The Lion

Clan Ross of the Hebrides #1

by Hildie McQueen

Preferring to spend time outdoors sketching in her drab clothing, Isobel Macdonald is shocked when a handsome laird chooses her to marry. However, as one who treasures loyalty above all, she is mortified to learn his lover lives at the family keep. After being publicly humiliated by her husband, Isobel must ensure two things: to keep her heart protected and remain a wife in name only.

After his late father’s ruling by fear, young laird Darach Ross inherits a clan of people who do not trust his leadership. With the threat of an insurrection and possible attack by another clan, every move he makes must be measured. When he is captured by an enemy clan, Darach wants to know if he will leave a legacy. He then makes a mistake that can rob him of happiness forever.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Amazon, Fiction, Medieval

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 11, 2021

About the author

Bestselling author Hildie McQueen loves unusual situations and getting into interesting adventures, which is what her characters do as well. She writes romance because she is in love with love! Author of Romance in Highland historical, Western Historical and contemporary, she writes something every reader can enjoy.

Most days she can be found in her pajamas hiding from deliverymen while drinking tea from her David Gandy coffee mug. In the afternoons she browses the Internet for semi-nude men to post on Facebook.

Hildie's favorite past-times are romance conventions, traveling, shopping and reading.

She resides in beautiful small town Georgia with her super-hero husband Kurt, an unruly boy Chihuahua Pepito and a spoiled rotten girl Chiweenie named Lola.

Visit her website at www.hildiemcqueen.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HildieMcQueen
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HildieMcQueen
Instagram: @HildieWrites

Reviews

[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m going through a bit of a historical romance revival at the moment so this one was another Scottish historical romance it was ok but there was also nothing that stood out about it either. I found it somewhat enjoyable if a tad superficial I also felt like there was something slightly missing with this one.

Isobel Macdonald and her sister Beatrice journey to the Ross’s to spend the summer: their mothers are childhood friends and want a marriage between their offspring. Darach Ross is now the Laird after his father's death: his sire leaves behind a legacy of mismanagement and cruelties which Darach is now kept busy setting to rights and the last thing on his mind at the moment is marriage to anyone.

So the above blurb for this I did find a tad misleading yeh technically it’s accurate but I also felt it was overly exaggerated and that the so-called lover living in the keep was a bit overdramatic: in my opinion, she really isn’t much of a threat and Darach swiftly moves on from her. I also found there were some slight inconsistencies within the storyline things that’s didn’t quite make sense to me.

Darach I thought if he’d just been more commutative well he could have really avoided the majority of issues here if he’d just used some actual sense. I also wasn’t that struck on him as a person and thought him a bit thoughtless in some of his words and actions.

I also never also got why both Beatrice and Isobel were so judgemental when it came to Darach. I mean they made snap decisions regarding him without any evidence or reason and just why was Beatrice so terrified and intimidated by him for no apparent reason it was all slightly overdramatic and ridiculous.

Then there was Isobel’s clothes initially I thought we were going to get one of those Cinderella-type stories where the mother and sister were both cruel treating her as the less favoured sibling and a lesser person but no there just bloody thoughtless and wanted the extra space for more of there own pretty things and nobody seems bothered that Isobel could be mistaken for an actual servant with her limited drab wardrobe.

Then I thought we were setting Beatrice up with one brother as they seemed to have a moment together only for another brother Duncan to be thrown into the mix instead it was all very perplexing. It also doesn’t make sense that the servant who was Darach’s former lover be the one to out them for being in a comprising position together especially knowing they’d then be forced to marry as I would think it would be the last thing she’d want to happen.

