Review: Such an Emotional Read  **4 1/2 Stars**
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 19, 2014
I really loved this book.  It's the sequel toA Beautiful Lie (The Camaraes).  That book was the story of Muira and Lachlan.  In this book, we get the story of Muira's older brother, Ewan, and his lady love, Muira's best friend, Cait.  However, this book is a standalone; you don't need to have read "Beautiful" before reading this one...I didn't.This story is extremely engaging; once I started reading I was loathed to put the book down whenever the need arose!  It's nicely written, and Ms. Sterling does a good job fleshing out her characters.  The story that unfolds is quite moving, and stirred me on an emotional level.  I really cared what happened to the characters, and felt a real connection to Cait.  Poor Cait; she suffers more than her fair share of heartache before she finally gets her HEA.  That's not to say that Ewan doesn't have his share of sorrow, but at least he didn't have to suffer the torment of believing he had been betrayed by his lover--as Cait did.When the story begins, Ewan, War Chieftain of the Cameron clan, and nephew to the Laird, has suffered a near fatal injury that forces him to face the reality of his mortality.  As a direct result, Ewan decides that he wants a child...the only catch is that he doesn't want a wife.  To that end, he decides to handfast with a woman for a year and a day in order to produce a son.  He chooses his sister's childhood friend, Cait.Cait Eversleigh is a servant in the Cameron household.  Her mother, the daughter of former Cameron Laird, had run off with Cait's father, an Englishman, years before, only to find herself ruined, pregnant, and abandoned.  After years of living in England, dragging Cait from one place to another, her mother abandons the young Cait, leaving the child to fend for herself.  Through the kindness of strangers, the Cait makes her way her mother's former clan, where the Camerons take her in and give her a home.Cait has been in love with Ewan for years.  When he first broaches the idea of a handfast between them in order to produce a child, she doesn't exactly jump at the opportunity.  Cait is smart enough to realize that when the time comes to give up Ewan, she will be heartbroken.  Nonetheless, she cannot pass up the chance to claim Ewan as her own--even temporarily.  Consequently, she agrees and the two are handfasted.Pretty quickly the couple become adjusted to each other; although there is a bit of awkwardness initially, as Cait has no idea what is expected of her...she at first continues to perform her duties as a household servant.  In any event, Ewan comes to discover that he likes being married, particularly to Cait.  But, of course, the road to the couple's HEA is fraught with difficulties.  When Ewan is named Tanist--subsequent to the death of his cousin--declaring him heir to the Lairdship, his uncle pretty much demands that he give up Cait.  Not only is Cait half-English, and the Camerons are at war with them, but the man who is leading the attack against the Camerons is none other than Cait's father!Reading how the couple overcome the many obstacles and finally achieve their HEA makes for a very satisfying read...but there are a number of twists and turns.  As I read my feelings ran the gamut from anger, annoyance, despair, sorrow, and finally joy when Ewan and Cait finally got their day.  I have that there were times when I was really angry with Ewan, yet still other times when my heart broke for him.  Though no matter how angry I was with him, I never stopped loving him. (LOL)  He certainly has some difficult decisions to make!  Cait; however, consistently elicited my empathy.  Poor Cait!  What she had to go through!In the end Cait gets her much deserved HEA, and we even discover the truth of her parentage.So, bottom line, I loved this book and would highly recommend it as a worthwhile read.  As for the editing issues others have mentioned in their reviews, I didn't notice any.  That's not to say that there weren't any, I just didn't notice whether or not there were any.  I would think; however, that if there were any of significance I would have noticed them, as I am a stickler for grammar.  FYI, this is not a clean romance.  There is sex, quite a bit, graphic and hot!  Happy reading!