The Guardian
Margaret MalloryHistorical romance
Available from Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-446-57516-4
May 2011
| Sileas has always loved and idolized Ian MacDonald. He allowed her to follow him and his friends and protected her as much as he could. Her childhood was not a happy one; her mother was sickly, her father ignored her, and her stepfather abused her. One night she ran away from a brutal beating and attempted forced marriage to her vile stepbrother. She begs Ian to help her and of course he reluctantly does, thinking that she exaggerates the situation. She is compromised by this escape and the two are forced to marry, but Ian leaves her in no doubt as to his feelings and anger and leaves for five years. In the meantime, she grows into an unusual beauty and the clan falls into disarray after the Battle of Flodden. Ian returns home, intending to divorce his unwanted wife, but her beauty and the situation make him rethink things. Sileas wants no part of a man who does not love her, but she does not want to lose the only family she has and she still loves Ian in spite of everything.
Ms. Mallory has written an exciting and affecting romance. The setting and time period are well researched and the reader will have no problem putting themselves right into the story. The characters are equally vividly drawn and I felt like I knew each and every character that the author introduced. The time period is immediately following the disastrous Battle of Flodden. The Highlands and the clans were in turmoil after this engagement and the author does a wonderful job of describing the aftermath for this family. Ian and Sileas are both strong characters who try to overcome their past to make a future for each other. Hugh Dubh and Murdoc MacKinnon are both satisfyingly evil villains and Ian, Alex, Duncan, and Connor are all irresistible heroes, each in a different way. By the end of the book, the reader will be looking forward to reading more about these four Highland heroes and the women who will tame them.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Maura Frankman |
