Long and Short Reviews

Reason to Believe by Leslie Ann Dennis
The Wild Rose Press, Champagne Rose
Contemporary Romance
Full length, Hot
Review by Hibiscus

Lane Douglas is a die-hard realist, so when her superstitious grandfather tells her he will die if the tree planted long ago in his honor in Scotland is chopped down, she doesn't buy it for a second. But when her grandfather's health starts a downward slide, Lane hops on a plane and flies across the ocean to convince the landowner to spare the old, diseased oak. To her surprise the landowner is a devilishly handsome man named Conlan MacGregor. Practical Lane came prepared for a fight to save a silly tree, but she soon finds herself fighting to save her heart from falling under the magical charms of the hunky laird of Wolfscrag castle.

♥ ♥ ♥

I found this to be a heartwarming story of love, family and belief. Lane is a strong business woman who loves her grandfather and would do anything for him. Unfortunately her grandfather, Poppa, believes his life is linked to an oak tree in Scotland. I found the grandfather to be both very sharp and very superstitious. He is able to twist the characters around to do his bidding throughout the story.

Conlan is a steady rock. He's been taking care of his family since he was eighteen years old. He is also a firm believer in Scottish tradition, superstitions, old tales and meanings of names. This leads to some fun conversations between Conlan and Lane. Conlan is very believable and stays true to character in the entire story. I had a hard time always believing Lane as she would keep getting rattled by tales of ghoulies and faeries. Not what I expected from a Texas businesswoman. Their romance was great. It developed quickly and the sparks keep flying through the story.

The story has pretty good secondary characters in the form of Conlan's brother Bayard and his sister Shannon. There is also the National Trust which wants to get its hands on Wolfscrag. Of all the minor characters, Poppa and Shannon played important parts in the story and were vital to the direction it took. Ms. Dennis wrote a very detailed book in which I could easily place myself.

Conlan and Lane are fated to be together in this heart-warming romantic tale which I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Comments:

Fri, Sep 19, 2008 at 2:34 PM
Your Name: Leslie Dennis
Your Comment: Thanks so much for the lovely review. I'm so glad you enjoyed Conlan and Lane's story.
*Hugs*
Leslie

Sat, Sep 20, 2008 at 12:16 AM
Your Name: Jennifer Patti
Your Comment: A friend sent me a copy of Reason to Believe as a gift and I couldn't put it down! I would definitely recommend it to others. I'll be waiting for Ms. Dennis's next release!