The Warrior's Bride (Lairds Of The Loch #3)
by Amanda Scott
Blurb:
MAN ON A MISSION
Robert
MacAulay, heir to the influential Baron of Ardincaple, will risk everything to
help his father and his clan. But when Rob becomes involved in a legal tempest
stirred by an irresistibly maddening lady, his mission is threatened before it
begins . . .
RECKLESS LADY
Lady
Muriella MacFarlan is impulsive, mercurial, and sometimes illogical. She is a
spinner, not just of yarns and threads but also of stories. She can gild the
lily or tell a half-truth. When her active imagination lands her in the suds,
she's forced to turn to the ever truthful and blunt-spoken Rob for help. Their
destinies now entwined, Rob and Muriella may discover that love is one truth
that cannot be denied . . .
Themes: Historical,
Highlands
Rating: 3 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
The Lairds of the Loch have finally all found
their loves and everyone is back where they belong. The series has been interesting and full of
drama, with love, danger, and action driving each individual story and the
overall trilogy arc as well. I have enjoyed the series to this point and was
glad to see everyone find their HEAs and an overall happy ending for everyone
in the area of the Loch. Scott has a unique writing style and I have enjoyed
reading her stories about these three sisters and the special powers that they
use to keep themselves and their family safe. The stories of these three
amazing sisters have kept my interest and the vivid imagery and details of the
land they call home make me feel like I was able to travel these beautiful
lands with them. I’m not sure I would
pick up another Scott series right away, because they are very intense, but
Murie’s story did at least have some levity as she fumbled her way into a
marriage and ultimately into love.
The
story revolves around the impulsive actions of Muriella, actions that ultimately
land her in some serious hot water. She
is determined to live her life differently that other noblewomen of her day—she
wants to be a story teller. She has dedicated herself to learning and sharing
the stories of her clan and others, but her imagination and tempestuousness
often leads her into dangerous situations. When she encounters Rob on one such spontaneous
outing she is immediately angry that he sends her home, tattling on her to her
father, and getting her punished.
Deciding to get payback, she sets out to seduce him just to plan to turn
him away, but her plan goes awry big-time when she is kidnapped by their
long-time foe Dougal, son of the man that usurped her father’s lairdship two
decades before. During the ensuing
madness of Murie’s rescue she suddenly finds herself bound to Rob in matrimony
and neither of them can escape those consequences. As they work to overcome
their differences and build a marriage, trouble is lurking around the corner
and only by working together can everything come to a happy ending.
Rob
was a pretty decent guy, one with his own unique ideas about being noble and
living his life to the best. He is a
strong willed man, always willing to jump in and help someone, but he keeps
himself from others and lives a very private life. His mother is a master manipulator, his past
is disheartening when it comes to love, and his future looks to be bleak, but
he never gives in and always fulfills his responsibilities. He tries to deny any desire for Murie,
working hard to see her as just the annoying young girl he always has, but it
is obvious she has grown physically, if not always obviously in maturity. When he pushes her away he never imagines he
will be pushing her into such a dangerous situation, so he immediately sets out
to rescue her and make up for his mistake. Murie on the other hand has very
little regard for the penalties for her mistakes; she has her parents wrapped
around her finger, so even when they punish her it’s never very severe, she always
seems to come out of every mess just fine.
Faced with a man who demands she grow-up, Murie is infuriated that she
can’t charm or cajole her way out of trouble.
Kidnapping never seemed like a possible consequence and certainly not
being tried for a crime she never could have even committed. Luckily Rob is
able to save her in time, but now she has a new sentence to fulfill, one that
will last a lifetime, being Rob’s wife.
Seeing them interacting was interesting, with Rob’s taciturn nature and
Murie's sunny charm, each characteristic bleeding over onto the other, they find a balance
that will make them a happy and strong couple for life. They also worked well together, ruling their
people, thwarting dastardly deeds, and ultimately returning her father to his
rightful place in their clan.
The
ending to this trilogy was chock-full of strange and unlikely circumstances,
events that were dangerous and difficult to escape, and even a bit of hilarity. The “courtship” between Rob and Murie was
certainly unorthodox but a laugh riot to be sure, with desire and disagreement,
and attempts by those around them to manipulate both Rob and Murie for their
own desires. Ultimately I think they were a good match, complementing one
another, while having enough differences to incite passion and desire, but not
cause any true rifts between them. It
was amazing to see Murie helping the men in her life as they worked to return
her father to his place in the clan, and seeing her addressing the King was
entertaining as well. I liked the story
all together, and taken with the others in the trilogy, but I can’t say I was
blown away by the romance of the story (or the trilogy for that matter). The historical and dramatic angles of the
story were intriguing, the interactions between families and clans enlightening,
and it was good to see men with open minds accepting the sisters as they truly
were, but I never felt a true connection to any of the couples’ romances and I
was missing that bit of spark.
Personally I didn’t love the series, but I did like reading the stories
very much, and the secondary characters and their antics were enough to keep me
interested, so I say give the series a shot for yourself and see how you
feel. The writing is good, the
characters are fascinating, and the drama of the Clan MacFarlan is enough to
keep me reading, but if you’re looking for a hot or steamy historical, you
might not find what you’re looking for here.
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