The hero, or God's gift to Scotland, bumps what would be a 4 star book to 3. For me he's just so unlikable, stupid and entitled. The heroine is a darling, intelligent and loving girl and deserves a better hero. There were at least two in the story that I kept yelling, Take him! He's a good one!!!!, but characters never listen.
H and h were childhood friends and recently lovers. You know what happens when young love strikes? Wee babies. The h is pregnant and it never once crosses her innocent mind that the man she adores would have sex with her and not even consider marrying her. In fact, it's laughable that she would even consider it. Not knowing she's pregnant he leaves because he has big Laird Scottish revenge stuff to do.
His ex best friend lays it out to him what an utter ass he is and that the h has lost the baby he never knew about. This is the epiphany he needs to get his head out from under his kilt. Sadly, he and his ego are confronted with the unthinkable, a heroine with a spine of steel that has had it.
“I’m sorry, mo ghrá. I’m sorry for everything. The baby. God, the baby.” His voice broke. “I didn’t know. I should have been there with you. I would have been, if you’d told me.” His words had no effect.
She stared up at him, unmoved and seemingly uninterested. “Why would I do that? It was over.”
“I didn’t mean that. I was angry. You were forcing me to choose between you and my duty, and I reacted. Badly, I admit. But damn it, Jo, you had to know I didn’t mean it. I love you.” He’d taken her arm without realizing it and tried to bring her closer to him, but she was as rigid as a pole of steel.
She turned her head away. “It makes no difference now.” His heart picked up the beat, speeding to a frantic race. She was acting like she hated him. But that wasn’t possible. This was Jo—his Jo—she loved him.
“Of course it makes a difference,” he said softly. “We need to talk about this, if we are going to get past it.”
“Get past it?” She stared at him and then did something so unexpected it shook him to the core. She burst into laughter. “Dear God, do you actually think you can tell me it’s over, leave for three months while I mourn the child you would have had the world call a bastard, and then come back as if nothing has changed? Everything has changed, James. I do not blame you for what happened any more than I blame myself. It was an accident. But it is done, and nothing can be done to change it back. You are too late. Whatever chance we might have had died along with our unborn child.”
He heard the words, but he didn’t want to hear what she was saying. He couldn’t be too late.
Oh noes! What an ass. He is still swimming along with the idea that she can be his eternal side piece when he clues in to what he needs to do.
“Stop it, Joanna! Damn it, stop it!” His grip tightened on her arm, as he drew her up to face him. His expression was just as wild and furious as she suspected hers must be. “Fine. If you are going to be stubborn about this, I’ll put it all aside. I’ll ignore my duty, my father’s wishes, and give up the chance to advance my clan and marry you.” He shook her again. “I’ll marry you, damn it. Is that what you want?”
Be still my heart. The proposal every girl wants.
Anyhoo, the H learns that he has to grovel and grovel he does to the point that the idiot offends Robert the Bruce.
Poor, poor 4 star heroine stuck with handsome but dumb H.