Overall though this entertaining enough though the drama and danger it seemed to promise never quite took off and I did find myself waiting for something major to occur which never did. I also thought Darach could definitely have been a bit more alpha and less thoughtless and Isobel less judgmental and overly dramatic but it was ok and it did pass a couple of hours.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lion by Hildie McQueen
Historical Scottish romance. 1st in the Clan Ross of the Hebrides series. 1601.
The old Laird is dead and it’s now up to Darach Ross and his family to of six brothers and a sister to manage, protect and provide for their lands. There is unrest as the prior ruler was cruel and corrupt pitting neighbors against each other. Darach will hear from everyone with fairness and openness. Darach chooses Isobel Macdonald for his bride for strategic advantage but also because he finds her irresistible. He hopes their marriage will help his people understand he wants the best for them but there are conspirators that have their own agendas.

For me this was a better read than listen because of the accents and size of the family. I love audiobooks and enjoyed the narrator and was glad I also had a paperback for following along and clarifying details.
I did not care for one of the opening scenes knowing the female in the couple getting busy was not the heroine of the story. I understand it was to set up a later conflict and a great hook for some romance readers but just not for me. I did like when the hero’s feelings were revealed and the patience and care he had for his new bride.

A wonderful romance with a large family, both internal and external conflicts, steamy interludes and clearly more pairings in the works for this family. I’m looking forward to reading more of this series.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, this could have been better. There is a typical highland-romance story in there - lady from neighboring clan finds the laird scary, but they get married and she realizes she loves him, yada, yada, yada. But everything in here is just so surface with no depth that it's hard to really care about what happens.

Isobel and Beatrice MacDonald come to spend time at the Ross clan so that their mothers, who are best friends, can visit. The mothers are hoping for their kids to marry, and at first Lady MacDonald pushes Beatrice to gain Darach's interest. But Beatrice is scared of Darach because.........? This is the beginning of the lack of depth in this book. Darach does absolutely nothing to Beatrice; I'm not even sure they even have a conversation; but Beatrice is completely terrified of being alone with him for some reason. And then Isobel tries to be her protector, but there's nothing to protect her from, so she's just complaining about this guy for no reason. Then somehow, Darach starts talking about how he'd prefer Isobel....even though they don't really have any interactions either.

Eventually, Isobel and Darach are caught in a mildly compromising position, and they're told they should marry. But this also makes no sense because the person who told on them was Darach's former lover. Why would you want to force the dude you're trying to bang again to get married to someone else?



Anyway, then Isobel confesses her secret about why she's not on the marriage mart, and Darach doesn't care. And I wish the author hadn't decided to ruin it by making Isobel an idiot who didn't realize she didn't actually have sex before. We can have non-virgin heroines in romances for goodness sake. Then they have one afternoon at a festival where he treats her nice, but then he ruins it for no reason at the end of the day, and somehow this is a romance.

But they finally get married, and have a week or so of wedded bliss until the other woman stirs up crap. And our "hero" rather than defend himself or try to prove the woman is lying decides that the best course of action is to do nothing because Isobel should work out that she can trust him on her own.....After knowing him about a month.....



Needless to say, Darach sucks at being in a relationship. The big drama at the end? Yeah, he's an insensitive moron. And he never does enough to make up for it. If I were Isobel, I would have left his ass.

Besides my issues with the lack of an actual relationship in here, there were a lot of little editing issues that bothered me. For one, you don't win a caber toss by throwing the log the farthest. It's whoever keeps it the straightest. Second, the author obviously decided to switch the festival from one day to two while writing this, but forget to go through and check that everything she previously wrote still fit. After the sword dancing competition, Darach's competitor says he's competing in archery next and the author sends him off to change into clothes better suited for it (whatever the heck that means), but then they say the second day of the festival will be all the archery. Soooooooo it takes him an entire day to change into this archery costume?

And then there's this whole scene between Isobel, Beatrice, and Caelan, Darach's third brother, where it's very obvious the author is foreshadowing a relationship between Caelan and Beatrice. But a few pages later, Beatrice runs into Duncan and decides that he's the best one for her to fake a relationship with. Did the author forget the entire scene in the kitchen or what? It made absolutely no sense to include it if she wanted Beatrice and Duncan to get together.



