TEST
When I first started reading romance, time travel romances were fairly plentiful. The quality wasn’t always terrific, but the selection made up for that somewhat. These days it really seems like all-vampires-all-the-time. Time travels are so few and far between that I nearly always snap one up when I see it. A Highlander for Christmas looked promising; it had a time-traveling eighteenth century Scot (always a bonus), and a scrappy, antique store owner heroine. While I didn’t find it brilliant or anything, I did think it was a pleasant and often amusing read.
Claire MacGregor is having a discouraging year. Christmas is upon her, and she’s spending it alone – again. Her shop is limping along, but money is a constant worry. To top it all off, some local teenage thugs keep threatening her and breaking her shop’s windows. Then she finds out that an old friend has died, leaving her everything he owned. The most curious item she inherits is an old box containing a magnificent sword and a puzzle box. Claire figures out how to open it, sees a flash of light, and is astounded to find a large, well-muscled highlander in her home.
Cameron MacLeod’s aunt (who raised him as her own) was a witch, and she could see that the Jacobite rebellion was doomed to failure. In an effort to save her clan from extinction, she tricked Cameron into wearing a charm that traps him inside the box – until such a time as Scotland is free, or his family is not in danger. His last memory was of preparing to leave for battle, and he is shocked to find himself in a completely different time and place.
After getting over his initial surprise, Cam wanders outside and discovers that he is in a land of horseless carriages and weird newspaper headlines. He goes back to Claire’s home to make sense of things, and they both discover that he is a time traveler – at which point Cam immediately asks to go home. But Claire has no idea how she could begin to get him back to his home. They try to figure things out, but Cam has trouble understanding the rules of 21st century Boston at first, and his next foray out into the modern world ends with a night in jail. Claire comes to his rescue and posts bail, so she is now responsible for him. As she tries to keep an eye on him, she comes to realize that he is both handsome and good-hearted, even if he is a lot of trouble. Cameron is attracted to Claire and her “fine hurdies” (they aren’t what you think they are) but he still feels a great responsibility to return home and help his clan. As he accustoms himself to the modern world and falls in love with Claire, his perspective changes; maybe he’ll stay in this weird place after all.
The Outlander series aside, time travel romances tend to work best when they are light-hearted. Too much brooding or hand-wringing gets old fast. This book works well in that regard, and humor is probably its strongest point. Cameron is pretty funny, and his take on the modern world offers a lot of humor. The fish-out-of-water moments are time travel’s bread and butter, and Sandy Blair makes the most of them. I found myself giggling as Cameron gets arrested (more than once) and mistakenly thinks deer (bucks) are money. But my favorite LOL moment came when Cam notices a teenager clad in sagging jeans on the subway and feels sorry for him because he can’t afford a belt.
Once the initial culture shock is over, the book isn’t quite as fun. It’s not bad, mind you – it’s just not spectacular. The end is drawn out a bit by a long separation, followed by a sweet (if uninspired) reunion. And while nothing is truly objectionable about Cam and Claire’s romance, it’s not exactly inspired either. In the end, it’s not quite enough to build a good book.
Still, if you are a big time travel fan, you’ve probably been feeling a little neglected in the current market. You might find A Highlander for Christmas worth reading for the humor and the time travel conventions. It may not be Outlander, or even Knight in Shining Armor, but there are definitely worse ways to spend an evening.
Grade: C+
Book Type: Time Travel Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 19/10/07
Publication Date: 2007
I've been at AAR since dinosaurs roamed the Internet. I've been a Reviewer, Reviews Editor, Managing Editor, Publisher, and Blogger. Oh, and Advertising Corodinator. Right now I'm taking a step back to concentrate on kids, new husband, and new job in law...but I'll still keep my toe in the romance waters.
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.