A Rose In Scotland

by Joan Overfield

A Delicate Flower Lady Caroline Burroughs is desperate. Her unscrupulous guardian is squandering away her inheritance, and now wants to gain complete control over her dwindling wealth by forcing her to wed his aged crony. But Caroline has found a solution to her woes. Though it means surrendering her long-cherished dream of marrying for love, she agrees to a preemptive temporary union with a devilishly handsome stranger -- a brave and noble Scotsman who believes that love is an illusion. A Thorny Romance Major Hugh MacColme has every reason to hate the British -- since the Crown stole his ancestral castle and sent his father and brother into exile. And he never imagined he would end up marrying one of the enemy. But a year spent in the intimate company of an exquisite English rose seems a small price to pay for recovering his birthright. For tender-hearted Caroline, however, the difficult part will be coping with her unexpected desire for this proud and distant man -- and harder still, convincing Hugh that the wife he has no use for is the warm and healing love that he truly needs.

Genres: Historical Romance, Historical, Marriage Of Convenience, Romance

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

AKA: Carolyn Madison

Joan Overfield (aka Carolyn Madison) has been a published author since winning the Golden Heart Award from Romance Writers of America in 1987 for her Regency, The Prodigal Spinster. Since then she has written a total of twenty-four novels. Along the way Joan has made several bestsellers lists and won numerous awards for her work, including 1998 Career Achievement in Regency Romance from Romantic Times magazine. Her Time Travel, The Door Ajar is in the list of Romantic Times magazine's 200 All-Time Reviewer Favorites.

Joan's varied career has included seven years as a 911 emergency operator. That experience contributed to her writing by training her to assess situations and people – skills she now uses as she develops plots and characters.

Joan uses her stories to showcase characters who reflect her life views. "All of my heroes operate from a strong sense of honor and duty," she says. "I admire that and I believe strongly in right and wrong." The goals of her characters can be summed up in the poem "Ulysses" – "To strive, to find, to seek, and not to yield."

She lives in Oregon with her golden retriever, Libby, and an ornery alley cat named Pounce. She is also a killer Trivial Pursuit player, and loves the smokey wail of a tenor sax and the icy bite of perfectly chilled champagne.

Reviews

[Maura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always one of my favorites from so long ago. In order for Caroline to escape the clutches of her evil uncle and for Hugh to regain his home at Loch Haven, the two agree to a marriage of convenience and to divorce after a year has passed. But her uncle is still a concern, and the two have to spend quite a bit of time pretending to have married for legitimate reasons. The two don't have a perfect time of it either. Caroline wants her freedom and doesn't like limitations that marriage sets for her. Hugh is a soldier and used to issuing orders and being curt. But he has a much gentler side and Hugh is a great Hero because of it. It's not very long before the two are in love. But someone at Loch Haven is not happy that their Scot Laird has taken an English wife, so that mystery has to be solved. They also have to set aside their pride long enough to admit that a marriage of convenience isn't what either of them wants any more. This really is a great book with an engaging couple, a sweet and passionate romance and a touch of suspense. The ending is just a little on the cheesy side...where someone provides the comic relief and everyone laughs before it gets wrapped up. I also didn't like how Caroline didn't even get a chance to rail at the betrayal she discovered. But the book deserves 4 stars for sure.

[Cee · Rating 4 out of 5]

1771 Hugh McColme joins the British army to save Loch Haven from being seized by the English. He leaves his defiant father and gives his young sister Mairi with a locket bearing the miniature of their dead mother, asking her to keep it safe until his return. He returns in 1785 to find the castle in ruins, lands and title seized by the English; his defiant father, brother and uncle gone. He found Mairi in Edinburgh with Aunt Egidia. He realizes he will have to buy back his land and have his title as Laird restored by English courts, so sets off to London by way of Edinborough. He knew he would need the aid of a powerful patron. The person he has in mind, General George Burroughs, Duke of Hawkeshill, is in Bath, where Hugh stops on his way to London.

Meanwhile in London, Lord Charles Burrows, earl of Westall, is trying to arrange a marriage contract between his niece, Lady Caroline Burrows, and his 'dearest friend,' Sir Gervase Wilmount. The author implies a homosexual relationship between Gervase and Charles. Charles is interested in getting his hands on Caroline's fortune; she implies he is stealing from her. He threatens her with the madhouse if she does not comply with the arrangement. She rapidly consults her solicitor, who informs her that her grandfather has returned to England and may be able to intercede.

As Hugh is calling on the Duke of Hawkeshill in Bath, Caroline, the Duke's granddaughter rushes into the meeting, anxious to escape her fate as set by her uncle's plans. Her grandfather's solution is to marry her off to Hugh, before her uncle can catch up to her. He offers to help Hugh regain his property and title if he marries Caroline. It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, in name only. Scottish divorce laws would allow the marriage to be dissolved after a year.

Charles was not pleased to have his plans thwarted, and drama ensues, with Caroline oblivious to the danger, and Hugh ever protective of his bride. Her grandfather, the Duke, also adds drama by offering Hugh more support if he should make Caroline pregnant. After the uncle and his friend are thwarted, a new villain threatens, unbeknownst to Hugh and Caroline. He is Hugh's friend, Lucien Raghnall, from Loch Haven.

[Catsalive · Rating 3 out of 5]

A marriage of convenience between Lady Caroline Burroughs & Major Hugh MacColme, Laird of Loch Haven, suits them both. Hugh needs the aid of Caroline's grandfather to regain his ancestral lands in Scotland, & she needs the haven of marriage to protect her from the machinations of her guardian uncle who is trying to get his hands on her fortune by any means.

It is a time of great hatred between Scots & English, Culloden being fairly recent history, but the two of them deal well together &, after a few teething problems, the inevitable happens & love blooms. Not everyone is happy for them, however, & there are quite a few shoals ahead.

A pleasant tale, if rather irritating when Caroline repeatedly puts herself in danger & when Hugh's Clan are such an ungrateful bunch.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A conniving grandfather manipulates his granddaughter and his sergeant into a "marriage of convenience" knowing that it will be no such thing. A Scot and the laird of his much diminished clan, who has to deal with the hatred of the English that resulted from Culloden and subsequent events (and who can blame them?), her husband fights to get his land back and his people settled. Lots going on in this book.

[kattie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rose in Scotland

I loved this story, I recommend everyone to read this book. I look forward to reading more of her books. Kattie 9/18/17.

[Patrizia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Non amo il genere 'scozzese', con il suo armamentario di personaggi fieri e caparbi. Ma volevo leggere qualcosa di questa autrice, senza spendere un patrimonio: l'e-book era la scelta obbligata, e questo era l'unico romanzo disponibile per Kindle.
La storia non sembrava in effetti male, ma il ritorno del protagonista nella terra dei suoi padri ha fatto emergere il peggio del suo carattere, come la prepotenza su amici e nemici. Quanto alla furia omicida (per quanto provocata da colpa grave)... anche no, grazie.

[kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh! A Hero who was vastly unappreciated by his clan ,his family, and certainly some of his so called best friends. A heroine who was nice enough but at times was capable of being oblivious and a real ditz. Frankly they made both England and Scotland seem unappealing. If I were them I would have cashed in my chips. Taken my money and moved to America or Canada.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

really enjoyed this book