Setting � Ellyson Towers, Scottish Border 1541 - Lady Anne Ellyson has suffered numerable losses of her family. Now alone she has been sent to live with her aunt Olivia and beautiful cousin Fiona. Coming to care deeply for her beautiful cousin she feels helpless to extricate Friona from an arranged marriage Fiona�s mother is forcing upon her to an odious older man, Sir Eustace Chisholm, Earl of Ashkirk. Feeling helpless to save Fiona from the hateful Earl, Anne rides out alone to de-stress herself and is set upon by a band of reivers. Anne discovers that the leader of this band of miscreants is none other than Sir Christopher �Kit� Chisholm (introduced in the prequel (Secret Clan: Highland Bride). Prior to being declared dead, Kit was betrothed to Fiona by proxy though he had never met her or agreed to the betrothal.
Returning �from the dead� and testing the waters, Kit posed as a reiver to discover if his Uncle Eustace was involved in the trumped up murder charge that had Kit serving a life sentence aboard a prison ship. Discovering Lady Anne, alone and with no escort, forced him to discard his reiver persona and admit to his true identity. Lady Anne, although attracted to him herself, saw Kit as the answer to her dear cousin Fiona�s dilemma. Anne had to convince Kit to step forward, own up to being the true Earl of Ashkirk, and stop the wedding of Fiona to his hateful uncle. This would definitely solve Fiona�s problem, but as Anne�s feelings towards Kit intensified and Kit�s passion for Anne accelerates this would not be the ideal solution. Outside forces in the form of the elusive �wee folk� and their many intrigues could and would set most plans awry!
Having read the prequel HIGHLAND BRIDE, in the Secret Clan series I was delighted to revisit the Highlands for this engaging tale of intrigues set during a historical era I find appealing as well as giving Kit Chisholm a chance to tell his story and find romance. The reader picking this book up will find that it stacks up well as a stand alone but will find much more enjoyment by starting with the first of the series as there are numerous characters, both real and magical, who visit in and out of the story. While the human's have their turmoils, the �wee folk� that interfere and are �supposed� to watch over their human charges have just as many problems. The reader will certainly enjoy the antics of the fierce little Maggie Murdoch, her son Brown Claud, his girlfriend Catriona, Fergus Fishbait and all rest who make reading these stories a magical and fun experience. Fans who like a little magic in their tales will take much pleasure in and have fun returning to the magic of the highlands time and again. The series is romantic, fun, and one that I highly recommend.
