How to Marry a Royal Highlander is the fourth book in the The Renegade Royals series by Vanessa Kelly. I have not read the previous books in the series, but I did not feel lost. The book can stand well on its own. At sixteen, Alasdair Gilbride, heir to a Scottish earldom, fled the Highlands and an arranged betrothal. Ten years later, Alasdair must travel home to face his responsibilities. Perhaps the distracting woman traveling with him can help him solve his problem, and find happiness in his future as well. After one escapade too many, Eden Whitney has been snubbed by the ton. The solution: rusticating in the Scottish wilderness, miles from all temptation. Except, of course, for brawny, charming Alasdair. The man is so exasperating she’d likely kill him before they reach the border; if someone else weren’t trying to do just that. Now Eden and Alasdair are plunging into a scandalous affair with his life and her reputation at stake, and their hearts already irreparably lost.
How to Marry a Royal Highlander is a fun historical romance with intelligent and witty characters. Eden and Alasdair have been introduced and thrown together in a previous book in the series, but the hints of their love hate relationship and the excitement that brought Eden's sister and Alasdair's friend together were done well enough and naturally enough that I understood the relationship and personalities involved very quickly. I loved Eden's self sufficiency and independence. She is smart and feisty, but still carries a sense of vulnerability. Alasdair is chivalrous and loyal, but with a teasing exterior. The banter between the pair is fabulous, even when they are not saying what they need to say to each other. This story works mostly because of the stubbornness of the characters, and the fact that they will not just come out and tell each other what they are thinking, instead trying to manage each other. This frustrates me most of the time, but it really worked in this instance because it was so true to form for the characters. The murder attempts and family drama adds a special suspense to the story, but I feel like at one point it started to get too drawn out, though I was happy with the eventual conclusion.
How to Marry a Royal Highlander is a solid historical romance with a good balance of humor, action, and character development. I really enjoyed the story and think I will be exploring more book from Kelly in the near future.
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