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MacLeod #4
A Garden in the Rain
Lynn Kurland tells the story of Patrick MacLeod--the first MacLeod to discover the secrets of his ancestral land....
Patrick MacLeod is haunted by his past, by events he had no control over and wishes desperately he could change. He hasn't the heart for love, nor the time for rescuing maidens in distress of their own making. Until he sees a woman who touches his heart and stirs his soul...and makes him believe love might be possible again after all.
For Madelyn Phillips, Scotland is the land of dreams, filled with magic, romance, and handsome Highland lords. Unfortunately, the reality of her dream vacation is no car, no luggage, and a pesky ex-fiance determined to shadow her every move. She thinks her dreaming is in vain until she sees a man standing on a windswept moor, a Highlander full of secrets and longing, and knows she has seen her destiny.
But the past isn't through with either of them, and it will take all the love both of them possess to make their dreams come true.
Patrick MacLeod is haunted by his past, by events he had no control over and wishes desperately he could change. He hasn't the heart for love, nor the time for rescuing maidens in distress of their own making. Until he sees a woman who touches his heart and stirs his soul...and makes him believe love might be possible again after all.
For Madelyn Phillips, Scotland is the land of dreams, filled with magic, romance, and handsome Highland lords. Unfortunately, the reality of her dream vacation is no car, no luggage, and a pesky ex-fiance determined to shadow her every move. She thinks her dreaming is in vain until she sees a man standing on a windswept moor, a Highlander full of secrets and longing, and knows she has seen her destiny.
But the past isn't through with either of them, and it will take all the love both of them possess to make their dreams come true.
420 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
96 people are currently reading
1111 people want to read
About the author
Lynn Kurland
69 books1,564 followersLynn began her writing career at the tender age of five with a series of illustrated novellas entitled Clinton’s Troubles in which the compelling hero found himself in all sorts of . . . well, trouble. She was living in Hawaii at the time and the scope for her imagination (poisoned fish, tropical cliffs, large spiders) was great and poor Clinton bore the brunt of it. After returning to the mainland, her writing gave way to training in classical music and Clinton, who had been felled with arrows, eaten by fish and sent tumbling off cars, was put aside for operatic heroes in tights.
Somehow during high school, in between bouts of Verdi and Rossini, she managed to find time to submerge herself in equal parts Tolkien, Barbara Cartland and Mad Magazine. During college, a chance encounter with a large library stack of romances left her hooked, gave her the courage to put pen to paper herself, and finally satisfied that need for a little bit of fantasy with a whole lot of romance!
Somehow during high school, in between bouts of Verdi and Rossini, she managed to find time to submerge herself in equal parts Tolkien, Barbara Cartland and Mad Magazine. During college, a chance encounter with a large library stack of romances left her hooked, gave her the courage to put pen to paper herself, and finally satisfied that need for a little bit of fantasy with a whole lot of romance!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
September 19, 2007
I liked this book. It's been awhile since I've read a romance novel that wasn't from an LDS author. There were a couple of parts that were a little cheesy, but despite that the author kept me interested. I loved this book for the mere fact that it was clean. What girl doesn't love a little romance, but I definitely don't need all of the details. I plan to read more from this author for this reason alone.
March 31, 2011
A clean, wonderful time travel romance. Thank you to Lynn Kurland for not putting in all the slutty, filthy love scenes and creating a story that takes the heart and mind away into a wonderful world. ..accept the bad guys, of course...they are so irritating..lol..I love Lynn Kurland. I'm on a hunt for her books. I want them all and beg her to keep writing. I'm always on the search for good time travel romance books and I'm so glad I've found Lynn Kurland's books.
I could feel the surroundings, smell the cigar smoke and feel Patrick's house that Madelyn was in. I don't know how she survived the cage and having her finger broken. That was a part where I couldn't loose myself as 'being there'...I could only be an observer for that part. I couldn't loose myself in to actually being her. I'm not sure how I would have delt with it. I think she was in that cage for 28 days.
-from the back of book - "land of dreams, filled with magic, romance and handsome Highland lords"
I could feel the surroundings, smell the cigar smoke and feel Patrick's house that Madelyn was in. I don't know how she survived the cage and having her finger broken. That was a part where I couldn't loose myself as 'being there'...I could only be an observer for that part. I couldn't loose myself in to actually being her. I'm not sure how I would have delt with it. I think she was in that cage for 28 days.
-from the back of book - "land of dreams, filled with magic, romance and handsome Highland lords"
December 2, 2011
This remains one of my all time favorite reads. If I need a good pick me up, or want to just have fun on a rainy day, I reach for this book. I think the author did a great job of creating two wonderful characters and helping us to understand the chemistry and relationship between the two. So many times you read a love story and say "I don't get it"? "What do they see in each other"? Not the case here! Lynn Kurland weaves her best story in a "Garden in the Rain". Madelyn Phillips goes off to Scotland for a vacation of a lifetime, only to run into her ex-fiance and from there the fun starts. Swashbuckling hero's, wonderful castles and romance in the air.
December 30, 2021
Re-read. ;)
March 16, 2009
This was an unusual time travel romance, at least I've not read anything like it before. I enjoyed this book, although I thought it dragged a little towards the end.
