Hard-Hearted Highlander by Julia London (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"An ill-fated elopement cost English-born governess Bernadette Kent her reputation, her fickle lover and any chance of a future match. She has nothing left to fear—not even the bitter, dangerously handsome Scot due to marry her young charge. Naive wallflower Avaline is terrified to wed Rabbie Mackenzie, but if he sends her home, she will be ruined. Bernadette's solution: convince Rabbie to get Avaline to cry off while ignoring her own traitorous attraction to him.

A forced engagement to an Englishwoman is a hard pill for any Scot to swallow. It's even worse when the fiancee in question is a delicate, foolish young miss unlike her spirited, quick-witted governess. Sparring with Bernadette brings passion and light back to Rabbie's life after the failed Jacobite uprising. His clan's future depends upon his match to another, but how can any Highlander forsake a love that stirs his heart and soul?"

My Thoughts:

I am officially sold on this author and her books!  Earlier this year I read and enjoyed Sinful Scottish Laird so I jumped at the chance to read this one.  This book was just as good and a delight to read!  I have to say that I love how this author put her characters in next to impossible situations.  From the very beginning of this book, I couldn't see how things would ever be able to work out for the hero and heroine.  This makes for an interesting reading experience as this is always in the back of my head.  I didn't read the above summary before starting this book so I honestly didn't know what to expect.  What I got was a much more tragic and brooding hero than I expected.  Rabbie wasn't very likeable at the beginning of the book even though you began to understand why as the reader.  I loved the fact that Bernadette didn't try whatsoever to pretend like the way he was behaving was okay.  She didn't cut him any slack at all and it was fun to watch them hate each other (especially knowing that at some point this would all change).  

Although they didn't like each other in the beginning, the best parts of the book were when Rabbie and Bernadette's relationship started to change.  I adore a good romance and this is exactly what this book had.  I wanted everything to work out for these two even if I was wondering how it possibly could.  It definitely kept me reading which hasn't always been the case this year.  I seem to be so easily distracted by everything else but I wasn't while reading this one.  I also appreciated the fact that there weren't always easy answers.  The author keeps true with the story lines that she sets up and I appreciate that.  I finished this book with a smile on my face which should tell you enough about how I felt about this book.  I absolutely cannot wait to read more by this author!

Overall, this was a really great romance and I'm super excited to have found this author!  I am so excited to see what else she has written - I believe there is a first book in this series that I need to get my hands on.  Books like this remind me of why I enjoy romance so much.  I need to read more of it because it was the perfect change of pace to all of the mysteries and thrillers that I usually read.  I would recommend this book (and Sinful Scottish Laird) to historical romance readers and romance readers alike.  It was a really great read and one that I enjoyed immensely!

Bottom Line:  A delightful read of an author that I can't wait to read more of!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley as part of a TLC book tour.