I love the history in the story, the camaraderie in the plot line and Ms. It's a second time around which I don't think I've read in an highland romance before. She is hurt and misunderstandings lead to terrible conclusions and Margaret runs away.This is a wonderful story. Striker had thought Margaret had betrayed him years ago so he had left her to live her live as she chose.The story then returns to the past, Eoin and Margaret's first meeting, their falling in love and marriage.They're very young and Eoin wants to join Bruce's highland guard and is gone a lot, Margaret is left all on her own with his family who don't treat her very well -they dislike the MacDowell's- and Eoin can't explain where he goes. We begin with Eoin 'Striker' MacLean and his companions bursting in on a wedding to capture an opposition again Bruce -Dugald MacDowell- who happens to be the brides father, and the bribe also happens to be Striker's wife, she hasn't seen him for 6 yrs.

I couldn't put Eoin and Margaret's story down until I'd reached the very end.A NetGalley ARC Read more Once again the midnight candle burned brightly. Some years later, when he learns that Margaret is about to remarry, Eoin has second thoughts, particularly as his Lazarus reappearance behind the English lines, will cause consternation for Bruce's enemies.What his return causes for Margaret, and the surprises Eoin will face, are very different from the outcome he anticipated, leaving them both shaken and reeling in shock.Filled with surprises, treachery, misunderstandings and heart throb moments, this addition to the Highland Guards series is just as addictive as it's running mates. Convinced he has been betrayed by Margaret, Eoin turns his back on their marriage and takes up the mantle of his reported death. Margaret is all that is admirable in the way she seeks to support and understand him, but perceived rejection and frequent snubs worms away at her self confidence. Eoin's promise to not reveal the secret of the Highland Guards is ripe ground for mistrust between himself and Margaret to erode to the point of no return. But then Eoin wasn't expecting to be captivated by a wild, red headed, bewitching young woman, Margaret MacDowell, whose father's enmity is legend.Happiness is replaced by anger. deceit and betrayal!Eoin MacLean's decision to become one of Robert the Bruce's strike force team, The Highland Guards, plays havoc with his personal life.

The Rock by Monica McCarty