Set in 16th century England and Scotland, this is a magnificent tale of strength born of hardship and love that develops even when denied.

He was the Black Robert of Craighdhu, a remote island castle in Scotland, where he was laird. Half Spanish and experienced in their tortures as well as their pleasures, he'd been a pirate and had incurred both the praise and anger of Queen Elizabeth, who has now seized him for another assignment: The Queen wants him to wed Kathryn Kentyre who, he is tol...

Set in 16th century England and Scotland, this is a magnificent tale of strength born of hardship and love that develops even when denied.

He was the Black Robert of Craighdhu, a remote island castle in Scotland, where he was laird. Half Spanish and experienced in their tortures as well as their pleasures, he'd been a pirate and had incurred both the praise and anger of Queen Elizabeth, who has now seized him for another assignment: The Queen wants him to wed Kathryn Kentyre who, he is told, is Queen Mary's illegitimate daughter.

Kathryn ("Kate"), now 16, has been raised in seclusion by a vicar who is going insane and beats her. She is bent on escape. But Robert McDarren will find her and handfast with her and then sweep her away to his castle in the Highlands where he intends to keep her for only a year. For he knows who she is threatens Craighdhu and he will do anything to protect his lands and his people.

You won't regret reading this one. It is well written and the characters wonderful—and the plot believable. The action will draw you into the world of treachery, envy, betrayal and deception that existed at the time of Queen Elizabeth and King James.

A romance well worth re-reading—a keeper!

I reread this as I couldn't recall many details. After reading, I'm wondering how I could've forgotten such a strong heroine, an alpha but fair hero and lovely side characters. Of course, we have a few villains all woven into a story with historical context and palace intrigue. I loved the growth in Kate as she goes from a sheltered, abused and mistreated loner to a great queen in the making (she doesn't really become queen but she had the instinct and moxy to be a great leader!) Our hero, Ro...

I reread this as I couldn't recall many details. After reading, I'm wondering how I could've forgotten such a strong heroine, an alpha but fair hero and lovely side characters. Of course, we have a few villains all woven into a story with historical context and palace intrigue. I loved the growth in Kate as she goes from a sheltered, abused and mistreated loner to a great queen in the making (she doesn't really become queen but she had the instinct and moxy to be a great leader!) Our hero, Robert, grows as a character also. He's gruff, abrupt, all alpha bordering on being cruel, but can also be kind, caring and fair.
Forced to marry Kate by order of Queen Elizabeth, Robert knows this puts his beloved land in danger. He gets around this edict by announcing a handfast; that way he and Kate will be free of each other in a year. Well, predictably nothing goes as planned but it was such an enjoyable journey as these two to fall in love. I will keep this on my "Favorites" shelf and will be doing a reread in the future. Definitely recommend!

This wasn't a favorite of mine and I don't really read it anymore.....but it was enjoyable while reading.

When Princess Kathryn Kentyre is snatched from a life of captivity by the mysterious Black Robert of Craighdhu, she is torn between absolute terror and soaring hope. He had been chosen to protect her from the dangers surrounding her, yet the moment he swept her away she knew this rogue of a Scottish laird would prove a greater threat than any she faced from her enemies.

Sensuous as ...

This wasn't a favorite of mine and I don't really read it anymore.....but it was enjoyable while reading.

When Princess Kathryn Kentyre is snatched from a life of captivity by the mysterious Black Robert of Craighdhu, she is torn between absolute terror and soaring hope. He had been chosen to protect her from the dangers surrounding her, yet the moment he swept her away she knew this rogue of a Scottish laird would prove a greater threat than any she faced from her enemies.

Sensuous as sin itself and wild as his native Scottish Highlands, Robert MacDarren had no intention of settling down with one woman. Yet the agreement he'd struck to keep the peace required he marry the orphaned beauty and bring her back to his castle at Craighdhu for safekeeping. It was to be a marriage in name only—and only for one year. He never suspected that the meek hostage he had been promised would prove to be this firebrand of a woman who would challenge his mind, arouse his passion, and lay siege to his heart.

I've always been fascinated by actual person of Elizabeth I, from "My Enemy the Queen" to the recent Lupe's mate about her. One of the things that I've always liked about Iris Johansen as an author is that she is very good at taking real people, real events and real places and we feed them into a fictional story. This is not one of her best efforts, it is definitely worth reading if you are into the historical Scottish romance genre. The plot is tightly will fit in with both the primary and s...

I've always been fascinated by actual person of Elizabeth I, from "My Enemy the Queen" to the recent Lupe's mate about her. One of the things that I've always liked about Iris Johansen as an author is that she is very good at taking real people, real events and real places and we feed them into a fictional story. This is not one of her best efforts, it is definitely worth reading if you are into the historical Scottish romance genre. The plot is tightly will fit in with both the primary and secondary a story lines and the characters are flushed out and being realistic to their time and location. Unlike many of the current romance novels, there isn't a look up sex and what they're idiots it's definitely came by the standards up some of the books published today. That said, this is a quick and easy read and if you are a fan of Iris Johansen's romance novels you shouldn't miss this one.