ARC Review: Highland Renegade (Children of the Mist #1) by Cynthia Breeding
10:00
Series: Children of the Mist #1
Author: Cynthia Breeding
Published September 21st 2020 by Entangled: Amara
Goodreads Synopsis
Emily, the Dowager Countess of Woodhaven, has received title to lands in the Highlands—MacGregor lands—and after surviving an abusive marriage, she’s determined to make a new start...without a man. She just has to win over the handsome Scottish laird whose family has lived there for centuries. How hard could it be?
When Ian MacGregor heard that the Sassenach countess was actually laying claim to his lands, he figured to scare the aging widow away by showing her the hardships of living in the Highlands. She’d leave before the first snowflake fell. But he never imagined that the widow was young and beautiful and more territorial than a she-wolf. No matter, he’ll prove that a fragile, London woman like her would never survive life without her servants…and if he happens to give her the coldest and most remote rooms, all the better.
Despite his best efforts to freeze her out, things between them heat up. But Highlanders hate the Sassenach, so Ian faces a dire choice—his clan or the irresistible English aristocrat who seems to have taken not only his lands, but also his heart.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
After marrying young following the deaths of her parents, and suffering in her marriage, Lady Emily Caldwell, Dowager Countess of Woodhaven, finally has found her feet again. Left basically penniless because of her dissolute husband, she and her younger sisters have been given a life line, when the king grants her the estate of the proscribed MacGregor clan, Castle Strae. However, when she and sisters, Juliana and Lorelei, arrive at the estate, it's clear that the MacGregor family, and especially their laird, Ian, were not expecting a young widow, nor two younger sisters, and 5 carriages full of belongings. The MacGregors are a proud clan, and though proscribed, they are hoping the former Prime Minister, Lord Bute, will be able to petition the king for them to have their rights restored. Having a group of Sassenach women come to their land, their home, claiming to own it all, and want to be involved, is hard for them, but Ian is finding it doubly difficult, with how attracted he is to Emily. And Emily is facing the same struggle too, but also her marriage has made her want to ensure she never comes under a man's 'protection' again. But when it seems Emily is at risk, and someone is actively trying to kill her, will she relent, and allow Ian to keep her safe?
I've had this book on my NG shelf for a while, and kept forgetting about it, until I was approved for book 2, and decided to spend the bank holiday weekend reading them back to back. I really enjoyed it too. Both of the main characters, Emily and Ian, had their backstories so well thought out, and reading their chapters was fantastic. Neither of them were expecting the other when they arrived, nor were they expecting the attraction between them either. I loved how both of the characters, strong willed in their own right, never gave up too much of themselves for the other, but still grew and developed, in a positive way. The dynamic of the clan, and the three Sassenach women who descend on them, was a joy to read, and seeing the banter between them all - but especially Juliana and Rory (who will be the protagonists of book 2) - and the sense of found family that grew as the book progressed, made the book wholly enjoyable.
The added sense of mystery and danger surrounding the death of Ian's stepmother all those years ago, the capture of Devon by the dragoons, and who was out to get Emily, kept us on our toes, and I honestly hadn't guessed at who the culprit was. It was woven so exquisitely into the fabric of the main plot, the recovery of MacGregor name and land, that it just improved the entire story no end. I'm so glad I've read this book now, and can't wait to read Highland Hero asap!
Dates Read:
May 29-30, 2021
Rating
4 Stars
Dates Read:
May 29-30, 2021
Rating
4 Stars
0 comments