The Outlaw Sword

Well, I hate to see a promising writer trashed, so I'm going to make up for it. J. Ardian Lee is very talented, and she's enthralling. She writes passionately for people who, like herself, would love to go back to another era. It takes some imagination to get through the premise, but that's fine; it's fantasy, at the core, and that's what it's all about. Her historical accuracy is outstanding. Few authors do it better (I can think of Stephen R. Lawhead--and this series reminds me of his Song of Albion books--but that's it).It's a great, quick, fun read. It's not Tolkien. It's not even Mervyn Peake. But it's good, and fun. Harry Potter for adults.

Once upon a time twentieth century American Dylan Matheson was transported through time by a fairy Sinnan Eire to the Scottish highlands to act as a protector for the country against the hated English. While there, Dylan met and fell in love with beautiful Highland lass Cait. He was going to marry her until the English declared him an outlaw and she was given in marriage to a Scottish lowlander.After the Jacobite defeat at Sheffmuir, Dylan briefly returns to his own time to heal before being transported back to early eighteenth century Scotland, determined to find his Cait and their son. He goes to work for Cait's husband and through an unusual set of circumstances, finds a way to legally marry Cait. Dylan knows happiness for a brief time but when danger threatens them, he hopes that somebody from his time of birth will travel back in time to save the one he holds closest to his heart.One of the most charming characters in this book is Sinnan, an adorable bumbling member of the fey, who tries, heart and soul, to make Dylan happy. The hero is an honorable, likable man who strives to do what he believes is right, no matter the personal cost. Based on actual historical events, OUTLAW SWORD will appeal to lovers of historical fiction, romance and fantasy. The author brings alive the Scottish Highlands just decades before Culloden.Harriet Klausner