Rowan's Lady by Suzan Tisdale Also in this series: Frederick's Queen (Clan Graham, #2)
Series: Clan Graham #1
Published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform on October 18, 2013
Genres: Historical Romance, Medieval Era, Scottish Highlands
Narrator: Brad Wills
Length: 13 Hours and 52 Mins
Pages: 356
Format: Audiobook
ISBN: 1492720321
He built impenetrable walls around his heart.... THe built impenetrable walls around his heart.... The Black Death showed no mercy when it took Rowan Graham's beautiful, young wife. With his clan nearly decimated, his heart torn to shreds, he is left to raise his newborn daughter alone. Rowan tries to keep the promises he made to Kate on her deathbed, save for one: He is unable to give his heart to another. She has built walls around her own... Lady Arline is forced into yet another arranged marriage -- loveless and lonely. Behind Garrick Blackthorn's good looks lies a cruel, vindictive man. She wants nothing more than her marriage to end so that she might gain the freedom she has longed for. Fate will bring those walls tumbling down.... Just before her marriage comes to a bitter and ugly end, her cruel husband kidnaps a sweet, innocent child. Arline does not realize the child belongs to a man from her past, a man who has haunted her dreams for more than seven years, until the night he comes to rescue his daughter. Rowan Graham is surprised to learn that his enemy's wife is a woman he met but for a few short moments seven years earlier when dark times had fallen across Scotland. The same woman who had helped insure the freedom of his foster father and brother has been risking her life to care for his daughter. Fate brings them together...but others are determined to pull them apart.
Rowan’s Lady is the first book in the duo series of Clan Graham. I was first introduced to Rowan in “Frederick’s Queen” which was my first book to read from this author and we see this pair after they find their HEA, and I just fell hard for them both. And of course we have the delightful narration that Brad Wills always tends to delivers for us. And he did a superb job in telling this beautiful love tale.
This wonderful love story, starts with out hero, Rowan. The black death has been sweeping through the country, and it has swept through his clan killing more than 30 of his people including his wife. They have a baby daughter, and he makes a promise to her as she is dying, that he will open his heart to another one day. Now it is four years later, and Rowan hasn’t been able to forget his wife and the love he had for her until he meets a strong willed woman full of courage. Lady Arline, has entered another arranged marriage. This is her third arranged marriage and she still has a hope that it could be a love match one day. But on her wedding day, she learns the true nature of her husband. Who only wants a year, and then will anul their marriage so he can marry another. So for the past year, Arline has been kept locked in her room, with only herself for company. But then when her husband kidnaps a young child for ransom, she risks her life to go below and protect the child. Her husband informs her that she will take care of the child until her father gives him the ransom. And soon Arline falls in love with this precious four year old, who is precocious and endearing. She plans very carefully, because she knows that as soon her her marriage is anulled in less than two weeks, that her life will be at risk from her husband who is cruel. But on the night that her marriage is anulled, her husband beats her horribly when she tries to see to the care of the child, Lilly, and as she is sent to her room to pack her things, she runs into three highlanders, one of them….Lilly’s father…Rowan. What shocks them all is that they know each other. Years previous we learn that Arline saved the lives of two of their closest friends who had been framed for treason and turned in her own stepson and grandson who were the real traitors. We also get a hint of the Shadow walkers who were a secret team that followed the orders of Robert the Bruce. Which was an interesting twist for sure.
As Rowan, Arline and Lily and the men with them travel back to Rowan’s keep and home, it gives Rowan and Arline a chance to reconnect slowly. Arline is finally free to live her life and free her sisters of their father who has only used her as a pawn all of her life. But when she gets an invitation to live at Rowan’s home for a time and work as Lily’s governess, she leaps at the opportunity, not wanting to say goodbye to either Rowan or Lily. But when they return, there comes into the story a complication of a jealous woman, Beatrice. Beatrice, wants Rowan for herself, so she gets the servants to help her and deceived both Rowan and Arline in an effort to drive a wedge between them. But they both learn the truth when Arline confronts Rowan about his “treatment” when it was really Beatrice. Arline at this moment, only wants to leave. She doesn’t feel wanted or needed but Rowan is falling in love with Arline and wants a chance to win her heart.
I found this book to be a whirlwind of emotion in only the way that Suzan Tisdale can write a story. I was swept away by this story, especially upon meeting Lily. I know not everyone likes seeing children in romance, but I do like it especially when they are written well into the story. I did find this book to be heartbreaking at times. Especially with seeing how Arline’s father has used her for his own purposes and using the love and affection she holds for her sisters against her. We also get some true villains in the story that add some intensity to the plot. The romance is sweet and warm and very light in the steam. Most books I have found from this author are, but I love them. I loved seeing the focus being the emotional intimacy and there is still some great sexual tension but the actual “love scenes” are hot or steamy at all…super light just as a warning for those that prefer more steam in their romances.
I found this to be another delightful romance that Tisdale has written, and I couldn’t put this one down, its a romance that is packed with emotion, great variety in characters, a perfect narration, and a love story that sweeps you off your feet!!! PURE DELIGHT!
About Suzan Tisdale
USA Today Bestselling Author, storyteller and cheeky wench, SUZAN TISDALE lives in the Midwest with her verra handsome carpenter husband. All but one of her children have left the nest. Her pets consist of dust bunnies and a dozen poodle-sized, backyard-dwelling groundhogs – all of which run as free and unrestrained as the voices in her head. And she doesn’t own a single pair of yoga pants, much to the shock and horror of her fellow authors. She prefers to write in her pajamas.
Suzan writes Scottish historical romance/fiction, with honorable and perfectly imperfect heroes and strong, feisty heroines. And bad guys she kills off in delightfully wicked ways.
She published her first novel, Laiden’s Daughter, in December, 2011, as a gift for her mother. That one book started a journey which has led to fifteen published titles, with two more being released in the spring of 2017. To date, she has sold more than 350,000 copies of her books around the world. They have been translated into four foreign languages (Italian, French, German, and Spanish.)
You will find her books in digital, paperback, and audiobook formats.
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