The Laird's Wicked Game by Jayne Castel

 

Summary (from the publisher): They could resist anything … except temptation. When a lonely laird hires a widowed lady to look after his sons, an unexpected attraction sparks between them—one that leads to a wicked, and risky, game. Dive into a delicious Highland Historical Romance set on Medieval Isle of Mull.

After Kylie Grant’s feckless husband leaves her a penniless widow, she has to return to her family in disgrace or find herself a job. Determined to make herself useful, she chooses the latter and takes a position at Dounarwyse broch on the Isle of Mull.

Rae Maclean is a powerful chieftain … but an unhappy one. After a passionless marriage, he’s sworn never to wed again. However, with his two sons running wild, he needs someone to keep them in check. Hiring the stern but lovely Kylie seems like a wise choice at the time, but from the moment she moves in, he fights a growing desire for her.

And when he discovers that, like him, Kylie has given up on love—but not sex—laird and employee embark on a sensual for the next few months, they will enjoy each other’s bodies and explore all the things they’ve both missed out on. But once spring arrives, their relationship will go back to being platonic.

They both agree to the arrangement. What could possibly go wrong?

But what begins as a game of excitement and discovery eventually takes a twist that risks breaking both their hearts.

Review: I received an advance review copy of this novel through BookSirens for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I am a sucker for historical romances and was very drawn to this one, which is a love story between a widow hired as a tutor and a lonely Scottish chieftain. I loved the Scottish Highlands setting and the fact that the author based on the setting on an island overlooking the sea. The author notes that this was based Dounarwyse Castle: "Known today as Aros Castle, Dounarwyse is a ruined 13th century castle near Salen on the Isle of Mull. The castle overlooks the Sound of Mull." I loved the historical details put into the selection and description of the setting, which added a lot of realism to the story. 

I also loved that this was a second chance romance. Both Kylie and Rae have lost spouses, but neither were deeply in love with their late spouses. Given the time period and their positions, it made perfect sense that both would have had to make marriages that were best for family alliances and position, rather than their feelings. I loved that these are two people who figured out a way to have mostly amicable marriages but yet neither have experienced true passion or emotional intimacy, so their unfolding love story still had a lot of firsts and doubts for them both!

This was the second book in a planned trilogy. I have not read book one, and I could tell there were references to bigger background stories for other characters that I didn't fully understand. However, this was standalone in that it was fully Kylie and Rae's story, and I don't think not reading book one hurt my understanding in any way. 

This novel did require some suspension of disbelief. It seemed exceedingly risky for Kylie to start a relationship with her employer and jeopardize her position. The whole business-like nature of their "agreement" also seemed a bit far-fetched. Unfortunately, I'm just not sure that a woman of that day and age would have been so interested in exploring their sexuality, especially outside the bounds of marriage. I also had a hard time accepting that her name was Kylie! That sounds like a twenty-first century name in every way. And then Rae's poor late wife was saddled with the name Donalda. But! I totally recognize that historical accuracy was NOT the point. This was an enjoyable historical romance. The point was the love story! And this novel did absolutely deliver on that front. It was steamy and I read it in just a few sittings. 

Three and a half stars rounded up to four. 

Stars: 3.5

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