Connor MacLerie is well-known, and feared throughout the Highlands, known as "The Beast". Since his first wife died, his legend has spread, of how she died pleading for his pardon, and his angry words that presaged her fall down the stairs. His refusal to attend her burial ceremony and his anger and rage that was all too apparent have only increased his infamy, until no other clan will ally with him, despite his need for a wife and allies.
Jocelyn MacCallum has no choice. When her brother gave the Beast offense, he imprisoned him, and the price of her brother's release was Jocelyn's hand in marriage. Jocelyn has no wish to be married to the beast, but she is bound by duty to buy her brother's freedom with her body.
On her wedding night, Connor gives her a bargain. Stay with him and bear him a child, a son, and he will let her go. This makes her feel very bad, like a thing rather than a person, but she will not show that she is scared of her new husband. When he takes her to bed, he doesn't hurt her, but is fairly tender and considerate of her. The only thing that bothers her is that he will not kiss her. Apparently, that is only reserved for the woman he loved and he doesn't love her.
Jocelyn tries to adapt to her surroundings, standing up to her husband when he would have her remain useless, a mere ornament for the bedroom. She begins repairing his status with the people in the nearby village by befriending them and inviting them to the castle, and makes herself busy in the castle as well. Connor, for his part, is amused by her defiance, and allows her to continue doing what she wishes. He soon realizes that he has fallen in love with his new wife and treats her more kindly.
One sign that she has made him less feared is a visit by his Kinswoman, Rhona. He hasn't seen her in three years, since his wife died, but she comes to stay for a while. Rhona is indeed a great help, especially when Jocelyn concieves and then loses her first child shortly thereafter. In his grief, and her own, he comes to love her more, while she blossoms under their love.
However, something is not right in their home, and it will take a near-repeat of the tragedy from three years ago to make Connor aware of it and move to find the true culprit behind the death of his first wife.
Though the beginning of the book was a little difficult to read, it quickly became very good, and I found myself really enjoying it after that rocky start. This book tripped none of my "Danger Signs" (Woman always wrong, other man in the heroine's life always the villain, just to name two), and both characters end up being wrong, at least in some things, and changing, which is one of the things I like best.
Who the true villain ended up being was an actual surprise, although hints are sowed all through the book for readers to pick up on, and the final conflict was taut and almost terrifying, lending readers a real sense of urgency. An excellent book that gives you good reasons to pick it up and read.
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