ABOUT THE BOOK
There’s a new Laird in town. Will he leave with a wife?
Angus MacDonald has just arrived in London to reclaim his land when he rescues Lady Isabella Wood from a cattle stampede! Their instant attraction is undeniable, but Isabella must wed this Season and Angus isn’t looking for a bride. His wild Hebridean home is a world away from London Society, so Isabella is completely out-of-bounds. Even if their connection is unlike anything he’s felt before.
MY REVIEW
I am a big fan of Ms. Tinley’s Regency romances for a few years now because of her strong heroines and tormented heroes, but I felt this book fell short. In fact, I was more interested in the secondary characters.
Lady Isabella Wood’s fate is in her pompous elder brother’s hands as he forces her to find a suitable husband or he will. Isabella prefers sailing to dancing, she prefers running to walking, and she prefers her freedom to society’s demands. But she was raised to “follow the strictures of duty and tradition”. Her attraction to her new friend Laird Angus MacDonald is hopeless because he is not there to hunt for a wife.
Angus MacDonald and his sister Eilidh are subjecting themselves to English judgment and disdain in order to convince Lord Burtenshaw to sell him the land that belongs to Angus’s people. As the Laird Laird of Broch Clachan and a native of the island of Benbecula off the coast of Scotland, it is Angus’s duty to do everything in his power to get the land back from the money-grabbing English who sends the rent-collectors for money and goods from a land and estate left to ruin. But Angus did not know the challenge he would face not only with the formidable and critical Lord Burtenshaw, but also with his beautiful and distracting sister, Lady Isabella.
Isabella and Angus are instantly attracted to each other, but I feel their story is slow and overshadowed by Max and Eilidh’s intriguing attraction. I felt that Isabella and Angus didn’t try as hard as they should have. Angus didn’t think Isabella would survive in his faraway home and Isabella, as rebellious as she was, hung on to the duties she abhorred. Therefore, I didn’t think the main characters were as strong as I thought they could be. The final moments when Angus swoops in to save the day was my favorite part, but it took too long to get there.
The supporting characters are what made this story interesting. As I said before Max and Eilidh steal the show and I can’t wait for their story. Prudence, Lord Burtenshaw’s staid and austere wife really seems to come through at the end and I admire her for that considering her unexciting and tolerable life with a pompous ass.
Overall, the story was a little slow and the main characters were a bit boring, but they stepped it up at the end. If you like fish-out-of-water tropes, give this book a try.
Thank you to Ms. Tinley for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
Lairds of the Isles Series:
1. Laird of the Governess (2022)
2. A Laird In London (2022)
3. A Laird For The Highland Lady (2023)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Catherine Tinley is a multi-award winning author of witty, heartwarming historical romance. Her first novel, Waltzing with the Earl, won the Rita® Award for Best Historical Romance in 2018, while Rags-to-Riches Wife won the RoNA Award for Best Historical Romance 2021 as well as the HOLT Medallion, and A Waltz with the Outspoken Governess won the RoNA Award for Best Historical Romance 2022.
She has loved reading and writing since childhood, and has a particular fondness for love, romance, and happy endings. After a career encompassing speech & language therapy, Sure Start, maternity campaigning and being President of a charity, she now manages a maternity hospital. She lives in Ireland with her husband, children, cats, and dog.
Follow Catherine on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Bookbub.