Another Man's Bride by Ariel MacArran

Isabella is on the run from English court, moving from England to Scotland to marry a young noble whom she has never met before. Carrying her dowery in the procession she is an enormous target for outlaws and vagabonds alike. Isabella has accepted her future as a lady of the court and a marriage to a man she has never met, until she is captured by Lord MacKimzie. Held prisoner in his castle, Isabella must find a way home, before she's tempted to stay forever.

"A gate to Hell was known to exist in Scotland. She would not put it past MacKimzie to be leading them all there."

A beautifully researched historical romance, Another Man's Bride takes what can sometimes seem to be a boring and monotonous time period, and turns it into an exciting journey of love, loss, and murder. For one who does not normally take to historical romances, this one really brought me over. The linguistics of the writing are superb, capturing the essence of a 15th century highlander, without it being incomprehensible. Even the smallest details, like what the people ate a drank were carefully kept within the standards of the time. While none of my European studies classes have reached so far back, the history seemed nicely incorporated, and I'm sure it was all very accurate. Bringing Joan of Arc into the story–and using her real spelling–as a great touch.

Isabella is a great heroine, though there are a few face-palm moments. She's a strong heroine who has the pressure of duty to her family resting on her shoulders, all the while she's slowly falling in love with someone she knows she can never have. Her actions are always quite warranted, and so many sad things happen to her that I found myself wanting to reach out and give her a hug. She does the best she can in a tough situation, especially for only being nineteen.

MacKimzie was also a great main character. He portrayed the highlander very well, with his quick temper but also extreme love and loyalty to his people. Any scene he was in he brought to life, and made that much more colorful and exciting.

There's a great quote I was going to insert in here, but then I realized it would be a huge spoiler, and I just can't do that. This book doesn't need spoilers, it needs to be read.

The only thing that I didn't quite love about the book is how little time Isabella and MacKimzie got to spend together. Don't get me wrong, when they were together it was like magic, but compared to other books by Ariel, they weren't together very much.

As tragic and beautiful as Juliet and her Romeo, Another Man's Bride will take you by the hand and submerse you into the vivid world of Isabella and Colyne MacKimzie, holding you prisoner on the edge of your seat, until the very end. Thankfully however, unlike our infamous friend Mr. Shakespeare, Ariel doesn't find pleasure in crushing her reader's hearts beneath the sole of her boot. So do not fear all you fellow hopeless romantics, the resolution will not leave you injured and bleeding.

I highly recommend this book, even for people you normally do not appreciate historical fiction. Trust me, it's worth it.

Five Stars

Rosalie Williams

Another Man's Bride on Goodreads