Nairn Malcolm’s looking for the impossible. He needs a highly skilled, enterprising aide who’ll be at his beck and call 24/7. No ordinary Jane Doe will do. He doesn’t expect the only candidate who drops in at his Scottish castle for an interview to be so competent…or so stunning.
Aela Cameron’s got exactly the right mix of talents to satisfy all Nairn Malcolm’s needs, and more. She loves the jobs he needs done, adores his castle, and finds his frenetic lifestyle energising. But she’s only looking for temporary: not to fall in love with the man.
Can Nairn convince Aela she’s tailor-made for him in every way… and not a passing fancy?
Review:
"Take Me Now" is a fun contemporary romance set in
Scotland, a swift-paced story with humorous moments that will leave the reader
laughing and sighing. All in all, the story has an amazing setting. Nancy
Jardine does a wonderful job of transporting the audience to Scotland with
breathtaking descriptions of the landscape. The author does a great job with
dialogue, bringing the brogue of our hero to life within the reader's
imagination.
Nairn Malcolm is a wounded hero. Literally. The story kicks off
following a motorcycle accident that left the poor man with broken limbs and
ribs, not to mention a concussion rendering him almost nonsensical. His mental
incapacity leads to some of the funniest moments in the book, right in the
opening chapters. Nairn starts off cagey, an "ogre" in Aela's words,
and the reader proceeds with a mental image of Shrek that proves rather apt.
(Except, our handsome Scotsman is not, in fact, green.) However, his
disposition improves as the story progresses and he gradually demonstrates that
he has a sense of humor and a caring nature, in addition to being an absolute
hunk.
In many ways, Aela is harder to pin down that Nairn. She is a
complicated woman with a wide range of skills, from pilot to office assistant.
She possesses a wicked wit, and our hero immediately falls prey to her biting
mockery, deservedly so. But she is also capable of laughing at herself when the
occasion suits. In many ways, Aela is a more developed character than Nairn,
possessing even more oniony layers than the ogre-hero. Beneath her outward confident,
she has uncertainties and doubts which make her endearing and likeable.
The hero and heroine share great charisma. They are funny and
entertaining, and their interaction never grows stale or boring. The sex scenes
are sensual with some really great foreplay lead in, but there are moments
approaching consummation when I would have liked more detail. Narin's father,
Ruarhid, is a great addition to the story and is very likeable as a supporting
character.
At times, I wanted the plot to move faster. There is a suspense
subplot, but it gets lost amidst more trivial concerns as the novel progresses,
and could have been more fully developed to add an element of excitement to the
story. "Take Me Now" is an enjoyable read for those who like contemporary
romances with swift pacing and entertaining storytelling.
Thank you so much for your great review, Melissa. I really appreciate you reading Take Me Now and I'm delighted you've enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteNancy, it's a wonderful story and very funny. You ought to consider writing a romantic comedy. :)
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