They were destined to meet, but they never expected to fall in love…
His tormented soul
Kenneth McInnish, guardsman for the powerful Gunn Clan, is not prepared for the tender devotion from the lass his clan steals from the king. Tricked into marrying her, he decides to make the best of it. But it’s her kisses that win him over to the fact that he just might enjoy being wedded. Beneath Kenneth’s wounded heart lies a protector. But Elisa is more than capable of taking care of herself. The only place he’s sure of himself with her is at night when he shares the most passionate experiences of his life.
Her giving nature
Elisa always thought she’d wed the ruthless warrior who abducted her. When she finds out the truth behind her abduction and is mercifully rescued, she is forced to wed for her protection. She chooses the warrior whose soul needs saving the most. Everything she does to aid him goes awry and puts him in a worse position. Faced with the possibility of endangering his clan, she risks her own safety to save him.
Their dangerous encounter
When Kenneth learns of the trickery which caused him to marry her, and forces him to confront his demons, he’s not sure how to handle it or her. She’s everything he never knew he could have. As they aid all those around them, can they save each other and find the love they both need and desire?
In the year 1210 Elisa Macquarrie’s family was slaughtered and she was taken by a man looking to save his own skin from both the King of Norway and the King of Scotland. Domhnall at first thought that he had kidnapped Elisa’s twin, Mauri, who was betrothed to Alexander, the heir to the Scottish throne. He was wrong but even after finding out who she really was he kept her captive.
Five years go by and Alexander is now King. He seeks out Grey Gunn, Laird of the Gunn clan to go to Domhnall’s keep and retrieve Elisa for him. Grey protests but eventually heads out with his guardsmen to find the woman. They find her and kidnap her. Grey realizes that the only way to keep Elisa safe from both Domhnall and the King is to have the protection of his clan, therefore she must marry one of them immediately. She declines but is overruled and is soon married to Kenneth McInnish who is actually the Laird of the McInnish clan but doesn’t want the job.
When the Gunn’s find out that Domhnall is on his way to their keep he talks Kenneth into going home to McInnish keep and taking his rightful place as Laird. Kenneth protests and blames Elisa for his troubles. He isn’t exactly welcomed home by his people but is determined to make the best of a bad situation. The people love Elisa but Kenneth wants her to just stay cooped up and not help in any way. She loves him but feels like she’s nothing to him. He forgets she’s there, doesn’t miss her when she’s gone, and certainly doesn’t need her assistance with anything. She soon figures out how she can help Kenneth, the Gunn clan, the King and Domhnall all from breaking out into war over her and a simple piece of parchment, but to do that she must distance herself from not only Kenneth but the clan she’s grown to love.
I love a good medieval romance every once in a while and this one delivered everything a good medieval should. A great romance, a wonderful and hot hero, men in kilts, a well done story, men in kilts, a strong heroine, and…did I mention men in kilts?
When the book started off I have to admit that I was a bit leery of continuing. The first couple of chapters are very information heavy and there are a lot of characters to keep straight. I did continue though and was so happy I did. Kenneth had some serious emotional issues, I must admit. He carried guilt over the death of his brother, his father had treated him so very badly, he hadn’t taken up the Lairdship when his brother Greer had died, and then he went and married Elisa and she seemed to be causing him anguish as well. He kind of needed to get over himself and deal with things but it took him quite a while for that to come about. He wasn’t the best husband as, as he said, he just didn’t know how to be a good one. He loved the bed sport but other than that he kind of sucked until he truly pulled his head out of his ass and got his brain working. Lol
Elisa had really been through hell. She knew she was betrothed to someone so when Domhnall took her and told her that he was her betrothed she believed him. She wondered why she had never heard from her family but just thought they had washed their hands of her. She had absolutely no knowledge that they had been slaughtered by Domhnall’s hand. She is smart in resisting Grey’s command to get married but even she could see the benefits of protection. She wanted to be a good wife to Kenneth and she had such a kind heart – always thinking of others before herself – that she continued to see the good in Kenneth until he hurt her feelings time and time again. He was a big brute but had never had to deal with a wife. That was no excuse but hey, he was a medieval guardsmen, they’re definitely not known for their cooth! Elisa made some, imho, bad choices during the book but it all ended well, which was wonderful.
The story was well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Kara Griffin
