On A Highland Shore

Kathleen Givens
2006

This is the story of Margaret McDonald, whose ordered and pre-planned life is something to cherish and look forward to. Until her betrothed turns out to be an arrogant man she can't stand, and her family is killed by marauding strangers. Left alone with her unstable brother and her younger sister, she turns to mysterious Irishman Gannon MacMagnus, to help find out who destroyed her life and where her younger brother is.

It seems there are a million Gaelic love stories around now, and I was a little hesitant about trying a new author in such a crowded genre, but this was a genuine pleasure to read. The characters were well-rounded, and the bad guys were bad enough to dislike but managed to stay away from being cliched or corny. The love story managed to stay slightly ahead of the impending war in terms of importance, but was written well enough that it worked better that way.

Clearly the beginning of a series, I'd be interested to see how the larger story - that of Margaret's younger sister and kidnapped baby brother - pans out.

Date Finished: 29/05/07
Year Total: 13