... fighting fate and a red headed mate!

Enjoyable highland romp with a delightfully fresh heroine and a handsome braw Jacobite hero. Complete with with a traitorous, leering, despicable Scotsman red coat officer, Lieutenant Balfour MacLeod, a kidnapping and a rescue and so much more. Balfour was a great villain to dislike.
Sir Donald MacDonald, Baronet of Sleat and Mary of Castleton clash at every turn. Not helped by their first meeting when he thought she was a lad and took up her challenge to a shooting match. Hmm! Completely dismissing her, he is drawn into an involvement he doesn't want when Mary is taken by force from Dunscaith Castle, and to add insult to injury, in Donald's sea galley.
The thing is Mary is just so brash, not at all the sort of wife to fit into the life he leads as a leader of society. That sentiment certainly smacked of vanity, misunderstanding and elitism.
About then Sir Donald was shown for the unthinking clod that he was capable of being. This motherless young woman had neither the guidance or influence that most women in her position would have had. Really! Talk about fighting fate! I thought she'd done an admirable job, given her history.
Don hasn't counted on the strong attraction he feels for Mary whenever they are together. I was quite cross about the 'despite his fears about her' attitude of prejudice he displays towards her. Still he comes to his senses and realizes how much Mary means to him. Indeed he does reclaim himself somewhat when he tells her how much she means to him, particularly 'the memory ...of [her] red tresses that pick up the breeze and flicker like fire.'
I found the feisty Mary a delightful heroine, the dour Donald, not so much but thankfully he does grow. In the end this is a pleasing addition to the series.

A NetGalley ARC ( )

On the Isle of Skye a big gathering is being held at Castleton. Clans will be there, games will be held and those seeking mates might find one another – at least Mary’s father hopes his eldest will find a marriage that will improve his clans standing even though Mary has no real interest in a husband having been so busy running her own home since she was twelve.

The first encounter Mary has with Donald MacDonald was a surprise to both of them. What started out a bit rocky gets worse through a kidnapping, an escape, a race across the land and other events that carry them hither and yon during their further getting to know one another. With Balfour MacLeod cast as villain, and doing a very good job of it, there is much to contend with for both Mary and Donald. The cause of the Jacobites is strong in the mind of Donald and others in the Defender’s series but is it so strong that it will prevent time for love to flourish?

I enjoyed this story though I think I preferred book one of the series more. I would like to thank NetGalley and Rapture Books for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. ( )