Review: The Laird's Forbidden Lover by Amelia Gormley
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 15, 2013
What would you be willing to do to be with the person you loved? Iain Munro of Amelia Gormley's book called 'The Laird's Secret Lover' loves Tavish Macintyre and, more than anything, wishes he could be with him all the time. Iain is torn between his desire and what he knows to be practical. When Tavish's sister comes up with what could be a solution, he sees no other way but to comply and hope for the best.Tavish is young, impetuous, and very much in love with Iain. He refuses to believe that there's not a way for them to be together, but hasn't a clue as to how to achieve this goal. He's totally impractical, blinded to reason by his feelings. He's uneasy about his future responsibilities as Laird of Creachann-Dubh and, if he could, would give it all away to be with Iain. He follows his mother's orders as best he can, but when it comes to marrying, he adamantly refuses. Even though he knows it is dangerous, he seduces Iain over and over again not being able to control his desires and their love and lust grows. He simply can't seem to stop seeing Iain. When he fears that Iain has been unfaithful, it breaks his heart. He's jealous and hurt, but part of him still wants to believe in Iain's innocence.I liked both men, but Iain was my favorite. He's such a good person, honest to a fault and hates the deception necessary in order to keep him and Tavish safe. He's worked his father's farm all his life instead of being raised in luxury like Tavish and has a more practical, down-to-earth view of life. He'd like nothing more than to be with Tavish all the time, but he's more concerned than Tavish about being caught and ruining their reputations or worse, while engaging in risky behavior. He'd rather die than put Tavish in jeopardy or by dishonoring his father and his family, especially since his father is so sympathetic with his position. Poor Iain is miserable and unhappy, but his love for Tavish spurs him on and he doesn't give up. In the same practical manner in which he approaches his life, he embraces the opportunity to be together as the only way and embraces it, doing his part regardless as to how drastic it may seem.It's sometimes difficult to read a book with flashbacks from the past, but this one was well organized; the time periods are clearly delineated, eliminating any confusion that might otherwise have been caused. The story is written in a lyrical style perfect for a historical love story set in Scotland in the 1800s. It's obvious that a lot of research and planning went into this book because of the accuracy involved in the descriptions of the people, their colorful speech, and their customs. I loved the Gaelic words and phrases used. The period writing created a special ambiance enhancing the romantic element of the tale. Amelia captured the angst, sincerity, pain, joy, longing, and desperation of the two young men with such honesty and depth that it made me want to cry more than once. I totally sympathized with their plight. This is a deviation from Amelia's typical style, her first plunge into the area of historical writing, but she obviously has a knack for it. I, for one, hope she continues.If you want to escape into the past and experience a different time period when things were not as easy for two men in love but who managed to find a happy ending, then you may like this book. Bravo, Amelia! Thanks for the lovely romance.