Title:  Lord of the Isles
Series:  International Billionaires #8
Author:  Caro LaFever
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  April 4, 2016
Publisher:
My Rating:  5 stars
Source:  NetGalley
Cover Description:

When Lilly Graham visits her father in Scotland, she finds the villagers are close to rebellion against the new lord. Disturbed to hear the man has locked himself in his castle with a stash of liquor and guns, she won’t let him hide. She lost a good friend to depression and can’t be party to letting another soul lose the fight and die.

Iain McPherson avoids meeting anyone or any expectations about being a hero. He shouldn’t have been a Royal Marine and he shouldn’t have been given authority to lead. Disaster happened, leaving him a broken man. All he wants is to be left to his drunken self.

But a pesky, persistent lass won’t let him off the hook and no amount of bellowing or baleful threats will drive her away from his castle. Iain can’t escape from the past and he’s no longer sure he wants to escape from the present. Or the lass.

International Billionaires series—books that take well-loved stories and place them in exotic locales… you could liken Lord of the Isles to the classic Beauty and the Beast…

Lord of the Isles gets a 5 star rating not only because it’s a fantastic romance, but also because it brings attention to a very real problem in life these days and deals with it in a realistic way.  Iain is suffering from depression or even PTSD – his time as a Royal Marine has destroyed him mentally and emotionally.  It’s no matter that others consider him a hero, he failed at the mission and now all he wants is an escape from his reality.

Lilly will not lose another friend to depression.  When she’s visiting her father she soon discovers the damage Iain is doing not only to himself but to the livelihood of the villagers as well.  She storms in with the intent to save his life – she hadn’t expected to lose her heart to the beast he’d become.

While this story is very reminiscent of the classic Beauty and the Beast, Iain and Lilly have some very modern day issues to deal with.  Their romance was charming, fun and fraught with slight misunderstandings… but with such a stubborn male as Iain is, that’s to be expected.  It’s never an easy task to weave a serious issue into a lighthearted romance but it was done masterfully in Lord of the Isles.

I enjoyed this story very much and intend to go back and pick up the earlier books in the series (especially since at the date of this review they were available on Kindle Unlimited – love that service the author gets paid and I get lots of lovely books to read for one fee each month – everyone wins)

If you enjoy Romance that is a touch of whimsy along with some serious topics that so many people deal with on a daily basis, then Lord of the Isles is a story that you should be reading.  You’ll find likable characters and a solid story.

*I received an e-ARC of Lord of the Isles from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

Available for the Kindle