Rory in a Kilt
by Anna Brooks
My review:
“Rory in a Kilt” is the third book in ‘The Ballachulish Trilogy’ by Anna Brooks. Her excellent ‘Hot Scots’ series was told from the perspective of the women involved. In this trilogy, the author tells each of those same stories from the leading man’s point of view. This then is story of Rory and Emery.
Rory is a man full of conflicting emotions from the time he first sees Emery in a bar in New Orleans. His life experiences have led him to be extraordinarily obsessed with control over his actions and his emotions. The feelings that extraordinary Emery stirs in him are so unfamiliar to him that in desperation he tries to reframe their connection into a form he, as a lawyer, understands perfectly – a contractual legal agreement. As the story progresses, it’s simultaneously amusing and heartbreaking to experience Rory’s emotional struggles right along with him. Will Emery get tired of his endless rules and idiosyncrasies, as Rory expects? Or will she be able to turn the Steely Solicitor into her personal sweetie pie?
At times Rory’s struggle with recognizing, accepting and sharing his feelings is entertaining and even laughable. At other times you may want to shake him or even throttle him. There are a couple of times when he’s a bit repetitive but overall, the pacing of the story is good. The secondary characters, particularly Rory’s brothers, are great. I really liked the epilogue and the conclusion that Rory and Emery fought so hard to achieve.