An Unwilling Bride: A Medieval Highland Romance is the first book in a series by Avery Maitland. It’s sold only in ebook format and strickly through Amazon. It has a cliffhanger ending. I know some readers hate cliffhanger endings, but if you know there’s one when you begin reading, it’s far less jarring.
This book was a quick read, a single afternoon, and exactly what one would expect in a highland romance. Managing expectations is key when reaching for this type of book. Never does the author attempt to elevate the story to something more than a trade book romance. And sometimes, that is exactly what a reader wants. Entertainment for entertainment’s sake. And that is why these types of romances have always been popular.
This book has just enough of dinnae, lass, aye, and ye in the dialogue to allow a reader to imagine the Scottish brogue without it overpowering the story. If you are an Outlander fan, then An Unwilling Bride will help satisfy your craving for all things Scottish.
The characters are predictable but well-drawn. The writing is solid and the story fast-paced. I wished the book had been longer, more detail given about the time and world. But again, that’s not the sort of book this is.
The only real negative I have to share has to do with Catriona’s character. She’s presented to the reader as being fiery and headstrong, quite the opposite of her older sister, Morag. But at times, Cat’s actions and reactions to events puts me in the mind of Maureen O’Hare in The Quiet Man. She’s constantly over-acting her part. There’s no subtlety to her character at all. After a while, her stubbornness becomes annoying. And because she refuses to accept her situation as Lachlann’s wife through the majority of the book, when the pivot in the story happens, it feels rushed.
That in itself is probably too much criticism for this book, but I can’t help but feel like the author sprinted to end of Cat and Lechlann’s story in order to set up the beginning framework for what will occur in book 2.
Will I jump into the next in this series? Perhaps, but only to follow up with Morag’s character whom I found much more appealing.
So here’s my humble opinion…if you searching for a little Highland romance with tartans, raids, and muscled men brandishing swords then An Unwilling Bride is a nice way to spend a cold winter’s day.