ONCE UPON A PLAID (Spirit of the Highlands #2) by Mia Marlowe-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 7, 2014

A wife may be courted, too…

Many would count Katherine Douglas fortunate indeed. Laird William Douglas is broad-shouldered, gentle-handed, everything a lass could dream. But after four years of marriage, Katherine still knows little of what goes on in his heart. And she has yet to bear him an heir. The distance between them is too great—and so she flees over the snowy highlands to Glengarry Castle, home of her childhood, to set her husband free.

But William won’t let his wife slip away without a fight. Before long, he’s at her father’s threshold himself, witness to the rumbles of discontent in Glengarry, the bright joy of Yuletide at a family hearth, and the hidden needs of his own beloved.

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REVIEW: ONCE UPON A PLAID is the second full length storyline (third story) in Mia Marlowe’s slightly paranormal, historical Spirit of the Highlands romance series. Told from third person POV, this is Katherine and William Douglas’s story-a heartbreaking story of love, loss and regret.

After fours years of marriage, Katherine has yet to give William an heir-not that she is unable to get pregnant- but the numerous pregnancies have all ended in still births or infant deaths. Knowing William needs an heir, Katherine becomes a martyr and offers to annul their marriage so that William can remarry and get himself an heir. As the Christmastide approaches, Katherine remains secluded at the home of her ailing brother while forces seek to destroy the Laird of Glengarry castle and everything that he has built.

The relationship between Kat and William has already been established-a married couple, desperately in love with one another –but Kat continues to pull away from husband fearing yet another unsuccessful pregnancy. As Kat and William work at repairing their relationship, betrayal from someone close threatens the castle and everyone who lives within. William loves and needs Kat with every beat of his heart but Kat continues to push away the only man that she will ever love. Kat suffers guilt and anguish with every loss and miscarriage, and believes that William will be better off with another wife. He has kept his emotions and grief about the many losses to himself resulting in mixed signals to the woman that he loves.

The secondary characters include family, friends and castle staff. We watch as Kat’s sister in law gives birth to child number seven leaving Kat brokenhearted and yearning for a family of her own. Kat is willing to sacrifice love and her marriage to see William with an heir of his own.

Mia Marlowe pulls the reader into an imaginative and emotional tale of family betrayal and broken hearts. We watch as one couple struggle with childlessness, hoping for a miracle, only to realize that perhaps it was never meant to be. ONCE UPON A PLAID is an intimate look at a private and personal heartbreak for Katherine and Will.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy