Present Day Scottish Highlands, and Lochaber in 1654

Lily Hamlin, a child of the computer age, visits Scotland to see the places her beloved grandmother came from, and to do some thinking. Lily was so wrapped up in her hi-tech career that she neglected all else, the grandmother who raised her and the art she loved. Now the technology sector has crashed taking her job along with it, and Lily takes the time to think about what to do next. Even here in Scotland, she feels like a fish out of water until she stumbles upon a doorway that leads to a maze, which is the pathway to another time and another life altogether.

Ewen, Laird of Clan Cameron is a man in the prime of his life. A widower who has already produced an heir, Ewen’s life is a constant struggle to protect his clan and his lands; he has no time or desire to seek out another wife. Returning from an unsatisfactory meeting with the British General Monk, who tries to buy his allegiance, the men come across an injured woman in the road. She is stunningly beautiful and delicate, but strangely attired, with an accent they have never heard the like of before. Her arrival coincides with a prophesy made by Gormshuil, the witch who advises the clan. She said that another would come like his foster brother, Robert, who claimed to come from the future, but what can this mean for the clan? All Ewen knows is that she is strange in her ways; she doesn’t think like any woman he has ever known, but for all that, she touches his heart until all he can think of is doing what will make her happy -- even if it means losing her forever.

MASTER OF THE HIGHLANDS is the work of debut author Veronica Wolff. A fantasy fiction fan and history buff, Ms. Wolff has found a way to combine all her interests in this fast moving, lively story. It’s never easy to find a balance between present day sensibilities and historical accuracy, but Ms. Wolff created a good mix. I really enjoyed the snippets of dialogue that reflected the way people spoke in the Highlands in that era. Lily seems to fit easily into the past, but I could accept that because she is really rather an adventurous soul; I loved it when she started a pub brawl in present day Scotland. She might not be stout and sturdy, but she can hold her own, even against the men! Ewen, and many of the secondary characters, such as Gormshuil, Uncle Donald, General Monk, and Robert are actual historical figures, which I discovered when I visited her website veronicawolff.com. This explains the depth they seem to have in the book. I am happy to say that the beautiful romance between Ewen and Lily does not overwhelm the fascinating adventures they have. I highly recommend MASTER OF THE HIGHLANDS for time-travel romance fans, but an entertaining read for everyone. Her second book, SWORD OF THE HIGHLANDS, comes out in June 2008.

Lisa Baca