The Last Highlander
The Last Highlander by Claire Cross is part of the Time Passages series
and, as the title suggests, is a novel where a highlander is brought forward
in time to the year 1998.
Alasdair MacAuley had just succeeding in leading his men in their mission
to reclaim Edinburgh Castle for Robert the Bruce.
After indulging in the wine and foods at the castle they were interrupted by an old woman who spoke of the legendary Morgaine le Fee and dared the highlander to meet the witch.
Encouraged by his men Alasdair accepts the offer and after performing a strange ritual finds himself in the land of the Faerie (or the year 1998 to the rest of us).
Morgan Lafayette is an artist who has come to Scotland with her sister and brother-in-law with the motives of gathering folktales for her latest book and manipulating her sister into spending more time with her husband and producing a niece or nephew for her to dote on.
But helping drunk highlanders was no on her itinerary and she was none to pleased when she came across Alasdair MacAuley who was convinced that she was the Queen of the Faeries and Morgaine le Fee.
Encouraged by Justine (Morgan's sister) Alasdair sets out to seduce the Faerie Queen in the belief that this will help him return to his home and son.
But Morgan is convinced that Alasdair is a con artist and a thief who has stolen the crystal from the Scottish Crown Jewels. But no one will believe her.
Morgan becomes more and more confused as she tries to convince people or her suspicions and they insist that the crystal she says is stolen was never on display in the first place. Not only that but history has changed completely from what she had read in the guidebooks. The words have changed and the memories of the people around her are altered. Morgan knows that Alasdair is the key to the mystery and soon comes to the conclusion that he has travelled through time.
Once Morgan realises the truth her next problem is how to convince Alasdair that she is not a witch and has no magical powers to send him back home, even if she wanted to let the charming highlander return to his own time.
A wonderful story and I loved the way that history changed with the arrival of Alasdair in the future. I also enjoyed the folktales sung by Alasdair and the roundabout part. As you may know I live in England and I did not realise that these were a local plague.
This story that brings Scotland to life and just how much one person's actions can alter the course of history.
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Also by Claire Cross: Once Upon a Kiss and Love Potion #9
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