Name of Book: Bride of the Mist
Author: Christina Skye
Publication Date: 1996

About this book:

AT ROSE-COVERED DRAYCOTT ABBEY… in a savage age of chivalry, a war-weary knight defends a mysterious lady from danger and swears himself her champion for all time. Centuries later, a startling psychic vision draws a gifted bridal writer to a rugged castle veiled in Highland mist and to its enigmatic laird, Duncan MacKinnon. From the moment they meet, Kara Fitzgerald can sense they share an ancient, secret destiny.

ON A STORMY SCOTTISH SHORE… they are swept up in breathtaking passion- even as a ghostly guardian warns of coming danger. For a callous enemy stalks the crags of Dunraven Castle a timeless menace the cynical Scotsman and beautiful American must confront together…armed only with the power of their eternal love.

I didn’t know which book to choose for this month’s TBR Challenge. I own quite a few that have pub. dates of 2007 or before so I kind of ended up doing an “eenie meenie” for my decision. Not always the best way to choose a book, but heck when you’re stuck, it helps! After reading the jacket I chose one that I thought I would like it but I was sadly disappointed.

I’m not quite sure where to start my review. In my opinion this book was all over the place and it couldn’t quite find a way to link all the various places it went back into a final destination. By page 95 I was hitting the book on my leg and begging for it to be over. I’m not even sure I can write a comprehensive review and still make sense!

The heroine is a writer for a bridal magazine and wants/needs to go to Scotland to talk a Laird into using his castle for a photo shoot since he keeps refusing. Next thing we know she’s walking through a jewelry store doing feng shui and running into our hero who is robbing said store but not actually robbing it since he’s doing more of a security check. Confusion follows…for both the characters and the readers. Next thing you know the H/h are getting sent off to some place to try to put together a security plan for the store. Just seemed like an odd way to get the H/h together.

Next thing you know we’re getting introduced to cousins, phantom cats, ghosts, supposedly dead relatives and lots of bombs. (Oh, my aching head!) In the midst of all of this the heroine is having visions of a faraway time that has events that are similar to the ones happening in current times which are supposed to be the H/h reincarnated (…I think), visions of death and a psycho who’s out to get the hero. It was all just a bit too much to pack into one book.

The heroine eventually gets her photo shoot at the castle. It took most of the book to get there though and the stuff in between, again, is just not very appealing. I think it’s a case of trying to pack too many story lines into one book.

I have to say that the romance part of the book, which is interwoven into this convoluted tale was definitely the best part of the book. Kara and Duncan make a great couple when they are admitting to themselves that they do in fact care for each other. When they are trying to deny it it just gets old, fast.

Rating: C-