The Highlander’s Heart

Forester follows 2010’s The Highlander’s Sword with another vivid portrait of romance in 14th-century Scotland. Five years after Lady Isabelle Tynsdale leaves her aged husband, she travels to the king’s court seeking to have her marriage dissolved, narrowly avoiding a confrontation with her husband’s soldiers. Isabelle is saved from a band of attackers by Sir David Campbell, a Highlander known as an enemy of the king. Their mutual attraction doesn’t stop David from taking Isabelle prisoner when he learns her identity, as he figures her husband will pay a pretty penny to ransom her back. As Isabelle makes several humorously botched attempts to escape David’s castle, the assertive English lady clashes frequently with the brusque Highlander. Despite the book’s unusual length, the plot never falters, and fans of Highland romance will appreciate Forester’s devotion to historical accuracy and effortless storytelling. (Nov.)