Series: de Piaget (Book 14)
Imogen Maxwell is on a hunt for rare, antique items to use on a period movie set. The last thing she expects to discover in the peaceful Scottish countryside is a pristine medieval sword...or to suddenly find herself facing its very vintage owner in a far too authentic castle.
Phillip de Piaget has run out of patience with his recalcitrant Scottish betrothed and is determined that she will join him, once and for all, in front of the altar. Only the lass he captures fleeing his would-be keep seems more interested in running away from him than talking to him. In fact, she seems to have no idea who he is.
But taming his reluctant bride is the least of his worries; it seems someone else wants him at the chapel...in a stone box. As for Imogen, how can he let her go, when she holds the key to not only the castle, but his heart?
Love, love, loved this book, but I nearly always do when I read a Lynn Kurland time travel/historical. Imogen's dream was to work in the movies. Not as an actress, but in the making of them. Her current job was to visit the UK in search of unique items for a period movie and acquire them for use. A chance encounter resulted in an invitation to a Scottish castle and the opportunity to investigate their possessions. Only it didn't turn out quite as she expected.
I liked Imogen a lot. She has a bit of an inferiority complex when it comes to her family, but she also had the backbone to go after her own dreams rather than fall in with their expectations. I didn't like them at all for the way that they treated her, especially her sister, though her brother went a long way toward redeeming himself at the end.
Phillip signed the contracts with Heather's father seven years earlier, supposedly gaining both a bride and a place to call his own until it was time to take over Artane. The problem was that all his attempts to gain entry to the keep and actually marry the wench have been spectacularly unsuccessful (and downright embarrassing). He was finally ready to put his foot down as he arrived at Haemesburgh, only to discover his fiancée missing, a strange woman dangling from the drawbridge, and the keep itself in disarray.
I also liked Phillip a lot, though there were a few times I wanted to shake him. He is honorable and chivalrous. As the oldest of Robin's sons, he would eventually inherit Artane, but in the meantime, he wanted a place and purpose of his own. He went about it in a logical and practical way. It was interesting to see his thought processes as he prepared to claim his bride. He had something of a soft spot for his younger relatives, who had no trouble talking their ways into going with him.
The story moved a tad slowly as Imogen and Phillip's separate stories were told but picked up immensely upon Imogen's arrival in the past. She was understandably confused, and it was amusing to see her interact with various people as she tried to figure out what was going on. She certainly didn't sit in a corner and weep and wail, and eventually, she could not deny what was blazingly obvious. That didn't stop her from having frequent conversations with herself over what was happening. Phillip's confusion was even greater. First, he had to deal with what was happening inside Haemesburgh. There were plenty of questions with no answers, including the matter of his missing sword. Then there was Imogen. He was drawn to her in unexpected ways, but she also unsettled him. Her speech was strange, but also familiar. For someone who came from the family he had, he was amazingly unprepared, thanks to deliberately avoiding thinking about or questioning things he had seen and heard over the years. It all came back to bite him when he took Imogen to visit his Uncle Jake (Dreams of Stardust). I ached a little for him then as he learned the truth, and was hurt and angry that he hadn't been trusted with it before, but he had brought it on himself by not pursuing answers earlier.
When Imogen decided to take matters into her own hands, the adventure continued. She returned to her own time, determined to find Phillip's sword and return it to him. Her arrival back was not without drama, with her family at the forefront of it. I was a little disappointed in the way she let them steamroller her, especially her sister. Phillip was close on her heels, though he took a different route. He received some unexpected help upon his arrival, and I had to laugh at his predicament. I thought he handled it all quite well, but I think that the support he received made a big difference. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about his experiences. Phillip and Imogen's reunion was well done, but not the end of the story. There were some interesting twists and turns to the search for the sword, and the resolution of the unexpected danger Phillip encountered. I found that I was not surprised by Phillip's opponent.
I liked the development of the relationship between Phillip and Imogen. They are drawn to each other from the beginning. Phillip's desire to protect Imogen was more than his usual chivalry, though it took him a while to realize his true feelings. Imogen was mesmerized by Phillip. She was also very adept at reading him, which enabled her to understand him very quickly. Imogen was also protective of him, which is what sent her off trying to find his sword herself. Though he was a bit of a jerk when he found out about where she was from, he overcame that pretty quickly. I liked seeing them spend some time together just talking and getting to know more about each other. I ached a bit for Imogen as she realized her feelings for Phillip. Because of her lack of confidence in herself, she believed that she wasn't good enough for him. Phillip warmed my heart with the way he overcame her fears.
I loved seeing various characters from previous books. It's always a pleasure to see Robin of Artane and see his unique ways of supporting his family. I especially enjoyed Phillip's reactions after finding out about the origins of some of his family members, like hearing modern English phrases spoken by his father. Both Stephen and Kendrick assisted Phillip and Imogen, and those scenes were pretty funny. My favorite two secondary characters were Sam and Theo. I truly hope that there will be stories for them in the future. The same for Rose and Jackson, who are an intriguing mix of old and new.
One of my favorite quotes came as Phillip and Imogen went to visit modern day Artane. Phillip commented on having to pay to visit his own home, whereupon Imogen said "Life's weird." followed by Phillip's "Damn skippy, 'tis." and Imogen "laughed, because there was nothing like modern mixed with really, really vintage."
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