Lady of Skye

Combining romance and mystery without melodrama or fuss, Cabot's (An Improper Proposal) Victorian-era novel brims with humor, deft characterization and an intriguing plot-and is, most decidedly, a cut above the norm. Dr. Reilly Stanton, the Marquis of Stillworth, comes to the remote Scottish village of Lyming to prove to his pious and sweet ex-fiancee that he's a serious physician and not a wastrel. It appears that Reilly's handsome but loutish patron, the Earl of Glendinning, has hired him in an effort to lure Brenna Donegal, the gorgeous, independent and intelligent daughter of the town's former doctor, away from her interest in medicine so that she can become his beloved bride. But the strong-willed Brenna wants no part of Glendinning and, like Reilly, is determined to discover why epidemics of cholera continue to plague Lyming. Meanwhile, Reilly finds his fondness for his former fiancee waning and his love for Brenna growing. Cabot writes romance almost without peer, creating passionate love scenes readers will swoon over, delivered with poetry and beauty, and memorable secondary characters: the boorish, lovesick lord isn't only played for cheap laughs, and Reilly's London friends are a hoot. (Jan.9) Forecast: Historical fiction like this will draw new readers to the genre, especially if marketed as general interest and placed at point-of-sales kiosks in bookstores.