Title: The Lady’s Proposal for the LairdAuthor: Jeanine Englert
Series: Secrets of Clan Cameron #2
Pages: 288
Publication Date: March 26, 2024
Publisher: Harlequin
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical
Synopsis:
A betrothal bargain
With the Highlander from her past
When Susanna Cameron needs to thwart her brothers’ plan to marry her off, she turns to her childhood sweetheart, Laird Rowan Campbell, with a daring proposal—to be her pretend betrothed! In exchange, she’ll help the now-hardened Rowan get revenge on the man who killed his family. The only flaw in Susanna’s plan—their returning attraction!
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A story of love, loss, healing, and second chances, The Lady’s Proposal for the Laird is a touching and emotional historical romance. The story follows Susanna and Rowan, exes who both lost their loves. Now years later, Susanna has a proposal for Rowan – a pretend engagement. For agreeing, Susanna agrees to help Rowan kill the man who murdered Rowan’s wife and child. But when old feelings resurface, all of their plans go awry.
Susanna and Rowan are both such compelling characters, and I thoroughly enjoyed both of their stories, as well as their second-chance romance. When they were young, before they both met their partners, Rowan and Susanna were together, but things didn’t work out. It’s been years, and both characters have changed. They both lost their respective loves, and they both grieve deeply. Susanna’s feelings are closed off, and she often appears cold when interacting with others, and Rowan struggles with day-to-day life because of the guilt and sadness that consumes him. Neither seems ready to move on, and they live with the heartache of their losses.
In a way, I think Susanna and Rowan become closer because of their shared grief, and they really understand each other on a whole other level. And because they have a history, they already know each other well, which adds another layer to their relationship. There’s a level of comfort in what they do and say that they probably wouldn’t have if this were a new relationship. All of this leads to a lot of healing, the couple growing closer, and a wonderful, slow-building romance! And though the love story is the focus, I appreciated the personal growth both characters go through, especially Rowan. His emotional journey is profound and so moving. Ugh – I just want to wrap this wounded man up in a fierce hug!
Other relationships are interesting, too, like Rowan’s with his young daughter, and Susanna’s complicated relationships with her siblings. There’s also the threat of war and political tensions that put Rowan’s and Susanna’s land and people at risk. It’s an engaging story that I actually read in one sitting – I couldn’t put it down!
Special thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources and Harlequin Historical for having me on the tour and providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
The future is full of secrets that we can only dream of.
Love is a precarious creature.
Jeanine Englert’s love affair with mysteries and romance began with Nancy Drew, Murder She Wrote, and her Grandmother’s bookshelves full of romance novels. She is a VIVIAN® and Golden Heart® Finalist as well as a Silver Falchion, Maggie, and Daphne du Maurier Award Winner in historical romance and mystery. Her Scottish Highland historical and historical romantic suspense novels revolve around characters seeking self-acceptance and redemption. When she isn’t wrangling with her characters on the page, she can be found trying to convince her husband to watch her latest Masterpiece or BBC show obsession. She loves to talk about books, writing, her beloved rescue pups, as well as mysteries and romance with other readers. Visit her website at www.jeaninewrites.com.
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Lovely review, Julie. This sounds like one I would enjoy. I haven’t read an historical romance for a bit and this is one that had lots of elements I enjoy.