I am giving a fair and honest review in return for this ARC. What a good well written story. Braw Scots, betrayal, treason and finding your one true love.

Wonderful, well written highlander romance, that deftly sidestepped lots of pitfalls of this sub genre. The heroine was truly brave and determined, rather than wilful or TSTL. Judith Lennox has been widowed and lives on sufferance at Caddel Castle, as one of the hated English, her father has refused to pay for her return, so she is living on sufferance, barely tolerated at the castle. Her only solace is Mairi, and orphaned heiress who lives at the castle. She is out one day playing with Mairi when they are both abducted by Laird Campbell and 7 of his eight sons, at the direction of Laird Argylle. The sons are all killed when they stop to fight the men who come to rescue Mairi and Judith.

Rob Campbell is the lairds 4 th son, he has spent 3 years in prison due to the betrayal of Lord Argyll, and he has some incriminating evidence against him. He has also been injured and his leg is not healing properly, he was unable to ride after his brothers to stop them.

Rob and Judith are immediately drawn to each other, although they are also wary of each other. Laird Campbell blames Rob and Judith for his son’s deaths, and abuses Judith constantly, Rob eventually has to protect Judith, he takes her to his holding, where they grow closer, and finally overcome their painful pasts to fall in love with each other. Rob and Judith’s family try to interfere to put aside the match, but Judith and Rob will not let each other go.

This was a well written and deftly plotted Scottish romance, that was a cut above most of the recent ones, I will read more by this author.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

If I had to pick up books that I would always read - that would be Highlander's books.
I want to read every one of them and most likely I would not regret it!
The Laird by Virginia Brown is the first book that I have chance to read by this author.
The story was good, the writing was also good, and of course the romance (first and secondary characters) was also good!
I definitely have to read more book written by this author!

"The Laird" was an unexpected delight to read. I imagine this novel will be scooped up by Outlander and Historical Fiction enthusiasts alike. The characters are complex and genuine. Virginia Brown does an excellent job describing the Scottish history and landscape leaving the reader dreaming about life in the highlands. Judith Lindsay is the heroine of the novel. Judith is a widow and has yet to find a place where she really feels a sense of belonging. Because of her past, Judith sets her expectations high and holds her ground even when she doesn't have a reason to have hope. The confident and ambitious Robert Campbell is an equal force to reckon with. Rob is determined to stay true to his morals and obligations no matter what the cost. He is limited it seems, only by his physical body, which occasionally fails him.

My one criticism for this novel is the excessive use of figurative language in the first few pages. The flowery prose was a bit unnecessary and as a result the sentences did not flow as naturally as they could. Although, once you trek on past the first few pages the writing style becomes more natural and effortless to read.

Overall I thought "The Laird" was a wonderful and after reading it, I am excited to delve into more of Virginia Brown's novels to see what they are like. I would definitely recommend reading this book!

I also want to thank NetGalley and Bell Bridge Books for the opportunity to have an advanced ebook of "The Laird" to read and review.

The Laird by Virginia Brown had an authentic historical Scottish vs English backdrop with an engaging, intriguing, well scripted story line featuring a a main couple who ended up being perfect for each other. Really, that pretty much sums up this book for me. I especially enjoyed the fact Judith and Rob really got to know and respect each other before becoming intimate. No doubt, Rob put everything on the line, including his life, to save her even before they became an official couple.

I loved Judith’s devotion and determination to protect a child whom had been placed in her care. She was no shrinking violet, folks.

This “new to me” author has made my Scottish romantic tale radar, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for more of her past, present, and future books.

Title: The Laird, Author: Virginia Brown, Pages: 245, stand-alone, enemies to lovers, Scottish laird hero, English widow heroine, some bloody fight scenes, very steamy smexy scenes late in the book, really get to know each other first, no love triangle, no cheating, no OW/OM drama.

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review. There is no affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley.)