Gather the Stars by Kimberly Cates

I'm not usually much of a rereader, except for a few "comfort reads". But I picked up an extra copy of this book for the CR book trade a couple of years ago, and it ended up being an extra. I remembered how much I enjoyed it the first time around (back in 1996), so I thought I'd see if it still held up.

Gather the Stars by Kimberly Cates
(1996, 1700's Scotland) 5/23/08
Grade: 4.5

As a general's daughter, Rachel de Lacey was taught to be a good soldier, and she's chosen the hero of Culloden to be her husband. But when a notorious Scottish rebel called the Glen Lyon kidnaps her, she discovers there's more to bravery than fighting battles - and more to love than duty and obligation.

I'm not a big fan of Scottish historicals. Either it's wallpaper history with a smattering of brogues and plaids or it's knee deep in bloody battles. This book depicts the suffering in the aftermath of Culloden, but it's not the typical Braveheart historical. It's a thoughtful look at what really makes a hero. Gavin is not the typical romance hero - he wasn't a hero on the battlefield, and his strength comes from his compassion and love, not his swordplay. And it's Rachel that has to learn that emotions mean more than war ribbons. I found their relationship very moving. This falls just short of keeper territory, because of some dated purple prose that pulled me out of the story, as well as a little too much action in the last section of the book, but still, it was well worth reading, even the second time around.

I tried to think of other Scottish books that I enjoyed - The Maiden of Inverness by Arnette Lamb, A Promise of Love by Karen Ranney, hmm, that's pretty much it. (Neither one of these is a typical Scottish romance, though!) In my early days of romance, I used to love Jude Deveraux and I think she had some Scottish books, but that was before I kept records of my reading, so I have no idea which ones. I also love the first couple of seasons of Monarch of the Glen, does that count?