Summary from Goodreads:
"Widowed and forced to
remarry in three years' time or forfeit her son's inheritance, Daisy
Bristol, Lady Chatwick, has plenty of suitors vying for her hand and her
fortune. But a letter from a long-lost love sends Daisy and her young
son to her Scottish Highland estate to buy time for his return. Along
the way she encounters the powerful Cailean Mackenzie, laird of
Arrandale and a notorious smuggler, and she is utterly and unwillingly
bewitched.
Cailean has no use for any Sassenach in his glen. But
Daisy's brazen, flirtatious nature and alluring beauty intrigue him.
When her first love appears unexpectedly at her estate, Cailean knows
that a passionate woman like Daisy cannot marry this man. And to prevent
the union, Cailean must put his own life at risk to win her heart."
My Thoughts:
I am so glad that I picked this book up and finally gave this author a try! I've got numerous books by Julia London on my TBR list but this is actually my first book by her. It won't be my last though as I really enjoyed this book. This series is titled The Highland Grooms series and I can honestly say that I haven't read a lot of highlander books. Why not though? This book had everything that I enjoy in a good historical romance including that feeling of just being swept away to another time and place. I loved how easily I was able to immerse myself in this world where a widow is being forced to marry in order to not lose her son's inheritance. Something that doesn't seem possible nowadays but back then was probably the norm. Crazy! I felt for Daisy so much because of all the struggles that she had to deal with because of this. She couldn't trust any of the men that paid attention to her in any way without wondering if they were just trying to get at her money. It was just sad and it was a reminder on how lucky I am.
I haven't even talked about how much I loved the relationship that developed between Daisy and Cailean yet. Oh goodness but I adored them together so much! Daisy especially was a character near and dear to my heart because she was so strong willed. She did what she wanted and didn't apologize ever for who she was. I especially loved this about her but I also appreciated how comfortable that she was with her sexuality. She was a widow and never pretended to be some innocent who didn't know her own wants or desires. What a refreshing change of pace from the historical romances with virginal heroines or those who need the hero to bring about their sexual awakening. I just liked everything about Daisy's character and then you add in a strong hero like Cailean and it equaled perfection. I also really liked the fact that I didn't know how their happy ever after was going to happen. The author did a really amazing job of creating realistic obstacles to their happiness- there was a point where I didn't see how it could possibly work itself all out. The ending of this book was just perfect though and I was sad to see it end. What a great romance and great read!
Overall, I obviously really enjoyed this book and am left ready for more. Luckily I have the next book ready for me on my Kindle so I won't wait too long before continuing on. I'm also lucky enough to have many more books by this author to look forward to so I'm excited about that. This was the perfect change of pace in between the mysteries and thrillers that I've been reading. I really loved every minute of it! I would recommend this book to both romance and historical romance fans alike. If strong heroines are your romance cat-nip then definitely give this book a try!
Bottom Line: A wonderful read and I want more books just like this!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley as part of a TLC Book Tour.
I just read one of Julia London's books! A different one though. This one sounds good too.
ReplyDeleteStrong heroines are a great draw for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being a part of the tour!