How to Marry a Royal Highlander is exactly the kind of historical romance I enjoy the most. Stubborn ladies and hot highland lords - what's not to love?
My How to Marry a Royal Highlander review:
It's not often I read a Historical Romance that is also a Romantic Suspense! How to Marry a Royal Highlander is both, though, and I know that is part of why I enjoyed Edie's and Alec's story so much. Add to that that Edie had been in a scandal, and she had to leave London for the rest of the season, to stay away at least for the whole winter. Alec, with help of Edie's twin sister Evie's husband Wolf managed to persuade a very involved mother that the Scottish Highlands was the best place to go to make the ton forget all about Edie and her possible indiscretions.
I'm pretty sure I had already fallen in love with both Edie and Alec in How to Plan a Wedding for a Royal Spy, and getting to know both of them better cemented my feelings for them. Seeing them get to know each other, and first become aware of their own feelings towards each other - then realizing all that was at stake for them to be able to be together was a delight. But it was definitely not an easy path for either of them, especially because several people did not at all want Alec to come home and take his rightful place as the laird. Not only was the romance titillating, the characters grew in a way I hadn't suspected, and while I liked both of them at the beginning of the story, I absolutely loved them by the end.
Because of the suspense elements, there was never a dull moment, and added to that was the fact that Alec had been promised to his cousin, Donella, since he was 16 - at what time he ran away from home to see the world, and not be forced into a loveless marriage. Needless to say, his family wasn't exactly happy to see him arrive home after ten years, with an English lady and her mother in tow. This brought on several laugh out loud moments, as well as some very well done tension that made How to Marry a Royal Highlander impossible to put down.
Written in third person point of view, and in past tense, the story unfolded at a nice, even pace, with some scenes paced faster, to make the excitement more palpable. I think both historical romance fans and romance suspense fans will enjoy this installment, which can be read as a stand-alone.
Some of my favorite How to Marry a Royal Highlander quotes:
"Now, what was that ye were sayin' about my beloved homeland, lassie?" he asked as he stood next to Wolf. "Surely ye can't be thinkin' it's anything but heaven on earth."
"Oh, God," she muttered. "Please, not the brogue."
He simply laughed.
The man was ridiculously handsome - and nice when he wished to be. It made Edie feel rather gloomy, probably because she was used to men like him falling at her feet. So far, however, Gilbride seemed entirely immune to her charms.
"Ah, lassie, you can't fool me," he said, that seductive Scottish burr roughening his voice. It dragged across her nerves, making her shiver. "I'm not one of those manmilliners you lead around by the nose like docile geldings. I know very well you've been avoiding me."