by Maya Banks
First published 2011
Caelen McCabe carries the weight of past mistakes that nearly destroyed his family. When his older brother's wedding falls apart, Caelen steps forward to marry the abandoned bride himself. The alliance between the McCabe and McDonald clans depends on it. Rionna McDonald becomes a pawn in her father's political schemes, traded from one brother to another like property. She agrees to the marriage but builds walls around her heart. Caelen wants no emotional entanglements with any woman, especially not this one who stirs desires he cannot control. Yet Rionna's touch breaks through his defenses, and Caelen finds himself drawn to a wife he never intended to want. When enemies threaten everything the McCabes have built, Rionna must choose between her father's expectations and her husband's survival. She discovers her own strength as a warrior and fights to prove that their unexpected love is worth defending.
Genres: fiction, romance, historical-fiction, historical-romance
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity
Setting: Scotland
Period: 19th-century
307 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Ballantine Books