When married by obligation to the King, can an alliance be found against a traitor?

Synopsis

Stirling Castle, 1498

Visiting court for the first time since her father’s death, Lady Avelina Gordon finds herself drawn to the handsome warrior, Sir Lachlan MacNair. But as a woman who has seen too many of her friends lose everything for ‘love’, she keeps her heart guarded.

Castle Berradane, 1502

Lady Avelina is unceremoniously told to expect her new husband within the month. The man in question: Sir Lachlan.

Lachlan arrives in Berradane carrying his own secret, and a determination to control his heart. As attraction builds between the couple, they find themselves under attack and fearful of a traitor in their midst.

Can the teamwork they’ve shown in adversity so far pull them through one final test, and will they find the strength to risk their hearts, as well as their lives?

My review

Ever since the death of her father is Lady Avelina responsible for Berradane and its inhabitants. But when the King lets her be told to expect her new husband, Avelina is not ready to just hand over her power. Even if her husband – to – be is Sir Lachlan MacNair, a warrior she has been drawn to a few years ago. But with her heart well locked away, determined to never lose everything she has for ‘love’, she will allow Lachlan in her home, but not more.
However, Lachlan is carrying his own secrets, and while he never forgot the beautiful Lady he got literally entangled with years ago, he will control his own heart.
Despite their attraction, the newlyweds find it often hard to find common ground. That is until there is the threat of a traitor amongst them.
Now Avelina and Lachlan must join forces for the sake of not only Berradane, but also for their own sakes, as their hearts are more at risk than ever… 

I always enjoy reading stories where the main characters have an instant attraction towards each other, but are finding more things to disagree over than just admitting their feelings. Because I love to see how heart always wins over mind. You can fight all you want, in the end it’s the heart that wins. 

So in this book, it was great to see the initial attraction, but how both Avelina and Lachlan do not act upon them.
It takes years and sporadic visits where nothing truly happens, until the inevitable happens. And who are they to disagree with the King himself? 

I found Avelina a very strong woman, despite the era she is living in. It is not evident for a Lady to have a say over how to rule their homes, yet there she is, showing that women are just as equally capable of doing so.
She shows that she doesn’t need a man in her life.
And obviously when she is ‘forced’ to marry Lachlan, she won’t give up what she has fought so hard to gain. 

Yet it also saddened me to see how lonely she was. Yes, she has her servants, of which a few are even more friends than merely servants. But she doesn’t have someone to truly confide in, to share her worries with.
And I felt even more sorry for her beliefs that love would make you lose everything. 

In that aspect, it was funny to see how she keeps her distance with Lachlan, how she keeps challenging his propositions and suggestions. 

While it has to be said, Lachlan does it all with the best intentions. But how can you gain your wife’s trust when the marriage is an arranged one and you barely know each other? 

Lachlan is the kind of warrior I think every woman would dream of. He is strong, fierce, fearless. But he is also kind, gentle, understanding and patient.
He knows what he feels for Avelina, and while he also sees her attraction towards him, he won’t cross any boundary, he takes his time with her, he wants her to get to know him and the other way around. 

The clashing between this couple was rather funny, in a bit of a mean way. Their stubbornness at moments was just too funny for not laughing at it.
But we also see slowly how trust is being gained, even if their true feelings are still well hidden. 

The attack of Berradane is of course not a complete surprise, and even the traitor wasn’t a that shocking revelation at all.
And for readers the outcome wasn’t one we didn’t see coming, yet it was great to see how forces were joined by Avelina and her people and Lachlan and his fellow – warriors. It shows that both characters truly care about the people of Berradane and are ready to put their own differences aside for the greater good. 

This was a lovely story to read, about two characters that are afraid of allowing love in their hearts. But with time they realize that fighting against love is in vain, and that fighting together against a real enemy can make them understand that love is worth the fight (literally and figuratively speaking).