The two main characters had great chemistry right from the start and I really liked Patrick, the Scottish Highland time traveller. Madelyn was a strong woman who held up under very tough circumstances. Her ex fiancee Bentley I wanted to reach into the story and strangle him, he was one of the most annoying characters I've had to pleasure of reading, I eagerly looked forward to every unpleasant thing that happened to him.
The story begins with Madelyn taking a what was supposed to be her honeymoon trip to Scotland. A trip she had dreamed of her whole life. After a series of events and her introduction to Patrick she finds herself transported back in time, where she spends several weeks under awful circumstances. Of course, she is ultimately saved by her Scottish Highlander (no spoilers required, it is a romance novel) and when you think their journey is over they face more challenges in their present day lives.
This was a great read and I'd recommend it as a good read. Doesn't have a lot of the usual steamy sex scenes but is a tender and romantic story. The only thing that annoyed me is that there are other time travel books written by this author about other family members of Patrick's but I could not find out the order. I think this is the first but I'm not sure. I have another one here to read, When I Fall in Love and have no idea which book it is. But that is just a small complaint as I like to read books in order even if it's not necessary.
The two main characters had great chemistry right from the start and I really liked Patrick, the Scottish Highland time traveller. Madelyn was a strong woman who held up under very tough circumstances. Her ex fiancee Bentley I wanted to reach into the story and strangle him, he was one of the most annoying characters I've had to pleasure of reading, I eagerly looked forward to every unpleasant thing that happened to him.
The story begins with Madelyn taking a what was supposed to be her honeymoon trip to Scotland. A trip she had dreamed of her whole life. After a series of events and her introduction to Patrick she finds herself transported back in time, where she spends several weeks under awful circumstances. Of course, she is ultimately saved by her Scottish Highlander (no spoilers required, it is a romance novel) and when you think their journey is over they face more challenges in their present day lives.
This was a great read and I'd recommend it as a good read. Doesn't have a lot of the usual steamy sex scenes but is a tender and romantic story. The only thing that annoyed me is that there are other time travel books written by this author about other family members of Patrick's but I could not find out the order. I think this is the first but I'm not sure. I have another one here to read, When I Fall in Love and have no idea which book it is. But that is just a small complaint as I like to read books in order even if it's not necessary.
October 19, 2011
This is the third Lynn Kurland book I've read and it's by far my favorite so far, even though I totally loved the others.
Madelyn is in Scotland, enjoying her honeymoon trip after her fiancé, Bentley, calls it off 6 weeks before the wedding. But...he has regrets and follows her there, making every minute miserable. From the moment she meets Patrick, sparks fly and there is an undeniable chemistry between hem. But then she accidentally forgets to avoid the red dots in the map and ends up in a situation that only her hero can rescue her from.
Madelyn is so normal and Patrick is so perfect. I love the chemistry between them. Bentley is such a good bad guy. He is someone you love to hate--it made me so mad how he'd always put Madelyn down, yet wanted her to take him back. Great story!!
Madelyn is in Scotland, enjoying her honeymoon trip after her fiancé, Bentley, calls it off 6 weeks before the wedding. But...he has regrets and follows her there, making every minute miserable. From the moment she meets Patrick, sparks fly and there is an undeniable chemistry between hem. But then she accidentally forgets to avoid the red dots in the map and ends up in a situation that only her hero can rescue her from.
Madelyn is so normal and Patrick is so perfect. I love the chemistry between them. Bentley is such a good bad guy. He is someone you love to hate--it made me so mad how he'd always put Madelyn down, yet wanted her to take him back. Great story!!
June 11, 2020
A while back I read Kurland’s Nine Kingdoms trilogy and really enjoyed it. I’ve been wanting to try her other books, but I guess felt a little overwhelmed because there are so many and I wasn’t sure if they had to be read in order, etc. I ended up jumping in with A Garden in the Rain, even though it’s like book eight in the MacLeod series. I didn’t feel like I was really missing much, although I could tell that I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had read them in order. A fair warning, there are spoilers below.
I really liked the premise of the book. Not only was Madelyn dumped a few weeks before the wedding, but her ex gets her fired from her posh job and is engaged to someone new almost right away. Madelyn has always dreamed of Scotland and decides to go on her honeymoon/vacation anyway. When she arrives she finds non-other than her loser ex. For some reason he wants her back, even though he dumped her, and is making her life miserable in an attempt to win her back (not sure about his logic). She ends up being rescued by a very handsome and mysterious Scot, who happens to be from the very distant past. Despite Patrick’s desire to remain single and Madelyn’s desire to avoid men, they end up falling for each other (shocker). They have a few bumps along the way, like Madelyn being transported back to medieval times and Patrick having to come to her rescue, Patrick’s former father-in-law is out to get him, and of course Bentley the loser ex-fiancé who for some reason won’t leave Madelyn alone.
There were just a few things that really kept me from loving this book. First, there was a LOT of inner dialog with both Patrick and Madelyn. I would have preferred more conversations and actions than hearing their thoughts, their very drawn-out thoughts. Second, I’m a sucker for a good clean romance. Well, I admit I was pretty disappointed in this one. It was definitely clean (very G rated in the romance department), and overall their relationship was okay. I just never felt any real chemistry between them…ever. Maybe it’s because I just got done re-reading all of Marcia McClure books, and she never shies away from writing a great kissing scene, and it felt like in this book at least, any romantic scenes between Madelyn and Patrick were completely skipped over. It’s like their romance was a given and pushed to the back burning so the other parts of the story could be told. But, I wanted the romance and I wanted to feel them fall in love, and I didn’t.
