Yarde Reviews & Book Promotion: Blog Tour #bookreview ~ Stolen by the Laird @SecretRealmBook

Stolen by the Laird

(Conquered Bride Series Book 4)

Eliza Knight

Blog Tour – June 29 to July 9

She was supposed to be his prize... But not all rewards are sweet...

Laird Brody Keith, Marischal of Scotland, has been asked by his future king to travel with William Wallace to Dunnottar Castle, where they will seize the castle back from the English. If he completes his mission, the castle, the land and all it holds, will be his. Brody is more than eager to sink his blade into the hearts of his enemies after the brutal murder of his sister and father. But what he doesn't count on is finding an English lass in need of his protection...

Lady Guinevere has led a less than pleasant life in Scotland over the past year, and now she can either run for her life or accept the proposal of a man who should be her enemy. Survival bids her to acquiesce, but that doesn't mean she has to play nice. Except, she's coming to adore the people whom she's always been told she should hate, and respect the man who risked his life for her.

Joined for a mutual purpose, Brody and Guinevere seem doomed from the start, but as time passes and their true enemies draw closer, they'll form an alliance that not even the devil himself can break.

Brody pushed the door open the remainder of the way and came face to face with four Englishwomen. They huddled by the window, dressed in Sassenach gowns, hair once styled as though they were attending a great feast, jewels at their necks, and tears adorning each face except for one.

“Och, but I’ve died and gone to Hell,” he muttered.

Everyone knew Englishwomen were as shrewish as… well as, an Englishwoman, and as cold as dead fish.

All four stared at him, wide-eyed, mouths hung agape.

Much like fish, he thought.

They were pretty enough, especially the one with the long flowing blonde locks. Though it looked as though her locks had seen better days, perhaps not to have been torn from whatever fancy knot they’d been in.

“Who are ye?” he asked in not too kind a tone. He didn’t want any shrewish behavior, simply facts.

The blonde stepped forward, squared her shoulders and looked him straight in the eye with her piercing blue—nay more green than blue—eyes. She was the only one who didn’t cry. As though she’d been expecting him. The lass was beautiful, even if she was a harpy. Her bone structure was delicate, but her eyes sharp, and the way she frowned, well, he guessed her tongue to be just as barbed. The gown accentuated the curve of her hips and the swell of marginal breasts—he refused to call them the perfect size, for she was English, and he denied finding anything about her to be flawless.

“Who are you?” she retorted.

Och, a fiery little fish. “I asked ye first.”

“Well”—her gaze roved from the top of his head down to his boot tips and he felt more than a little assessed—“I think it is plain to see I outrank you, savage, so you must answer me first.”

At her bold words the ladies in her presence all paled, one covered her mouth, another pinched her own arms and the third nodded approval.

Brody chuckled, taking a menacing step forward. “Then I suppose we have found ourselves at an impasse, fishy, for I do believe I outrank ye.”

“Fishy? Ye insult me.” She shook her head and regarded him with something akin to disgust. “Impossible.”

Her revulsion almost had him checking himself. How odd, and why should he even wonder at her manners? She was English after all. Every woman he’d ever met up to this point had fallen at his feet. Brody was known for his charismatic tongue, his lovemaking abilities. Well, this fish wouldn’t know those things. And from the looks of her, she’d be too uptight to enjoy the pleasures he could have given her, if he wanted to, which he wouldn’t.

Brody puffed his chest and took several steps forward. “I assure ye, madam, given your current situation, anything is possible.”

Two of her ladies fainted dead away and the third stepped in front of the blonde, only to be shoved behind, a sharp word from the Grande Fishy’s mouth.

Then she turned back to him, pursing her lips as though she were contemplating a truce.

Before she could speak, he cut her off. “I dinna make deals, lass. If ye dinna believe me, then take a look out your window at the kirk yonder.”

“So you intend to kill us then?” Despite the stubborn set to her jaw and shoulders, her lower lip quivered.

Och, but why did that slight tremble have to tug at his heart? “We shall see what comes to pass.”

What did I think of the book?

Marriage wasn’t what the gentile, English noblewoman, Lady Guinevere, thought it would be like. Her husband, the Baron de Ros, has, on his English King's command, brought his new wife to Dunnottar Castle in Scotland. Her husband’s actions in the name of the king sicken Guinevere, but he is her husband, and what God has joined together...but then the Scottish army scaled the walls of Dunnottar and life for Guinevere would never be the same again.

Laird Brody Keith, Marischal of Scotland is no stranger to war. He fights on the side of Wallace, but unlike the latter, Brody can be merciful, especially towards women and children. When Brody and Wallace scale the walls at Dunnottar Castle, in a bid to reclaimed the land from the English, the last thing Brody expected was to end up married to the very recently widowed Lady Guinevere. But, to protect her from an angry Scottish army, marriage is the only thing he can think of. No one would dare harm her if she were under his protection.

Stolen by the Laird is a fascinating story about love in a time of war. I liked Brody a great deal. He is a warrior, but he is also a man of honour. He is haunted by the past, and what he sees as his past failures. He is determined not to make the same mistakes again. His relationship with Wallace is an interesting one. Although a staunch supporter, he is not always comfortable with Wallace’s methods. I thought Knight did an excellent portray of this fascinating time in British history.

Lady Guinevere is a very likeable character, as well as a determined one. There is a lovely incident with a door, which made me giggle – I won’t give away the plot, you shall have to read about her adventure with the door for yourself. I loved how her relationship with Brody develops, and their love for each other is very real in the telling.

There are several antagonists in this story, from both sides of the border, which threaten the lives of both Guinevere and Brody. This certainly propelled the story forward and kept me engaged throughout.

Knight brings to life 13th Century Scotland. It was very easy to get lost in the world that she has created, and I didn’t want this book to end. It was an incredibly gripping read.

I thought Stolen by the Liard was fantastic. It has just the right amount of romance, mixed with history and adventure. I Highly Recommend.

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / ITunes

Eliza Knight is an award-winning and USA Today bestselling indie author of sizzling historical romance and erotic romance. Under the name E. Knight, she pens rip-your-heart-out historical fiction. While not reading, writing or researching for her latest book, she chases after her three children. In her spare time (if there is such a thing…) she likes daydreaming, wine-tasting, traveling, hiking, staring at the stars, watching movies, shopping and visiting with family and friends. She lives atop a small mountain with her own knight in shining armor, three princesses and two very naughty puppies.