Givens, Kathleen 1950-

views updated

GIVENS, Kathleen 1950-

PERSONAL: Born 1950; married Stephan Leonard Lucas; children: two daughters.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—P.O. Box 1126, Laguna Beach, CA 92652. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Author. Accountant with engineering firm.

WRITINGS:

(With husband, Stephen Leonard Lucas) Givens Family Chronicles, self-published (Greenwood, IN), 1987.

Kilgannon, Dell (New York, NY), 1999.

The Wild Rose of Kilgannon, Dell (New York, NY), 1999.

The Legend, Warner (New York, NY), 2002.

The Destiny, Warner (New York, NY), 2003.

Contributor of short story to My Scottish Summer, edited by Connie Brockway, Warner (New York, NY), 2001.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Other novels in the "Kilgannon" series.

SIDELIGHTS: Kathleen Givens's historical romance novels, Kilgannon and The Wild Rose of Kilgannon, were originally written as one novel, but became two when purchased by Dell. Givens told Cathy Sova of Romance Reader online that she began her manuscript in 1996 and set a goal of five years to accomplish publication. She made it with time to spare. Givens had always had an interest in the history of the British Isles and drew on research she conducted while writing the novels.

Kilgannon is set in the early 1700s during Queen Anne's reign. The narrator, Mary Lowell, is an Englishwoman who is expected to wed a local lord but who becomes attracted to Scottish chieftain Alex MacGannon, Earl of Kilgannon, at a ball in London. The highlander is considered a barbarian by English society, and Alex's clan is not pleased with his relationship to Lowell as the likelihood of a Scottish rebellion increases. Patty Engelmann stated in Booklist that "the strong characters and involved plot keep the reader's attention," but felt that there is "no solid conclusion." A Publishers Weekly reviewer wrote that the book "subtly weaves a tale of personal and historical conflict."

The Wild Rose of Kilgannon finds Alex reluctantly leaving his bride Mary and two sons from a previous marriage to join James Stewart's fight against England. He is dismayed by the lack of leadership, and when Stewart escapes to France Alex stays on to help protect his men. Castle Kilgannon has been destroyed by fire, and Mary steadfastly protects her home and family, but when Alex is imprisoned in the Tower by the English, Mary travels to London with the hope of saving her husband, who is being tried as a traitor. Harriet Klausner wrote for BookBrowser online that the novel "is an exciting historical romance that brings to life the events and lead personalities of the Jacobite Rebellion."

Givens has also written two romance novels not part of the "Kilgannon" series titled The Legend and The Destiny.