Third, the bad guys were kind of disappointing. It took about 40% in (I read it on my Kindle) to figure out her ex’s motivations. Bentley was definitely a loser, no question about it. Their story just didn’t make sense to me. Why did she ever agree to marry him in the first place? Why did he dump her just to show up and try to “win” her back? Sure, almost halfway through the story we find out why he wants her back, but it’s a really lame reason. It would have made a lot more sense if she had dumped him and he followed her there to try and win her back, IMO After awhile his character is kind of dropped from the story and a new villain is introduced. It’s almost like Kurland realized that Bentley was a loser but that was about it, didn’t know what else to do with him so just kind of dropped him like Madelyn should have done in the beginning. So, then we get Patrick’s old father-in-law Gilbert McGhee. Again, I wasn’t sure what was going on there. Why should we hate Gilbert? Because he was morning the loss of his daughter who he thought was killed by Patrick and therefore wanted revenge? Why didn’t Patrick just sit down with him and explained what really happened the night she died? I gathered he didn’t want to hurt Gilbert with the truth about his daughter, but then he was okay to end up in a sword fight with him in a fight-to-the-death? Come on, wouldn’t the truth have been better? And why did Gilbert all of the sudden hate Patrick because he was a MacLeod, if he really hated MacLeod’s would he really have allowed his daughter to marry him in the first place? Just a lot of loose ends with the whole Gilbert-Lisa-Patrick storyline, IMO.
It’s probably hard to believe after my little rant, but I actually did enjoy the book. It kept me reading and it made me want to go and read the other books in the series, especially the ones about Jamie and Ian. I think this is a book I would enjoy the second time around and probably if I had read the series in order. Overall, I did enjoy it; there were just a few too many things to keep me from loving it.
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I really liked the premise of the book. Not only was Madelyn dumped a few weeks before the wedding, but her ex gets her fired from her posh job and is engaged to someone new almost right away. Madelyn has always dreamed of Scotland and decides to go on her honeymoon/vacation anyway. When she arrives she finds non-other than her loser ex. For some reason he wants her back, even though he dumped her, and is making her life miserable in an attempt to win her back (not sure about his logic). She ends up being rescued by a very handsome and mysterious Scot, who happens to be from the very distant past. Despite Patrick’s desire to remain single and Madelyn’s desire to avoid men, they end up falling for each other (shocker). They have a few bumps along the way, like Madelyn being transported back to medieval times and Patrick having to come to her rescue, Patrick’s former father-in-law is out to get him, and of course Bentley the loser ex-fiancé who for some reason won’t leave Madelyn alone.
There were just a few things that really kept me from loving this book. First, there was a LOT of inner dialog with both Patrick and Madelyn. I would have preferred more conversations and actions than hearing their thoughts, their very drawn-out thoughts. Second, I’m a sucker for a good clean romance. Well, I admit I was pretty disappointed in this one. It was definitely clean (very G rated in the romance department), and overall their relationship was okay. I just never felt any real chemistry between them…ever. Maybe it’s because I just got done re-reading all of Marcia McClure books, and she never shies away from writing a great kissing scene, and it felt like in this book at least, any romantic scenes between Madelyn and Patrick were completely skipped over. It’s like their romance was a given and pushed to the back burning so the other parts of the story could be told. But, I wanted the romance and I wanted to feel them fall in love, and I didn’t.
Third, the bad guys were kind of disappointing. It took about 40% in (I read it on my Kindle) to figure out her ex’s motivations. Bentley was definitely a loser, no question about it. Their story just didn’t make sense to me. Why did she ever agree to marry him in the first place? Why did he dump her just to show up and try to “win” her back? Sure, almost halfway through the story we find out why he wants her back, but it’s a really lame reason. It would have made a lot more sense if she had dumped him and he followed her there to try and win her back, IMO After awhile his character is kind of dropped from the story and a new villain is introduced. It’s almost like Kurland realized that Bentley was a loser but that was about it, didn’t know what else to do with him so just kind of dropped him like Madelyn should have done in the beginning. So, then we get Patrick’s old father-in-law Gilbert McGhee. Again, I wasn’t sure what was going on there. Why should we hate Gilbert? Because he was morning the loss of his daughter who he thought was killed by Patrick and therefore wanted revenge? Why didn’t Patrick just sit down with him and explained what really happened the night she died? I gathered he didn’t want to hurt Gilbert with the truth about his daughter, but then he was okay to end up in a sword fight with him in a fight-to-the-death? Come on, wouldn’t the truth have been better? And why did Gilbert all of the sudden hate Patrick because he was a MacLeod, if he really hated MacLeod’s would he really have allowed his daughter to marry him in the first place? Just a lot of loose ends with the whole Gilbert-Lisa-Patrick storyline, IMO.
It’s probably hard to believe after my little rant, but I actually did enjoy the book. It kept me reading and it made me want to go and read the other books in the series, especially the ones about Jamie and Ian. I think this is a book I would enjoy the second time around and probably if I had read the series in order. Overall, I did enjoy it; there were just a few too many things to keep me from loving it.
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2017
OH I think this is my favorite one...Mmmm!
