An English Bride in Scotland (Highland Brides, #1)

by Lynsay Sands

[Rowena]

An English Bride in Scotland is my first book by Lynsay Sands and I’m happy to report that it was an enjoyable romance with charming characters and a sweet romance between the hero and heroine. This book has an old school Julie Garwood feel to it and that was enough for me to enjoy the heck out of it.

Ross MacKay is in England to collect his bride, an engagement that his father brought about after his intended’s father saved his father’s life. He’s there to honor the promise that his father made, no matter how he feels about it.

Annabel was raised in an abbey and was just about to take her vows to become a nun when her mother rushes to the abbey to whisk Annabel away to keep a promise for her father. She’s to marry a Scotsman in her sister’s place since her sister ran away with the stableman’s son. To say that everything happened so fast, is putting it mildly since Annabel damn near got whiplash from the whirlwind that became her life once her mother came back into it.

It took only one look at Annabel for Ross to be certain that he wanted Annabel for a wife and I really loved seeing him fall head over heels in love with her. Annabel was such a sweet heroine, easy to love that it didn’t take me long at all to fall in love with her myself.

The story follows Ross as he tries to figure out who is trying to harm his wife. On their journey from England back to his home in Scotland, they have been set upon by a mysterious man who seems hellbent on something but nobody knows what. Ross and Annabel are newlyweds and they’re learning each other and Annabel is learning to live in a new place and there’s a lot here to keep the reader interested and I thought Lynsay Sands did a great job of bringing the story together.

I can’t say that this was my absolute favorite book ever but it was a sweet story that I enjoyed and I enjoyed it enough that I want to continue this series in 2018 so I just might do that. Annabel’s sister was awful and she just kept right on being awful with each passing page so that was a bummer because every time she called Annabel “Belly”, I wanted to punch her in the face. I thought the mystery surrounding the stranger that kept popping up around Annabel was pretty weak since I figured it out not very long into the story but even still, the book was fun and the romance was sweet so I didn’t mind much.

Grade: 3.75 out of 5