Bree is dismayed to find out her father is selling her as a bride to an old man for the price of three sheep. If she refuses she will be beaten into submission. Ruan is a despised younger brother of a vicious Laird. He has just rescued his battered little sister from a marriage to a nearby Laird by force. His brother insists a marriage must take place, and picks the worst possible bride for Ruan as a punishment. When Ruan finds himself married to a terrified Bree he declares that he will have the marriage annulled when it is safe. Until then he must find a way to protect Bree and his sister from his brother who wants him dead. The broken relationships of this family will never be mended. They have to travel all over the highlands to get to safety. This is an unusual story, in that the hero is not all all conquering Laird. And the heroine takes a long time to fall for him. Beautiful and romantic story. I loved Bree's journey from abused girl to independent woman. And of course Ruan, the hero of the story, was just amazing. All the characters were very well written. I felt bad reading about Merry's suffering and confusion, cried a little because of Jenna's loss and really truly hated the villains of the story. Yes, I hoped some of them would die painfully.Only for a moment in the middle of the story I was annoyed because of Bree's attitude but later she proved to be a very resourceful young lady. I liked the story a lot.
What do You think about The Kindling Heart (2000)?
I really enjoyed the story. Now I'm reading the second book to the series.
—Raiza
Realistic Scottish setting, but no real romance as far as I am concerned.
—Catnip
This is book one in a series that so far has been really good.
—Amaya913
