In Your Wildest Scottish Dreams---by Karen Ranney

In Your Wildest Scottish Dreams

Karen Ranney

In Your Wildest Scottish Dreams is a fabulous second chance romance novel. The author touches upon social and political issues in this story of passion, forgiveness and intrigue which takes place in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1860's.

The effects of the American Civil War reach across the Atlantic impacting the two main families of the novel. Lennox Cameron heads Cameron and Company, a successful boat building enterprise. Lennox's best friend and neighbor, Duncan MacIain owns MacIain Mills. Because of the Union blockade, there is a short supply of cotton, resulting in the near closing of the mill. It is rumored that Lennox's new ship, the steel-hulled Raven is being sold to the Confederate Army. The Raven is fast enough to run the Union blockade. As the ship nears completion, security at the ship yard increases because several unexplained accidents and fires have occurred. Can Lennox's Raven run the blockade and return to Scotland with cotton to keep his friend's business out of bankruptcy?

Glynis MacIain has returned home to Scotland after the death of her husband, British diplomat Richard Smythe. She attends a party honoring her neighbor William Cameron where she sees Lennox Cameron, William's son. Glynis left Scotland six years ago after a misunderstanding with Lennox.. Within a month, she met and married her husband. Seeing Lennox effects Glynis deeply. She regrets her impulsive decision to leave Scotland and wonders if Lennox still has feelings for her. There are unresolved feelings between the couple and the attraction between them sizzles off the pages.

Lennox Cameron resembled a prince and a devastating Highlander and he'd been the hero of most of her childhood dreams. No longer, however. Too much had happened in the intervening years

Karen Ranney has created a complex heroine and an honorable hero in this story. Lennox comments to Duncan that Glynis has changed. He mentions that she seems different and he is determined to find out why she is not herself. After spending several years as a diplomat's wife, Glynis has learned to mask her emotions, paint a smile on her face and side -step the truth. I loved seeing how this passionate pair interacted in the story. The author does a fabulous job telling what happened to Glynis during her marriage. The reader learns how and why Glynis' experiences shaped her personality and her choices. Lennox observes Glynis speaking to American Matthew Bauman and wonders how Glynis knows him? And how well does she know the man who many believe is a Union spy?

  

Each of the secondary characters in the book play an important part in the story. I loved Gavin Whittaker and his English wife Lucy. The couple planned to set sail on the Raven to bring goods to the Confederates and return with cotton for the mill. Lucy hated everything about Scotland, including her amorous husband! Matthew Bauman provides the reader with insight about the political scene in Washington ,D.C. as well as the background of Glynis and Richard Smythe. Richard is an excellent villain. His death occurred before Glynis returned home to Scotland. But, his presence is felt during the story as memories of him and his actions haunt Glynis.

The last few chapters of In Your Wildest Scottish Dreams were fabulous . The two well-written parallel storylines added to the suspense and romance. Glynis and Lennox's passionate love story captivated me. I wanted to figure out who was behind the mischief at the boatyard and who was behind the espionage. There were several surprising plot twists in the final few pages of the novel. I  LOVED the ending!

I am looking forward to the next book in the series! 

Reviewed by Susan Gorman This review was published on January 24, 2015 on freshficton.com. You can read the review here.