Reviewer Comments: Setting – 1308, Scotland ---- When you get right down to it, both of the protagonists were running away. Catriona MacLeod, known throughout as the Shrew of Assynt, was running from an arranged marriage her insufferable and mean spirited eldest brother had arranged for her. Catriona had vowed that she would bow to no man’s demands and live life on her own. Tayg Munro, warrior and supporter of Robert the Bruce, had returned home the hero. With his elder brothers death, he is now the heir apparent to lead his clan and all that it entailed. Yet, with his mother pushing him to select a bride before she herself arranged a suitable match, Tayg promised that if he could not find someone himself, he’d capitulate to her wishes. But first, he would undertake one more task, that of posing as a bard and carrying a message to the king keeping his eyes and ears open along the way to discover the political climate and who would be supporting him.
Trying to escape, Catriona “Cat” unfortunately ran in the wrong direction, was caught in a snow storm, thrown from her horse and was discovered by the ‘wandering Bard’ who hadn’t heard such colorful language since leaving the battlefield. Tayg thought he’d never met a more beautiful lass, or a more thorny one whose sharp tongue could cut like a rapier. Cat, thought he was certainly one of the most handsomest men she’d seen, and stranded as she was, would allow the ‘bard’ to help her escape. Not needing another encumbrance on his mission for the king, no matter how beautiful she was, Tayg just could not abandon her in the middle of the snowstorm. Little by little she came to trust her ‘bard’ and he discovered that her tongue was used as a shield disguising her true softer self and they soon joined forces in their cross-country adventure to warn the king of treasonous activities as their passions ignited.
For me this new author has penned an exciting Medieval Scottish romance starring two captivating protagonists. While I found what I felt were inconsistencies in the dialogs, I can still appreciate the engaging storyline and could identify with the shrewish tongue Cat used to erect a wall around her heart. This was a lovely story, fast paced and interesting. While it did not contain an enormous amount of sensual activity, it projected a great deal of sensual awareness and emotion. The ‘true’ villain in the story was a surprise and was dealt with satisfactorily. I readily suggest that this be put on sub-genre fans wish and buy lists as a very enjoyable read.
