The Scottish Bride

Coulter completes her quartet of Regency-set historical romances (The Sherbrooke Bride, etc.) about the Sherbrooke family with a refreshing twist. In contrast to the rakish men featured in the three preceding books, the hero here, Tysen Sherbrooke, is a dour vicar and a widower with three children who arrives in Scotland after inheriting a barony and a castle. With admirable bravado, he rescues Mary Rose Fordyce from the clutches of a local man who will do anything, including rape, to force her into marriage with him. Tysen is outraged at this turn of events, and is surprised as well to discover he has feelings for Mary Rose, feelings that don't conform to his piousness. Unlike many romances where the heroine reforms a rake, here the heroine brings chaotic light into the ordered life of a prudish and seemingly humorless hero. The sheer number of characters in this finale is staggering, but loyal fans will be thrilled to note that many of the protagonists from Coulter's earlier installments are included in the cast. While there are some inconsistencies in character, particularly involving Mary Rose's mother, Coulter's rich development of Tysen and Mary Rose more than compensate. (Jan. 30)