This just didn't feel really thought out to me. A bunch of stuff put together, but not enough explanation or reason. The story didn't flow, and the characters seem to barely get to know each other. Not much of a romance, and a choppy storyline. Not really a fan.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highland Laird

Isobel did not wish to accompany her mother and sister to visit the clan Ross to make a match for Beatrice, and Beatrice was not happy about being matched with the huge and aggressive-looking Laird.

Beatrice need not have worried, because it was Isobel that Laird Darach Ross chose to be his lady. After their wedding night, Isobel thought theirs was possibly a love match, but dark treachery surrounded the clan.

This was a well written romance with the usual tropes such as misunderstanding, but it was definitely a cosy romance with a little intrigue. Three and a half stars rounded up to four for this HEA.

[Debbie DiFiore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really a lion, more like a lamb

The hero was just okay. He didn't seem like a lion to me though. He was even tempered, a little sense regarding women, but a good man. I didn't feel the passion but I could tell he loved her. Theravada ex mistress involved and I could have done without her. She tried to cause trouble but in the end she just gave up easily and left. There is a great misunderstanding when the hero gets rescued and the first person he goes to see is his ex instead of his wife and so he totally humiliated her before his clan and I felt bad for her. But he realized how extremely stupid he was and tried to stone for his mistake and then it was over. The end. Done! I was shocked but I will read the next book because I liked Beatrice. Safe and free on kindle.

[My Own Bookshelves · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is new to me author. I saw a recommendation for book 4 and because I am a read-in-order kinda girl, I started here.

I enjoyed the story. It was entertaining, informative, and very much world-building.

What I loved:
- Heroine grew on me after 50%. Isobel just wasn't warm to me from the start, but after getting to know her more, she grew on me.
- Setting up for the series
- Last 80% made me decide to stick with the series

What to consider:
- It's a me thing. I just never really connected with the hero. The story also felt a bit mired in the setup. Which again is a me thing because for most readers they want a setup.

Although I felt the story was slow to start and much world-building, the last 80% really set the tone for the remaining books so I am excited to read book 2.

Recommend: Borrow on KU

(3.5 stars if I could give half but rounding up because the hook for book 2 is good)

[🦉Maggie Whitworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋

Excellent book , such a passionate and satisfying storyline.
These characters were mesmerising, I couldn’t put the book down.
Can’t wait for more.

[Mhollie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a strong 1st attempt

Not bad, but not great either. It did have merit. The editing wasn’t the best. A pet peeve of mine that I feel takes away from the reading. I had a hard time identifying with the characters and I feel they needed deeper backstories. Another thing that should have been addressed is the Scottish dialogue was written. It was really not there other than using the word “ye” for “you”. If an author is going to approximate the Scot’s burr in dialogue then they need to fully embrace the nuances of the accent and do their research and due diligence before writing it. Different areas of Scotland have different accents, e.g. Highland, Lowland, Hebrides, Manx influenced, Glasgow, etc. Thus, I feel that the author should either not do the accents in the dialogue at all or go the full nine yards and do them correctly, not the half assed attempt in The Lion.

I am extremely touchy about how accents in dialogue are written. They need to be done well or not at all.

I will give the next book in the series a chance as I like to see authors who grow into their writing, creating better novels with each attempt. Here’s to hoping the next one is a better read.

[Danny Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was decent. Found it a bit boring at times. It's set in Scotland so you have to get used to all the "ye" spoken throughout. The H Darach was actually a bit beta for me. As a Laird he was too sweet. I wasn't liking how well he treated his bed warmer while married to Isobel either. He didn't cheat on Isobel after marrying her. And they weren't in love yet, but still. He publicly humiliated his wife when he went to Lilia first after being released from his short captivity. Even if it was to go and get the truth out of her if she was pregnant with his bairn or not. Holding her and kissing her temple was overstepping for me. Him saying he cared for her and wished her well. AND would look for a husband for her was also crossing a line. Seeing as she conspired against him and his wife Isobel. So I don't understand why the author finished the book this way. Everything was tied up and too tidy in the last 5% of the book which disappointed me. 🤷 Oh, well. I guess this author will be giving ow's their HEAs as well 🥴. Yeah, I need more comeuppance.

