The Laird’s Willful Lass by Anna Campbell
Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Lairds Most Likely, #1
Release Date: July 31, 2018
The book opens with a young Fergus MacKinnon meeting Hamish and his cousin Diarmid on the moors late at night, the younger boys are lost and Fergus leads them to safety. They have an amusing discussion of what they consider the perfect wife and Hamish and Diarmid don’t agree with Fergus, who believes that a quiet, obedient, sweet woman is the ideal wife…
Fifteen years later, Fergus comes across the scene of a carriage accident and see a stunning woman trapped inside. He rescues her and her father, bemused by the woman who doesn’t do as she is told and seems to think that she can help. He takes them to his castle, her father’s leg is broken and she learns that he will be required to stay for at least a month.
Marina Lucchetti is an artist, she is 1/2 Italian and 1/2 English, but has been raised in Italy. She has worked hard to earn recognition for her art and is very independent and self sufficient – she doesn’t like this man telling her what to do or what is best for her or her father – she was commissioned to paint Scottish landscapes for a client and she is dead set on going to Skye. When Fergus informs her that her father will not be able to go and tells her she should stay at Achnasheen and paint – she bristles – she doesn’t care how handsome the man is, he is not her keeper and will not dictate where she goes!
But she does admit that she can’t go alone and she doesn’t want to leave her father alone, she grudgingly agrees to wait to see if the landscapes will be acceptable. But if they are not, she is leaving.
Fergus and Marina are both strong, independent, stubborn people and they clash quite a bit at the beginning, but they are both reasonable and Marina does see the merits of Fergus’ suggestions. Things are going well and she realizes that she likes him, but her art must come first and to be successful, her reputation must remain pristine. When Fergus suggests they become lovers, she is opposed, she has too much to lose. But when she has a brush with death, she reconsiders and they embark on a temporary affair.
As the weeks pass, they grow closer and neither is looking forward to saying goodbye – but Marina’s life is in Italy and Fergus is tied to Scotland – can there be a HEA?
I really loved this story – It was a straight up love story, no villains, no complicated plot to follow, just a boy and girl falling in love and learning that love is worth any sacrifice. Sigh… Marina and Fergus are wonderful characters, both strong and used to being in charge, watching them learn to compromise was both amusing and poignant. The love scenes in this book were steamy without being overly graphic, the very few secondary characters are great and added to the story without competing for attention, the banter between Fergus and Marina is very entertaining and the ending is sigh worthy. If you are looking for a really good love story without a lot of complications and side stories – this is the book for you!! I am happy to recommend this book and look forward to Hamish and Diarmid’s stories!!
