In White Heather, author Jaclyn Reding has brought together many elements beloved by readers of historical romance. There is the beautiful and rugged Highlands of Scotland, peopled by simple folk who love the land. There is England during the Regency era, and those cynical, wealthy members of the ton who all too easily will believe the worst of anyone. There is a handsome, stoic and capable English duke who discovers in Scotland a life he never dreamed of and a love he never hoped for. And there is a beautiful, intelligent Scots lass, ready and eager to share her love with her man. Jaclyn Reding has written all these things, and she’s written a twist or two as well, including a hero who is blind for the first half of the book. And while I enjoyed the twists, the story-line, and the elements, I found the book somewhat lacking in passion.

Both Robert Edenhall and Catriona MacByran are interesting characters. As the war hero and second son, he has made himself a wealthy man, loved and beloved by his parents and brothers. When a fire destroys his home, kills his family, and, in the process, blinds him, it is rumored he set the fire himself and the blindness his just reward. When he discovers his father owned Castle Rosmorigh in the Highlands, he hies himself there, only to discover his father’s home away from home, and a mystery he’d like to solve.

Catriona, who sneaks into the castle to borrow books from the library, is discovered by the new laird. They strike up a friendship. She is appalled that the servants believe Robert killed his family and he is intrigued by this young woman who, when she isn’t reading, pretends to be a ghost and tries to scare him off the land so she can discover a treasure in lost gold.

Heroine Catriona is not the crofter she’s grown up believing she is. She was born to Lady Catherine, whose husband had been killed by a nasty relative who wanted the family fortune. When Catherine delivers a son, he is wrested away from her by this evil fortune hunter, who doesn’t realize the boy was about to be joined by a twin sister. Lady Catherine, reading the writing on the wall, gives her baby to Mary to protect and raise as her own, which she does.

When Catriona and Robert join forces, she gives him the confidence to begin living his life again and they try to solve Robert’s mystery. They begin to love each other, and Mary gives Catriona a mystical secret that could bring back Robert’s sight. The way the author resolves the problem of Robert’s blindness is clever – the magical, mystical white heather of the Highlands, the power of love, and the non-magical are combined in a way that will satisfy all readers, especially those disinclined to believe in magic.

There is much more in terms of story-line here, involving the Highlanders, smuggling, the evil fortune hunter, the mystery, the lost gold, and the person responsible for destroying Robert’s family. The author ties things together nicely and creates both a loving set of secondary characters who add warmth to the story, and a not-so-nice set of secondaries, most of whom aren’t as they seem, and the main villain who seeps evil through his very pores.

All in all, I enjoyed this book, but, as I indicated earlier, found it lacking in passion. The story was fairly taut, the lead characters certainly engaging, but when Catriona gets caught up in the “he’s only marrying me out of duty” business and Robert reverts back to proper Englishman who doesn’t seem to understand Catriona needs to hear he loves her, it seemed out of character for each of them.

Added to that their only truly passionate moments come when making love, I felt myself longing for something less subtle between them. There are some powerful scenes, as when the blind Robert goes searching for Catriona in the caves as the tides are coming in and she saves him instead, and the moment when they do finally reveal their true feelings for one another, but I wanted more.

I will definitely read this author again because she’s done so much right with this book. It’s close, but not quite there. I’m sure she’ll get it all there the next time out, which will be about Robert’s younger brother. But the one I’m really waiting for is Robert’s foppish friend Tolley – now there’s a character!