Most inspirationals I come across tend to have American settings, so it was nice to see something a little different. Morgan’s historical is set during a time of great religious and political upheval in Scotland, so I must admit that I had high expectations for this book. Sadly, they just weren’t met. Parts of this story were interesting, but it could have been so much more.

Young bride Regan MacLaren is widowed on her wedding night and soon after suffers an accident that leaves her without her memory. She is taken in by Iain Campbell and his mother after being discovered on Campbell land. While healing from her injuries in the Campbell household, Regan becomes very close to Mrs. Campbell. She also finds herself growing attached to Iain and admiring him greatly.

Iain is also quite attracted to Regan and wonders if she might be the woman God has chosen for him. However, he is bothered by the fact that Regan does not know who she is and fears that Regan might already be married or promised to another. So, Iain sends her description to the neighboring clans, hoping that someone can tell him who this lady really is. If she really is unattached, then Iain would be free to offer for her.

The romance between Iain and Regan is actually very tender. Sadly, however, this tender story is marred by the author’s insistence on the constant usage of Scots dialect, which made the story jarring to read. What is a touching story of love and forgiveness is lost beneath the godawful idiom.

Another element of this book that made it no more than an ordinary read was the rather hackneyed use of the setting. Scotland at this time in history was a rather tumultuous place and torn by strife over politics and tension between the Catholics and the Protestant reformers, but only the vaguest mentions of any political tensions are made. Though the characters in this book obviously believe in God and observe some form of religion, it is impossible to tell whether they are Protestants or Catholics. Due to the Campbell’s support of Queen Mary, one might guess Catholic, but that’s the only real clue the reader is given. Indeed, the bucolic Scottish Highlands setting is made out to be so peaceful that one would never guess the country was in the midst of major civil upheaval.

If you like Inspirationals and you really like Scotland as setting, you may enjoy this tale. However, the clumsy framing of the story dragged what could have been a very tender romance down in the realm of the merely commonplace. That’s just not something I can recommend – especially not at the price being charged for this book.