[Kathleen Lemke (Kathy Page) · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating: 3 stars

What I liked: I liked Isobel(h). She was a strong heroine who spoke her mind, I just wished she would have made Darach(H) suffer more. I also liked how close both Darach and Isobel are to their family.

What I didn’t like: I wanted the discussion between Isobel and her mom to happened (about if her dad ever took a mistress and how to handle it). I also wanted more with the ow. First she lied but when Darach goes back to see her she tells the truth. Why lie in the first place…..it didn’t make since. Lastly, I wanted Darach to make a public speech apologizing to Isabel. She forgave way to fast, yeah he didn’t cheat but he did disrespect her by going to the ow first.

Major Spoilers/ Details/Triggers: OW Drama. H and h are childhood friends due to their mom’s being best friends. h is going with her sister and mom to the H’s place, which he is now laird, to see if the sister and H will be a good match to marry. The h’s sister does not want to marry the H and the h helps her sister. h tells H but H actually wants the h and not the sister. H also has an ow who he has sexual relations with. h sees H pat the ow’s butt. She also sees the ow coming from the direction of the H’s room. H has been not been with ow since the h has been there and has turned down the ow advances. H and h go for a walk and have been gone for awhile. h falls and H falls when trying to help h up. Ow sees and makes a comment. Due to this the mom’s make the H and h marry. h tries to get out of it and let’s him know that she was handfasted and had given her virginity to the man only for him to not marry her (h is actually a virgin). H doesn’t care and they marry. Ow is sent away (ow is also sleeping with the bad guy who is trying to get rid of the H). H and h go to the village asking questions about the bad guy who escaped. Ow now lives in this village and asks to speak to the H. H and h go to her and ow says she is pregnant with H’s child. H leaves with h and tells her that he does not believe the baby is his since he never finished inside her. H goes to see a clan that is not happy about their dad not keeping his promise and gets imprisoned. H’s brothers come to get him and on the way back decides to go see the ow to ask her about the baby before seeing the h. Ow tells him that it’s not his. h waiting for H realizes he went to ow and believes he is in love with ow. Everyone feels pity for her because it looked like the H favors the ow over the h. h moves out of their bedroom and ignores him. H realizes he messed up. H’s mother tells him that she is disappointed with him and to give the h time but to be present. H comes to h’s room to sleep and makes sure to walk with her and eat with her. Ow comes and asks to marry om and h realizes that H is not in love with ow. h moves back into the bedroom. HEA

Descriptive Sex: Yes

Final thoughts: This was a good read. I haven’t read a historical romance book in awhile and I’m glad I did. I definitely would have given it more stars but the ending was abrupt. He says I love you but I needed a public apology and for the h to make him suffer. I will definitely read the sister’s book.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. This book needs an epilouge

[Tmstprc · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice historical.

The conflict near the end seemed forced and needed to be earlier in the book to really feel the impact.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sexy romance!

I’m loving this series so much! The cover art is what pulled me into buying it. Obviously, I’m a very visual reader and Hildie McQueen being such a wonderful writer, always has such intriguing cover art. The story of a young Laird newly coming into his own, marrying and being a typical man making dumb decisions concerning how to act with a new wife, learns what love is. There is deceit, betrayal, mystery and action that all lead to heartache, humor then romance. Very enjoyable book. Can’t wait to begin “The Beast”, book # 2 in the series. I’m excited it will be about Duncan. 😍 Highly recommend cuz you won’t want to miss out on this new series.

[BrownAyez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did.

For me, the way the Scottish words were written was clunky and I mentally blocked it out.

