I am a sucker for the romance, history, and mystery mix. They get me every time. And when they are well written, those authors have found a fan. I am now a fan of Margo Maguire, author of The Warrior Laird.

Set back in the 1700s, this is a story of a woman who finds herself unwanted by her own parents and siblings. Her decision to save her little sister’s life from her father makes her even more of an outcast. The final blow was her father’s decision to send her little sister away and send the defiant daughter away to be married to an old man. They underestimated her.

As she is led to her groom’s home, she manages to escape but not before meeting a laird that does more than please the eye. Her own actions bring him closer to her where they both find fulfillment of prophesies. They only have to reach the goal and stay alive in the process.

That was all very hard to say without turning it into a spoiler. But I think I succeeded. I found this a really good read. Even as an advance reader’s copy, the formatting and editing was great. This is not always the case. The story flowed smoothly with good character development. Ms. Maguire has a way of drawing the reader in. I felt like I was standing in the highlands. I could almost smell the air around the characters. Truly amazing.

I highly recommend this book. It would be great for a summer read or a romance book club. There are some minor graphic scenes of intimacy. They are short, but present. If you don’t mind skipping a page or two then go ahead and read the book. If any mention of intimacy bothers you, I sadly suggest you skip this recommendation. Though you will miss a great historical romance.

Note: I was given this book by the publisher with no expectation of a positive review.