Rating: PG-13

Summary:

Par for the Course returns to Dunnottar Castle and the Keith clan, but in a new and excting way. Mechi Jeanotte, a young golf pro at St. Andrew's Golf Course, just outside Aberdeen, Maryland, has been summoned by a strange-sounding woman who insists on having a private early morning golf lesson. As Mechi waits for her, in a dense fog, she trips on an oak root, finds a black gooey orb she hits to kingdom come, only to have it burst into a million feathers. How did Mechi get from 1996 and St. Andrew's Golf Course in Aberdeen, Maryland, to the 1500s and St. Andrews Golf Course, just outside Aberdeen, Scotland, with her head on the lap of Lord Robbie Keith, Viscount of Kintore, and in the company of Mary, Queen of the Scots? She soon discovers that the fate of Queen Mary lies in her hands, and she enlists Lord Robbie's aid to carry out the most far-fetched plan history has ever known.

Excerpt:

“Hold it, little bro!” Mechi yelled into the phone, interrupting Brian, her older brother.

She couldn’t find it in her heart to tell him that it had been so long since she had seen him that she had almost forgotten she even had a brother. After all, they had never been real close. He was twelve years older than she was, and he went off to join the Navy when she was just a little girl. On the few occasions when he had come home on a furlough he had seemed more like a stranger than a brother. Now, with the death of their father—their only link—she found true solace in the sound of his voice.

“I really mean it,” he insisted, continuing as if she hadn’t said a word. “You know I would have been there if I could have.”

“I know,” Mechi said, sarcasm running rampant in her voice. “Just like you were when Mom died. Or when I was in the school play. Or when Dad had his heart attack a few years ago. Oh, sure. I understand perfectly. It was never your fault. Blame it on good old Uncle Sam! He doesn’t have a heart. Well, sometimes I think you don’t, either.”

“Jeez!” Brian said, breathing a deep sigh of relief that she had finally stopped. “Try to apologize to some people.”

“I’m sorry,” Mechi said slowly. “I didn’t mean to get on your case. It is just that it’s been a really rough week.” She swallowed hard, hoping the lump in her throat would disappear before she broke out in hysterical sobs.

“I know,” Brian said. “I really am sorry I wasn’t there for you. I mean, we’re all we’ve got left. It’s just you and me, kid. The two of us against the big old ugly world.”

“I’ll make it on my own,” she said. I don’t need your help, either! she wanted to add, but decided against it. “By the way, where are you calling from?”

“Oh!” Brian answered excitedly. “I almost forgot. We just docked in South Carolina. The ship will be in port for about a week. I’ve managed to get a few days free, ‘cuz of Dad and all, you know. I’ll catch a bus tonight. I’ll be in Aberdeen early tomorrow morning. Suppose you could meet your big brother at the bus depot? That is, if it’s not too early for you. If it is, I can just wait it out until you get up.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Mechi said. “I’ll be there. What time does it get in?” She wasn’t going to tell him that she hadn’t been sleeping anyway, so she might just as well be there to pick him up. At least it gave her something different to look forward to.

“Six-fifteen,” he said. When she was silent he added, “I told you it was early.”

“No,” she said. “I’ll be there.” She hesitated a few moments, then added, “It will be good to see you. Honest!”

“You, too,” he said. “See you tomorrow then.”

Mechi heard the click of his receiver, but held hers in her hand for a few minutes before setting it back in its cradle. She meant it. It would be good to have her brother there with her, even if it was only for a few days. Like he said, all they had left was each other.

[end excerpt]

Reviews:

"AWESOME! Do not worry if you know nothing about the game of golf. You do not have to and the story will not really teach you anything about the game, itself. However, you will learn history and enjoy every second of it! Will Mechi stay in the year 1561 or somehow return to 1997? One thing is for sure, I will never tell you. Highly recommended reading!” -- Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews

“The author, Janet Elaine Smith, captures a time in history and puts a new spin on a time we rarely hear about. This book is a fun and entertaining read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.” -- Michelle Shealy, MyShelf.com

“As both a golfer and romance author, I absolutely LOVED this book! If you love either, this book will not disappoint you! Thanks for writing such a spectacular novel about golf, romance, and feathers!” -- Epstein LaRue, Author of “Love At First Type” and “Crazy Thoughts Of Passion”

“This third volume of Janet Elaine Smith's Keith Trilogy is largely set, like the first, at the Keith family's home of Dunnottar Castle. However, this time travel romance is decidedly different from historical novels DUNNOTTAR and MARYLEBONE. Like all such tales (or at least all such tales when they're well written), it blends fantasy with solid historical background. It is very much like the first two volumes, though, in the way Smith combines fictional characters with the real historic figures her prose brings to life.” -- Nina Osier, Author

“The twist at the end will grab you for some time, as the story forms an enormously satisfying conclusion. It's mesmerizing historical fantasy with some magical romance demonstrates the ingenuity that is definitive of Janet E. Smith. What an enjoyable and entertaining read! Absolutely recommended!” -- Tel Asiasdo, Sydney, Australia
 

About the Author

Janet Elaine Smith became known as a magazine writer but her true love was her novels. “Dunnottar” was her first novel and it soon became the No. 1 Bestselling Scottish novel on Amazon for almost three months. Smith moved from Grand Forks, North Dakota after her husband of forty-two years, Ivan, died to northeast Wisconsin. They spent nine years as missionaries in Venezuela then ran a charitable "Helps" mission in Grand Forks for over thirty-five years. “Dunnottar,” like some of her other novels, is based on her genealogical searches. She has published seventeen additional novels and says she is living her life's dream.