Once a Laird by Mary Jo Putney

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Rogues Redeemed, #6

Release Date: October 26, 2021

After years of wandering and avoiding his home, Kai Douglas Ramsey is called home from Constantinople to Scotland to assume his responsibilities as Laird of Thorsay, as his grandfather is dying. Ramsey left Thorsay over a decade ago after the death of his one and only love, Gisela Matheson, and has led a life full of adventure, which included being held prisoner and barely escaping death with four other men in Portugal and helping one of those men rescue abducted women from a harem! But now he must put his wandering behind him and return home to fulfill his promises and face his memories. When he arrives he is greeted by Signy Matheson, Gisela’s younger sister, and is happy to learn his grandfather still lives but is surprised by the cold reception from Signy.

Signy has been harboring anger towards Ramsey for years, as she blames him for the death of her sister. But once Ramsey confronts her about her hostile demeanor, she realizes he had no idea how Gisela died and that his grief upon learning the truth is real. They end up comforting each other and true friendship blooms. Sadly, Ramsey’s grandfather dies not long after he arrives, but manages to tell Ramsey to trust Signy and goes a step further and tells him to marry her. An idea that seems ridiculous, until they spend more time together. And soon Ramsey knows that his grandfather was right, Signy is the perfect woman for him, now he just has to convince her!

This was a well-written, nicely-paced, gentle read. The book has a lot going on, secrets, surprising discoveries, treasure, very mild love scenes, cameos from the other “Rogues” and their loves, and a HEA featuring an “It’s a Wonderful Life” type ending. Overall, I liked this book, but I felt the whole Gisela plotline was wrapped up too neatly, and maybe it’s just me, but I felt like there was no way it would have been that easy for anyone to move on that fast. Other than that, I enjoyed the story and the relatively angst-free read. This is the final book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title with no problem, but if like me you have been following the series, you will be delighted to catch up with the previous characters. And it is worth noting, this author always has the best author notes and this book is no exception!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*