‘The Highlander’s Unexpected Bride’ – written by Nicole Locke #BookReview @NicoleLockeNews @rararesources

When a made bet turns out to go completely differently

Synopsis

Escape to Medieval Scotland, where a Highlander searches for a bride…

Is the wife the Highlander seeks

…already by his side?

Back from battle, Hamilton of Clan Graham makes a bet with his brother to find a wife by summer’s end. So, the Scottish warrior enlists the help of his childhood friend, Beileag, to help him woo his perfect woman. But like Hamilton, Beileag has changed whilst he’s been away…and she intrigues him like never before! His focus should be on winning a bride. Yet why is Beileag all he can think about?

My review

Hamilton of Clan Graham has made a bet with his twin brother, to find a woman by the end of the summer. While Hamilton does it to push Camron to finally go after the woman he loves, he doesn’t want to lose the bet himself.
He has found the perfect woman for him, and he asks the help of his childhood friend Beileag. But what Hamilton didn’t expect is to see how Beileag has changed while he was away. And he finds himself intrigued by this woman, proving that still waters run deep…

Having read the first book concerning the Clan Graham brothers, I was very curious to read Hamilton’s part.
And while I absolutely liked reading Camron’s tale, I think that perhaps Hamilton may be my favourite of the twin brothers!

But even if Hamilton was my favourite of the two brother, I truly liked Beileag’s character.
Well, I liked her, but I also felt sorry for her.
She is a quiet character, yet nothing goes unnoticed. I felt that she wasn’t comfortable in her own skin, and her height for sure wasn’t the best of gifts that Mother Nature could give her.
Also her parents weren’t exactly the most kind and loving people.
Yet we can see obviously that Beileag is a kind and loving woman. Her siblings mean the world to her, and she is also very protective towards her friends.

I loved how free – spirited she was during the whole story. She found something that made her happy, her own world, and even if she knows that not everyone would agree with what she is doing, she won’t let anyone take it away from her.

But it was also interesting to get to know Hamilton better. Why was the bet placed? And what exactly did he truly see in his ‘perfect woman’?
While it was easy to see Hamilton as a playful person, up to mischief all the time, in this book we get the chance to get to know the real Hamilton, his fears and struggles included.
And while his choice for a wife may have seemed a superficial one, it’s clear it’s made with a purpose. And that purpose shows us an unexpected vulnerability in Hamilton.

Hamilton and Beileag are very different kind of characters, a fierce warrior and a shy young woman. Yet them together, it just works.
Despite their differences, they seem to understand each other, and when they don’t, they want to.
I found it even sweet to see how slowly they start to see each other in a different light. They get to know each other on a totally different level, and they realize that perhaps despite their differences, they also have a lot in common.

Beileag naivety concerning matters of the heart and Hamilton’s passion turn this unlikely couple into a couple with fireworks. Beileag learns that love is not something impossible and Hamilton learns that even for him there is a perfect match, even if it’s not in the form of the woman he expected it to be.

This was a great story to read, as it gives us characters that perhaps are unlikely to find something deeper with each other yet they do.
It was also a funny story somehow, seeing how sudden jealousy submerges, and making the characters understand the depth of their real feeling.