Susan F. (scoutmomskf) - , reviewed on 5/12/2018 + 2617 more book reviews

Good start to the new series. Emily and her nephew narrowly escaped death when her family was attacked, but she was injured. Iain and his brothers came upon the cabin shortly after the attack and, realizing that someone had survived, track them down and take Emily and Neddy home with them. The brothers quickly discover that Emily and Neddy are in danger and are determined to protect them.

I liked both Emily and Iain. Emily is the granddaughter of a duke who gave up her easy life in England to come to America with her sister and brother-in-law when they fled from the person trying to kill them. She is smart, adaptable, and loving. As more of her story is revealed, we see how quickly she adjusted to a simpler and harder life than that she was used to. I also loved how she had such a clear picture of the danger they were in and what they needed to do to escape it. Her relationship with her little nephew was fantastic and it was easy to see the depth of the bond between them.

Iain is the oldest of the seven brothers. He is old enough to remember the events that led to their leaving Scotland. Watching their laird and his wife kick his family off their land has given him a deep disgust and hatred for those of the gentry. As the oldest in the family, he is the one who took charge after their parents were killed after they reached America. He is stubborn, loyal, and responsible. It took years of hard work, but the brothers have established themselves and have the respect of those around them. Iain also watches out for others and has taken other people under his protection.

There were sparks between Emily and Iain from the beginning, though both try to resist it. Emily doesn't want her problems to put the brothers in danger. Iain mistrusts Emily because of who she is, but can't stay away from her. The relationship between them has a rollercoaster feel to it, as Iain and Emily give in to the sparks, but then Iain pulls away because of who, or what, she is. He does this multiple times, and each time I wanted to shake him. Emily was equally frustrated by his actions. As Emily settled in and made a place for herself there, Iain slowly started to see that not all gentry were like the ones he had known before. It wasn't an easy prejudice for him to give up, and I liked seeing the honesty of his struggle. It was very fun to see him acknowledge his feelings for her and decide that he needed to "woo" her, even though he had no idea what that entailed. His efforts were sweet and rather awkward, and it took a while for Emily to realize what he was doing. There were no major misunderstandings to drive the couple apart, just a few incidents of learning how to communicate better. There was a neat little twist at the end with an unexpected guest at their wedding.

There was a sense of danger throughout the book as Emily, then Iain and his brothers, worked to protect young Neddy from those who mean him harm. We learn early that Neddy is the heir to a dukedom and that a greedy family member is determined to eliminate him. The attacks increase in intensity as the story goes on. I loved the determination that the brothers showed to keep Emily and Neddy safe. It was nice to see that Emily trusted Iain and listened to his instructions, rather than go off on her own and make matters worse. The final confrontation brought it all to a satisfactory end.

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