"Wonderful Time Travelling Highlander Series Gets Better and Better"
Janet Chapman's Highlander series started out wonderfully
with CHARMING THE HIGHLANDER and amazingly the series just
keeps getting better! With TEMPTING THE HIGHLANDER the series enters the second
generation of Time Traveling Scottish Warriors. Robbie
MacBain was a baby in CHARMING and grew up in LOVING THE
HIGHLANDER and WEDDING THE HIGHLANDER. In TEMPTING Robbie
is an adult who has become the mystical Guardian of both
the MacBain and MacKeage clans with powers he is unaware
of having until he needs them. Daar the Druid Priest,
who set the series in motion when he brought two clans of
Warriors to contemporary Maine, comes to Robbie and tells
him that the original spell that brought the Highlanders
from Medieval times was set to expire after 35 years. All
of the Highlanders will be sent back to the past. Since
they all had families they loved, Robbie knows this would
be a tragedy for all members of the Clans. Daar explains that Robbie needs to go back to the past and
find a root of a Druid's tree, so that Daar can use it to
reverse the spell. At first Robbie is resistant, but
eventually realizes that as Guardian he has no choice but
to try. As Robbie is considering what to do, he also is trying to
deal with a thief who is sneaking eggs from his hen house
and leaving money behind. Robbie chases the woman, but to
his shock she outruns him. Catherine Daniels is an abused wife, whose car broke down
in the Maine woods. She and her two children are hiding
in an abandoned cabin and she is doing the best she can to
survive. Catherine's two children have been severely
traumatized by their father's abuse and since he has been
paroled from prison they are terrified he will find them. After one of Robbie's trips back to the past, he is
wounded and collapses on his return to the present.
Catherine and her children find him and nurse him even
though they are all afraid of the large warrior. When
Robbie wakes he finds that he is tied to the bed and has
to deal very carefully with his rescuers. He eventually
wins their tentative trust and immediately takes on the
responsibility of helping and protecting them. Catherine agrees to become the cook and housekeeper for
Robbie and his 4 foster sons. The boys are thrilled as
Catherine is a great cook and to put it mildly Robbie is
not. Catherine's son becomes less fearful as he learns
from Robbie and the boys that not all men are violent. He
also has a wonderful role model in Robbie of how a man
should behave towards women and children. TEMPTING THE HIGHLANDER is a fast read that alternates
between Robbie's life in the present and his efforts to
find the special tree in Medieval Scotland. On his final trip, Catherine accidentally goes back in
time with Robbie and their adventures in the past as they
help one of the elderly Highlanders reunite with his
family are heartwarming and exciting. Their is a lot going on in TEMPTING THE HIGHLANDER, but
Chapman never lets it get out of control and each of the
secondary characters is well fleshed out. I especially
loved the 4 foster sons, especially Gunter as he comes to
turn with his tendency to punch first and ask questions
later. I am happy that there is at least one more book in this
wonderful series to look forward to:Winter MacKeage's
story. Winter is Daar the Druid Priest's successor and it
will be fun to see what type of man Chapman finds for
her. TEMPTING THE HIGHLANDER stands well on it's own, but if
you haven't read the 3 other books in the series treat
yourself to a trip to the bookstore for them. I know you
will not be disappointed. Chapman is a rising star, whose
first book was amazing and she has not disappointed me yet.
Reviewed by Linda Hurst
Posted September 14, 2004
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