One Night in Scotland

October 11, 2010
Hawkins brings back the Hurst siblings (familiar from The Laird Who Loved Me and Sleepless in Scotland) to launch her Hurst Amulet series. Scholarly Mary Hurst seeks out Angus Hay, earl of Errol, to retrieve an artifact for her brother Michael, the unwilling guest of an Egyptian sulfi. Angus distrusts Mary and locks her away until he can corroborate her claim. As Mary noisily disrupts the household from her turret prison, Angus reluctantly comes to find her attractive. Once he frees her, the two engage in entertaining repartee that finally advances their relationship. Hawkins offers only subtle clues about the Hurst Amulet, delivered via letters purportedly from Michael, who also offers clichéd life-lessons from afar ("Knowledge and action combined can win over any adversity"). Mary is charming and witty, but her story mostly comes across as a setup for future books featuring her brothers.

November 15, 2010
Hawkins (Much Ado about Marriage, 2010) borrows a bit from Beauty and the Beast for her latest tale. When Mary Hurst receives a plea from her Egyptologist brother, Michael, to retrieve an artifact so he can trade it for his release from a mysterious abductor, Mary travels to Scotland where Angus Hay, the Earl of Erroll, resides. Fellow Regency antiquarian Angus, who was horribly scarred in a fire that killed his wife, has become a suspicious recluse and refuses to believe that Mary is Michaels sister, especially since he has received a letter from Michael saying to beware of anyone asking for the artifact. After Mary convinces Angus to send for another Scottish scholar who knows her, he locks her in her room to await the mans arrival. Incensed at this treatment, Mary begins a war of wills, sparking their romance. Although occasionally repetitive, Hawkins tale is a lively romp, the perfect beginning to her new series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)