A Tartan Love (The Earls of Cairnfell #1) by Nichole Van
Lady Isla Kinsey knows that the animosity between her family, the Dukedom of Grayburn, and their distant kinsmen, the Earldom of Northcairn, is the stuff of legends—six generations of duels fought, ladies ruined, and gentlemen betrayed. Therefore, falling in love with a son of the enemy house would be, in a word, apocalyptic. So when Captain Tavish Balfour, second son of the Earl of Northcairn, returns home after Waterloo—distressingly handsome with eyes that see straight into her soul—Lady Isla is determined to resist his allure. She will not fall in love with the rogue . . . uh-hum, again.
Granted, the not-falling-in-love part would be a tad bit easier if Isla and Tavish weren’t already married.
Captain Tavish Balfour has cashed out of his military commission and is ready to start a new life far away from the Scottish Highlands of his birth. But before he sets sail into his future, there is the pesky matter of his marriage to Lady Isla Kinsey to resolve. As teenagers, in the sun-drenched warmth of a Highland summer, they tied the knot of their handfasting—an ill-advised decision he has regretted ever since. Thankfully, unlike their English neighbors, Scottish law allows for divorce in situations such as theirs.
Unfortunately for Tavish, Isla is every whit as captivating and lovely as his memories recall. As for Isla, she fears Tavish will reawaken the unconventional woman she was becoming all those years ago.
Yet even if they were to fall in love again, what could come of it? The history of acrimony between their families still casts a long shadow, and the forces that shredded their love in the past have not miraculously changed since. Can Isla and Tavish find a way to claim one another without betraying everyone and everything they love?
Review: As a teenager, Lady Isla Kinsey falls in love with the second son of the Earl of Northcairn, which is an issue because there has been a feud between their families for generations. Years later, Tavish returns home after leaving the military and comes face to face with Isla again, who is being courted by another man. The problem? They were secretly married years ago and are still legally bound to one another.
These two have a lot of unresolved angst over their parting years ago but undeniable chemistry. The teenage love story, shown in flashbacks, was sweet and I liked the secret marraige storyline. It was sweet to see her fall for him all over again now as adults. Tavish is an outstanding MMC. When Isla realizes that he has been faithful to her in every possible way all the years, they were apart, it truly touched me! I love how devoted and loyal he is to her no matter what.
The only reason I'm not rating this higher is because Isla really annoyed me. She is very wishy-washy towards Tavish and prioritizes basically anything else over love and the commitment she made to him. I feel like she doesn't deserve him. Also, the whole plotline around their years' long separation largely came down to miscommunication and unfortunate circumstances for Tavish and I wish it could have been cleared up well before it is.
I listened to this on audio, which was great with a Scottish accent. I did really like the way this ended as well as the epilogue that jumps ahead in time two years to show them where they are now.
Stars: 3.5
Comments
Post a Comment