Lynn Kurland is my one of my favorite romance authors and she did not let me down with this book either. This is in the same tradition of romance and humor that she laces all her books. Once again she has a normal girl easy to relate to, who is in the middle of her anything that could go wrong has gone wrong circumstances. But here comes her reluctant Knight in shining armour or black jeans in this case. The book has it's time travel portions as well as action scenes(so don't worry). But most of all it has a love story that will pull you in and have you laughing, hoping and rooting for that love we all find so magical. The story brings other Kurland novel charactors back to life by keeping the family tree alive.
I couldn't stop reading!! The only other book I loved this much was a Dance through time, also by Kurland.
Lynn Kurland is my one of my favorite romance authors and she did not let me down with this book either. This is in the same tradition of romance and humor that she laces all her books. Once again she has a normal girl easy to relate to, who is in the middle of her anything that could go wrong has gone wrong circumstances. But here comes her reluctant Knight in shining armour or black jeans in this case. The book has it's time travel portions as well as action scenes(so don't worry). But most of all it has a love story that will pull you in and have you laughing, hoping and rooting for that love we all find so magical. The story brings other Kurland novel charactors back to life by keeping the family tree alive.
I couldn't stop reading!! The only other book I loved this much was a Dance through time, also by Kurland.
March 13, 2012
I liked it, but I didn't feel the connection between these two, one minute he is being a douche and the next he just off and kisses her, no build up, zero romance.... And so it went, I liked the characters, and with the lack of romance, the story was good... I loved the ghost element... I just think the De Piaget men are just more romantic....
December 2, 2010
Oh no! I'm going against the crowd!!! Maybe I should blame this on the Baby Bump / Placenta Brain. Perhaps I'm having a harder time trying to find books that can keep my attention.
Let me say, I thought this was a beautiful story. I really struggled over what rating to give it, but found that I had to stick to my guns and go with the two. Sorry!!!
I felt the book dragged quite a bit to do so much inner dialog in the beginning and end. The middle of the book was 4 stars! I was flying through it, but I nearly but this one in the never to read pile because I was pushing myself through the first 200 pages. MAYBE if I had read previous books in this series I would have had the anticipation of knowing something was going to happen and would have enjoyed reading more because I would have been looking forward to it. And yes, a little more with the love scenes! We don't need dicriptions...that's true, we can read other authors for that, but the kissing scenes were so wonderful and I felt so involved that I wish I could have had a wee bit more!!!
Let me say, I thought this was a beautiful story. I really struggled over what rating to give it, but found that I had to stick to my guns and go with the two. Sorry!!!
I felt the book dragged quite a bit to do so much inner dialog in the beginning and end. The middle of the book was 4 stars! I was flying through it, but I nearly but this one in the never to read pile because I was pushing myself through the first 200 pages. MAYBE if I had read previous books in this series I would have had the anticipation of knowing something was going to happen and would have enjoyed reading more because I would have been looking forward to it. And yes, a little more with the love scenes! We don't need dicriptions...that's true, we can read other authors for that, but the kissing scenes were so wonderful and I felt so involved that I wish I could have had a wee bit more!!!
January 30, 2010
Romance and time travel, two of my favorite genres in one book - clean too! What's not to like. Madelyn Phillips goes on a trip to Scottland to regroup after her fiance dumps her six weeks before the wedding. The ex-fiance follows making life miserable for Madelyn, stealing her reservations, luggage, rental car, etc. Patrick MacLeod has been in the future for nine years now but is just now adjusting to the death of his wife.
Lots of fun plot twists, ghosts, and medieval sword fighting. I really enjoyed it.
Lots of fun plot twists, ghosts, and medieval sword fighting. I really enjoyed it.
August 18, 2014
He tenido este libro mucho tiempo en la pila no por falta de ganas por el propio libro, sino porque sabía que era parte de una serie y no tengo muchas posibilidades de leer los demás.
Por desgracia esa fue la mayor falta del libro: se nota demasiado que forma parte de una serie y no dejan de aparecer personajes que, muy evidéntemente, tienen una historia que se ha contado (o se contará) en algún momento de esta serie. Sí puedes leer este libro sin necesidad de leer los demás, pero lo echas en falta, y cuando no tienes posibilidad de seguir con la serie, ese es un defecto muy grande.
Por desgracia esa fue la mayor falta del libro: se nota demasiado que forma parte de una serie y no dejan de aparecer personajes que, muy evidéntemente, tienen una historia que se ha contado (o se contará) en algún momento de esta serie. Sí puedes leer este libro sin necesidad de leer los demás, pero lo echas en falta, y cuando no tienes posibilidad de seguir con la serie, ese es un defecto muy grande.
September 7, 2007
finally an author who can write historical romantic fiction and not get graphic and smutty while doing so! If you like scottish highland stories or old english lords and ladies, then this is a great author to look up. She also does some time traveling, as in this book, however she has a website that categorizes her books if you prefer no time traveling. I have read a couple of her books now, as recommended to me by my sister, and I have to say, I am happy to read her clean romantic stories!
October 12, 2009
This book had the potential to be a favorite but it came up short on the emotional front. Extremely emotional situations such as being held captive in a cage for three weeks or having your love send you away- twice - warrent MUCH stronger sentiments than a passing statement and a smile. Without more time spent on the feelings these and other situations evoke, the author leaves the reader lacking and unfulfilled.
