THE GROOM WORE PLAID is a marriage of convenience story set, as you may be able to surmise by the cover and title, in the Scottish Highlands. It concerns Maggie and Owen who are from rival tribes, and their marriage is a peace agreement of sorts. However anyone who knows actual peace agreements knows, such arrangements are rarely smooth sailing. Each party always has things they neglect to tell the other, always has secrets they feel they need to keep as future bargaining chips. This peace agreement is no different.

Maggie is an instantly compelling character. She gets these visions that seem to come true and one now involves Owen dying on their wedding day. Her love for him and her faith in her gift mean she is convinced they cannot marry. Add that emotion to some good old fashioned Scottish stubbornness and you have one of the core plots of this book. Owen adds some of his own stubbornness to the mix. He's convinced to his bones they should marry—not only because of the peace accord but because he wants her. Plain and simple, he's wanted Maggie in his bed for absolute ages and is not going to let something silly like dreams get in his way.

If that description makes you go "ugh, just get over yourselves", then you may want to give this a pass. This book is built on the fact that these two folks have no living idea how to communicate, both with themselves and with each other. I enjoyed watching them figure it out—through loads of trial and error—but I know there are other folks who are going to call shenanigans on that. I refer to this as the White Christmas Principle (White Christmas starring Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney): if you spend the latter half of the movie angry at the housekeeper and the magic is slightly ruined because the whole thing comes down to people miscommunicating, this book may not be for you.

Saying that, I usually get super freaking frustrated when an adult conversation could fix the main tension, but this one still worked for me. It could be because I understand that Highland stubborn is a different breed altogether, I don't know. For example, one of my Scottish friends once told me that logic was the currency of the Lowlands and passion the currency of the Highlands and as hyperbolic as that may be, my personal experience lends me to understand the kernel of truth it contains.

I think folks who like Highland stories in general should definitely check THE GROOM WORE PLAID, especially if you're down for touches of mysticism and magic that often come with those stories. Anyone who likes dudes slowly realizing that lust and love are different but interconnected will also enjoy this.

Book Summary

Falling in love means tempting fate in this passionate new novel in USA Today bestselling author Gayle Callen's Highland Weddings series

Maggie McCallum's dreams about her new fiancé aren't the romantic sort. It's not just that she was bartered to Owen Duff like a piece of property to end a clan feud. She's also haunted by premonitions of his death on their upcoming wedding day. Yet the exasperating Highlander won't let her call it off, even though his life and his clan are both in jeopardy.

Owen has wanted Maggie in his bed since he first glimpsed her years ago. If their union restores peace between their clans, so much the better. But while lusting after another chief's sister had its risks, growing to trust Maggie is far more dangerous. Owen is falling deeply in love with the one woman he cannot hope to claim . . . and survive.