The Highland Guardian: Lords of the Highlands, Book 3

In Jarecki’s zingy third 18th-century Lords of the Highlands installment (after The Highland Commander), an English heiress falls hard for her new guardian, a Scottish earl. Capt. Reid MacKenzie, Earl of Seaforth, fulfills the last wishes of Nicholas Kennet, a passenger on his ship who died when the ship was wrecked by cannonball fire: with his dying breath, Kennet asked Reid to take care of his young daughter. But Reid is stunned when he learns that Kennet’s daughter, Audrey, is 19 years old, and she is less than thrilled that Reid is her new guardian. As Reid begins to search for suitors for Audrey, the mutual attraction between them builds, but Reid believes that it would be irresponsible of him to act on it. When Reid, his men, and Audrey must travel swiftly to Scotland to elude Wagner Tupps, an evil man claiming to be the heir to Kennet’s estate, and Reid’s longtime enemy Captain Fry, Audrey and Reid spend more time alone together, and passion sizzles. Audrey begins to feel she must convince Reid that there is a future for them. Magnetic, sexy romance is at the heart of this novel, made complete with a cast of richly depicted characters, authentic historical detail, and a fast-moving plot. (Dec.)