Also, the story just kinda ended? The Hero humiliated the heroine - by her owns words - with something that won’t ever be forgotten but since it was a mistake and he married off the OW all was forgiven. Plus, he loved the heroine. The end. Nothing else to see here so move along...

Suppose that’s probably how it might play out it in reality, the Hero being a Laird and all, but it wasn’t enough for me.

I will read the next book in the series because I liked the female characters a lot.

[Carole Burant · Rating 3 out of 5]

To tell you the truth, I was a bit disappointed in this story. I felt like there was a little "oomph" missing. I just feel like the story could have been much better than it was. Darach just doesn't come across as a "lion" in the story and his decisions where women are concerned leaves a lot to be desired. I liked Isobel but again, her character could have been better developed. There was just so many opportunities for the plot to be more exciting but it kept falling flat.

I will now read Duncan and Beatrice's story and hopefully enjoy it a bit more.

[Lady Whitbrooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this is mostly a 4 star. Not the best written book I have read, but definitely a sweet traditional read. Not a lot of action but a sweet kinda love story. Plot 5(1-10) steaminess 7(1-10)

[K. Ryner · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5*

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is a great start to a series. The chemistry between the main characters is passionate. Isobel is a strong and independent woman. She visits Clan Ross with her mother and sister, who is expected to be betrothed to Darach, Laird Ross. Darach is more interested in the outspoken Isobel than her meeker sister and offers for her hand instead. He is a great match for Isobel. He accepts and seems to enjoy her spirit. There is some political intrigue in the book that is not concluded and we'll hopefully find out more in the next book. With a castle full of hot Ross brothers this series is sure to be fun.

[Ashley Yungbluth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not big on historical romances, but I did enjoy this book. Hildie MQueen knows how to keep you wanting more. I really enjoyed Isobel's character. I will definitely check out different series by this author.

[Jas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I joke a lot about Highland romances being comfortable because they remind me of Punjabi dynamics but the dynamics of the two moms in this scenario felt like home. I loved it. Darach and Isobel are wonderful, except for where Darach is also dumb lol. But I didn't know how much I love groveling for forgiveness until now so that was a nice discovery. Can't wait for the rest of this series.

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Scottish historical romances. This book took me a time that I would like to experience, but not stay. Hildie makes you feel like you're a part of the clan. I enjoyed the characters. Darach is the new laird. You can tell how much he cares for the clan. Isobel is strong. Neither expected or wanted to marry, but they end up together. They both have to learn how to deal with their new roles and marriage.

I listened to the audiobook. I enjoyed the narrator. I'm looking forward to book 2.

[Jackie · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - quit at 20%
I remember historical romance full of unrequited love, hot hormones, lusty heroes worthy of bodice ripper cover art, heroines who were feisty & bucked the systems that kept them oppressed as chattel. Those stories were what got me into reading romance in the first place, making me want to be those heroines who got their HEA. And Ok, I admit that it’s been a while since I’ve read historical type romance (maybe 20 years- give or take since I’ve ventured into contemporary & paranormal & alien romance instead), but come on, this was just crap! I wanted to feel the romance bubbling up between them in spite of all the conflicts in their lives, to make me feel like those 20+ years ago made me feel. There was absolutely no chemistry between the characters to inspire me to believe this is any kind of romance. The hero is not even remotely interesting or swoon worthy. The heroine is just flat, nondescript & boring. I don’t even recall a description for her other than being opposite her sister & taller. Her “mystery” of not being marriageable material is off putting, not helping the story. Ooh, in a historical romance, the only reason for not being marriageable is she was compromised somehow by another man. The heroine’s sister (setting up for book 2) is uninspiring. There was no way I could keep reading this, I have to like some of the characters in order to want to read about them. Needless to say, I deleted this book & book 2 from my Kindle library, thankfully they had been free.

At my age (60), life is way too short & my time is too important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

AN UNEXPECTED WIFE

A marriage between Clan Ross and Clan Macdonald will unite the clans. Only It's not Beatrice Macdonald, it's her sister, Isobel, who will be Laird Darach Ross's wife and steals his heart. All these brawny brothers!

