Writer Kathie Williams falls asleep and drools all over herself on her first day at a British mystery writers’ conference. She wakes up to meet a handsome Scotsman and continues to drool for 349 pages. Kathie falls into an affair with him and returns to his Scottish sheep farm to compete for his attention with the sheep and his bitchy ex-girlfriend/current neighbor. What’s meant to be endearing behavior is often annoying. Kathie’s friends, family, and Kathie herself keep saying this is unusual behavior for her. However, since readers don’t get to see her before she began these antics, it’s difficult to believe and endure.
Kathie is supposed to be a professional writer. While there are occasional references to her spending a bit of time typing here and there, it’s difficult to believe a writer who writes so little.
On the plus side, there’s the humour. Kathie’s Christmas present switch, where she bests the trouble-making ex-girlfriend, is nothing short of brilliant. It would be great to see more of that type of intelligence in the character. There’s also a beautifully written section where Kathie nurses a sick lamb. The quality of writing here makes one long for a book less a formula comedic romance and more of the depth and breadth of Katie MacAlister’s capabilities. While Men in Kilts is fun brain candy (a good plane read or train read), it is also frustrating because of the unrealized potential.