May 16, 2020
Una historia interesante, qué te puede hacer pasar un buen rato... Aunque siento que no pasó mucho en todo el libro, el desenlace un poco flojo, no lleno mis expectativas pero dejando eso a un lado lo disfrute,me gustó mucho lo del viaje en el tiempo,hubiera sido muy interesante que fuera parte importante en toda la trama del libro y no me refiero a simplemente mencionarlos y darlos por sentado, sí no,más acción dentro de ese hecho...vivirlos.
July 15, 2008
This is a great book for when you're in a romantic mood, but you want something that is well-written. The characters were strong and likeable without being perfect or too flawed. It had that Scottish theme woven into the pages, and it held mystery and intensity. It was not a predictable romance.
February 8, 2009
This was my absolute FAVE Lynn Kurland Novel. I her descriptions were spot on, and made you feel like you were actually standing in the Highlands of Scotland. I loved the heroine, Madeleine, and her brassy personality, and Patrick MacLeod couldn't be more chivalrous! Definite Good Read.
October 24, 2009
this was the first Lynn Kurland book I read...well let's put it this way I am currently now trying to read all her books. It was such and endearing story. I love reading anything about Scotland and its history. So a story about time traveling in Scotland just makes a great store to me!
December 30, 2012
Love it!
January 29, 2015
una historia que al principio me gusto; pero luego al trascurrir las paginas, no me agradaron por lo que la historia se trono media aburrida.
ya lo termine de leer por el compromiso de terminarlo
ya lo termine de leer por el compromiso de terminarlo
February 19, 2024
**MINOR SPOILERS**
This book is part of the MacLeod series by the author. It can be read as a standalone but there are references to characters from the other books in the series. In a couple of spots, it is confusing, but they are not a main part of the story and it is minor. The story involves time travel.
Madelyn, one of the main characters, has just broken up with her fiancé, Bentley, shortly before the wedding. He breaks up with her on the telephone. He arranges for her to get fired (he is a partner at the law firm they work for). They divide up the expenses related to their wedding and honeymoon and she gets the honeymoon. When this book starts, she is in Scotland for a honeymoon for one and her ex-fiance shows up. He is a real jerk and it seems very unrealistic that she would not have seen it. I know people will turn a blind eye to others for a variety of reasons, but, at one point, in a scene unrelated to her ex-fiance, Madelyn tells herself that she is good at spotting liars. If so, how did she miss his character and all the lies he told? The ex-fiance is pretty awful, for example, constantly telling her she needs to lose weight, stealing her luggage, etc. Given his character as drawn, it was highly unlikely he would have been superficially charming before their break up.
After she was fired, Madelyn’s home went into foreclosure and she had other financial problems. However, later in the book, she realizes that she could go to work for her former firm’s competition. Why on earth wouldn’t she have done that right away? I think the author was creating drama, but it reflected poorly on Madelyn that could not handle that situation. (Also, trivial sidenote, I think losing your home to foreclosure takes a little longer than the time line indicated in the book.) Mid book you find out why her ex-fiancé is doing what he is doing and it did not seem to be a great motivation. Of course, you never know what drives people, but still. It just did not seem to be the most direct way to accomplish what he was trying to accomplish.
Patrick, the other main character, was born centuries earlier and time traveled to the present day. He has gone through a lot and he is emotionally stuck because of his wife’s death. He has a great family and he is close to them. He seems to have learned his lessons from the past and now has a good relationship with his brother and approaches life with some control. During this book, he is able to move forward, but it is done in fits and starts.
It did seem unrealistic that Patrick learned so many languages. That was not explained.
The dialogue and character interaction were fairly realistic. There were points when the story was a little too dramatic, for example a sword scene at the end is said to have lasted hours. Given its highly intense nature, that was doubtful. At a couple of spots, the story was a little slow.
The reasons for their attraction to each other could have been brought out a little more. Madelyn was a bit of a damsel in distress and Patrick came to her rescue. This showed kindness and good character on the part of Patrick and I could see why Madelyn would be not only grateful but attracted to who he was. It was not as clear why Patrick was attracted to Madelyn. I appreciated that the attraction was clearly based on feelings and not solely on lust.
I liked the secondary character of the bagpipe player. Moraig was interesting.
There are inconsistencies in how long Patrick was in the present day, how long Madelyn was with the Fergusson clan, and a few other things. There were also typos (for example verbs instead of herbs). The book should have a final review.
I read a book or two by this author in the past, but it had been a long time since I had done so. I could not remember why I stopped, so I decided to try her works again. I did get drawn into the book the longer I read it. If I find a story line I like, I might do so again.
This book is part of the MacLeod series by the author. It can be read as a standalone but there are references to characters from the other books in the series. In a couple of spots, it is confusing, but they are not a main part of the story and it is minor. The story involves time travel.
Madelyn, one of the main characters, has just broken up with her fiancé, Bentley, shortly before the wedding. He breaks up with her on the telephone. He arranges for her to get fired (he is a partner at the law firm they work for). They divide up the expenses related to their wedding and honeymoon and she gets the honeymoon. When this book starts, she is in Scotland for a honeymoon for one and her ex-fiance shows up. He is a real jerk and it seems very unrealistic that she would not have seen it. I know people will turn a blind eye to others for a variety of reasons, but, at one point, in a scene unrelated to her ex-fiance, Madelyn tells herself that she is good at spotting liars. If so, how did she miss his character and all the lies he told? The ex-fiance is pretty awful, for example, constantly telling her she needs to lose weight, stealing her luggage, etc. Given his character as drawn, it was highly unlikely he would have been superficially charming before their break up.
