The Guardian by Margaret Mallory

The Guardian by Margaret Mallory

The Return of the Highlanders Series, Book 1

Publisher: Forever (May 2011)

390 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $6.64)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Sensuality: Red Heart

Ian had been Sileas's protector since they were babes and she had followed him and his friends (Connor, Duncan and Alex) everywhere, but when circumstances forced them to wed at a young age, Ian rebelled and turned his back on her when she needed him the most, he and his friends leaving to fight in France, only to return five years later when word reached them that their clan was in turmoil after the Chieftain's death. Though I sometimes find a main character annoying or frustrating, it isn't often that I actually hate a hero/heroine, but I hated Ian for over half of this book. He seemed a nice boy and I could understand why Sileas loved the boy he was, but becoming a man seemed to suck many of his good qualities right out of him, and he was forever being cold, unfeeling and selfish. He had a far way to go to crawl out from that lowly place, but he did in the end, though not without pain and suffering  (his own, as well as others). Sileas, I loved from the beginning and truly sympathized with her, admiring her strength. It was truly great to see Ian's slow evolution into a hero and look forward to reading the stories of his three friends, all of whom were intriguing. The next book in this series is The Sinner, about Ian's cousin, Alex.