The Laird is the final book in the Captive Heart series by Grace Burrowes, and it is undoubtedly the darkest of the three, having a story line dealing with victims of child abuse. Revelations were made about Michael Brodie and his reason for being the companion/guard/henchman for Sebastian St. Clair at the end of The Traitor, but finding out he married Brenna MacLogan nine years ago and immediately left her to go off to war was unexpected. Michael's story picks up with his return to Castle Brodie, how he picks up the threads of his life there with his wife and his kinsmen. In the nine years since he left, so many things have changed. His father is dead, his mother has left and taken all of his sisters with her back to Ireland, his tenants appear browbeaten and wary of him. Worse, Brenna is a stranger to him, and appears to welcome him about as much as when you bite into an apple and find a worm. I wasn't sure how or why he expected a warm welcome from Brenna since she hadn't received so much as a note from him since the day he left. Worse, he remained in England for a full two years after the hostilities ended again without a word to her. Puzzlingly, Brenna is viewed with distrust and dislike by the tenants as well as people in the village, and she and his Uncle Angus appear to be at the point of daggers drawn each time they meet. Michael has his work cut out to mend fences all the way around.The Laird would have had sufficient page-turning tension just with this plate full of conflicts, and probably would have been an engaging book in resolving a reuniting lovers theme. But, as I said, there's a very dark element underlying all the discord, a terrible reason why Brenna feels betrayed, abandoned, and isolated after Michael left nine years ago. That reason is woven into the tenants'/villagers' distrust of her, and the way Angus keeps his boot on the throat of the tenants. At some point in the last nine years, Brenna and Angus have divided up Michael's estate. She runs the castle while Angus lives in the dower house and manages/supervises the land. While no one is exactly thriving at the castle proper, the lands are failing miserably. Due to Angus's iron fist in dealing with rents, more and more tenants left over the years, forced to move to the city or emigrate to America, making way for more and more sheep.Michael Brodie does a wonderful job of winning Brenna's trust and love back, one patient step at a time. He takes the time to get to know her again and allows her to do the same, and more importantly Michael is not afraid to apologize. When he finds out his tenants and the villagers dislike her because they believe she stole their money from farming/sheep industry, he vehemently defends her and sets into motion an investigation. An investigation, I might add that should have been done many years ago. No one, not even her brothers, put forth the effort to find out who may have robbed her and profited by her disgrace. I loved Michael's loyalty to and solid belief in Brenna and her honor before he even knew exactly what happened. The romance between these two is slow-building and tender as well as passionate. The Laird has a slow-building, tender, passionate, beautifully written romance, but it is also a difficult book to read because of the pedophilia. I think Ms. Burrowes handled this aspect in a sensitive manner while still giving me, the reader, an honest, if heart wrenching, account of the effects of child abuse on its victims and surviving such a nightmare. One of the most heart wrenching scenes in the book is the image of the toy soldiers laying scattered outside a brothel in Abderdeen.Between two cheery pots of geraniums, a half-dozen tin soldiers lay scattered on the stones, their skirmish ended by whatever heinous responsibilities some boy had been called to within that house. (p. 255)I get choked up with both tears and anger every time I read that one sentence. In one sentence all of the emotional turmoil of a child in peril is brought screaming to the foreground. There are other revelations equally as devastating later in The Laird, but this one, I think, perfectly encapsulates all that is stolen from children who are abused, the way childhood innocence is excised in the most horrendous manner, as well as the accompanying damaging effects of enforced solitude, feelings of betrayal and shame felt by the child at the hands of the abuser. Silence is the abuser's best friend. Silence allows him/her to continue the abuse without fear of retribution, but keeping the silence kills something precious inside the one who is abused. There is a scene in The Laird in which Michael makes an awful discovery and instead of talking about it (which I came to understand later on), he shuts Brenna out. She tries everything to get him to talk to her, but she cannot get him to say what's bothering him. 'What is wrong, Michael? I am your wife, and I will endure much if you ask it of me. Your silence cuts me.''Some silences are meant to be kind. You understand that. You probably understand that far better than most.' A spate of sentences. Brenna drew encouragement for his loquaciousness and possessed herself of her husband's hand.''Most silences need to be broken.' (p. 331)Yes, indeed. Brenna and Michael have so many layers and the pacing of this book is exactly right. Things are revealed just as they need to be and at just the right time. Secondary characters like Neil MacLogan and Maeve added yet another layer to their story as well as to the overarching theme of survival. The romance is masterfully developed and wonderfully told. As I've mentioned in reviews of the previous two books of this series, Ms. Burrowes writes with poise, elegance, and intelligence. Grace Burrowes' The Laird is an unforgettable book. A powerfully moving historical romance! Taken from my review at RomanceJunkies.com:Nine years ago, Michael Brodie left to go to war within twenty-four hours of his wedding, leaving his young bride to take on the responsibilities of being the laird’s wife after his father dies. Over the years, there has been no correspondence between them. Now he has returned to his Highland estate to find that his bride has transformed into a beautiful, confident and self-sufficient woman instead of the girl he left behind. But she is also angry at him for his long absence. Michael has loved her since he was a teenager, but he may have a struggle ahead of him to win her over.Brenna was hurt by Michael’s absence. He left her when she needed him the most and to make matters worse, he stayed away even after the war was over. In the beginning, she had tried to prove to their clan how worthy she was of being the laird’s wife, but in the end, certain events caused many to turn against her. Alone, she has had to endure their hatred as she struggles to win back their respect. Michael’s Uncle Angus has been successful at swaying the clan against her, but he hides his own nefarious secrets.While Michael tenderly tries to woo his wife, he can tell that she is not telling him everything and though he has his own suspicions, he needs his wife to confide in him. As Brenna slowly succumbs to her husband’s courtship, she begins falling in love with him all over again. But she fears if she lets him in on the truths she keeps hidden inside, she will lose him because he will have to choose between her and others he cares about. Will the truth bring them closer or destroy what they have?A suspenseful tale, THE LAIRD, the third book in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Grace Burrowes’ CAPTIVE HEARTS series, is an engrossing, deliciously sensual historical romance that quickly draws readers into the story. I liked the way that Michael and Brenna slowly worked out their problems and did not rush through their issues. Beneath their outward problems with each other, readers can sense the love they have for one another. Ms. Burrowes also incorporates a delicate subject into this story and deals with it skillfully and with subtlety. Brimming with humor, abandonment, perversion, clan dynamics, secrets, emotions, passion, moving romance and a powerful love, this story will keep readers enthralled right up to the very satisfying ending. I am a huge fan of Ms. Burrowes’ work and believe that this one may be one of her best. Although this is the third book in the series, it can be read as a standalone. But if you like this story, you are sure to also enjoy the first two books in this series, THE CAPTIVE and THE TRAITOR.If you are a fan of Ms. Burrowes’ MACGREGOR series, her new book, WHAT A LADY NEEDS FOR CHRISTMAS, the fourth in the series, will be released in October 2014.Dottie, RomanceJunkies.com
What do You think about The Laird (2014)?
Absolutely loved it and I highly recommend it.
—sana
