Thistle in the Mistletoe by Margaret Izard

 Forced into a marriage neither sought, they must find common ground—or die for the trying.

About The Book: Mary, only daughter of the laird of Comyn, is forced to wed the laird of the MacDougall clan, or her father and the new laird will die. Theirs has been a long-standing feud which the king seeks to stop by demanding a merger—as well as an infant within a year’s time.

Mary knows what it is to be unwanted, unloved and under-valued—mostly because of her gender—so living among the MacDougalls’ hatred and loathing is nothing new. Roderick MacDougall, however, has only known love and devotion from his immediate family and members of his extended clan. When Mary is threatened at every turn, to the point of near death, he must put aside what he thinks he knows and open his eyes to the truth.

These two stubborn people have much to learn how to forge a future under the most bitter of circumstances. Or heads will roll—literally.

Our Review: Author Izard, known for extensive research into her topic does not disappoint her legion of fans with this story. The characters are well developed, demonstrating multiple layers and individual traits. The history of customs, fashion, food abound and offer flavor to this beauty. Fans of historical romance, particularly set in medieval Scotland, will love this one.

On a scale of 1-5, Thistle in the Mistletoe deserves a 6.

Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews