According to Scottish legend, the kelpie, a magical sea creature, grants good fortune to the Isle of Caransay upon finding a bride on the sea rock. When Meg MacNeill spends one night on that rugged rock as local tradition demands, a handsome man emerges from the sea—and passion takes its course. Legend fulfilled, the mysterious man disappears.
Seven years later, Dougal Stewart, engineer and … engineer and deep sea diver, returns to the Caransay to build a lighthouse on the very rock where he washed ashore—but Baroness Strathlin is determined to stop construction. Little does Dougal realize that the barefoot island beauty he often meets is not only the mysterious baroness herself, but the girl he once loved that memorable night—and the fair-haired boy with her is his own son.
REVIEWS:
“An exquisite and magical Highland romance.” ~Booklist, *starred review
“Magic, myth and history blend to perfection…. King is a master storyteller.” ~Romantic Times Book Club
THE SCOTTISH LAIRDS, in series order
Taming the Heiress
Waking the Princess
Kissing the Countess
THE CELTIC NIGHTS, in series order
The Stone Maiden
The Swan Maiden
The Sword Maiden
Laird of the Wind
THE BORDER ROGUES, in series order
The Raven’s Wish
The Raven’s Moon
The Heather Moon
OTHER TITLES by Susan King
The Black Thorne’s Rose
ABOUT Susan King:
Susan King is the bestselling, award-winning author of 23 historical novels and novellas praised for historical accuracy, master storytelling and lyricism.
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Beautiful Water Horses and other dreams.
A young woman grew up in a simple life yet fate steps in and now she is grown and has become a rich heiress. That is Meg MacNeill life, but she also holds a deep secret about a magical night and what that brought into her life. Now like all good stories the past is going to meet the future. Dougal Stewart builds lighthouses and wants to build one on her island. What will Meg do now that Dougal is back in her life? This story set in Victorian Scotland blends the myths of the people into a story of the time. I liked the characters and their interactions. It was a romantic tale not steamy just a simple and beautiful journey to a very good ending. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery and voluntarily chose to review it.
Meg MacNeill grew up a simple Island girl who loved her quiet life but inherited from her grandfather a title that she did not want. As a Baroness she tried to stay a recluse but at the same time used her money to help others. She has her secrets that she is trying to keep safe and she ends up running into trouble because of them.
Dougal Stewart is an engineer that builds light houses. One in particular is dear to him because his family drowned in that dangerous area along with many others. Meg as her titled self the Baroness is fighting the lighthouse because she wants to keep her island the way it is. They don’t realize it but they have met before and the story unfolds a lot from there.
I liked this book. Once I finally sat down to read it I did not want to put it down because I wanted to find out what happened. I liked the two main characters and liked to see that Mr. Frederick redeemed himself enough to not be the character that you love to hate. Both Meg and Dougal are stubborn but try to be good people and do good deeds. I read this book as a standalone but I see that it is in a series. I see that the next two books we have met the guys in this book and they might be interesting to read and see how it goes.
I got this book for free to review from ebook discovery in exchange for an honest review. The opinions in this review are 100% my own
Meg and Dougal really do meet in a unique way that sets the stage for the rest of the story. I found the intrigue wrapped up in kelpie folklore to be a wonderful touch. It was easy to side with each of the characters as you experience their POV. A wonderful story with an unlikely hero in the end.
I received a free copy of this book from eBook Discovery and am voluntarily sharing my honest review.
Romance interspersed with legends and myths makes this an enjoyable story. Mistaking the washed up Dougal Stewart for a kelpie sent to her as her legendary lover from the sea, Meg MacNeill is shamed and horrified to realize that he is in fact a mere mortal. Surprisingly, all the promises associated with the legend come about, putting Meg in a position where she has control over both a huge fortune and her beloved island. When Dougal returns to the island with a commission in hand to build a lighthouse on the black rocks where he and Meg first encountered each other, he discovers that she is elusive and keeps him at a distance. Apart from the descriptions of nature on the Hebridean island, there are also interesting references to inventions that had come about at that time. The love story between the main characters develops slowly, and despite smoke and mirrors, they do eventually manage to acknowledge their prior meeting and the resulting circumstances. The romance is generally well written and comes to a happy and successful conclusion. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.
Good Story – Misleading Title
Although Meg MacNeill is a baroness and an heiress, she does not need ‘taming’ or controlling. Which is why Dougal Stewart does not make that mistake. He may argue his case and reason with her, as she does with him, but he seems to understand and respect her.
Aside from (for me) a misleading title, Taming the Heiress is a romantic and passionate story set in Victorian Scotland. Susan King is a good writer, and though a bit wordy in places, the overall story is well constructed and the characters are likable. The heroine, though raised among family who believe in mystical Celtic water creatures, is an intelligent and educated woman who has inherited a fortune and a barony from her maternal grandfather. The hero is a charming and handsome engineer who specializes in the construction of lighthouses, and he wants to erect one on her beloved island. The Scottish customs and points of history are well researched and deftly woven into the story to make it all the more believable. The happy ending is not only sweet and satisfying, it was one of my favorite parts of this interesting story.
Content 411: This book does not contain swearing, but there are some passionate kissing and mildly described sexually intimate scenes.
Disclosure: I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
I so love that warm fuzzy feeling that you get at the ending and Taming the Heiress delivers. Of course, to get there, you fall in love with the characters, share their joys, and cringe at their struggles and peril along the way. This story whimsically blends real people balancing the realities of life while respecting their cultural legends of kelpies and such. Meg is a free spirit trying to make the best of everything handed to her. Dougal is a deeply determined man constantly taking risks. When the two interact, there is always fireworks.
This is my second novel by Susan King and I happily report having a new author to gobble up her works. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery and this is my voluntary, honest review.
I LOVED this book and had to finish before retiring as I didn’t want to wait to find out the ending. So far I have enjoyed all of this author’s work and look forward to more! A little bit of sea kelpie mystery, misunderstandings, subterfuge, blackmail and hot romance! I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.
The characters were believable and engaging with a storyline that was so well-written that I read this book in one sitting!