The Highland Groom : All About Romance

The Highland Groom

Grade : D

Ah, the Kinlock Secret – a legend closely guarded for generations complete with fairy footprints and the MacGregors’ unique gift of knowing where to collect the dew from where the fairy trod and therefore make magical fairy whiskey. As the hero of this tale learns these fairy secrets in the opening scene, I found myself wishing I could be entranced by it all. Instead the author’s description of tiny fairies darting here and there was too fanciful for me.

Heroine Fiona volunteers to teach school in Glen Kinloch at the behest of an Edinburgh charity known for such educational assistance. The glen has been without a teacher for some time, and Fiona looks forward to the challenge, as well as spending time in an area of the county so beautiful that even Sir Walter Scott writes of its appeal. Unaware just how private the people of the glen are, Fiona sees nothing wrong in searching for fossils wherever she feels like wandering, nor does she realize the seriousness of her intrusion into the glen’s highly secretive world.

Dougal MacGregor, laird of Kinloch, leads a respectable life raising sheep and cattle, while making whiskey on the side – as a legal enterprise – a particularly important fact since his glen is famous for its supposed whiskey smuggling. Still, no matter how legal Dougal’s whiskey-making activities may appear, the same can’t be said for many of his people, and it is rumored that Dougal heads a profitable smuggling ring. In introducing Dougal, may I give you fair warning that you may have difficulty, as I did, in keeping up with his character since he is referred to as Dougal, MacGregor, Kinloch, and Mr. MacGregor – all within three pages (for example). And that is in addition to all the other MacGregors.

Attempting to stave off losing the glen years ago, Dougal’s father sold off ten thousand acres and now Dougal must produce funds to buy back the lands or the government will sell the rights to the deed. As laird of Kinloch, Dougal is not a rich man yet he knows he must find the funds and selling whiskey illegally seems the best course of action. But the countryside is full of villainous government revenue agents (also referred to as excise men, gaugers, customs officers – hope you know your 19th century Scottish terminology) looking for any sign of smuggling activity.

Fiona, to meet the requirements of her grandmother’s will, must sketch actual fairies and marry a rich Highland laird. If she fails to fulfill the conditions of the will, her brothers will lose their inheritance – that is if each of them also satisfies their own set of fairy obligations per Grandmother’s will. Not wanting to fail the family, Fiona is half-heartedly looking for a rich husband while always looking out for fairies.

The mysterious fairy whiskey is a significant plot element as it cannot be sold for profit without some grave consequences. Early on the reader learns that a number of the glen’s residents think that selling their store of the magical whiskey (yes, it is magical if the right person drinks it) is the perfect solution to their monetary problems, but Dougal is most opposed to the idea. So, guess what I spent the majority of the book dreading?

Adding to the confusion of characters’ numerous names, terms, secondary characters with similar names and a large number of editing errors even for an ARC, was the “telling” of the story in wooden, unrealistic conversations between characters in an effort to provide the reader with a background, including everything from home distilleries to smuggling to taxes unfairly posed by the crown. All are necessary elements of the story, but could have been made less boring if blended into the action rather than given as stilted history lessons.

As far as the romance goes between Fiona and Dougal, I must say that it has been a while since I have read about such…well, nice people. They waste no time playing games or willfully misunderstanding each other, but that also means there is nothing particularly memorable about either one. The love story is certainly gentle, but remains driven by the quandary Fiona faces in wondering how she may fulfill the conditions of her grandmother’s will and still marry the man she loves.

Maybe part of my dissatisfaction with The Highland Groom comes from the fact that I like my fairies delivered Adam Black style as Karen Marie Moning did in The Immortal Highlander. Be assured there are no traces of similar fairy lore here.

Although it appears that Sarah Gabriel is attempting to spin an atypical romance tale with the various aspects of fairy lore, this book’s irregular delivery mixed with redundant phrasing, a few overused romance formulas, and a very predictable ending left me feeling little but relief when the book was over.

Reviewed by Lea Hensley

Grade : D

Book type : European Historical Romance | Historical Romance

Sensuality : Warm

Review Date : January 22, 2009

Published On : 2009