BRIDE OF THE BEAST

Larger-than-life characters and a scenic setting add color to Welfonder's 14th-century romance, but the story's lack of historical detail will ultimately frustrate readers. Since her husband's death, Lady Caterine Keith has been forced to stand by as greedy Englishmen threaten her Scottish stronghold. To protect the castle from a royal edict, Caterine's sister, Linnet (the heroine of Welfonder's first novel, Devil in a Kilt), sends Caterine a prospective husband of the highest virtue—Sir Marmaduke Strongbow. Caterine grudgingly marries the scarred, English-born knight but refuses to offer him her heart because she was once raped by English soldiers and now hates any man with English blood. Marmaduke, however, fears Caterine really resists because of his appearance. Although Caterine's opposition to Marmaduke feels contrived, Welfonder pens some steamy scenes in which the two first use sex to bridge their differences and then continue giving into desire while the differences remain. In the end, the rescue of a drowning lapdog finally brings the couple together, but readers will be left wondering how love finally prevailed and why it took so long. (Jan.)