Training men to be ruthless soldiers is a skill at which Highlander Teàrlach MacGregor excels. He can kill three men with nothing but a sword and a couple of daggers. After he rescues a ward of the king, the beautiful Lady Madeline Crawford, the fierce warrior begins to yearn for a cottage of his own in the Highlands, with the sweet, delicate Madeline as the mother of his bairns. Madeline begins …
Madeline begins to see a side of Teàrlach that nobody else has witnessed. The strong silent Highlander takes her to her first fair, teaches her to read, and bestows upon her a passionate kiss—her very first. But Madeline is informed that she is betrothed to another with the blessing of the king, making her and Teàrlach’s love forbidden.
Teàrlach, the famed fighter, vows to make Madeline his even if that means bringing down her corrupt warden, and Madeline knows that she must defy the king if she hopes to claim her Highlander.
Each book in the Ladies of Scotland series is a STANDALONE story that can be enjoyed out of order.
Books in the series
An Earl for the Archeress
The Maiden’s Defender
more
This was the first time I can remember reading a Medieval Romance and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It features my favorite romance novel guy – a swoon-worthy protective hero. Who doesn’t love a sexy highlander?
Madeline is an uneducated yet smart and strong heroine. She started out as fairly meek and with good reason. Her father was a brute who oppressed her horribly and refused to let her learn to read. She was illiterate through no fault of her own, but she was also inquisitive and highly intelligent.
The hero, Tearlach, recognizes and admires her intelligence. He even teaches her to read. How swoon-worthy is that??
Madeline certainly came into her own at the end, which I really loved. Naturally, women were supposed to be meek and mild in that time period, but Madeline proved she was no shrinking violet when it came to choosing her own destiny.
Enjoyable sweeping romance from beginning to end. Highly recommended.
The Maiden’s Defender by E. Elizabeth Watson
Ladies of Scotland #2
Madeline Crawford is a mouse…a mouse that has learned to creep around without incurring the wrath of her father. She is nothing like her stronger sister who appeared in book one of this series. Well, Madeline finds herself as the ward of the king with Lord DeMoreville the man in charge of taking care of her and he is a no good rotten scoundrel…to say the least. On her eighteenth birthday she is out and about enjoying the countryside when she takes a tumble and Teàrlach MacGregor comes to her rescue. The two knew one another in the past when he was working for her father but a new phase in their lives begins when they meet again. With Teàrlach on his way to DeMoreville’s stronghold and having seen the needs of Madeline he is appalled to find out what his new boss is actually up to.
This story has a man who is a fourth son with nothing he feels he has to offer, a woman that is browbeaten but with a dowry, an evil man pulling strings, romance, separation, loss and an eventual HEA for the two. Madeline grows as the story progresses moving from mouse to more and Teàrlach…well…he finally wises up but it takes a bit longer than it should have, in my opinion.
Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.
3-4 Stars
Can a strong ruthless warrior and a sweet, naive lady come together? Tearlach MacGregor is more use to training men to be fighters than helping rescue a maiden, Lady Madeline Crawford. His last employer was her father and Tearlach has always admired her, but never felt he had a chance due to him being just a fourth son. Madeline’s father has been taken to prison for treason and she is in the care of laid Henry de Moreville who happens to be Tearlach’s new employer. He now becomes her protector with the hope he can stay close to her and possibly have a relationship. This is an emotional story on so many levels. Madeline has been brought up in an abusive household and does not speak up for herself. Now she is waiting for the King to determine who she will marry, Tearlach is honor bound almost to excess but with the two thrown together, a friendship and so much more has a chance to flourish. Loved this story and their long journey to finding happiness. Turning the last page only made me want to read more by this author!