Can kindred spirits find each other despite society’s standards?

Synopsis

There’s a new Laird in town

Will he leave with a wife?

Angus MacDonald has just arrived in London to reclaim his land when he rescues Lady Isabella Wood from a cattle stampede! Their instant attraction is undeniable, but Isabella must wed this Season and Angus isn’t looking for a bride. His wild Hebridean home is a world away from London Society, so Isabella is completely out-of-bounds. Even if their connection is unlike anything he’s felt before.

My review

Isabella may be a Lady in name, but she has her own opinion over Society’s rules. She enjoys more a walk in the park, feeling free and talking to whomever she wants than attending balls and acting all posh.
Even when her own brother tells Isabella that she must marry before the end of the Season, she hopes that even if she really doesn’t want to marry, she can marry out of love.
But the eligible candidates don’t make her heart beat faster… there is only one man who has that effect on her, and of course he is off limits, as Angus MacDonald is a Scottish Highlander trying to reclaim his land, owned by Isabella’s brother…
And Angus is absolutely not looking for a wife, and for sure not in London!
Isabella’s and Angus’ worlds couldn’t be more apart, but since Angus rescued Isabella from a cattle stampede, their attraction and connection couldn’t be any more stronger.

I like it when there is a new chapter in a series I loved. And I can appreciate the efforts the author makes with linking the previous book with her new one, but also allowing ‘new’ readers to enjoy this book even without having read the previous book.
And this was for sure the case in this book! There are a few references to ‘A Laird For The Governess’, but you can perfectly read this story as a standalone.

It’s no secret that even if a little bit predictable, I truly enjoy reading these kind of books. And when in a case like this one, there are so lovable characters, my enjoyment was even bigger!

Living in the 21st century myself, I can only try to imagine how difficult life was for women in the Regency era. We all know that women weren’t as entitled as we are now, and that they had to follow whatever the male members of the family requested.
And things aren’t that different for Isabella, as she has to do as her brother Freddy tells her to.
But I liked it how Isabella wasn’t a sheep following the herd. She has a mind of her own, and doesn’t just accept the rules Society has. She sees people for who they are, and not what their lineage is.

Despite her status, I kept seeing Isabella as a normal young woman, that yes, has her own opinion over several things, but in the end just wants the same as us: to be happy, marry for love and to do what *she* wants to do and not because it’s expected from her.

And I saw the same in Angus. Yes, he is a Highlander also with a certain status. But his greatest wish is not a selfish one, but one for ‘his people’.
It’s obvious from every page that he cares about the people at home. But he is also protective, not only towards his sister Eilidh, but when he sees a danger he isn’t afraid to put himself in its line to protect someone else.

But Angus is also a very perceptive man. He knows how the Londoners see him, unjustified as someone ‘lesser’ than them. And while it would have been easier for him to react to this injustice, he ignores it, and at moments even better, he uses their prejudice in his own advantage!

Obviously there are some leery characters, of which some are more easily to forgive than others, and even put in place by someone unexpected, which made me laugh.

Even if the focus in this book is on Isabella and Angus, there is one (potential?) couple that piqued my interest.
And that is because both Max and Eilidh (Isabella’s brother and Angus’ sister respectively) are also so easy to like. The most I  liked it how Max learned to take his own life in hands, and not living with the thought of ‘just being a spare’.
But their presence in this book made me long to read their own story in more detail!

I just loved how two different people have yet so much in common. And obviously I found it great to read how despite their efforts to stay clear from each other, they keep on being drawn to each other, it’s just stronger then themselves!

And that fact is something that we all should keep in mind, in Regency era or the 21st century… Because no matter how different someone may seem, they may surprise us with what we do have in common, more than expected.
And those similarities are what matters, because the common ground can be the start where deeper feelings can grow…
And that takes away the predictability of the story, and turns it into something more heartfelt…