An unexpected wife, an unexpected turn

Synopsis

The laird’s bridal bid…

Is love too high a price to pay?

When new laird, Ewan Stewart, comes across a wife for sale at a market, he outbids everyone to rescue her. He never intended for Catriona to become his bride, but a convenient marriage could secure his clan’s future and her freedom. They agree that their arrangement must stay free of love, yet Catriona’s bravery and fire intrigue him. Can Ewan resist falling for his wife—the one rule he must not break?

My review

Ewan Stewart has just recently become laird. He is still trying to find his own way to be laird, but feels the pressure of the Elders. Especially as they want him to marry to secure his clan’s future. However, he does not want to rush into a marriage, with him believing that love will only end in hurt. But when he comes across a wife for sale at a market, inexplicably he feels the rush to rescue her. And perhaps this convenient marriage to Catriona may be the perfect answer. Catriona agrees to the arrangement and to keep everything free of love. But the more Catriona shows her strength and fire, the more Ewan is attracted to her… will the arrangement stand? Or will their attraction and feelings prevail? 

This may seem like an easy, fun book to read, but the more I got to know the characters, the more I sensed that this was more than the typical Highlander Romance. 

First of all, we have a heroine who despite what she has been through lately, is a strong woman, fighting for her freedom. And her fierceness is something I admired, especially after learning how her past is a mystery to her.
Catriona made the best of how the cards had turned for her. No matter how much she had endured, each event she turned into a life lesson, making her realize that the most important was for her was to gain her freedom. 

But she also has good people skills. She sees how people truly are within the blink of an eye, and easily understands the dynamic between people. And that for sure came in handy for Ewan and his wish to be a good laird. 

It’s crystal-clear that Ewan is one of the good guys. Not everyone would buy a woman at a market, but he sees that Catriona is a victim, and he wants to help her. He also shows his great character in wanting to be a good laird, not too tyrannical but also not too soft. And we see him struggling finding not only the right balance, but also showing the clan that he is worthy of being their Laird. And having endured a previous heart – break made the readers understand why Ewan choses to refuse to fall in love again.  

I loved reading how these two characters started to warm towards each other, despite their clear arrangement of not letting any feelings grow. Of course that plan was doomed to fail! And seeing how their own strength strengthened each other was amazing. 

The author surprised with a twist that I didn’t see coming. And while I was glad that a few questions got answered, it was also frustrating to see how this beloved couple were not nearly reaching their happy end… 

This is a part of a series, but can be perfectly be read as a standalone. But having read the previous book, it would help to immediately like a few side characters, who come back in this story after having had their own tale to tell.
For me, this was the best story of the series, as I felt that the roles were switched, as we have a strong female character, wanting nothing more than just to be free to do how she pleases. And then we have a male character, who is obviously also strong, but is still trying to find his own feet, trying to be himself but not showing any weakness. 

Maybe, my only point of criticism (if we can call it like that) was that I had to consult my good friend Google to figure out the amount that Catriona was sold for. I did not have a clue if that guinea was a big amount or not! 😊  

This was a lovely story, with that little more, making it more exiting for the readers to keep turning the pages!