After she was fired, Madelyn’s home went into foreclosure and she had other financial problems. However, later in the book, she realizes that she could go to work for her former firm’s competition. Why on earth wouldn’t she have done that right away? I think the author was creating drama, but it reflected poorly on Madelyn that could not handle that situation. (Also, trivial sidenote, I think losing your home to foreclosure takes a little longer than the time line indicated in the book.) Mid book you find out why her ex-fiancé is doing what he is doing and it did not seem to be a great motivation. Of course, you never know what drives people, but still. It just did not seem to be the most direct way to accomplish what he was trying to accomplish.
Patrick, the other main character, was born centuries earlier and time traveled to the present day. He has gone through a lot and he is emotionally stuck because of his wife’s death. He has a great family and he is close to them. He seems to have learned his lessons from the past and now has a good relationship with his brother and approaches life with some control. During this book, he is able to move forward, but it is done in fits and starts.
It did seem unrealistic that Patrick learned so many languages. That was not explained.
The dialogue and character interaction were fairly realistic. There were points when the story was a little too dramatic, for example a sword scene at the end is said to have lasted hours. Given its highly intense nature, that was doubtful. At a couple of spots, the story was a little slow.
The reasons for their attraction to each other could have been brought out a little more. Madelyn was a bit of a damsel in distress and Patrick came to her rescue. This showed kindness and good character on the part of Patrick and I could see why Madelyn would be not only grateful but attracted to who he was. It was not as clear why Patrick was attracted to Madelyn. I appreciated that the attraction was clearly based on feelings and not solely on lust.
I liked the secondary character of the bagpipe player. Moraig was interesting.
There are inconsistencies in how long Patrick was in the present day, how long Madelyn was with the Fergusson clan, and a few other things. There were also typos (for example verbs instead of herbs). The book should have a final review.
I read a book or two by this author in the past, but it had been a long time since I had done so. I could not remember why I stopped, so I decided to try her works again. I did get drawn into the book the longer I read it. If I find a story line I like, I might do so again.
November 15, 2019
This romance couldn't decide what it wanted to be. Is it time-travel? Is it paranormal? Is it a vacation getaway romance? Why not try all three at once, and throw in the most cartoonish ex-fiance bad guy ever?
There weren't a lot of good things about this novel, but by far, by absolute farthest, the worst part is Bentley, the heroine's recent ex. Their backstory is a jumble that focuses on how they ended, but as I got to know Bentley and discovered that he wasn't a person, he was a stack of evil tropes in a trench coat, I wondered more and more how they got together in the first place, because he's just the worst from the very first moment we meet him. There's no tale of their wooing, there's no fond reminiscences of before the breakup, there's no sign he was ever a good person or a decent boyfriend/fiance at all. He is unrelentingly horrible, immoral, narcissistic, hypocritical, and cruel, and the backstory gives me no reason to believe he was ever otherwise.
And because of that, it makes me question just how stupid the heroine is. Not that she acts particularly stupid during the course of the novel itself, she's not suffering from Too Stupid to Live Syndrome, though she does rely on the hero to rescue her a lot from Bentley's horrible attempts at manipulation, the constant stealing of her hotel reservations and later her possessions, and eventually, a 14th-century dungeon, because time travel. But by painting the ex as a totally irredeemable ass, you have to wonder why they were together in the first place, and what's changed since that makes the heroine capable of making better choices this time around.
As for the hero, he's... okay? He's tall dark and deadly, and his backstory is similarly sketchy for most of the book, and his occupation (expensive bodyguard) is never really explained, but seems more an excuse for the travel he does (with or without the heroine, as the plot demands) even though we never see him actually working, just going away or coming back.
The time-travel stuff and all the stuff about the hero's family would probably have made a lot more sense if I hadn't jumped into the middle of the series. I'm willing to give that a pass, because by book 4 the author shouldn't be over-explaining it, so I'm not complaining that the world-building wasn't there.
And I could have accepted the time travel just fine as the central thrust of the novel's oddities, but then we got ghosts. Lots of ghosts. Lots of pushy and irritating ghosts. Ghosts who apparently have been hanging around the hero's castle for ages but only decided to appear and harass him into moving the plot forward after the heroine walks into his life.
Can you hear that? The sound of me rolling my eyes so hard? I hated the ghosts almost as much as I hated Bentley.
There weren't a lot of good things about this novel, but by far, by absolute farthest, the worst part is Bentley, the heroine's recent ex. Their backstory is a jumble that focuses on how they ended, but as I got to know Bentley and discovered that he wasn't a person, he was a stack of evil tropes in a trench coat, I wondered more and more how they got together in the first place, because he's just the worst from the very first moment we meet him. There's no tale of their wooing, there's no fond reminiscences of before the breakup, there's no sign he was ever a good person or a decent boyfriend/fiance at all. He is unrelentingly horrible, immoral, narcissistic, hypocritical, and cruel, and the backstory gives me no reason to believe he was ever otherwise.