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (6/4/2022)! 🎁

[Yayamamaha · Rating 3 out of 5]

from a solid 4.5 to 3 because of one little ……

Some of the other reviews were correct in that the main male character embarrassed his wife by going to his ex lover before going to her after returning to the Keep. He had the stupidest reason for doing that, to find out if she was really pregnant with his kid or not which she wasn’t by the way and his only excuse was I’m not used to having a wife that I have to think about my actions first. He never cheated on his wife during the entire book. But the entire village and clan thought that he did because of the fact of that one little interaction. The ex lover ends up taking a husband and moving away but here’s what brought it from a 4.5 to 3. Why did the author not simply have the main male character clarify in front of everyone that he had not disrespected his wife and that he had simply went there to arrange his exes marriage or something. And why did not the ex lover clarify it when she went in front of everyone at the keep to get permission from the main male character (since he was the laird of the clan) to get married and leave? She could’ve easily clarified since she got her happily ever after or the main male character could’ve easily clarified to everyone whether just gossiping to other men or letting it drop casually here or there or whatever way possible. instead the public humiliation of his wife was never clarified. Sure his wife believed him eventually, his mother believed him the sisters believed him but the actual people that his wife had to earn respect from was never told any clarification! A few sentences, a paragraph would’ve cleared up the entire matter. Truly disappointing because other than that it was a readable book and I might’ve read others from the author but if you can’t handle a simple plot line like that and allow a wife to regain her dignity and respect over the other woman Then it’s kind of like not worth my time to explore your other books to be honest. We all know there’s always gonna be other women drama in a lot of romance novels. But this could’ve been easily clarified especially since he didn’t actually cheat. Stupid plotline.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

~ 1600s
~ surprise virgin
~ H is a Zero
~ lackluster smut

⚠️ on page scene with ow (before relationship)
Possible ow pregnancy


So I tried to like this book. I like the idea behind this book but in the end I’m left feeling…disgruntled. The hero didn’t have much character growth at all. He tells the h that if her father doesn’t agree to terms of marriage, then he won’t marry her yet we’re supposed to believe that he has loved her for a while? He humiliated and hurt the heroine several times, and she just kind of took him back. He had a previous lover before the heroin which is fine, but then he set her up in a brand new cottage, and when she tells him she might be pregnant with his baby he doesn’t reassure his wife he just expects her to trust him? Trust him with what?

Then after he’s captured instead of going to his wife right away, he goes to the other woman to find out if the baby is really his because he’s so sad at the prospect of leaving a baby behind with no thoughts of his wife. He hugs ow and kisses her on the cheek. He humiliates his wife this way. Everyone thinks that he went to sleep with the other woman and he never publicly corrects this assumption. We know if the baby had been his the heroin’s life would’ve been changed forever because he would have doted on that baby. It was just a mere coincidence that the baby happened to be one of her other lovers. In the end, I didn’t feel the love the hero supposedly had for the heroine. He doesn’t ever really apologize to her which I guess given the era it’s written makes sense, but I just needed to feel more remorse from him.

Also, it’s called a cock or a dick not a “sex”. I have heard sex used for the female genitalia, but never for the male!

[Letschat1974 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stars 3.5/4 (Margaret Mallory, Julie Johnstone, Monica McCarty, Lynsay Sands, Donna Fletcher)

my personal markers for a great read...1. smart and engaging writing, 2. Humorous, 3. sexy interactions 4. stories with family/friends

The development and interest in main characters and secondary characters was enjoyable. I really did like the H/H for this book.

I love series around family members or a group of friends. I love the series even more when the author intertwines those characters throughout the book series (it’s a pet peeve when authors don’t do that because what’s the point of the series and introducing the characters if they are not going to interact throughout the series). You get series book characters, nicely written and enjoyable.

