3.5 STARSI found this to be a light, but fun Scottish romp as the hero, Tayg Munro, and heroine, Catriona MacLeod become entangled with one another on an unexpected journey with different purposes to find the King of Scotland. As a future laird, Tayg temporarily takes on the role of a bard (not a very good one according to Cartoon), while Catriona is running away from her brother's grasp and a pending marriage to an unsuitable laird. This romance is not as steamy as I would have preferred, but it was fun, the banter hilarious (at times), and the reader is exposed to a budding romance between two very strong characters. Don't get me wrong when the two leads come together and finally give in to one another, it's hot and steamy, but this only happened one time. Otherwise, Catriona and Tayg shared a teasing and flirty kind of romance throughout their journey. Catriona is known as the "Shrew of Assynt" and her sharp-tongue and short temper definitely warrants this term, but there are always reasons behind the shields people erect. I liked how Tayg was able to look beyond her defensiveness and understand the reasons. But, Tayg did something special for Catriona, he helped teach her new behaviors and reign in her temper. I liked how Catriona became aware of her jarring personality and found better strategies in dealing with people. The interaction between Catriona and Tayg was many times very funny. You could just picture Tayg rolling his eyes or really tripping out on Catriona's character. Females tended to worship him, not annoy, and verbally spar with him as Catriona did, especially at the onset. Even thought his was a decent read/listen, it definitely could have been much better. The action and adventure was great, but it needed more opportunities for the leads to enjoy the steam of their relationship. The narrator, Ralph Lister, was good. He did a great job with the male voices and a decent job with the female voices. I bought this book on sale and it turned out to be a good experience for the price. I enjoy romances where you have a strong heroine who clashes with an equally strong hero, which is why I was intrigue by Wittig's story. I liked how she wove in history by referencing the current social and political structure in Scotland during this era. Wittig builds up and shows the reader a believable backstory for why the "shrew" Catriona has gotten such a bad reputation for being difficult. The hero Tayg is a perfect match for Catriona. Instead of trying to change her and get her to bend to his will, he respects her strength and independence and encourages her to shed her hard shell and learn to love.
Do You like book Charming The Shrew (2012)?
Enjoyed this book but is not my favorite Wittig book.
—Jaybear
