Friday, August 16, 2019

3 stars-- Highland Spitfire (Highland Weddings #1) by Mary Wine

Highland Spitfire landed on my review pile a few, erm, years ago. I loved the cover -- seriously this cover has amazing covers!-- and accepted it. Then realized Mary Wine is the pen name of Dawn Ryder. Who I'd just tried and...did not like... at all. *cue the blogger groan* So it's sat on the review pile for a few years. I finally tackled it. It wasn't knock me over amazing but it wasn't so bad, either! Yay!
The Gist: Rival clans and a King's Regent who's had enough of all the fighting and killing over a stupid generations old grudge. His solution? The Laird's kids are gonna marry. They have no choice. Either they marry at that moment or he's going to slaughter both clans and be done with all of them. So....a wedding. With two very reluctant participants.
Bhaic and Ailis. Whew. I liked them... mostly. They're both headstrong, determined, resilient. They're both in a terrible position of saving everyone they love in exchange for giving up their own happiness and futures. It's hard not to have sympathy for that.

Now. The romance. When they were playing along well together they were good. They actually suited quite nicely. Things steam up and there were some feisty moments which were fun. But it was a lot to get to that point.

Now, my issues and why it wasn't fabulous. Two things to deal with the marriage. 

  • Ailis was so dang wishy washy about everything. She was doing the noble thing she'd tell herself. Saving her family. And then she'd promptly try to run away. Even though she was told if she did that everyone would be killed. :facepalm: Or I want you (she'd be all over him) and then OMG no no don't touch me!!!! 


  • And then Bhaic. He barely did anything to make sure she was okay with leaving her home and living with people who despise her clan and with it her. His family and clan were terrible to her. The staff horrible. They put her down, neglected her, spit on her, locked her in rooms, etc. She kept her head up and did her best but they were just awful and he didn't even notice. Every once in a while he'd be like oh...right...and would put someone in their place or do something kind. But for the most part he just dumped her in the castle and went about his daily life. So that bothered me.

All in all, Highland Spitfire was hard for me. It was SO much better than the other book I tried of hers so...yay! And it was lively and kept me reading so...yay! But I didn't quite believe the falling in love or would make it long term really or at least that she'd be happy at his keep with the people in his clan. I don't know. I wish things had changed between them a bit earlier on in the book so it would feel on more solid ground. Would I read another? I don't know. Maybe a library loan. But it's not one I'd be clamoring for, unfortunately.

Two hotheaded Highlanders, the offspring of feuding lairds, are tricked by the King's Regent into a desperate choice: marry or die. Bhaic MacPherson is more disposed to lead his clan into battle than stay married to the daughter of his enemy. But perhaps the intensity of his feelings has more to do with desire than hostility.

And the Highlands ignite
Ailis Robertson wanted a husband, not a savage-but when her family was faced with a deadly ultimatum, she had no choice. The union of a MacPherson and a Robertson could end three generations of hostilities between the two families, but can bitter rivals truly become lovers?

Amazon | Goodreads | Wine on HCBS
*covers link to Amazon


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