“Keeping his distance would be a challenge, but one he also needed to abide by. The woman was warm, endearing and so damned likable. Everyone in the household would soon be under her spell. Uncle was smitten with her as was the rest of the household and they’d known her for but a day. Ack. How did one keep from getting attached to one’s wife?”
I just devoured Eloping with the Laird; it is a fun, quick read that will take readers on a romantic Highland adventure that they will never forget.
After the death of her abusive husband, Moira wants nothing to do with getting married again. She would be quite happy to live the rest of her days tending to her plants and reading books. But her father is tired of having her around and wants her to get remarried. They make a bargain with each other; Moira can pick her husband if she picks someone before the Highlander tournament ends. However, if she doesn’t pick her husband by that deadline, he will choose one. Realizing she has no choice but to get married, Moira decides that Rory McKenna, also known as Laird Death, would be the perfect husband. This is because she knows that he will die soon, and once he is dead, she will be free to live her life the way she wants. Rory knows he is running out of time. The curse that haunts his family means that all the McKenna males die before they turn 24. Rory needs to find a wife to sire an heir to the McKenna Clan before he dies. Both Moira and Rory agree to get married, but neither is expecting the growing feelings for each other. But the past is coming back to haunt Moira, and she will need Rory’s help if she is ever going to be truly free from it.
I enjoy reading Harlequin Historical romances; they are fun, fast comfort reads that I love escaping to on a sunny afternoon. But even I will admit that they can get predictable at times, and sometimes the stories just don’t spark my interest. Escaping with the Laird blew away all of my expectations for this book. Lord, it was amazing! I ended up reading it all in one night (thank goodness I am not working for the winter season). This was a quick read, just under 200 pages. A part of me does wish it would have been longer just because I wanted to spend more time with these characters.
Jeanine did a fantastic job creating a Highland world that readers will enjoy and want to come back to. The plot was fast-paced at times, and the story had lots of twists and turns, which often surprised me. I loved watching the Highland Clan politics unfold; it was interesting seeing how alliances were formed and broken. Â
Moira and Rory are fabulous main characters in a romance novel. They have that instant chemistry between them, and I just loved all those swoony-worthy moments they had. Their relationship is a slow-burn one, but keep in mind this is a clean romance, so there are no spicy scenes in this book. Rory is such a kind and caring man, and the patience and love he shows Moira just melted my heart. He won me over when he gave Moira a library and promised to build a greenhouse. I would marry any man who would give me a big library, just saying. LOL Moira is intelligent, fierce, and kind-hearted. Throughout this story, we see Moira’s journey of finding herself again. It takes a lot of courage from Moira and love from Rory to undo the psychological damage her first husband inflicted upon her.
I loved the secondary characters; they are just as remarkable as the two main characters. They were fun, quirky, and added extra depth to the story. I hope Jeanine writes a book (or two) about Ewan (Moira’s brother) and Laird Garrick McLean. I would love to read books about these two men finding the lasses that call to their hearts.
If you are looking to escape to the Highlands for the afternoon, I recommend reading Eloping with the Laird.
Thank you, Harlequin Historical, Mills and Boon, and Rachel’s Random Resources, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.Â
