A handsome, overbearing
Scottish mercenary with a deadly curse and a passionate, hot-blooded
Castilian beauty with a family scandal come together in an intense
story of desire while fleeing from treachery. The beautiful Annalia
Elisabet Catherina Tristan, daughter of the Llorente family lives with
her brother Aleix high in the Pyrenees Mountains, where the evil
General Reynaldo Pascal is holding Aleix as blackmail so that Annalia
will marry him. He has already taken over the Principality of Andorra
and wants the beautiful Annalia for her Castilian blood so he can claim
more power and direct conncetion to the throne of Spain. Little does he
know that Court MacCarrick, the hired Scottish mercenary would turn
against him. When attempts at killing Court fail, it is Annalia who
discovers his unconscious body and takes him to her home in the
mountains to care for him. Upon awakening he discovers immediate desire
for his beautiful healer and soon comes to discover her connection to
Pascal. Annalia is disturbed to discover an attraction to Court as
well, but remembers how her mother's passionate nature resulted in her
being banished from the honorable Castilian family in scandal. They
both fight against this attaction and their deep passions, as Annalia
wants nothing to do with another one of the many barbarian Scots who
have come to her land to hire on with Pascal and Court does not desire
the complications of a woman, as a deadly family curse hangs over the
MacCarrick's that states any woman the MacCarrick men fall in love
with, death follows. When Annalia requests Court's help in rescuing her
brother and he refuses, she has no other alternative but to go to
Pascal and agree to the marriage. It is then that Court decides to
rescue Annalia and Aleix both. But when the rescue attempt for Aleix
fails and Annalia is shot, Court has no choice but to protect her and
flee alone with her. It is Olivia, Pascal's daughter that eventually
rescues Aleix. Upon the escapes Pascal sets his assasins called
Rechazados upon them all and as Annalia and Court race to London and
then onto Scotland to safety of his family, Aleix and Olivia follow.
While on the run Annalia and Court's desire builds and they come
together in many passionate encounters. Once in London they both
realize they love each other, but Court is reminded by his brothers of
the deadly curse and he comes to the hurtful realization that if he
wants Annalia to live he must let her go. Eventually everyone comes
together to fight off the evil Rechazados and Pascal, but it is the
MacCarrick curse that is left hanging over everyone. The story ends
with the discovery of the missing lines of the curse and what the
MacCarrick brothers will do with this information is going to make for
interesting sequels to this passionate trilogy. If You Dare is an
excellent start to the the exciting adventures of the MacCarrick
Brothers. If You Desire and If You Deceive are two further stories to
look forward to.
Reviewed
by Beverly,
Beverly Romance Books
