State of Romance finale: It all started in Scotland
On this day in 1314, Robert the Bruce led a small army of Scottish loyalists to challenge the formidable English encamped in Stirling Castle. They clashed on Bannockburn at the foot of the castle. Bruce's men defeated the Sassenach as part of the First War of Scottish Independence.
Imagine the bagpipes celebrating the victory … wait a minute. This is State of Romance, celebrating romance in the United States. Alas, Scotland inspired our country's freedom … the decisive victory at the Battle of Bannockburn lit the fuse for the Scots to continue fighting for Alba's independence. Six years later, on April 6, 1320, over 50 nobles signed the Declaration of Arbroath to persuade the pope to acknowledge Scotland's independence from England,
... For, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom — for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.
Fast-forward 400 years, after the defeat of the Jacobite Rebellion, many Scots emigrated to the colonies. Scots have long memories and the idea of an independent nation emerged. Of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 15 colonists claimed Scottish blood. The Scots' influence continued in the Oval Office — 23 of our 44 presidents have Scottish ancestry. We also celebrate April 6 as Tartan Day in the U.S. For our grand finale of State of Romance, we celebrate romance in Scotland. I draw upon my personal library for today's list.
I discovered romance novels while living in the Netherlands. My husband worked for NATO, we lived across from a castle, and I enjoyed afternoon tea with the British Delegation. When the NATO troops deployed to Afghanistan, and adopted a local orphanage, the American spouses sent donations from our thrift shop. We practically emptied our shelves, leaving behind the English texts, including romance books. My eye was drawn to a blue-covered book and tartan sash — Cathy Maxwell's A Marriage Contract. I was skeptical of this Regency romance, but I was soon enchanted by a penniless English lass who married a "mad" Scottish lord by proxy. She integrated into Scottish life as her husband secretly helped his clansmen relocate to the New World. The epilogue follows the couple's descendants to the Opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, the first step to Scottish independence. I joined Maxwell on several journeys into Scotland while The Marriage Contract remained my favorite book from this beloved author. She then toppled herself with The Chattan Curse series — Lyon's Bride, The Scottish Witch and The Devil's Heart — capturing the magic and mystic of Alba.
Maxwell's The Marriage Contract inspired me to hunt for every Scottish romance available in the Netherlands. Luckily, the manager of the Stars and Stripes bookstore was a fan of Bertrice Small, so she stocked plenty of titles set in Scotland, including Small's A Dangerous Love, The Captive Heart and Bond of Passion from the Border Chronicles series. I devoured Jude Deveraux's Highland Velvet, Teresa Medeiros' The Bride and the Beast and Lynn Kurland's A Garden in the Rain. I heard the bagpipes calling me and my family drove to Scotland (via the Chunnel) for castle hunting. I soon discovered I preferred the ancient ruins to the restored manors. I sat among the crumbling stones and listened to the wind whistle through the empty windows, carrying stories of timeless love. While my family scampered off to play golf, I read my romance stash, including the Highlands' Lairds series from Julie Garwood — The Secret, Ransom and Shadow Music.
It was clear as a bonnie blue sky why the Highlands inspire paranormal romance, including Karen Marie Moning's Highland series, which includes Beyond the Highland Mist, To Tame a Highland Warrior and The Highlander's Touch. Karen Hawkins adds a touch of humor to the MacLean Curse series with To Scotland, With Love, Sleepless in Scotland and The Laird Who Loved Me. Susanna Kearsley is the go-to author for paranormal romance from the Jacobite Rebellion with The Winter Sea, The Rose Garden and A Desperate Fortune. Yet I fell in love with Kearsley's The Shadowy Horses — a modern romance blooms between archaeologists searching for the lost Roman legion in the Scottish Borderlands.
Patience Griffin delivers modern love in her contemporary series Kilts and Quilts, including To Scotland With Love and Meet Me in Scotland. To Scotland With Love yielded two RITA nominations this year for Griffin, in the categories best first book and long contemporary romance. I'll be rooting for Patience in the audience at the RITA ceremony; I'll bring a tartan for good luck!
I recently discovered Hannah Reed's new cozy mystery series, Scottish Highlands. An aspiring American writer wrangles with a manual car, discovers a dead body and befriends a border collie (and her kilted owner) in Off Kilter. My review is posted on my blog today.
This list is but a tease of romance books set in Scotland. Kick up your heels, pour yourself a dram and add to the list by using #StateOfRomance on Twitter.
Thank you for joining me on this journey for State of Romance. I quote Walt Disney: "There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates' loot on Treasure Island." By the way, Treasure Island was penned by Robert Lewis Stevenson — a Scot!
Kim Lowe is an Air Force veteran, Air Force spouse and romance book blogger at SOS Aloha. You can reach her at sos.aloha@yahoo.com.