Rating: 
Summary: Sheep-breeding manual disguised as fiction
Review: <Yawn> Okay. American mystery writer goes to conference in Manchester, England. Makes fool of herself. Meets Scotsman. Makes fool of herself again. Scotsman for some reason then invites her to dinner, doesn't get put off by her inane conversation, sleeps with her. And then... invites her to meet his son and takes her back to his farm with him? Why?Anyway, once they arrive at the farm - only three chapters into the book - all we are left with is boredom for the reader. Events and characters which were of no interest whatsoever to this reader. We have the stereotypical one-dimensional vindictive ex-girlfriend, and the equally one-dimensional jealous son. And we have sheep. Lots of sheep. Described in tedious detail, as is the occupation of farming them. This is supposed to be a comedy? Well, some of it is admittedly farcical, but not farcical in the sense of being humorous. No, it's farcical in the sense of `some editor actually let this rubbish get published?' We have three whole pages of ridiculous, over-the-top hysterics derived from the fact that Americans call trousers `pants' while the British (and the Irish and the Australians and other great chunks of the English-speaking world) consider `pants' to be underwear. Is there an American alive who doesn't actually know this? Oh, and what about the romance? What romance? To this reader's eye, Kathie (the heroine, whose name bears a very strong similarity to that of the author) hears a Scottish accent, puts it together with her mental fantasies of Scotsmen derived from her love of Scottish romances (no doubt written by Americans who have probably never visited the place) and the Highlander film/TV series, and falls in lust. Now, what might have been interesting would have been a novel based on Kathie's experiences of living in the highlands of Scotland, without her cable TV, without broadband Internet, without takeout food at the dial of a telephone, without a Starbucks and a WalMart on every corner, without a power shower, air-conditioning, double-glazing, draught-proofing, wide roads and all the conveniences of modern American city or town living. How long would her lust for a busy sheep-farmer really last under those circumstances? And yet, other than a trip in the mud, we don't see Kathie having any problems adjusting to her new life. Cooking on an Aga rather than a modern stove? Doing without a microwave? Having the locals treat her with genuine suspicion because she's from foreign parts, rather than the silly plot with the ex-girlfriend stirring hostility, which is what we got. That might have made a better novel. As it is, the `romance', such as it is, is completely unconvincing. We are told that Kathie fell in love with Iain, but not shown, and we aren't shown *why* she would fall in love with him. The realities of day-to-day life with a farmer are glossed over, such as what Kathie does with her time while he's out all day in the fields - and how she copes with very early starts in the mornings. And as for Iain himself, what he sees in Kathie is something we will never know. Her inanities aside, she seems to cause him nothing but problems, and other than the sex it's hard to see what he might have got out of it. Reading this book was a big mistake... Katie McAllister is now on my `never again' list. wmr-uk
Rating:
Summary: Sheep-breeding manual disguised as fiction
Review: Okay. American mystery writer goes to conference in Manchester, England. Makes fool of herself. Meets Scotsman. Makes fool of herself again. Scotsman for some reason then invites her to dinner, doesn't get put off by her inane conversation, sleeps with her. And then... invites her to meet his son and takes her back to his farm with him? Why?Anyway, once they arrive at the farm - only three chapters into the book - all we are left with is boredom for the reader. Events and characters which were of no interest whatsoever to this reader. We have the stereotypical one-dimensional vindictive ex-girlfriend, and the equally one-dimensional jealous son. And we have sheep. Lots of sheep. Described in tedious detail, as is the occupation of farming them. This is supposed to be a comedy? Well, some of it is admittedly farcical, but not farcical in the sense of being humorous. No, it's farcical in the sense of 'some editor actually let this rubbish get published?' We have three whole pages of ridiculous, over-the-top hysterics derived from the fact that Americans call trousers 'pants' while the British (and the Irish and the Australians and other great chunks of the English-speaking world) consider 'pants' to be underwear. Is there an American alive who doesn't actually know this? Oh, and what about the romance? What romance? To this reader's eye, Kathie (the heroine, whose name bears a very strong similarity to that of the author) hears a Scottish accent, puts it together with her mental fantasies of Scotsmen derived from her love of Scottish romances (no doubt written by Americans who have probably never visited the place) and the Highlander film/TV series, and falls in lust. Now, what might have been interesting would have been a novel based on Kathie's experiences of living in the highlands of Scotland, without her cable TV, without broadband Internet, without takeout food at the dial of a telephone, without a Starbucks and a WalMart on every corner, without a power shower, air-conditioning, double-glazing, draught-proofing, wide roads and all the conveniences of modern American city or town living. How long would her lust for a busy sheep-farmer really last under those circumstances? And yet, other than a trip in the mud, we don't see Kathie having any problems adjusting to her new life. Cooking on an Aga rather than a modern stove? Doing without a microwave? Having the locals treat her with genuine suspicion because she's from foreign parts, rather than the silly plot with the ex-girlfriend stirring hostility, which is what we got. That might have made a better novel. As it is, the 'romance', such as it is, is completely unconvincing. We are told that Kathie fell in love with Iain, but not shown, and we aren't shown *why* she would fall in love with him. The realities of day-to-day life with a farmer are glossed over, such as what Kathie does with her time while he's out all day in the fields - and how she copes with very early starts in the mornings. And as for Iain himself, what he sees in Kathie is something we will never know. Her inanities aside, she seems to cause him nothing but problems, and other than the sex it's hard to see what he might have got out of it. Reading this book was a big mistake... Katie McAllister is now on my 'never again' list. wmr-uk
Rating: 
Summary: Love Katie's books!!!
