Series: Lochmore Legacy (Book 1)
Bought by her husband…
Bound by secrets of their past!
The start of The Lochmore Legacy -- a Scottish castle
through the ages! Earl's daughter Flora McCrieff brought shame on her family
once, now she discovers she must wed impossibly rich but lowborn Lachlan
McNeill. He's undeniably handsome, but a man of few words. Despite the
attraction that burns between them, can she reach beyond his impeccable
clothing to find the emotions he's locked away for so long?
Terrific start to the new series. I was hooked from the
beginning and read the book in one sitting. It opened with a young Flora,
frustrated by her father's attitude toward her, dealing with her frustration by
exploring an area of her home that was expressly forbidden. She paid for that
disobedience with the horrifying discovery of a skeleton hidden in the tower
and was unable to talk about it for fear of the repercussions. Two things she
brought away from the experience was a silver brooch found on the skeleton's
clothing, and the need to find out more about it. There was a touch of the
eerie in the emotions that Flora felt upon the discovery of the skeleton and
again when contemplating the brooch.
Fast forward seven years. Flora was on the way to her
wedding to a man she had never met, her father's attempt to repair the family
fortunes. After the scandal she caused the previous year when she publicly
refused to marry a duke, Flora was given no choice in this marriage. The guilt
she felt overpowered her objections, and she desperately hoped that going
through with the wedding would repair her relationship with her family.
Waiting for her at the altar was Lachlan O'Neill. Born in
poverty, with tragedy and secrets in his past, Lachlan was now a very wealthy
man. He had plans for his new whisky distillery and felt that marriage to the daughter
of an earl would open doors to the upper echelons of society. Stunned by
Flora's beauty and delicacy, he was suddenly filled with self-doubt.
The path to a happy future was not an easy one for Flora
and Lachlan. While there was no doubt about the sparks of attraction that flew
between them, both Flora and Lachlan suffered from crippling bouts of insecurity.
Lachlan often felt like a bumbling, uncultured oaf around her, which caused him
to withdraw into himself and hide behind his business. This caused Flora to
believe that she was lacking in any number of ways, which fed her feelings of
worthlessness. I ached for them on their wedding night, as what could have been
the beginning of true intimacy was made awkward by the horrible advice Flora
received from her mother and Lachlan's feelings of inadequacy. Away from the strictures
of her father, Flora slowly began to assert herself. I loved seeing her face up
to Lachlan and let him know what she needed. Afraid of doing the wrong things,
Lachlan erred on the side of caution. I enjoyed his surprise and relief when
Flora showed interest in his work.
Their first foray into society after their marriage did
not go well. Flora's past transgressions were neither forgiven nor forgotten.
Her inability to hold up her part of the bargain with Lachlan devastated her. I
loved Lachlan's understanding and support when she confessed to the problem.
This also gave Flora hope for the future of their marriage. The sparks of
attraction continued to grow, but it seemed that every time they made progress,
something would interrupt them. I ached for Flora as, time after time, Lachlan
would leave her hurt and frustrated. I wanted to shake Lachlan for not telling her
the truth behind those interruptions. An unexpected visit and some timely
advice gave Flora the confidence to make some changes. I loved seeing Flora
come into her own as her confidence grew. The dinner with her aunt and uncle
was a prime example of what was possible with confidence and thinking outside
the box. I especially enjoyed Flora's dedication to Lachlan's plans, and
determination to be an asset. I enjoyed Lachlan's hint of jealousy, then his
astonishment and approval of Flora's initiative.
I was so frustrated with Lachlan's refusal to come clean
with Flora about his past. His constant retreats added to Flora's unhappiness
and fears until she finally stood up for herself and what she wanted from her
marriage. That strength and confidence and persistence finally broke through
Lachlan's walls. His confessions of all that he'd been through were
heartbreaking and emotional, as was his fear of Flora's reaction. Her
compassion and understanding were not what he expected, and I loved seeing the
difference it made. He wasn't completely clear of his demons, however, and
family-induced stubbornness nearly derailed his progress. Flora also made
progress with her own family, her newfound strength giving her the confidence
to face them all. The scene with her father was awesome. I loved the surprise
she arranged for Lachlan for Hogmanay, and the follow-on epilogue was
excellent.
One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was
the look at the lifestyles of the period. Instead of just seeing the upper
classes, a lot of time was spent on the social problems of the day. I
especially liked how Lachlan's experiences influenced his actions as a business
owner. Flora had been quite sheltered and the things she learned after her
marriage were eye-opening. The change from typical earl's daughter to a supporter
of social justice was a moving one. I liked the support and encouragement she
received from both Lachlan and her aunt at the dinner in Glasgow.
The story of the silver brooch and skeleton that Flora
found was an intriguing one. The brooch itself was important to Flora and she wore
it often. It was interesting that it looked familiar to the Duchess of
Lochmore, though she couldn't recall why. It was quite spooky to see Flora's
reaction when she stumbled into one of the crypts at the Lochmore chapel. I am
anxious to read the rest of the books in the series to get the rest of the
story. This one is done a little differently. Instead of moving forward in time,
this series will trace the Lochmore and McCrieff families into the past, going
from the current Victorian age to the Regency, then the Tudor, and finally to
the Medieval period.
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