Sold to a Laird by Karen Ranney

TITLE: Sold to a Laird
AUTHOR: Karen Ranney

PUBLISHER: Avon Books
GENRE: Historical Romance
On Sale Date: November 4, 2009


Lady Sarah Baines was devoted to her mother and her family home, Chavensworth. Douglas Eston was devoted to making a fortune and inventing. The two of them are married when Lady Sarah′s father proposes the match and threatens to send Lady Sarah′s ill mother to Scotland if she protests.

Douglas finds himself the victim of love at first sight, while Sarah thinks her husband is much too, well, earthy for her tastes. Marriage is simply something she had to do to ensure her mother′s well-being, and even when her mother dies in the next week, it′s not a sacrifice she regrets.

She cannot, however, simply write her mother′s relatives and inform them of her death. She convinces Douglas - an ex pat Scot - to return to Scotland with her, to a place called Kilmarin. At Kilmarin, she is given the Tulloch Sgàthán, the Tulloch mirror. Legend stated that a woman who looked into the mirror saw her true fate.

Douglas and Sarah begin to appreciate the other, and through passion, Douglas is able to express his true feelings for his wife. But once they return to England and Douglas disappears and is presumed dead, Sarah has to face her own feelings for the man she′s come to respect and admire.


REVIEW

Do you believe in love at first sight? Well, Douglas Eston, the hero of New York Times Bestselling author Karen Ranney’ “SOLD TO A LAIRD”, most certainly does.

Lady Sara Baines burst onto the scene as she briskly walked into her father’s study demanding he not move her severely ill mother to Scotland. One look of this rigidly beautiful woman and Douglas is done for. Her spirit and pride engage him into doing the unthinkable. He asks for Lady Sara’s hand in marriage. Originally, Douglas had visited to inquire Lord Baines into investing in his diamond distilling adventure, not that the man needs one. Douglas is as rich as Midas, but he wasn’t always. Orphaned and left on the streets of Perth, Scotland the young heathen did everything to survive until one day he was caught red handed trying to pick a pocket. Instead of finding himself in goal the man took pity and a liking to the young fourteen year old. Determined to become a gentleman in every sense of the word, Douglas traveled the world with his mentor collecting languages as if they where one of his brilliant perfected diamonds. No one knows his secret and he will keep it that way. For if Lady Sara were to discover his little note book of instructions on how to act like a gentleman his hopes and fears of winning her love would be ultimately destroyed.


Lady Sara has one purpose in life. That task is taking care of Chevensworth and its inhabitants. Brought up to be the impeccable and irreproachable Lady of the manner. Sara makes sure that not a hair is out of place, her back rigid at all times and that no one…absolutely no one sees the pain and heartache living inside of her. Now, Sara is thrown into a marriage that she does not want or need. Her father has sold her to a man she doesn’t know for what...an adventure of diamond making. To save her dieing mother from a trek to Scotland Sara desperately agrees to the match.


What Sara never realized and soon comes do discover is that all men are not created equal. This charismatic man that burst into her life is nothing like the cruel sadistic Lord who ruled her world for so long. No, Douglas is man passionate not only in his work but in his love. Slowly Sara is treated to the warm compassionate nature of her husband. Gently seduced by his caring nature, Sara begins to long to be a true wife to the most fascinating man. With a soft word and gentle touch this intriguing man has Sara wanting to engage her heart for the very first time? But tragedy soon strikes and Sara isn’t sure if she ever wants to feel again. Can a man truly love a woman enough to sacrifice his heart for her comfort and good?

Douglas is determined to prove to his lady that love is not a condemnation and she doesn’t have to sacrifice any part of her soul to finally release the passion of the woman she has hidden away for so long.


New York Times Best Selling author Karen Ranney’s classic “SOLD TO A LAIRD” is a true testament to love at first site. And that a true abiding love can sustain us through any and all tragedy.

The fact that Ms. Rainey chose to flip the stereotypical and have the hero and not the heroine fall in love at first glance added to this heart rending story. Ms. Ranney’s three dimensional characters have you holding on with bated breath for the crossed lovers to endure every pitfall that befalls them. With its strong emotional current Ms. Ranney has given historical romance readers a love affair that will endure through out time.


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