Historical Romance published by Dragonblade Publishing 02 Nov 20
I enjoy Ms. Wine’s stories in Scotland because her heroines are feisty lasses who capture my imagination by taking destiny in their own hands. Cora MacKenzie is no exception. When fate finds her in the middle of a storm fighting for her life, she takes on the very elements and forges her own future. Fortunately Faolan McKay is a very likeable match to her.
Cora definitely doesn’t sit down and cry when she finds herself in a barren castle at the edge of the world peopled by warriors. She’s always resisted the feminine arts but has been taught to run a household. She takes on the dirty kitchen and produces an adequate meal, making friends of these warriors who have been exiled to the edge of their clan’s lands. When fate brings her to McKay castle and she’s found guilty by the church, she wins over the female household by taking the lashes intended for them.
Faolan is an honorable man, a bastard son of the old McKay laird, though there are rumors that his parents might have been hand fasted. His honor once made him turn down the lairdship and lost him his beloved in the process. For Cora’s safety, he’s willing to challenge his half-brother and finds himself the new laird of the McKays. However, there are people who are not happy with his appointment and he’s going to have to fight treachery and mutiny to find true happiness. Cora is definitely a force to be reckoned with and who takes all the lessons she’s been taught growing up and finally uses them to come into her own. What a fitting match she is for him.
This is an excellent stand-alone story, though I am going to go back and read the earlier book in the series. There are some strong, unmatched, handsome lairds that we met, whom I’m hoping we’ll see more of in future books in the series.
Grade: A
Summary:
Faolan McKay was the spawn of recklessness. A child conceived by moonlight outside the bonds of wedlock. His mother was banished to the rocky shores of the Highlands where she committed an even greater sin than seducing the laird’s son—she survived. And raised her son to be everything everyone whispered about him. To be feared was better than any position or sword.
Cora Mackenzie has been promised since she was five. But her intended has never even penned her a single note. Cora takes to the moors, finding satisfaction in building strength and pitting herself against the elements. She discovers a thirst for succeeding where everyone says a girl shouldn’t.
She had to be a siren.
Faolan wasn’t one for tales by the firelight, but seeing the woman perched on the rocks of his island made him stop and stare. Battered by the wind and rain, she cared nothing for her hair or dress. Instead, she stood in the face of the elements, celebrating her survival. Aye, a mythical creature, one he should ignore but just can’t seem to. Fate has locked them together, leaving him battling to resist the pull of his guest.
Whether or not she wants to know the man who saved her isn’t up to her. A storm forces them to shelter together or die if they attempt to leave. She might not survive the encounter, but it’s hardly the first time life has offered Cora no choice but to face what is placed before her.
So she’ll stand firm and let fate guide her.
No excerpt available.
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