Review: Another wonderful book by Katie MacAlister!! I just love Katie's writing style. Her books are always so much fun to read and this book was no exception! I loved the characters, the setting, the kilts (oh yeah!!!), and the storyline. I would highly recommend this book as well as her other books. I will definitely be re-reading this one!
Rating:
Summary: I hated it
Review: But I kept reading thinking it just HAD to get better. I was wrong. I think Katie Macalister needs to slow down and give more depth to her characters, more thought to her plot and quit trying to please her publishers by putting out books like a writing machine. Also, her American heroine's use of British terms in coversation was annoying. And wouldn't any real American pack a pair of jeans when they travel?
Rating: 
Summary: love at first sight
Review: Flying in from Seattle to London and then training to Manchester, mystery author Kathie Williams is the only American invited to participate in Murder in Manchester. Jet lag and tiredness leaves her asleep in the lobby drooling on her outfit. At the convention she meets Scottish sheep rancher Iain MacLaren, whose two adult sons, knowing he loves mystery novels, paid his admission. Iain and Kathie are attracted to one another from the start and quickly make love. He invites her to Scotland and she accepts. His oldest son is hostile to her while his youngest son welcomes her. As they fall in love, someone poisons his sheep leading Kathie to employ all she learned from research for her novels to determine who would do this to Iain. Fans of contemporary romance with a love at first sight theme will enjoy this delightful charmer. The story line is fun and the lead female quite amusing with her wit and asides. Iain is a hunk who finds his beloved amusing and to his credit takes no gruff towards her from his son or his neighbor. Though a bit of suspense is unnecessary to a strong love story, readers will appreciate MEN IN KILTS not just as a good read, but for the respect Iain bestows on Kathie. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Fun story,
Review: I found "Men in Kilts" by Katie Macalister, to be a fun story. The characters were fun and believable, the dialogue fun and fast, and the plot fun and entertaining. An appealing combination. John Savoy
Savoy International
Motion Pictures
B. H. California
Rating:
Summary: I hated it
Review: I found "Men in Kilts" by Katie Macalister, to be a fun story. The characters were fun and believable, the dialogue fun and fast, and the plot fun and entertaining. An appealing combination. John Savoy
Savoy International
Motion Pictures
B. H. California
Rating:
Summary: Fun story,
Review: I found "Men in Kilts" by Katie Macalister, to be a fun story. The characters were fun and believable, the dialogue fun and fast, and the plot fun and entertaining. An appealing combination. John Savoy
Savoy International
Motion Pictures
B. H. California
Rating:
Summary: You will pass this book around!
Review: I happened to pick up Men in Kilts at the bookstore and finished it that night. It is funny, sexy and, most important, real. I have already passed it on to two friends and as soon as I get it back I have three more waiting.
Rating:
Summary: LOL! unexpected find
Review: I laughed so much during this book that I just have to rave about it and tell people they have to read it. I picked it up because the title looked funny and I wasn't disapppointed. What surprised me most about this book is that as I was reading it, I kept thinking to myself "I shouldn't like this book--she keeps doing stuff that I normally hate!" But then something funny would happen and I'd just have to keep on reading. Overall, I will be reading books by McAlister in the future (I just finished A Girls Guide to Vampires) and don't think I'll be disappointed. One note on the plot-- this isn't a how-are-they-ever-going-to-get-together romance, it is a they-are-together-and-let's-deal-with-the-fallout romance.
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