The Highlander

October 20, 2003
The bone-chilling dampness of Scotland and the crackle of a hearth fire are nearly palpable in Coffman's (The Italian
, etc.) atmospheric 18th-century Highland romance. Desperate to escape an arranged marriage to the narcissistic English Lord Rockingham, legendary French beauty Sophie D'Alembert, granddaughter of Louis XIV, slips out of the country on a boat bound for Norway. Her circumstances change abruptly when the ship gets caught in a storm and wrecks off the coast of Scotland. Nearly dead from battling the frigid seas, Sophie is rescued by a gallant young Scotsman who entrusts her to his imposing older brother, Jamie, the earl of Monleigh. Uncertain of the earl's political leanings and unwilling to be sent back to France or to Lord Rockingham, Sophie feigns amnesia. Jamie mistrusts Sophie, but he's unable to resist his growing attraction to her. It soon becomes apparent, however, that the couple can't avoid Rockingham indefinitely. The manner in which Sophie and Jamie finally overcome Rockingham will make some readers raise their eyebrows in disbelief, but the events leading up to their confrontation are compelling. This lush, well-told tale will remind readers why the Highlands are such a popular and superb setting for romance.