Highland Thief

McLayne’s gripping fifth Sons of Gregor MacLeod romance (after Highland Captive) brings the dangers of 15th-century Scotland to the forefront as a warrior seeks to win over the defiant heroine. Spirited Isobel MacKinnon is enamored of Kerr MacAlister but, valuing her independence, she’s determined to thwart his efforts to marry her. She cooks up a scheme to dupe him into thinking she’s eloping with another man. But Kerr pursues her and soon discovers her ruse. Alone together in the wilderness, the pair grow closer and their attraction builds as they navigate the woods and fight off assailants. After the pair marry by handfasting in a life-or-death moment, Kerr decides to return to his clan to root out a traitor among his people, and Isobel stubbornly remains at his side despite the further danger this decision puts her in. The well-crafted love/hate relationship between the sparring but well-matched central couple creates electricity, and McLayne conjures an alluring historical backdrop to their love story. Highland romance fans will have trouble putting this one down. [em]Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Aug.) [/em]