The Laird’s Christmas Kiss by Anna Campbell
Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Lairds Most Likely, #2

Release Date: October 27, 2018

In this installment of the Lairds Most Likely Series, rakish Brody Girvan, Laird of Invermackie meets his match in the shy, bookish Elspeth Douglas, sister of his friend Hamish.

Elspeth Douglas is with her family at Achnasheen with Fergus and Marina for the Christmas holidays. Brody is also there, but this year will be different, Elspeth has decided that the handsome laird will never be interested in her and is determined to end her silly girlish infatuation once and for all.

Brody has grown tired of his libertine lifestyle and has come to Achnasheen to spend the holiday with his cousin and his new wife, see them so in love just reiterates his discontent. When he meets Elspeth in the breakfast room, she ignores him – WHAT? Lassies NEVER ignore him, why that intrigues him, he doesn’t know, but he wonders how he missed really seeing her in all the years they have known each other. He flirts with her and invites her to go for a ride, but they are interrupted by her cousin Diarmid before she answers. Later Elspeth has a conversation with Marina that ends with an offer to give Elspeth a makeover. The results are amazing – gone is the little brown mouse, now she is dressed to emphasize her lush figure and her gorgeous hair. Everyone notices, especially Brody.

For days Brody has been consumed with thoughts of Elspeth, he even asked her brother for permission to court her. He is not sure what he feels for her, but it is like nothing he has ever known before and he can’t imagine marrying anyone else. But his reputation will cause problems, with Elspeth and their family and friends. When they are caught in a heated kiss and he proposes, she turns him down flat – even at the risk of being disowned by her mother.

Can Brody prove to Elspeth that his proposal was more than duty? That she is the light of his dark life and without her, nothing seems to matter? Or will her insecurities blind her to his love?

I absolutely loved this novella, it was well written, paced nicely, gave glimpses of Fergus and Marina’s HEA, had witty banter, steamy love scenes, great secondary characters and a sigh worthy declaration. It is the second book in the series, but it can easily be read as a stand alone title.