all I wanna do is have some fun…and find a book to read

I decided to read a Romance, so I bought this book. "Highland Fire" by Hannah Howell.

I must interrupt this commentary at this point for two observations:

1. If you decide to read "Highland Fire", you can choose between Hannah Howell's "Highland Fire", or:
   
   1. "Highland Fire" by Elizabeth Thornton
      
   2. "Highland Fire" by Veronica Stattler
      
   3. "Highland Fire" by Joyce Carlow
      
   4. "Highland Fire" by Ruth Langan
      
   5. "Highland Fire" by Abigail Clements
      
2. Hannah Howell, if you or anybody who cares happens to be reading this, for the love of all that is 21^st Century, please update your web site. I don't want to say it is ugly. But it is ugly. (I said I didn't want to say it, not that I wouldn't.) I'll even do it for you—I've been known to throw up some pretty good HTML code now and again.
   

Back to original programming. Wow, huh. Six Romances out there with the same title. I didn't know this when I bought the book. My strict criteria included the fact that I generally like all things Scottish. And hot. So "Highland Fire" seemed to fit. It was there in front of me on the shelf. And, probably more important than anything, it had the entire face of the man on the cover. It wasn't a head chopped off at the eyes or nose or neck, it was an entire face. Glory Hallelujah, I practically shouted right there in the aisle of BAM.

I've had the book about three or four months now, I think. I've picked it up and started reading it about three or four times. I just can't seem to get into it. I think it is the usage of dialect. What is it that puts me off about so much dialect? I get it, they're Scottish. But I'm not, and I'm having a hard time getting in the flow of things when I have to stop and phonetically sound out words that do not flow naturally in my brain. Guess I'm a bit dense in that respect. Go ahead, read the first 10 pages on Amazon, and tell me what an idiot I am. I don't care.

That said, Hannah Howell has had about 35 books published, so there must be something about her that Romance readers like. I didn't know this when I bought the book, but once I found out, I really wanted to read this book. Thinking I might cut my Hannah Howell teeth on another not so dialect-able book, I bought "Wild Roses", "set against the backdrop of frontier-day Wyoming". Maybe this is more my style since I'm more of a country hick than 15^th century Scottish lass. Oh, and of course the other important criteria—the cover. We all know how I like the bare-chested hunky cowboy in jeans, and, say it with me gals…"Hallelujah!", he has a head! Granted, the cover does exhibit some sloppy Photoshop work, but I'll take it since the all-powerful art director left his head on.

If I can't get through this book, so help me I'm going to give up reading. No, not really, that would never happen. But I may go back to vampires and werewolves where I know things aren't as they should be because they're supposed to be that way!