I loved the writing around the women empowerment (it wasn’t over the top for me). Badass women rock.

Movement of the book flowed for the most part. Book writing/conversation engaging. The Scottish dialogue wasn’t difficult to follow and there’s also modern vocabulary. Action packed.

Laugh out loud humorous moments.

Romantic /sexual content (kissing, oral and love making scenes) was throughout the book. Nothing over the top, some ‘dirty’ words intertwined rightly in the story telling. Short story 2.5/5 hotness and steam.

Totally recommend author.

Will read the next book by the author.

You don’t have to read the book in order however I think you miss the true story of it’s not read in its order.

side note…i find there are missing/conclusion storylines in each book which can a little ‘sooooo what happen’.

[Regan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marriage Mix-up in the Outer Hebrides

This is the story of Clan Ross in the Outer Hebrides (South Uist), a clan that has enemies within and without. It’s 1601 and two MacDonald young women travel there with their mother, thinking to find a husband. Beatrice is to marry the new laird, Darach Ross, whose father has died. But she doesn’t want to marry him because he seems a harsh man to her. The older one, Isobel, wasn’t initially offered, ostensibly because she was no longer a virgin. (That quickly turned out not to be true.)

Caught in a compromising position, Isobel is wed to the laird. The marriage begins well enough because their physical relationship is good, despite a mistress in the background. But all goes south when the bride fails to believe her new husband when he tells her he’s no longer sleeping with the mistress. She doesn’t even give him a chance to explain. This seemed unbelievable when the man had given no indication he could not be trusted. There is also a neighboring clan who captures the laird (why is never clear) but soon lets him go.

The dialog was good but the story was short on atmospherics and descriptions. Given the beauty of the setting, one could have hoped for more. There is a happy ending but some loose ends, including the internal enemy, are left to be tied up in books to follow in the series.

[Cherie S · Rating 5 out of 5]

She Wanted A Love Match?
This story deserves more than 5 stars.
An extremely complex captivating love story that I devoured in one sitting.
Darach a new laird of the clan Ross is finding it difficult to bring the clan back
from his deceased fathers near destruction.
He has a difficult road ahead to set things right and gain the clans trust.
A unwanted betrothal between not just one lass to choose from but possibly
two brings him even more complications a long with an unknown traitor in the shadows.
The interesting cast of characters is large and they each have their own stories to tell.
We meet Beatrice and Isobel. One such lady takes a lovely walk with the laird and his dog
and their futures will be changed forever.
Many surprises, many shocking moments, a twist or two, some humor which
had me laughing out loud more then once, unnerving disclosures, misunderstandings,
festivals with highland games and more. What could go wrong? Oh, Did I mention a lover.
The book is the beginning of a new series. No cliff hangers but the story will continue
with the cast of characters that we met in this story which I am anxiously looking forward to.
Adult Highland Love Story:
Plot: Captivating
Characters: Very likable
Heat level: 3+ out of 5
Cover: To Die For

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darach and Isobel. Their mothers are long time besties having come from the same clan growing up. The moms want to unite their 2 clans so her mother packs her and her sister up to visit Darach’s mom at Ross Keep (ulterior motive being to have the new laird marry her youngest daughter). Isobel was previously engaged and was believed to have given her innocence to her betrothed. The engagement was called off and he married someone else. Having been a virgin, she didn’t know what to expect but she thought they had consummated but he was flaccid. 😆. Darach is intrigued by Isobel when she tried to have him swear off courting her sister. He chooses to marry Isobel as she is exactly what he needs in a wife. She is insecure AF and believes he won’t be faithful to her. He goes to meet with another clan and they capture him. His clan comes strong and they rescue him. On his way back he decides to go to his former mistress (she claimed to be preggo despite having many lovers) to see if the baby is his. She confirms that it isn’t. Isobel is extremely hurt that he went to her instead of coming home to his wife. She moves out of their room, needing time away. She forgives him and they are back together.