MACLAREN'S BRIDE is a standalone Scottish romance by Debra Dier. This is a recently revised edition by the author. I have read the previous edition years ago, as well as this retooled version and I like both, but this recent version is a much more elevated romance. MACLAREN'S BRIDE should delight old fans as well as new. This is a great story for romance fans who love it when the hero and heroine have a history together and have known each other for years. The prologue gives a thorough introduction with background information on the main characters and their relationships.

MACLAREN'S BRIDE is very much a character-driven romance with superb dialogue that helps the reader get to know the characters and their mindset. Meg Drummond pined for the dashing Highlands hottie Alec MacLaren since she was a teenager. War and other circumstances kept them apart for years. They are reunited due to the machinations of Meg's father, who she has been estranged from for many years. MACLAREN'S BRIDE shows what happens when you finally get the man you've longed for, but under all the wrong circumstances. In this updated version of MACLAREN'S BRIDE, Meg and Alec are equally sympathetic and likable characters. It is very easy to empathize with Meg for being manipulated by her father and for being conflicted about her feelings for Alec. Although Alec is complicit in her father's manipulations, it is hard to dislike him because he is such a sweetheart who means well and is super sexy to boot. Alec charms the reader just as he charms Meg and works to get back in her good graces. Debra Dier packs plenty of emotional punch, while adding just the right amount of humor to balance all the sexual tension.

MACLAREN'S BRIDE strikes the right balance between sexiness and captivating story-telling. Debra Dier provides enough yearning and scintillating chemistry to make MACLAREN'S BRIDE a true swoon-worthy romance. The supporting characters are often entertaining and add depth to the story. A mystery pops up in the middle of the book that is intriguing but fits the story and doesn't take away from the romance. I look forward to reading more enchanting romances by Debra Dier in the future.

Book Summary

Meg Drummond was known as the Snow Queen, a challenge to the gentlemen of the ton, for it was said she could freeze a man with a single glance of her green eyes. No one knew the icy castle walls were built to protect the vulnerable girl within. Meg didn’t trust easily, not after witnessing the fiery destruction of her parents’ marriage. Since she was a child she had only ever thought of one man in terms of happily ever after, and he had never returned her regard.

After leaving the Highlands, Meg managed to change from an awkward hoyden into the elegant lady her English mother expected her to be. Though she allowed her estranged father to believe she would marry an Englishman to spite him, she had no intention of ever allowing any man close enough to hurt her, until Alec MacLaren charged back into her life. She has loved the charming rogue since she was a child. Yet can she trust the wicked Highlander with her heart?

A hero of Waterloo, Alec owed Meg’s father his life. Although he had no desire for an arranged marriage, Alec kidnapped and married Meg out of his debt to Robert Drummond. Once he held Meg in his arms he realized there just might be something more to this marriage than he had expected. A suspicious tragedy had made him Earl of Dunleith. Alec doesn’t realize a murderer lurks in the shadows waiting to take everything from him.

After years of war Alec longs for a home and family. He knows he must break through the wall of ice surrounding Meg’s heart, gain her trust, and awaken her desire to truly make her his bride.

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