Aoife MacArthur is a beauty and a prize, an heiress who wants to marry for love—but her father has arranged her marriage to Nigel Armstrong, the oldest son and heir of the Hawk of Inverfyre. One look confirms that Nigel will never possess her heart—although his cousin, Ross of Kinfairlie, is another matter. Aoife knows she cannot escape her fate, but yearns for one last adventure: she will flee … flee Inverfyre and hope that Ross will be sent in pursuit. She tells herself that one kiss will be sufficient…
Ross Lammergeier is a mercenary with a blade for hire, for he has not the coin to claim a bride. When his cousin’s betrothed flees, he lends chase, for the Hawk of Inverfyre trained him. Ross suspects that Nigel’s betrothed plays a game, but Aoife’s ploy is dangerous—for the treacherous MacLaren clan, always seeking to undermine Inverfyre, take her captive. In the course of rescuing Aoife and ensuring her safety, Ross finds himself captivated by the fierce and beautiful maiden. When they both surrender to temptation, their futures are changed—not least by the surprise attack of the MacLaren clan. How much will Ross surrender to guarantee Aoife’s safety? And how much will Aoife give to protect the man who has captured her heart?
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This is an excellent, well-written book. The heroine is smart and sassy, though a bit impulsive, and the hero is strong and honorable. There was humor, romance and action throughout. I highly recommend this book, this series and this author. I am already eager to read the next book (once it is written).
This is the first full-length installment we’ve had from Delacroix that links back to the True Love Brides and the Jewels of Kinfairlie series (there is a winter novella that starts this series). Needless to say, I was super excited to return. Finally, Ross Lammergeier gets his story.
I’ll admit, when the blurb first came out, I was a bit disappointed. I’m not a fan of stories with “intrepid” heroines who do foolish things in the name of independence and spunk. However, Delacroix rarely disappoints and usually has lovely characters so I dove in with enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the heroine does do something foolish at the beginning of the novel which sets up the rest of the plot. Now, it should be noted the heroine is only 18. I went with this and allowed for a final impulsive choice at her age and was impressed with the rest of the novel and how Aiofe (pronounced EE-fa) grew up to know her own mind, recognize her foolish initial choice, and then make subsequent brave and intelligent choices to get herself back on the right path through the course of the novel. If you are on the fence about this book because of the heroine’s “test” as mentioned in the blurb, don’t be. It does play out as the blurb says, but then the story evolves in a satisfying way that is ripe with Delacroix’s signature chivalry, adventure, intrigue, unexpected heroes, strong heroines, and deep-rooted family loyalty.
In this tale, Aiofe is betrothed to the Hawk’s eldest son and heir, Nigel, who is an honorable man, but has a very stunted view of women and their strength, completely unlike his father (I see room for an eye-opening experience in his future). Aiofe recognizes Nigel’s shortcomings (though he is not cruel, has a sense of justice, and would treat her well) and decides to have one grand adventure before she is wed. She sneaks out of Inverfyre, unaware of the rebels in the forest, and soon regrets her choice. Ross is attracted to Aoife from the beginning and knows he needs to keep his distance. However, upon seeing her sneaking out of the keep at dawn, he follows to keep her safe and soon is pulled into a quest to rout the rebels and try to stay alive.
After her initial mistake, Aoife proves to be a resourceful, brave woman who does whatever it takes to protect those she cares about, see justice done, and learn the art of healing to meet her ultimate goal of being desired for more than just her beauty (which fades) and her womb (which may not be fruitful). It was an interesting way to portray a heroine’s free thinking and one that fit in with the mores of the time. While I think she was allowed more leeway than most women of the time, Kinfairlie and Inverfyre have been set-up with strong women at the core and Aoife fit right in. Ross had seen a lot of the world and only a woman who constantly challenged him and always worked to rescue herself would keep him enthralled.
Anyway, there are secrets of the past, an ambiguous villain with a crossbow (who I think will be a hero someday), monks, poisons, chases through the forest, and an EPIC wedding scene where all the siblings from the previous series gathered. For those who loved those series, you will love the ending. It was so nice to see how everyone fared through the eyes of Aoife. It was such fun.
Overall, this was a fun story and one I heartily recommend. It introduced the Hawk and his family (the group at the core of this series) really well, revealed backstory that felt organic and not like an info-dump, and was well-paced. Aside from Aoife’s foolish choice at the beginning, I found her to be an enjoyable character who knew what she wanted and fought with all she had to find love and a hopeful future for herself. Ross was as honorable and charming as I had hoped. He had faith in Aiofe from the beginning and encouraged her to be herself. He was a strong beta hero who reminded me often of Malcolm in his care of women and his strong code of honor.
An excellent addition to this new series with a set-up for the next book which I cannot wait to get my hands on.
I received this book from the author. All opinions in this review are my own. I appreciate the opportunity to review!
This is quite the chase through the wilds of Scotland. While Aoife wants to test the man she is betrothed to marry, she secretly hope that Ross will be the one to track her down. Of course she gets into more trouble than she bargained for when she encounters outlaws in the forest. This might be more than even the well-trained warrior Ross can handle, but he’s duty-bound to retrieve the lovely Aoife for his cousin.
I like the writing style, which lets you imagine you are back in medieval times with the lords and ladies of Inverfyre. There is plenty of action and romance, too. This is a great addition to the series.
This is Ms. Delacroix’s best Lammergeier novel yet!
Ross Lammergeier is the youngest son of the Kinfairlie clan. Ross has seen too much of war and returns to his foster home of Iverfrye. He has returned to ask his uncle, The Hawk of Iverfrye, for employment. His arrival coincides with the arrival of a small party from the Isles of Islay.
The Hawk has no positions to offer Ross, but requests that Ross stay for a while. In the meantime, The Hawk and his new guest agree to a betrothal of Aiofe MacNeill to Nigel Armstrong, the Hawk’s son. Nigel and Aiofe do not get along. Nigel is looking for someone meek and mild. Aiofe is looking for someone strong with honor.
At the betrothal celebration Aiofe decides to test Nigel’s meddle by leaving Iverfrye in the hopes that Nigel will follow.
Ross followed instead. There are several dangerous conflicts during their adventures in trying to return to Iverfrye. All the while Ross is trying to deter Aiofe’s feeling for him while extolling Nigel’s attributes and fighting his own feelings for her.
There are many twists and turns along the way to finding love and keeping their honor. It was wonderful to see all of Ross’s family.