And because of that, it makes me question just how stupid the heroine is. Not that she acts particularly stupid during the course of the novel itself, she's not suffering from Too Stupid to Live Syndrome, though she does rely on the hero to rescue her a lot from Bentley's horrible attempts at manipulation, the constant stealing of her hotel reservations and later her possessions, and eventually, a 14th-century dungeon, because time travel. But by painting the ex as a totally irredeemable ass, you have to wonder why they were together in the first place, and what's changed since that makes the heroine capable of making better choices this time around.
As for the hero, he's... okay? He's tall dark and deadly, and his backstory is similarly sketchy for most of the book, and his occupation (expensive bodyguard) is never really explained, but seems more an excuse for the travel he does (with or without the heroine, as the plot demands) even though we never see him actually working, just going away or coming back.
The time-travel stuff and all the stuff about the hero's family would probably have made a lot more sense if I hadn't jumped into the middle of the series. I'm willing to give that a pass, because by book 4 the author shouldn't be over-explaining it, so I'm not complaining that the world-building wasn't there.
And I could have accepted the time travel just fine as the central thrust of the novel's oddities, but then we got ghosts. Lots of ghosts. Lots of pushy and irritating ghosts. Ghosts who apparently have been hanging around the hero's castle for ages but only decided to appear and harass him into moving the plot forward after the heroine walks into his life.
Can you hear that? The sound of me rolling my eyes so hard? I hated the ghosts almost as much as I hated Bentley.
November 10, 2020
A Garden in the Rain is about a guy named Patrick MacLeod, who's from Scotland, and an American woman named Madelyn Phillips, who is using a trip to Scotland as an escape from her ex-fiancé. Except the ex has followed her to Scotland, being an all-around entitled jerk, and so Madelyn is determined to make the best of it, even if that means going along with this other jerk (Patrick, the love interest, is kind of annoying at first, but much less so than Madelyn's ex). If only he weren't so hot...
A Garden in the Rain is a fluffy time-travel romance, which I liked because there weren't any graphic sex scenes, and even then the allusions to sex were only after the two main characters were married at the end. The time travel was fun because it adds an element that distinguishes the book from others of it's genre; instead of being guy meets girl, they like each other, petty drama, it's guy meets girl, they like each other, not-incredibly-petty-drama *in the past* which is different and makes for a far more interesting read. I would recommend this to anyone needing to unwind from the stress of politics and pandemics.
A Garden in the Rain is a fluffy time-travel romance, which I liked because there weren't any graphic sex scenes, and even then the allusions to sex were only after the two main characters were married at the end. The time travel was fun because it adds an element that distinguishes the book from others of it's genre; instead of being guy meets girl, they like each other, petty drama, it's guy meets girl, they like each other, not-incredibly-petty-drama *in the past* which is different and makes for a far more interesting read. I would recommend this to anyone needing to unwind from the stress of politics and pandemics.
June 13, 2021
Patrick y Madelyn,
El un guerrero medieval en el futuro ella una abogada arruinada y acosada por su ex que realmente no le ama si no la quiere por interés y viaja a escocia a disfrutar de lo que hubiere sido su viaje de bodas que a ultimo momento su ex descarto.
El se va enganchando a ella tratándola de ayudarla y protegerla contra su ex, ella huyendo va a parar al pasado y el debe ir a rescatarla, el pasado y el futuro se entrelazan trayendo venganzas de ese pasado al futuro que finalmente es descubierto.
Se me hizo eterno, es una linda historia, tiene su buena trama pero le faltó su parte hot, todo un libro de amor para iniciar a chicas jóvenes y niñas grandes en este tipo de lectura de viajes en el tiempo y esas fantasías, los dos protas, tienen su atractivo pero no es la gran cosa, es una serie de libros yo este es el único que me he leído, si me llama la atención saber las historias de James e Ian pero no sé si me animaré, voy a ver qué veo para comenzar otro libro de la lista pendiente que tengo 🙄🙄🙄😒☹️.
El un guerrero medieval en el futuro ella una abogada arruinada y acosada por su ex que realmente no le ama si no la quiere por interés y viaja a escocia a disfrutar de lo que hubiere sido su viaje de bodas que a ultimo momento su ex descarto.
El se va enganchando a ella tratándola de ayudarla y protegerla contra su ex, ella huyendo va a parar al pasado y el debe ir a rescatarla, el pasado y el futuro se entrelazan trayendo venganzas de ese pasado al futuro que finalmente es descubierto.
Se me hizo eterno, es una linda historia, tiene su buena trama pero le faltó su parte hot, todo un libro de amor para iniciar a chicas jóvenes y niñas grandes en este tipo de lectura de viajes en el tiempo y esas fantasías, los dos protas, tienen su atractivo pero no es la gran cosa, es una serie de libros yo este es el único que me he leído, si me llama la atención saber las historias de James e Ian pero no sé si me animaré, voy a ver qué veo para comenzar otro libro de la lista pendiente que tengo 🙄🙄🙄😒☹️.
September 7, 2020
Mua vì quả bìa xinh xẻo. Mãi gần 5 năm sau mới lôi ra đọc và thấy phí tiền thật sự. Ngôn tình ba xu không hơn không kém. Cách hành văn (theo ngôn ngữ dịch) quá chán, xây dựng nhân vật quá tệ và hư cấu (nữ chính bị nam chính hớp hồn vì đẹp và sang chảnh, nam chính bị “giật điện” vì nữ chính vì “cô gái này thú vị ghê” trong khi bản thân là luật sư mà để hôn phu cũ hành hết lần này tới lần khác).
