What do you get when you mix a quaint Scottish island with a cursed history, a lady of the isle who’s suffered in the past, a dangerously sexy Irish Viking on a quest for revenge, over 200 single (and handsome) Scottish men, and a lot of lonely ladies from the “outside” looking for love? A wild and zany adventure called The Invasion of Falgannon Isle by Deborah MacGillivray, that’s what.

B.A. Montgomerie is the Lady of the Isle on Falgannon, a position more of mutual respect and family blood than anything. An old curse, that the Lady must marry one of Irish blood with black hair and green eyes to be happy sealed her fate not too long ago. Her first marriage did not end in happiness for all on the island. (He had blue eyes instead of green so he couldn’t possibly have been the answer to the curse.) B.A. takes her duties very seriously though and has some new plans to try and appease the curse, and her 213 beloved Scotsmen.

When Desmond Mershan arrives on the isle with his own designs on the place, everyone can see this Irish Viking is everything B.A. (and the curse) needs to be happy. B.A.’s extended “family” will allow nothing untoward to happen to her, but they see nothing wrong with a little harmless meddling to bring the two together. But Desmond has only one thing on his mind – revenge on the Montgomerie family for destroying his father’s life. His plans to use B.A. to serve his own ends suddenly begin to change and now he questions everything he has ever believed.

What a delightfully entertaining story! Deborah MacGillivray has written a fun contemporary romance with a touch of whimsy in The Invasion of Falgannon Isle. We are given a glimpse into a world that has timeless feel with a few modern additions. I especially loved all the references to pop culture in the form of popular 80s songs that B.A. has a tendency to belt out or dance to at various times throughout the story. Her idea of a dating website to encourage women to visit Falgannon and hopefully fall for some of the men there is a brilliant touch. This also adds plenty of laugh out loud moments when desperate woman start trying inventive ways to crash the isle for a chance at the oh-so-eligible men.

B.A. has been wounded by love in the past and is not especially eager to try again when Desmond drives into her life. Suddenly she has a whole new perspective on love and romance. Desmond is bitter, having experienced horrors in his young life that no child should ever have to endure. B.A. brings softness and light to his life, so much so that he now has to re-evaluate his pursuit for revenge. These two are perfect for each other, both strong minded and determined to have what they want, which surprisingly turns out to be each other.

If readers aren’t endeared to the Falgannonians by the end of this tale, then they never will be. The extended cast of characters are all charming and spirited, with personalities that dare you to ignore them. Who can resist characters like Michael the Fiddle and Michael the Story, Brian the Horseman and Callum the Bicycle? Then there are the women of the isle, like Oonanne and Morag and the Marys. And don’t forget The Cat Dudley, the poker playing cat who steals the show every time he puts in an appearance.

I loved The Invasion of Falgannon Isle! It had everything I look for in a romance novel, from humor to sorrow and reality to fantasy. I can’t wait to spend more time on the Isle with B.A. and company in future works by Deborah MacGillivray. 

© Kelley A. Hartsell, January 2007. All rights reserved.