Murder, mayhem, a determined woman, and the Knights Templar!

How can I not be beguiled by such a combination!
And then there's the SECRETS!
Secrets held by all the characters involved! In fact as I reflect just about every person met or mentioned seems to have been holding some sort of secret that will affect the story's resolution. (Even down to the fisherfolk and their knowledge of hidden bays.)
Lady Katherine Calbraith of Avalon Castle watches her family cut down before her eyes by the English invaders. Determination, cunning and opportunity speed her escape to her godfather's protection. Robert the Bruce assists her but in an unexpected way.
She will return as the wife of a trusted knight, Stephan MacQuistan, a Knight Templar who, along with his men, is carrying out the orders of his Grand Master. They are to use secret ways to enter the castle and wrest it back from the English.
Not the outcome Katherine wanted. And yes she has her secrets about the why of that too. And yes she's totally in the dark about Stephen being a Knight Templar
And here's the rub! Stephen's father was killed by Katherine's father, another fact Katherine is unaware of. To reclaim his legacy, Stephen must we'd the daughter of his enemy. A conundrum indeed! This is more of the secrets that will enshroud Katherine and Stephen and their quest.
I admit to becoming frustrated with Katherine at times. Especially when she placed Stephen in danger with her willingness to rush into situations she'd been instructed not to. Still these times did set up opportunities for the storyline to take further flight.
A strong and compelling storyline from Diana Cosby that I became thoroughly engrossed in!
A great beginning to an exciting new series!

A NetGalley ARC

Reading historical romance novels are the highlight of my weekends! Especially when they have hot scots and willful brides that drives them crazy, like in Forbidden Legacy. I love when heroines aren't the simpering and spoiled ladies and have the 'I can pick up a sword to fight too' mentality! Great book that I recommend to all romance readers!

I really didn't think that this book was up to the standard I'm used to reading from Cosby. I didn't like Katherine and it is hard to enjoy a book when you don't like on the the leads...I'm hoping the next book I read by Cosby is better.

This is a classic example of a book that tries to do too much. It is something that comes up often in romance books and is a pet peeve of mine.

I had high hopes for this in the beginning. It starts as a story of a woman who has lost her home and family having to marry a former Templar knight in order to take her heritage back. This story of two people who are forces together against their wishes really appealed to me. It should have stopped there, it didn't. Instead the pasts of the two come into play, there is rape, betrayal, lies, sins of family members LONG dead and the endless back and forward of these characters who love each other but endlessly push each other away. It was too much and it took away from what should have been the heart of the story.

A sweet romance between a woman who wished to marry for love and had the choice taken from her and a knight promised never to love a woman or take a wife but unable to stop himself. I wanted to see his struggle with his promise never to take a woman, wanted to see how this shaped his faith and if it made him question it at all. None of this happened which I found odd and sad because it would have made this book tonnes better.

The layering upon layering of drama is prevalent in the romance genre and I wish authors would just stop. A romance is complicated enough without endlessly throwing obstacles in the way.

The history in this book is dicey but not ridiculous. Templar knights in Scotland have a shadowy past. Probably more myth than truth. Rumors have long circulated that the Templars fought at the battle of Bannockburn but this has never been confirmed and most historians tend to believe that this rumour is false. I guess unless someone unearths an unknown medieval document this will always remain a mystery. The chances of Robert the Bruce himself being a Templar is even less likely but it is an interesting take on Scotland's history.

The history nerd in me also couldn't help but notice the repeated use of the word 'Sassenach' which was first used in the 18th century so hundreds of years after the time period in this book. I am probably the only person that would notice this at all or care about it so I do not hold it against the book. Despite this the historic setting was my favourite part of the book.

Characters were ok and the writing was good but the overwhelming barrage of drama left me cold and in the end I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted too.