Moon Awakening by Lucy Monroe

Book Description:

When Emily Hamilton’s family is ordered to send a woman to the Scottish highlands for marriage to the laird of the Sinclair, Emily volunteers in order to save her younger sister from such a fate. But at her new home, the only friend she finds is the laird’s sister-especially after Emily’s stubborn streak causes the laird to cancel the marriage. And though her plans have gone awry, she refuses to return home…

Lachlan Balmoral is laird of his clan-and leader of his pack. One of the most feared werewolves prowling the Highlands, he is on the march against the hated Sinclair, who have abducted a Balmoral woman. He kidnaps the sister of the Sinclair laird, planning to marry her off in revenge-but the woman he takes along with her proves to be the greater prize…

For Emily feeds a desire he has never known existed. And though Lachlan would not think of touching his enemy’s betrothed, he must know how a mere woman could tame his heart so easily…

My thoughts: I read this book because of Zeek’s review. And now I’m torn in my thoughts. I hate when that happens!

Emily, precocious young woman that she is, happens to hear her father and step-mother discussing an order from the King: One of his daughters is to marry a Scottish laird. This is punishment for the English lord because he was stingy with some warriors. When Emily hears her stepmother offer her deaf stepsister up on a sacrificial platter, Emily bravely steps in. Many of Emily’s later decisions stem from this need to protect her stepsister because deafness was a sign of being cursed way back when. So even when Emily travels to the Highlands and realizes she’s not going to marry the Sinclair laird, she strives to protect her stepsister. A very admiral trait. Another trait Emily has in spades is stubborness. And curiosity. Oh my goodness does Emily question everything. She comes across as somewhat of a prude (at the beginning) and such a stickler for decorum, which there is none in the Highlands. Where there is, but it’s not English decorum. LOL Some of this is trying to find a loophole in the Highland logic so she can get herself and her future sister-in-law unkidnapped from the Balmoral clan. But I still found it annoying. And I kind of found Emily annoying. But once she realizes she’s well and truly kidnapped, she eases up a bit and becomes downright lusty. Which is a good thing to be. So first half of the book Emily is annoying, but then gets better. Make sense?

Someone who I had no beef with was Lachlan Balmoral, the Laird who kidnaps Emily and Cait from the Sinclair laird. Why did they kidnap them? Because one of the Sinclair men mated with Susannah, a femwolf from the Balmoral clan. She also happens to be Lachlan’s second in command’s sister. And because Talorc, the laird of the Sinclairs, didn’t ask Lachlan for Susannah formally, Lachlan has decided this is an offense and decides he must act against the Sinclairs in retribution. I kind of found this annoying too – all the talk revolving around revenge and retribution and pride and enough already! It kind of felt like this was pounded into the ground, because I don’t know how many times it was explained. This however did not detract from the hotness that was Lachlan. He reminded me of one of Julie Garwood’s lairds. And that’s some high praise. Because I love those early Garwood historicals.

And this is kind of funny, but I felt the whole Crechte stuff was miscellaneous. I mean, other than a device to further the plot, Lachlan and the others being werewolves didn’t make a huge deal to the story. I know this sounds strange – but maybe it has to do with the revelation of Lachlan’s wolf to Emily coming so late in the story. Because the Crechte have to live in general society, they have to hide who they are so much…maybe this theme will be explored further into the series?

Despite these issues, I really enjoyed the book. LOL (What can I say, I’m a walking talking conflict!) I read it quickly -at work, so shhh! – and I really wanted Emily and Lachlan to get their HEA, because it seemed impossible for a little while there. 4/5.

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