Review: The Highlander's Inconvenient Bride

Sometimes the right book finds you at the right time, although in the case of The Highlander's Inconvenient Bride by Terri Brisbin, I think it was a matter of the right author finding me at the right time. That moment in time when you pick up a book, read the first chapter and realize that everything will be alright, you're in the hands of a pro. I inhaled this book.

When Robbie Cameron was a lad he was fostered by the MacLerie clan.  The younger daughter, Sheena, was a pest. Always underfoot, always trying to tag along with Robbie and her brother Aidan. One day Robbie has enough, lashes back in a typical young boy way and it ultimately leads to him being shamed and punished (a whipping...) by Sheena's father. This leads to hard feelings, avoidance and a simmering animosity between Sheena and Robbie that festers on until Robbie is eventually called home to his own clan.

In the years that follow, Robbie's fortunes change. He was the eldest son of a second son but circumstances soon find his father becoming laird, which means Robbie is now next in line. This is the 14th century Scottish highlands, alliances are everything, and a marriage between the MacLerie and Cameron clans is advantageous.  Yep, you guessed it - Sheena and Robbie are betrothed and neither of them is terribly happy about it.

Things get off on the wrong foot rather quickly, what with old grudges being hard to dismiss, especially grudges born out of a childhood hurt.  In Robbie's mind, Sheena is selfish and impetuous.  She only cares for herself and will make a terrible laird's wife.  To her mind, Sheena feels guilty over the childhood incident and a mess of other things - oh, like she's a constant disappointment to her father and mother who cast long, long shadows. She knows she'd make a terrible laird's wife thanks to a Big Secret that she is desperately trying to hide.  She was an outsider in her own clan and family and now here she is in unknown territory.  It's a disaster in the making.  

This book is spin-off of two series, A Highland Feuding and The MacLerie Clan, both of which are lengthy series. Honestly this could have been a disaster. The author has to engage new readers but satisfy fans who want to catch glimpses of past characters and Brisbin does an excellent job of this. The world-building is great, the secondary characters interesting, and for the first several early chapters they keep the reader engaged until Robbie and Sheena "get over" that past childhood incident.  I want to go back and READ. ALL. THE BOOKS! which is honestly the whole point of writing series.  You want the reader to be engaged and pick up the other books regardless of which book they start with.

The nature of Sheena's Big Secret is compelling and relatable. To give more away borders on spoiler territory, but I will disclose they are issues that many people in modern times struggle with and in a less enlightened medieval age probably would have had her burned at the stake as a witch or tortured by the Church for being possessed by the devil.  The fear in Sheena's life, the shame, the disappointment is a tangible, living, breathing thing.  It makes for engrossing conflict. (If you need spoilers: Sheena suffers from dyslexia and panic attacks)

For his part, Robbie is a dynamite hero. This is a guy who realizes through the course of the story how badly he has misjudged Sheena. How he truly never knew her at all.  Then, as he falls in love with her, he turns into the very best sort of romantic hero - the guy who will give up everything, do anything, to see her safe, loved, and protected.

I started this book before bedtime and finally forced myself to go to sleep at 1AM at the 75% mark. I woke up in the morning and my first order of business after caffeine (priorities, I haz them) was finishing this story.  I really, truly enjoyed it.  I've always liked Brisbin's stories but hot damn, why am I not reading her books like all the time?!

Final Grade = B+