DEVIL IN A KILT
Sue-Ellen Welfonder
Warner Books
ISBN # 0-446-61025-9
August 2001

When Linnet MacDonnell was bartered away by her father to his sworn enemy, so as to seal the alliance between their two warring clans, she feared she was given to the very devil himself. For there had been tales told about Duncan MacKenzie in which Linnet found herself wondering if she'd been traded from one hell to another.

The fierce Highland warrior, Duncan MacKenzie, sought Linnet for nothing else save her rumored gift to be able to see if the young boy born of his late wife was his son - or his brother's. He absolutely did not want someone comely to look upon, but when he gazed upon his bride for the first time, he knew with a certain anger that he'd been lied to. Linnet's presence shook him to the core.

Keeping her husband at bay without answering his need to know question, Linnet discovered that there was more to Duncan than just rumors. She found herself falling for her handsome husband and the young boy who adored him. But even as she begins to weave her way into Duncan's heart, a threatening force will strive to tear them apart.

After a rash of Scottish-Highlander books, it might get a little confusing sorting through them all to find a good one that will charm you, uplift you, and keep you turning the pages with enthusiasm. DEVIL IN A KILT is just that book to find. Paced with enough elusive mystery and smoldering romance, readers will find themselves thoroughly entranced with Linnet and Duncan's story. The Scottish Highlands is romance in itself, but place two deep characters with a spicy love story in the mix, and that makes DEVIL IN A KILT the perfect read.

For more information on the author and this book click here:  Sue-Ellen Welfonder

Reviewed by Jennifer Russell

Rating: 

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Author Interview

August brings an outstanding Warner Books debut for Sue-Ellen Welfonder. Ms. Welfonder's release, DEVIL IN A KILT, is already receiving rave reviews, and TRRC is delighted to offer a brief interview with this promising new author. We would like to thank Ms. Welfonder for taking time out of her busy schedule and answering a few questions.

Be sure to visit her website, http://www.welfonder.com, for lots of news, bio information, delicious recipes and more. 

Tracy

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JR- This book was inspired by your trip to the Scottish Highlands. What was is about the Highlands that make you want to write a romance with that setting?

SEW- Writers are told to 'write what they know.' I prefer to say we should 'write what we love.' That is the quick answer to this question: choosing to write Scottish medievals is writing what I know and I love best. I am of Scottish descent and fascinated by medireview history, so choosing this setting came naturally. A deeper answer would be that my ideas come from places. Places capture my imagination. Be it a brooding old house on a cliff top, a castle ruin, or a circle of ancient standing stones, such places thrum with a sense of timelessness, and whisper their secrets to those sensitive enough to hear. The Highlands and Isles of Scotland abound with such places and I enjoy listening. The Highlands were and are peopled by heroic larger-than-life men and courageous women. Blood runs hot there, loyalty and honor mean everything, and passions are fierce. These qualities coupled with the wildly romantic scenery make an excellent backdrop for medireview romances.

JR- In DEVIL IN A KILT, the heroine has a gift of "seeing" the truth. What made you decide to give Linnet a special gift?

SEW- Simply because I enjoy working a light element of the woo-woo into my stories. The paranormal in all its variations is the third of my three great interests: Scotland, medireview history as it pertains to the British Isles, and the paranormal. Second sight was common in those days and is a gift shared by many of Celtic blood. Even today. Since my heroes appear to me before the heroines do, Linnet with her special abilities seemed the ideal match for Duncan. Atmosphere being all-important to me, I first am inspired by a place, then the appropriate hero appears, and once I know his tale, a suitable heroine emerges. Linnet perfectly fit Duncan's needs and allowed me to indulge my love of the 'weird stuff.'

JR- What kind of writing background do you have? Have you published any other books?

SEW- Like all writers, I was first a voracious reader. I was a flight attendant for many years and kept meticulous travel journals in which I mostly tried to capture the atmosphere of places I visited. That journal-keeping proved the foundation of my later career as a romance writer. I have had travel articles published (places again <g>), a short story in the anthology Chocolate For A Lover's Heart, articles in my own Scottish Clan's newsletter, things like that. But DEVIL's sale to Warner Books was my first big writing breakthrough.

JR- What are your future plans with regard to your writing?

SEW- My future plans are to continue writing Scottish medievals. My second, KNIGHT IN MY BED, will be a May 2002 release from Warner Books, and I am currently doing proposals for future ones. My agent and my editor agree this subgenre best suits my voice and abilities, so I do not see myself writing anything else at this time. I will consider myself very blessed indeed if I can continue to write about the time and place I love best: medireview Scotland.

Jen Russell

 

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