Chapter One
He smiled faintly and offered a respectful bow of his head. “It has been some time,” he said gently. “Your father speaks well of you. We’re glad to welcome you to Strathloch.”
The words might have meant something, had she not already been met with his son’s callous dismissal. Still, she offered a polite nod, and when it was time, she walked to the courtyard to begin her journey home.
As the carriage door opened and the step was lowered, Sorcha gathered her skirts and paused, glancing back at the keep. The small hope she had carried with her to Strathloch had been well and truly extinguished.
She donned the only armour she had, the one she had foolishly thought she might finally lay aside. Her expression smoothed to calm, her shoulders squared, the stony mask she relied upon settling back into place as she stepped into the carriage without another look back at the keep that would be hers in two short years.
And as she was carried back to Glenbrae, her heart hardened against him. Calum MacRae had made it clear how little she mattered, and she vowed she would ne’er soften her heart to him.
★★★★★
"I didn’t expect to get so pulled in, but this story caught me completely. What stayed with me the most was how the author showed Sorcha’s pain without spelling everything out. You feel it in the quiet moments and in the way she moves through the world. She never talks about her suffering, yet it still hits hard. That kind of quiet strength always affects me.
I’ve read many historical romances back in the day, but this one felt different. It didn’t just make the past look pretty. It treated the time period with real care. Sorcha teaching other women how to protect themselves felt natural and believable. It reminded me of how much women had to fight for in the past and how often their strength was pushed aside.
Calum, on the other hand, was hard for me to like. His choices caused Sorcha a lot of hurt, and it took me a long time to accept him. Some readers may enjoy his growth, but for me it took a huge change for him to finally understand what had always been right in front of him. I did like that the story didn’t excuse his actions. He had to work for his redemption, and that made it feel real.
I also enjoyed the way the story moved between different points of view. Seeing events through several eyes made Sorcha’s journey feel deeper. Her strength becomes even clearer when you see how others see her and react to her.
This book felt like slipping into another world for a while and by the end, I felt that Sorcha finally received not only love but real respect, and that made the ending feel just right."
Sonia
★★★★★
"What a strong FL, Sorcha. She exemplifies what a strong character she has not only by words but with deeds. Solid plotlines based on the era it portrays."
Azahlia