Truyện như kiểu biến tất cả ex của nam nữ chính thành kẻ xấu để tôn hai anh chị lên hàng cực phẩm dành cho nhau... Trời ạ, viết truyện non tới thế là cùng.
Mệt mỏi vì cách kể theo góc nhìn của nam nữ chính (xàm xí, nhảm nhí kiểu yêu nhưng lại suy diễn vớ vẩn trong đầu => dài dòng vãi). Truyện không thực tế, nhân vật ngớ ngẩn và gây ức chế. Thật hối hận khi đã mua quyển này về.
Không rõ trong đống sách mua về chưa đọc, còn bao nhiêu cuốn hãm l như này nữa?
Truyện như kiểu biến tất cả ex của nam nữ chính thành kẻ xấu để tôn hai anh chị lên hàng cực phẩm dành cho nhau... Trời ạ, viết truyện non tới thế là cùng.
Mệt mỏi vì cách kể theo góc nhìn của nam nữ chính (xàm xí, nhảm nhí kiểu yêu nhưng lại suy diễn vớ vẩn trong đầu => dài dòng vãi). Truyện không thực tế, nhân vật ngớ ngẩn và gây ức chế. Thật hối hận khi đã mua quyển này về.
Không rõ trong đống sách mua về chưa đọc, còn bao nhiêu cuốn hãm l như này nữa?
March 30, 2023
Rời rạc là cảm giác trải dài quá trình đọc cuốn này của mình, mình cảm thấy khi chuyển cảnh, các tình tiết không liên kết với nhau và thấy thiếu một chút gì đó. Truyện chủ yếu viết về quá trình yêu và tán tỉnh giữa nam - nữ chính, không quá hấp dẫn và nhiều sự rung động, đoạn duy nhất mà mình thích là đoạn Pattrick nói về việc đôi khi cách giải quyết vấn đề là lao vào và đi xuyên qua nó, nhưng Pattrick đã không làm, luôn luôn chạy trốn, sợ hãi và thế là anh mắc kẹt trong quá khứ, dằn vặt bản thân và không hạnh phúc.
Mình cảm giác chemistry giữa nữ và nam chính hơi gượng, cảm giác tình yêu sét đánh - ta là định mệnh đời nhau - duyên từ kiếp trước viết không hợp lý và mượt mà cho lắm.
Cuốn này mình đánh giá 2.5/5 sao. Những đoạn miêu tả khu rừng, tòa lâu đài cổ, không khí Scotland mình khá thích.
Mình cảm giác chemistry giữa nữ và nam chính hơi gượng, cảm giác tình yêu sét đánh - ta là định mệnh đời nhau - duyên từ kiếp trước viết không hợp lý và mượt mà cho lắm.
Cuốn này mình đánh giá 2.5/5 sao. Những đoạn miêu tả khu rừng, tòa lâu đài cổ, không khí Scotland mình khá thích.
March 2, 2021
I love this series but I take issue with the personality of the male lead in this book, Patrick MacLeod. In the previous books where he was introduced his personality is very different. He is described as being the opposite of his brother Jaime, and his personality is very fun and mischievous. In this book however, he goes about being even more brooding than Jaime started out as in the first book. This book points to a traumatic event as being the reason, but the traumatic event happened prior to the 1st book in which he was introduced. I think it was a missed opportunity to allow Patrick to be more of a stand alone character with a complete different personality than his older brother than have him be almost exactly the same in his own book.
December 28, 2019
For some reason this book felt very long 😅😅 the writing was sometimes inconsistent and I even encountered a few typographical errors haha but anyways this started a bit rough for me but it got better halfway, i liked the part where they time traveled to the middle ages I think it should've happened more often haha also I'm not that fond of the ending it was weird with all the ghosts in their house like it was just sorely out of place. Despite my issues with writing I liked the MCs. The female MC was not perfect but still likeable, which is usually rare in romance novels. Patrick was somewhat cliched but he's got sufficient character development.
May 8, 2021
I read several books by this author a few years ago. I recently gifted myself a Kindle and am learning the ins and outs of E Books. This was one of the first books I wanted to try and find. Thank the Lord my daughter is a Librarian and could help me out. Electronics baffle me. I miss the old fashion book in hand. I loved this book. It was very charming. I loved the characters and their attitudes. It is a fast read at least it was for me. I just wanted to know how it ended. I look forward to finding other Time Travel books by this Author in this new electronic age of Goodreads, Libby ,Overdrive, Kindle and the Library E Books and Media.
May 17, 2018
La novela comienza de forma un poco lenta para mi gusto y tiene alguna que otra expresión que o bien no encaja con el estilo, o directamente no tiene demasiado sentido (o yo no he logrado encontrárselo, quizá son de un dialecto que me es ajeno). También me ha dado la impresión de que eran un poco confusos, sobre todo al inicio, los flashbacks, porque se pasaba repentinamente del presente al pasado sin dar una pista clara del cambio de escenario desde el principio de dicha analepsis. Pese a todo lo anterior, la historia me ha mantenido expectante y me ha gustado.
Le doy un 6 sobre 10 :)
Le doy un 6 sobre 10 :)
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