An enjoyable marriage of convenience novel, the main characters in this romance are both in a desperate situation, hence a visit to Mrs Bessie Dove-Lyon. Lady Christine has made a dramatic escape, while Laird Kerrigan is desperate to save his people from starvation. An added advantage to the match is that Kerrigan can get Christine out of England and into the wilds of Scotland before her greedy uncle can find her. There is a saying that a woman does not know how strong she is until she finds herself in hot water. Certainly, Christine, who had never had to fend for herself or immerse herself in the running of a household, discovers hidden strengths she never knew she had. When the impossible happens, loyalty comes from an unexpected source, all because of the kindness shown to a stranger. I received a copy of this entertaining novel as a gift from Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

What would you do?

I was so pleased to see that Callie Hutton wrote a novella in the Lyons Den series. I really enjoyed her book about two desperate people, who put on their big boy and big girl pants and do what needs to be done. Kerrigan is a laird who needs to marry for money post haste. Christine needs to wed a man of her own choosing and to get out of Dodge.
They are wed as an ends to a means and then get to know each other in a condensed amount of time.
Recommend.

Short but sweet story of two desperate people brought together by Mrs. Dove-Lyon. The story opens as Christine prepares to escape the marriage her greedy uncle arranged for her by climbing out of her bedroom window. She flees to the Lyon's Den, where she appeals to the widow for help. She needs to marry and escape London as quickly as possible.

Laird Kerrigan Lindsay desperately needs a wealthy wife. Disease decimated the flocks of sheep his clan relies on, and he needs the funds to rebuild the flocks to save his people. There is no time to waste.

Kerrigan and Christine are practical people. When Mrs. Dove-Lyon introduces them, a few moments of conversation convinces them they will deal well with each other. As a bonus, there are already sparks of attraction. The marriage happens quickly, followed by the requisite trip to the lawyer to arrange their finances. I liked the lawyer, who was kind and efficient, and arranged a a place for them to stay for a few days. Their time is cut short when Christine's uncle tracks her down and attempts to force her to return with him. I loved Kerrigan's protectiveness.

I enjoyed their journey to Scotland. Over those few days, Kerrigan and Christine had the chance to get to know each other. The drawbacks of their characters become evident as the reader discovers that Christine has no idea what will be required of her when she takes over running his home. At the same time, Kerrigan simply assumes that Christine received the typical training of most young women. Both are in for a shock.

I loved how, despite having little idea of what to do, Christine took charge right away, quickly earning the respect of Kerrigan's clan members. Meanwhile, Kerrigan was oblivious to the difficulty he left her with when he immediately left to acquire new sheep. Though he was somewhat apologetic when he arrived home, I feel like he still didn't understand how difficult it was for her. Fortunately, Christine was forgiving, and as they worked together, their feelings for each other strengthened.

But Christine's uncle hasn't given up, and trouble comes calling. The buildup to the climax kept me glued to the pages as I waited for him to strike. I liked the twist that altered the outcome, though I thought Christine's uncle got off too easily.

The epilogue was good and a nice wrap-up to the story.

Kerrigan is desperate to save his clan after a terrible crisis with his lands and the sickened sheep.
He comes to London to find a wife.
Christine has to climb out her window to escape her uncle and his terrible scheme to marry her off to get her fortune.
Mrs Dove-Lyon comes to their rescue, they marry and escape to Scotland.
The journey and a few exciting turn of events put pressure on their new found love,
Truly enjoyable read

The perfect match arranged by Mrs. Dove-Lyon for Christina and Kerrigan. The story does a good job showing the differences and prejudices between Scotland and England yet it doesn't take over the story line. Christina is a pappered lady from England who takes control of her life and fortune by marrying a Scottish Laird. Their characters were well matched and beautifully detailed. The villain in the story was truly one you will! we to punch. And some of the secondary characters are a bit interesting. Beautifully ended with a great wrap up epilogue.

Callie Hutton creates a wonderful addition to this long-running series. Lady Christine Spencer needs a husband, now. Laird Kerrigan Lindsey needs a rich wife, now. They both approach Bessie Dove-Lyon at the Lyons Den for guidance and she creates another perfect match. BDL makes a very brief appearance in this book, but she makes a big impact. These two are perfect together. Kerrigan is as honorable as Christine is innocent and seeing their love blossom is heartwarming. An unexpected, but compassionate twist leads us to the happily ever after we always get with the Lyons Den Series.

