Loved this book - Rory seems so hard and unyielding, and yet he comes alive when he discovers that life is more than just being laird of his clan. Being able to enjoy life and the people around him is a gift that Isabel gives to him. For all Isabel's original uncertainty about herself and her worth as more than a beautiful shell, she blossoms and brings sunshine, beauty, and fragrance to everyone and everything when she discovers true friends and true love.It's a hard road, and sometimes a frustrating one for the reader, but it's worth it!I kept waiting for the story of Elizabeth Campbell and her marriage (from another or McCarty's Highlander series) to come into play, and that might be my only disappointment - that it didn't. I was hoping for some tie between the series characters, other than the Earl of Argyll. But s'OK. Made me chuckle to even expect it - McCarty surely has me wrapped up in her world!I loved the bit with the Fairy Flag - Isabel's idea of how to "honor" her uncle and still protect the MacLeods.I was very surprised to read in the author's notes at the end of the book that much of this story is based on true history. The horrid, shameful ride that Isabel's uncle makes Margaret take at the beginning of the book... the feud between the two clans... Isabel's uncle's perfidy, playing Queen Elizabeth against King James... the Fairy Flag of the MacLeods... and more!Alex's story is next!
