"A fantastic story that I could not put down!"
Angus MacDougall doesn't want a wife, has never wanted one.
He likes knowing he can always take his pleasure where he
wants and not answer to anyone. After bragging to Duncan
MacDougall, his best friend and liege, that he can find a
lady wife in three months, Duncan places a wager. If Angus
can bring home a lady wife in three months, he'll hand over
the keys to Donaliegh, making Angus a liege. If he doesn't,
Angus will lose three months wages. Two months have passed
and he still hasn't found his lady. Losing this wager is
not an option. Birdalane had been born with the healing gift and
considered evil except when someone needs her. Taking the
pain of others into her own body always has lingering
effects, adding scars to her body and stealing away her
fading eye sight. Having been alone most of her life after
the death of her mother when she was a child, Birdi is
starved for companionship and love. Her only friends are a
tinker she seldom sees and a wolf she saved as a pup and
hasn't seen in months. When Angus accidentally fells a woman instead of the wolf
stalking her, he's frantic to find help. When he's turned
away from every door in a nearby village, he knows he has
no choice but to take her with him. In an attempt to keep
her safe, Angus and Birdi become handfast, giving them no
choice but to stay together on his journey until they can
undo the handfasting. As the days pass and they get to know each other, Angus
wishes he could keep her as his own. Birdi, on the other
hand, decides she wants him. By the time Angus discovers
Birdi is a healer, it's too late for him. He realizes the
only way to keep her safe is to take her home, giving up
his future. Unbeknownst to Angus, Duncan's true reason for the wager is
for Angus to settle down and find happiness. But all might
be lost when Angus takes a fatal blow, and the only way for
him to live is Birdi's healing hands. What a great story! This couple definitely captures your
heart. Angus, although a tough guy, has a soft spot for the
ones he cares about. And Birdi, having to deal with life on
her own since such a young age, you can't help but want to
protect her. I shed a lot of tears and only put the book
down once.
Reviewed by Tammie Ard
Posted November 17, 2004
SummaryThe Bravest Heart
To win a wager-and the keys to a castle from his leige
lord-Sir Angus McDougall must find a bride in three
months' time. What woman would refuse so bold a knight.
His slightly tarnished armor and battle scars should not
matter-and yet they all say no. Then an inadvertent
handfasting binds him to Birdalane, a shy beauty and
gifted healer whom some consider a witch. And Angus cannot
help but to fall under her spell...
The Fairest Bride
Though he is a stranger to her, Birdalane leaves her
woodland home to follow her new husband over the hills and
dales of Scotland. Their journey is difficult and she has
neither kith nor kin to help her. But her mystical gift
allows her to read his innermost heart...and foretell the
incredible path they will travel together...
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