Series: Royal Highlander (Book 1)
Scottish pride, persuasion, and passion―this is Highland romance at its breathtaking best.
Inverness, 1820
Perched on the North Sea, this port town―by turns legendary and mythological―is a place where Highland rebels and English authorities clash in a mortal struggle for survival and dominance. Among the fray is a lovely young widow who possesses rare and special gifts.
WANTED: Isabella Drummond
A true beauty and trained physician, Isabella has inspired longing and mystery―and fury―in a great many men. Hunted by both the British government and Scottish rebels, she came to the Highlands in search of survival. But a dying ship’s captain will steer her fate into even stormier waters...and her heart into flames.
FOUND: Cinaed Mackintosh
Cast from his home as a child, Cinaed is a fierce soul whose allegiance is only to himself...until Isabella saved his life―and added more risk to her own. Now, the only way Cinaed can keep her safe to seek refuge at Dalmigavie Castle, the Mackintosh family seat. But when the scandalous truth of his past comes out, any chance of Cinaed having a bright future with Isabella is thrown into complete darkness. What will these two ill-fated lovers have to sacrifice to be together…for eternity?
Excellent blend of history and fiction along with a fantastic romance. It is unusual to find a Regency-era novel that doesn't deal mainly with the English nobility and their high society lives. In this book, we have a female Scottish physician and surgeon with a price on her head and the independent Scottish sea captain who came to her rescue. I was sucked into this book from the first pages and didn't put it down until I read the last page.
It opened with some musings supposedly by Sir Walter Scott, who felt guilty over what he saw as his unintended influence on what has happened to the Scottish people. It was a time of social unrest throughout Great Britain. Life is especially hard in Scotland which still suffered from the consequences of the Jacobite Rebellion. In Edinburgh, Isabella Drummond is a trained doctor and surgeon who is called to treat everyone, no matter their status. Her husband, who is also a doctor, is an activist with those pushing for reform. When protests turned deadly, her husband was killed, her younger sister and stepdaughter were spirited to safety, while Isabella was taken to a small fishing village to hide. Both the British and the Scottish rebels have put a price on her head, the first wanting to find out what she knows and the second to prevent her from talking.
I liked Isabella from the beginning. She was smart, stubborn, and driven. She had no trouble speaking her mind and standing up for what she believed was right. Jean, her "hostess" is something of a curmudgeon. When they witness a shipwreck on the reef, Isabella was horrified to see the villagers shoot a man on one of the lifeboats, angry that the ship exploded before they could recover any of the cargo. The argument between Isabella and Jean over Isabella's determination to save the man was intense, and I loved seeing Isabella out-stubborn Jean. The description of Isabella's efforts was so vivid I felt as though I was there.
Cinead was a self-made man. He was cast from his family and sent to sea at the age of twelve, and has created a life where his only loyalty is to himself - or so he likes to believe. However, it was clear from his first appearance that he is protective of his crew, and of those he sees as needing help. Even as severely injured as he was, he found the strength to protect Isabella and Jean when they were threatened. He was drawn to Isabella, though he also sensed that she had secrets that were dangerous to her and any who tried to help her.
The intrigue and drama that followed Cinead, Isabella, and Jean from the seaside village to Inverness to his former home at Dalmigavie Castle had me glued to the pages from beginning to end. The price on Isabella's head brought the attention of a British soldier that would give Outlander's Black Jack Randall a run for his money. The only way that Cinead could think of to keep her safe was to take her to his Uncle Searc, a man of questionable values and morals. And the best way to protect her from Searc was to pretend that they were married. I loved seeing Cinead and Isabella grow closer. It was clear that Cinead was quite happy to have Isabella as his wife, and he would like nothing more than to make it real. Isabella was a bit warier. Because of the price on her head, she was determined to retrieve her sister and stepdaughter and emigrate to Canada, but she also could not deny her growing feelings for Cinead.
To complicate matters, the Scottish protests against British tyranny were spreading from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Inverness. Cinead found his love for his homeland growing and was caught up in the intensifying unrest. Meanwhile, Isabella's concern for the people of the town had her taking risks in her efforts to treat their illnesses and injuries. When the peoples' peaceful protests ran up against the British army's determination to maintain their iron-fisted control, the results were predictably inflammatory. I was on the edge of my seat as Isabella came face-to-face with her nemesis. The encounter was a nail-biter, and I loved how it turned out.
Once peace was restored, it was time for Cinead and Isabella to go to Dalmigavie Castle. Cinead had to face his past, starting with a confrontation with the uncle who threw him out. There were some unexpected revelations that came out of this conversation. Cinead discovered that not everything was as black-and-white as he remembered it. He was shocked by the things he learned, which put a whole new spin on his plans. All he needed to do was convince Isabella of his love. Isabella had some eye-opening conversations herself. The sister and stepdaughter that she thought were anxious to leave Scotland had undergone some changes while they were apart. I loved seeing these two young women stand up for their futures, which in turn freed Isabella to go after what she wanted. I can't wait to read the next book to see what is in store for Cinead and Isabella, as well as Maisie and Morrigan.
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