TALES FROM THE HIGHLANDS by Martha Keyes

 

I should have written a glowing review of the first Martha Keyes novel I read, THE WIDOW AND THE HIGHLANDER. Maybe it’s just as well I waited, because now I‘ve finished all four of the TALES FROM THE HIGHLANDS and can praise them all in one review, a great saving of time. 

Here’s what I like about these traditional Georgian historical romances. They’re in the manner of Georgette Heyer, so there are no obligatory sex scenes, but with a Scottish accent. The characters face real, believable problems and dangers.

The setting, story, characters, and detail all feel authentic, which is rarer than one might wish in historical romance. 

The quality of the writing is good,  and the books kept me reading (I can’t guess how many other novels I’ve started, put down, and never picked up again because they just weren’t compelling enough). Now I’m reading Ms. Keyes’s OF LANDS HIGH AND LOW.

If you enjoy historical romance and don’t insist on the characters tearing each other’s clothing off every thirty pages, these are for you.  

The series:

THE WIDOW AND THE HIGHLANDER

THE ENEMY AND MISS INNES

THE INNKEEPER AND THE FUGITIVE

THE GENTLEMAN AND THE MAID