The Lyon and the Lass by Callie Hutton
The Lyon’s Den Connected World

Another perfect match made by Mrs. Dove-Lyon sees Kerrigan and Christine find happiness together.

What I liked:
* Christine: strong, resilient, determined, hopeful, willing to do what she must, falls in love quickly with her new husband
* Kerrigan: responsible, diligent, puts his clan first, willing to marry for money, intrigued by and easily falls in love with his new wife
* Mr. Kendall: Christine’s solicitor, helpful, wise, organized
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing
* Reading work by a new-to-me author that I look forward to reading again
* That Mrs. Dove-Lyon always seems to find the perfect matches when she organizes marriages
* The way Christine quickly adapted and learned to take charge
* The change in thinking one of the characters had and how it changed his life

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Christine is on the run from her evil uncle who's trying to force her to marry one of his lecherous friends. She knows who can help her - Mrs Dove-Lyon. Kerrigan is a Scottish Lord who has been going through tough times with his clan. He needs a wife.

They end up being very well matched and marry immediately. Once they end up at his castle, Christine realizes how neglected the castle is, and how it needs someone to take charge. Even though she has no experience, she thrives as the new wife of the Laird.

Thank you to netgalley for the gift of the book. Opinions are my own.

Other than wishing this could have been a little longer there wasn't really anything I did not like about this book. The first few lines draw you in and from there I looked forward to seeing what would happen next. The Lyon's Den books that are just straight-forward matchmaking are not really my favorite, but I did not mind it here. I'm not sure if there is a word or length maximum on these stories but if there is I am glad this author focused more of the story on after the wedding rather than the wager that would have gotten the characters to the altar. It's clear pretty early on that Christine and Kerrigan are pretty much made for one another - neither tends to think through a situation fully before acting, but they both come deal with whatever life throws at them. I liked that Christine quickly recognized how little experience she had in taking care of herself but adjusted to every new situation thrown her way. The part with her taking a bath by herself for the first time was pretty humorous. I loved how she took charge and established herself in her new home - she goes from being pretty openly disrespected to someone everyone speaks well of (in a pretty short amount of time too). I'm glad that they gave Rupert a second chance, but thought her uncle got off way too easily. The epilogue does a good job of letting you know what happens with each character in a very to-the-point way.

Once again Callie Hutton entertains us with this delightful story from the Lyons Den world.
The main characters are very likeable and I feel this could be a much longer book, getting to know all the characters that make up the Laird's household.
However, as it is, it is a very enjoyable, cozy read, ideal to curl up in front of the fire with.

This is an exciting and engaging Lyon's Den love story. A runaway bride, a seam made, a Scottish Laird, a castle, a kidnapping, and so much more drama kept me very entertained. I enjoyed the beautiful love with passionate romance and the delightful ending. I highly recommend reading!

How different authors come up with different scenarios within the Lyon’s Den genre amazes me and this one is very original! I adored Christine’s refusal to be a pawn in her uncle’s game and what she goes through to stop it. Kerrigan is such a gentle, clueless giant and so lovable! The author does a wonderful job of creating believable characters. It was an hilarious scene at the wedding consummation andI was laughing as Christine realized just what Kerrigan intended her to do at the keep and watching her grow through the process was enlightening. I did feel the climax was kept too close to the end, almost felt it was very rushed, but all in all a quick, semi-steamy and lovely story to curl up with!

I received this story for free and these are my own views.

Family, Desperation, Finding Love:
Two desperate characters meet with the help of the Black Widow Mrs. Dove Lyon and a new exciting love story begins, but what does it take for a happy ever after ending?
Of course, all does not go well for the newlyweds. There is always a villain that tries to alter things in his favor.
I really loved the hunky highlander Kerrigan and the naive Christine. I really enjoyed their journey to find and discover more than love but hope and a future for clan and family. 
The conclusion has a couple of twists which I was glad to see one of them for it helped bring on a happy ending, but I really didn't care for the generosity from Kerigan and Christine that ended the story.

I enjoyed the Lyon’s Den and the match that Mrs. Dove-Lyon orchestrated for Kerrigan and Christine. The match saved both of them for entirely different reasons and it quickly became a love match. Christine found herself capable of things she had never thought about before. There is danger but Kerrigan handled the situation from the most unlikely source. I really enjoyed the story, it’s well written and entertaining. It’s a great addition to the Lyon’s Den series and worth reading.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.