Review: Risk Taker (Kitty)... Willing Scottish Stablehand (Hugh)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 12, 2013
This is a sweet romance novella about a young woman, Caroline "Kitty" Tyndall, who considers herself somewhat "less than."  She hasn't been successful in her two "Seasons" on the Marriage Mart and has decided that she needs some assistance in order to entice a gentleman to propose marriage.The Season ends and Kitty's family return to their country home.  Kitty has decided she must learn how to become a "good kisser" in order to garner the attention of Lord Strathern who will be invited to her family's Christmas Ball.  Since she doesn't have a lot of time to find a teacher, she chooses pretty much the first young man she notices when she returns home -Scottish stable hand, Hugh McCollum. When Kitty tells Hugh she wants him to teach her how to kiss, he is somewhat taken aback.  He knows that if they should be caught together, things won't go well for either of them.  His brother, Dougal, is the stable master and Hugh knows that if he cooperates with Kitty in her quest, both he and his brother could wind up losing their jobs.Of course Hugh accepts her offer because he can't resist the lovely little Kitty.  They meet up once each week in a folly on the family property and although there isn't a vast amount of kissing or touching that takes place, it is enough to encourage both of them in their thoughts toward one another.  In the process, Hugh begins to realize that Kitty truly lacks confidence in many areas.  She often stumbles - in fact she has a tendency to always arrive late at balls so she won't have to be announced having had a very embarrassing tumble down the stairs when she was introduced early on during her first Season.  To make matters worse, her parents watch over her like a hawk and she is taken to task for any freedoms she might attempt to enjoy - even taking a walk in the garden in less than suitable weather.As time goes on, it's obvious Hugh has fallen for Kitty and even though Kitty has all the signs of falling for Hugh, she still thinks to entice the "uninterested" Lord Stratford to kiss her under the mistletoe and eventually propose marriage.  Hugh knows he and Kitty couldn't possibly have a future together but he does everything to help her in her quest to catch her man focusing on helping her regain her confidence as a person.*Slight Spoilers*  Hugh and Kitty have some delightful times together during their weekly sessions that involve humor, warmth and pure sweetness.  As one reads this little book, you continually wonder how in the world they will have their HEA.  There is some pretty intense drama which involves rescuing Kitty from a mean, lustful lord, fisticuffs and strong words between Hugh and Kitty's father.  But all of this is great because it further reveals the true character inside Hugh.  Kitty has a decision to make - will her willingness to be daring and a risk taker be there when she needs to make one of life's major choices? All in all a sweet story for the Christmas Season.