Series: Lochmore Legacy (Book 4)
The key to his past…
…lies with the enemy sharing his bed!
A Scottish castle through the ages! Rory Lochmore had
expected to wage battle, to claim land and finally secure his standing within
his clan… Instead he won a wife. A McCrieff wife. Their convenient marriage
could unite the two long-feuding clans forever. But can a political alliance
give way to a passion strong enough to stand the secrets of the past?
Excellent conclusion to the series, as the last pieces of
the puzzle begun in the first book are revealed. The year is 1293, and there have
already been generations of hostility between the Lochmores and McCrieffs. Now
that the English king granted a piece of the McCrieff's land to the Lochmores,
it is time to claim that land. After months of their missives being ignored,
Rory Lochmore, heir to the clan chief, is on the way to confront the leader of
the McCrieffs. Fully expecting to meet resistance, Rory is deeply disturbed by
the lack of it.
Rory has spent all his life trying to prove his worth to
his father and feels that successfully handling this matter will go a long way
toward doing so. When he arrives at the McCrieff castle he is met by the chief's
second-in-command, the Tanist, as the chief is dying and invited in for a meal
instead of a battle. There he discovers that the Tanist is prepared to accede
to the king's demands, under one condition - that Rory marries his daughter,
Ailsa.
Ailsa, besides being his daughter, is also the clan's
healer and has been caring for the gravely ill chief. She is beautiful,
headstrong, and blunt, and none too happy with her father's plans. But Ailsa is
also very intelligent and loves her people, and after considering the ramifications
agrees to the marriage. When Rory's best friend is poisoned right after the
marriage announcement, she must race against time to save him and prevent
all-out war.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between
Ailsa and Rory. Ailsa is no meek and obedient miss but is keenly observant and
outspoken when she needs to be. Neither one trusts the other at first, thanks
to the long-standing feud between their clans. I thoroughly enjoyed Rory's
reactions to Ailsa's words, as he is unused to having women speak their minds
quite so freely. However, it doesn't take long for him to appreciate her
honesty and inability to beat around the bush. Rory is cautious about the
marriage, unsure of his father's reaction, and tries to keep Ailsa at a
distance. This is increasingly difficult, as the sparks between them are
impossible to ignore, and when they finally give in, the results are
incendiary. But there are obstacles that hold Ailsa and Rory slightly apart.
Rory has some deep-seated insecurities stemming from his doubts over his place
in his family. Ailsa, who is privy to some explosive secrets learned from the
previous healer, suspects that some of what she thought was myth is, in fact,
true. I ached for Rory, who hesitated to take Ailsa home, believing that his
parents disapproved. There were some tense moments upon their arrival back at
Lochmore, with a roller-coaster of emotions as secrets were finally laid to
rest. I adored Ailsa's support of Rory during this time and loved the effect it
had on him and his confidence in who he was. It was easy to see how this couple
became the legend that they were for both families through the ages.
The epilogue was written by Janice Prescott, author of
the first book in the series. It was beautifully done, bringing the story in a
full circle. The depth of emotion as Rory and Ailsa were finally reunited was incredible,
and I loved seeing how all four couples had a part in it. Lachlan and Flora's
final words were perfect.
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