The Guardian by Margaret Mallory

The Guardian by Margaret Mallory was a great book. I read this in one day- I had so much trouble putting it down that I skipped time with my husband to settle in and read.

This book has everything I ask for in a Highlander story- a strong heroine, a very naughty villain, and of course- a sexy hunk of man in a kilt.

Admittedly, Ian was not a hero in the beginning. He was forced to marry his childhood friend after they were caught in a compromising situation. He was not happy about this and left her for five years. Not exactly the actions of a hero. I have to give him some credit on this count, because he left because the girl was 13. Yes, that's right. He didn't want to bed a child, so he was considered a terrible husband. I can't really blame him for this one.

Sileas grew up loving Ian, and took care of his family while he was away. She is a strong, beautiful woman who refuses to live with anything less than affection in her marriage. She doesn't let Ian get away with claiming his husbandly "rights" simply because he changed his mind. She demands returned affection. Good for her!

The only thing keeping this from being a five-star book was the fact that Ian seemed to only change his mind about his wife after seeing how beautiful she grew up to be. There was nothing in his mind about their friendship and childhood affection before he saw her all grown up.

I will read more Margaret Mallory- she is a great writer.

Book image retrieved from www.goodreads.com. Shopping link to Amazon.com