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Book Review By Cathy Clamp
Highland Fling by Tess Mallory

Chelsea Brown is a scientist working for a Texas University. She is on vacation in Scotland for her best friend's wedding in the present time. In the same location in the year 1608, Griffin Campbell is trying to escape his own wedding by disappearing to a hidden cavern. He does not love the woman, and is being forced to marry her to establish himself as chieftan of his clan. But he doesn't care about being chieftan and would prefer his father, who was skipped in succession, to take the leadership role. Griffin discovers glowing green crystals in a well in the cavern and when he touches them, is transported to the future.

Chelsea finds him in a befuddled state and thinks him to be an actor in a nearby festival.   When she helps him to the castle where the wedding is to take place, Chelsea discovers that her friends know the man, but cannot accept that he is from the distant past. She learns through a series of miscommunications that the bride and groom fell in love in 1608, traveling there via the same green crystal, which happens to be the stone set in the groom's ancestral sword.

Griffin has an unusual quirk. Because of a nearly forgotten incident in his childhood, he vomits everytime he touches a woman. Naturally, Chelsea is somewhat less than impressed with the hero. Griffin discovers a photograph in a library book of his long-lost cousin, Duncan. The photo shows Duncan being hanged in late 1800's Texas. Griffin decides to go back to the cavern to try to save his cousin. Chelsea tries to stop him but follows him instead. They find Duncan, but wind up in jail beside him, awaiting the noose. Chelsea must go undercover as a dancer in a bordello to try to find a way to save both of the men and return to her own time.


Plot & Themes
Time/era of story
Action/suspense subplot? Yes
Action:
Time Travel Yes
Type of time travel - past to present

Main Male Character
Profession/status:
Age/status: - 20's-30's
Unusual characteristics?

Main Female Character
Age/status: - 20's-30's
Profession/status:
Effect of sexing
Unusual characteristics:

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Texas
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
What % of story is romance related? - 80%
How explicit is the sex? - vague references only
Focus of story - equally on him and her
How much dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
How much sexing? - 1-2 sex acts
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