessness and hopelessness as she writes letters to Fred from prison, letters she knows he will never see. In todays American courts the appeals would have gone on for years and years.

Fred and Edie is based on the real life murder case of Frederick Bywaters and Edith Thompson who were hanged for the murder of Edie's husband Percy in 1920's England. Jill Dawson deftly blends factual material such as newspaper articles with fictional material in order to not only tell the tale of the lovers themselves, but to give the reader an insight into the lives of women during that era. How many women, like Edie, we wonder, married for stability and social conventions in order to find themselves trapped in loveless, violent marriages? Escape, appears to come for Edie in the shape of her sister's young boyfriend, Fred, with whom she has a passionate love affair. However, Percy refuses to grant her a divorce,a refusal that ultimately leads to the tragic deaths of all three of them.

Branded "silly and vain" at the start of the novel, we see Edie achieving emotional maturity and insight through a series of letters she writes to Fred from her prison cell. Issues of her culpability, sexuality and the role of women in this pre-feminist society are gradually revealed to us, leaving us wondering if she was a cold calculating killer or the victim of a society that denied her justice.

An artfully-written novel of what a British reviewer called a modern Madame Bovary, "Fred & Edie" is a compelling look at a crime that captivated England in the 1920s. As much a portrait of a changing era as a crime story, it is less about love than about dreams of love versus the harsh reality of a cruel, boorish husband. While at first Edith Thompson seems the "vain, silly" woman others thought her, the author beautifully develops and shows us her depth and longing until we are both transported and moved by her plight. Many images will linger long after the reader is finished.