THE SCOT, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

Author: Annette Blair ISBN: 0425213463 12/2006 CONTEMP/PARANORMAL Publisher: BERKLEY SENSATION

Long ago, Rory MacKenzie's Scottish ancestor lost the bewitching woman he loved and regretted it forever. Before he died, he sent her his greatest work of art, a beautifully carved unicorn, as a token of his eternal devotion. Now, Rory is determined to reclaim the unicorn and restore his clan to glory. Like all the women in her family, Victoria Cartwright has inherited the key to the mysterious wardrobe in the family attic. Legend says that only the girl who possesses the magic of her ancestor can reveal the treasure within. But Vickie refuses to believe she is any sort of enchantress. When Vickie unexpectedly opens the wardrobe, the unicorn makes her dreams come true—until the handsome Rory shows up with his own plans for the unicorn, and for Vickie...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Annette Blair has an absolute gem on her hands with THE SCOT, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. Magical, charming and fun, this book is one for the keeper shelves.

Victoria Cartwright is the only female in the Cartwright family to be able to open her grandmother's wardrobe with the ring that she inherited. This means that she has also inherited her grandmother's magic. Not wanting to believe it and living in a state of denial, Victoria refuses to notice it when everything that she says as a rhyme comes true. She has a penchant for rhyming without even knowing it, and she makes some pretty hilarious things happen along the way. She is always getting herself into some sort of scrape or making a spectacle of herself when she rhymes. It is absolutely endearing and hilarious, and had me laughing out loud more than a little bit.

Rory Mackenzie is determined to travel to the United States and claim back a piece of his family's heritage—at any cost. A Cartwright woman, he believes, bewitched his grandfather, and that is why he sent her a piece to the family carousel, the carousel that literally has kept their small village in Scotland so prosperous. So now, for years, the carousel has not worked and the town has fallen into poverty—and they blame the Mackenzie men for their plight. Rory is determined to restore honor to his family's name and there is only one way to do it—retrieve his family's unicorn.

Rory and Victoria make the most appealing couple. Victoria is always getting herself into trouble and Rory is always getting her out of it. Reading their story made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, just like I want to be when reading a romance novel. There is also the addition of wonderful secondary characters in Victoria's long lost sisters that she never knew she had. They give the book a great edge and make for a few sequels that will be on my shopping list as soon as they come out.

You will laugh, cry, and generally have a wonderful time while reading this book. Annette Blair has proven once again that she is an author to be reckoned with.

Kristal Gorman