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Lady Cristina Macleod is the oldest daughter of her extremely superstitious father. Her father, Murdo Macleod, firmly believes that if one of his younger daughters marries before the eldest, it will result in a disaster for the family. This is a problem, because, although Cristina is beautiful, next to her younger sisters, Mariota, Adela, Maura and Kate, she appears almost plain. Her sister, Mariota, is stunningly beautiful. The three younger sisters, Isabel, Sidony, and Sorcha are too young yet for marriage.
Hector "the Ferocious" Maclean falls in love with Mariota at first sight. He demands to be allowed to marry her, but her father refuses. He offers Cristina in her place, but Hector angrily rejects her. The two men come to an agreement, though Hector doesn't realize that Laird Macleod has no intention of allowing Mariota to marry first.
Hector goes to notify his family members of his forthcoming wedding, and then returns to the Macleod home. Through trickery, Hector finds himself married to Cristina. He is enraged, but is unable to get out of the marriage. He takes Cristina back to his own keep.
Hector is furious about the bride switch, and treats Cristina with little kindness. He blames her for the situation. He also is embarrassed because he had bragged to his family about his enchanting bride. Now he has the sister he refused to marry as his wife. He has to figure out how to live with a woman he believes betrayed him.
Cristina agreed to the switch only after pressure from her father. His implacability in the face of her resistance left her with no choice. All her young life she has done whatever is needed to care for her family. Her mother is dead, and Cristina took on the responsibility of running the household seven years ago at the age of eleven.
Now that they are married, they return to Hector's home. They discover a strong passion between them. Then Hector is summoned to court, and Cristina invites several family members to visit. One of those who arrive is Mariota. Mariota has decided that she should have been allowed to marry Hector. Will the marriage survive her interference?
Amanda Scott has once again written an interesting tale of a man betrayed and the woman who will do anything to get him back. Hector's infatuation for Mariota blinds him to Cristina's beauty and abilities. The road to happily ever after is rocky and difficult. Ms Scott interweaves medieval politics with a strained relationship skillfully. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the story and can recommend this novel to others.
Reviewed by Nancy Riggins-Hume
for The Road to Romance
June 14, 2005
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