Falling
in love means tempting fate in this passionate new novel in USA Today
bestselling author Gayle Callen’s Highland Wedding series.
Maggie
McCallum’s dreams about her new fiancé aren’t the romantic sort.
It’s not just that she was bartered to Owen Duff like a piece of
property to end a clan feud. She’s also haunted by premonitions of
his death on their upcoming wedding day. Yet the exasperating
Highlander won’t let her call it off, even though his life and his
clan are both in jeopardy.
Owen
has wanted Maggie in his bed since he first glimpsed her years ago.
If their union restores peace between their clans, so much the
better. But while lusting after another chief’s sister had its
risks, growing to trust Maggie is far more dangerous. Owen is falling
deeply in love with the one woman he cannot hope to claim…and
survive.
THE GROOM WORE PLAID begins where THE WRONG BRIDE left off - with Maggie and Owen arriving at his home after having agreed to marry to satisfy the contract between their clans. What we learn is that ten years prior Maggie and Owen developed a friendship and romance which ended when she discovered that he was betrothed to another and attempted to warn him of a dream foretelling his fiance's death. Owen's rejection of Maggie's gift and his disdain were the reason she suppressed her gift and so much of her nature, fearing it would be used against her.
Although Maggie is resigned to marrying a man who cannot love her and who believes her a jealous liar, she experiences a nightmare which warns of Owen's death on their wedding day and puts all her efforts into convincing Owen they should not marry. As their passion for each other draws them closer and closer, someone at the keep plots against Maggie, throwing them both into danger's way.
I really enjoyed the story and the playful banter between Owen and Maggie. I like that both Maggie and Owen had their own personal emotional burdens that they carried from their childhood and their relationship with their fathers. Maggie struggles with letting people get close to herself for fear that exposing her secret gift would put her and her family at risk, while Owen strives to be accepted as a Laird and highlander by a clan who sometimes sees him as an Earl who spent much time in England. I loved the teasing that Owen uses to get Maggie to accept her passion for him. Sneaky kisses are often the best kind in my book.
I adored that Owen and Maggie could relate to each other through intellectual interests as well as through their shared passion. I almost wish the novel had delved into some more of those moments. That said, I love that there was a slow build to this marriage of convenience romance and I really just couldn't put the book down.
There are just so many layers to this romance to keep you interested! The beauty of the highlands, a supernatural gift, reunited lovers, a dangerous threat, a marriage of convenience and just the sheer struggle of trying to unite and bring peace to two clans that have spent decades feuding. The characters are wonderfully developed, with hidden depths that really come out through the story. There are definitely some secondary characters I can't wait to hear more about (oddly enough the quiet and broody Fergus comes to mind). I'm really drawn in to this world that Gayle Callen has created through her Highland Weddings series and I can't wait for new novels to reveal more of it. If you love men in kilts, marriages of convenience that become so much more and a touch of danger, this series is one for you!
Disclosure: I received this book free in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions shared are my own.
About the Author:
After
a detour through fitness instructing and computer programming, GAYLE
CALLEN found the life she’d always dreamed of as a romance writer.
This USA Today bestselling author has written more than twenty
historical romances for Avon Books, and her novels have won the Holt
Medallion, the Laurel Wreath Award, the Booksellers’ Best Award,
and been translated into eleven different languages. The mother of
three grown children, an avid crafter, singer, and outdoor
enthusiast, Gayle lives in Central New York with her dog Uma and her
husband, Jim the Romance Hero. She also writes contemporary romances
as Emma Cane.
Wow, thanks so much for the wonderful review!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I seriously hope a Fergus story (even a short, itty bitty one) is coming! Big fan of the series so far!
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