Book Review: Outlaw Sword

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Outlaw Sword     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
J. Ardian Lee
Class/Genre:   Fantasy
Ace, July 2002, $14.00, 320 pp.

Once upon a time twentieth century American Dylan Matheson was transported through time by a fairy Sinnan Eire to the Scottish highlands to act as a protector for the country against the hated English. While there, Dylan met and fell in love with beautiful Highland lass Cait. He was going to marry her until the English declared him an outlaw and she was given in marriage to a Scottish lowlander.

After the Jacobite defeat at Sheffmuir, Dylan briefly returns to his own time to heal before being transported back to early eighteenth century Scotland, determined to find his Cait and their son. He goes to work for Cait’s husband and through an unusual set of circumstances, finds a way to legally marry Cait. Dylan knows happiness for a brief time but when danger threatens them, he hopes that somebody from his time of birth will travel back in time to save the one he holds closest to his heart.

One of the most charming characters in this book is Sinnan, an adorable bumbling member of the fey, who tries, heart and soul, to make Dylan happy. The hero is an honorable, likable man who strives to do what he believes is right, no matter the personal cost. Based on actual historical events, OUTLAW SWORD will appeal to lovers of historical fiction, romance and fantasy. The author brings alive the Scottish Highlands just decades before Culloden.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner