I first stumbled across this book while I was dealing with the post-covid brain fog looking for light reads in KU. I had a excellent time then, so when I saw this was being republished I thought I'd give it another go. I am happy to report this book is great fun both with and without a brain fog!

Without spoilering too much: Lady Briar and the family gardener get abducted on the way to visit a tenant family. As is the case in any decent romance novel, they fall in love along the way. If you're looking for anything resembling realism or historical accuracy, keep looking. If a wildly dramatic and entertaining historical romance is what you want, this is the one. There's kidnapping, villains, murder, unexpected inheritances, Scottish highlander and witty banter. It's not perfect, but it's really fun and I am here for it!

I loved the wild story of Briar & Wren. The contrast in social standing makes for a more individual story with some surprising twists. The connection between them was apparent from the beginning, and I think Briar’s stubborn, tenacious spirit will serve her well as a Scotswoman. She already has so much of the strong Scottish spirit. Wren is a strong, grizzly of a man in all the best ways but Briar sees through his scowls to the truth of the man underneath. Edgewood writes a wonderful cast of side characters that dig into your soul, you either love them or hate them, and in some surprising cases both! My heart broke, was mended and indeed soared. A wonderful story of an unlikely journey and a new life created. I can’t wait to read more of the Blakely Manor series, the differences between these two families and indeed their surprising commonalities make for a truly unique story in the Historical romance genre.