Carried Away

I love Jill Barnett’s work but this is not her best. The characters don’t quite hit their marks, and are not particularly engaging. The plot is rather off too. Suspect this is an early work as I have read other work by her that is much more finished.

Heiress Georgina Bayard has one last chance to save her home and the Bayard clock dynasty from foreclosure. She must marry a wealthy man, and unfortunately, the one she must manipulate a proposal out of is short and bald. So she's using the last of her money to throw a huge house party to secure her proposal. Young, gentle Amy Emerson is attending that party, as well as her fiancé. She finds out rather publicly he's only interested in her money. Brokenhearted and humiliated, she breaks off their engagement.Eachann McLachlan, tall, blonde and a bit wild, lives at Highland Castle with his older brother, Cullum, who is his polar opposite. Cullum is dark, calm, meticulous, and has resolved to remain unmarried. The brothers are descendents of a Highlands clan who were forced to flee Scotland, and now reside together on this remote and isolated island off the coast of Maine. Eachann's two young children have just been expelled from school, and are returning to live with him and Cullum. Eachann decides he must marry in order to have a wife to raise his children. During Georgina's house party, he overhears her say she must marry, so he impulsively kidnaps her to be his bride. Eachann also witnessed Amy's misery, and decides to bring her along against her will, as the bride for Cullum. Once back on the island, Georgina is angry, screaming in protest, and tries repeatedly to escape. But between Eachann, who she refers to as "McOaf", and the pea soup fog covering the whole island, she's stuck with her captor. Amy handles the situation quietly while nursing her broken heart. Cullum finds himself attracted to Amy, but valiantly tries to fight his feelings. With escape impossible due to the never-ending fog, ultimately passions begin to flare as both couples come to terms with each other. You get two romances here, and twice the fun. It's difficult to find a novel where the author can successfully combine two love stories in the same book. Ms. Barnett makes it look effortless in this selection. I never had difficulty keeping track of the characters, or what was taking place. The characters were three-dimensional, and I found all of them likeable. This was a sexy, entertaining, and hilarious read. It is one of my favorites by her, and actually one of my overall favorite romances. An absolute must read!

This is a great book. You have two love stories here, one so sweet you want to get misty over it(Calumn and Amy) and the other is Eachann and Georgianna - theirs is mostly a fight til the death - but outrageously funny, and passionate! The secondary characters add to the fun - Fergus who is blind as a bat and won't wear glasses; and Eachanns two kids, Kirsty (Heathen #1) and Grahm (Heathen #2) - To say there is a discipline problem here is to put it mildly! The two brothers, Eachann and Calum - let's just say they're a little like the odd couple, Felix and Oscar - only much handsomer! Get the picture? Now get the book and thoroughly enjoy the story!

Carried Away is wildly funny. In this story, there are two love interests, each couple the opposite of each other. The relationship between Georgina and Eachann is passionate and wild while being hilarious. The two characters are constantly at odds and there are rarely any times when they are not trying to get one up on the other. Calum and Amy love without hesitation and without the stubborness and temperment of Eachann's and Georgina's. The basic plot is that Eachann as a father of a wicked but needy Kristy and her little brother who have both been expelled from school. He decides that he needs a wife for his children after his has past away years before. In solution to this, he "carries away" Georgina and Amy, who he graciously decides will be his brother's bride (regardless that his brother has no wish for one) from a society party. Both women are wealthy debutantes and the society party itself is thrown by Georgina and although the two are not "friends" they are forced to depend on each other in order to get away.This book is a lighthearted delight. It's amusing and heartwarming as well as orginal. Jill Barnett never fails to create magic in her writing.

This book was absolutely hilarious, while at the same time tender and touching. I am a new reader of Ms. Barnett's, and she has found a new fan. Her ability to combine romance with such incredibly witty dialogue is fantastic! Definately a book worth reading!

Jill Barnett's books are known to be wonderfully entertaining, and CARRIED AWAY is no exception. The story revolves around two Scottish brothers living on an island off the New England coast and their quest to find wives. These two brothers are like Felix and Oscar of "The Odd Couple." Another winner from Ms. Barnett.