Master of Castle Glen

by Ana Seymour

In 1885 Scotland, a brash American is willed an ancient castle-and perhaps a chance at a love for the ages.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0515134902
• ISBN13: 9780515134902
• Release Date: February 2003
• Publisher: Jove Books
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

UNFORGETABLE

i loved this book so much as soon as i finished reading it i called my sister to tell her she just had to read it...wonderful wonderful wonderful

Great story, really likable hero and heroine you can respect

Ana Seymour has left behind Elizabethan Ireland and the Riordan clan of her last four books and moved to 1885 Scotland. Fiona MacLennan, widowed four months, is dreading the arrival of the new laird of Castle Glen. The new laird should be her stepson, 14 year old Robby, but a 150 year old will has stipulated that after 5 generations the title will go to the next direct heir of Fergus Campbell. Duncan Campbell has never set foot in Scotland. He's a wealthy and successful New York businessman whose estranged, now dead father never got the auld sod out of his blood. He's not sure what to expect or even why he's come but he suspects it has something to do with the fact that nothing Duncan achieved was ever good enough in his father's eyes. Now the son is making the triumphant return the father never did.Fiona expects a loud, obnoxious, poorly dressed and ill-mannered clod to step off the train but to her surprise, he's tall, dark and handsome, well dressed and polite. Robby takes an instant liking to the observant, confident newcomer, but Fiona is determined to dislike him. She's found what she thinks is a way to overturn the courts' decision and return Castle Glen to it's rightful heir, Robby, but until she hears from the lawyers she just has to make the best of things.As the two take each other's measure, each begins to grudgingly like the other. Duncan is impressed with Fiona's loyalty to Robby and her handling of the estate in Alasdair's declining year. Fiona sees immediately that this man is very, very smart, enjoys a challenge and makes every effort to fit into this new world so different from the drawing rooms of New York Society (his determination to learn to ride a horse is adorable and funny). Eventually, he wins over Robby, the household staff and even the reluctant Fiona. But when he starts to modernize and look for ways to make the estate profitable again, he runs afoul of many in Glencolly, not least Fiona. Can he make them see that the only way to save Castle Glen is to bring it (albeit slowly) into the Industrial Age? And what if the courts determine that Robby is, in fact the rightful laird, can Duncan just walk away - and does Fiona really want him to?I loved this story. The romance between Duncan and Fiona was sweet and believable. The relationship between Duncan and Robby was everything Duncan had wished he'd had with his own father. And Fiona's realization that her beloved late husband was really more father figure and a bit of a coward when it came to facing unpleasant problems (the opposite of the bold, take-charge Duncan) was bittersweet. Then there's the ghost of Jaime MacLennan lurking about causing mischief - or is he making things right? And is he real or some Highland madness?A highly recommended read!

enjoyable late Victorian ?Highland Fling? romance

In 1885, New York based businessman Duncan Campbell travels to remote Glencoly in the Scottish Highlands to evaluate his inheritance of Castle Glen and its estate as the new Laird. Duncan does not need or desire this property except to gloat in front of his deceased father, who thought he was a worthless American. When he meets the young widow of the nearly septuagenarian previous Laird, Fiona "Fee" MacLennan, he is shocked by her youth and beauty. He also likes her stepson Robby, who should have inherited the estate.Duncan finds he enjoys his stay and obsesses over turning around the near bankrupt properties almost as much as he wants Fee. As the two fall in love, they must learn to trust one another even while she makes a legal attempt to prove Robby is the rightful Laird and he brings in modern business techniques that shake up the complacency of everyone. The duo must also contend with a neighbor who has bought up all the IOUs of the previous owner and plans to marry Fee in Castle Glen.This late Victorian "Highland Fling" romance provides a fresh gender bending twist to the recent flood of wealthy nineteenth century Americans finding love in the British Isles. The exciting story line picturesquely yet briskly moves forward as Duncan tries to Americanize the estates while his tenants, employees, and his beloved Fee and Robby try to assimilate him into Scottish customs. The hostile takeover by the neighbors adds tension but also takes away from the wonderful basic theme of technology warring with tradition wrapped inside a captivating romance.Harriet Klausner