Men in Kilts by Katie MacAlister
Written in the first person where the speaker is neurotic and obsessive makes this contemporary romance very entertaining. Sadly the plot is rather humdrum and although I had little sympathy for the main character her ridiculous antics (falling down a hill because of sheep and misunderstanding that "pants" in the UK means men's underwear) were the only things preventing me from giving up on the book in disgust. While the main character is overly introspective, not surprising since the book is written from her point of view, the main male character alternates between affectionate and disinterested so the reader never gets a good feel for his point of view. The disconnect from the male character turns what was supposed to be a romance novel into desperate, obsessive, and juvenile ramblings, in book form.
A Matter of Choice by Laura Landon
Where Men in Kilts failed to provide insightful or deep characters A Matter of Choice excelled in having both its male and female leads coping with emotional baggage and society pressure. The character arcs are relatively complex, namely the process in which the two leads come to terms with their arranged marriage, their prenuptial agreement, their relationship with each other, and a psychopathic father bent on revenge. These characters were more believable to me because they showed an evolution from bickering and distrusting one another to having a legitimate trusting (and bickering) relationship.
