Reviewed for NetGalley
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Image courtesy of  Riptide Publishing
Genre: LGBTQ, Historical, M/M
Length: 86 pages

Stars: ★★★★★

Blurb

Farm lad Iain Munro knows his love affair with Tavish MacIntyre, future Laird of Creachann-Dubh, is dangerous—discovery could mean disgrace and death. But they’ve been in love since they were boys, and they’ve never been able to resist each other, dishonorable though it is to deceive their families.

Young men now, their sexual explorations have deepened and their love for each other has strengthened. But Iain’s father fears for his eldest son’s future, and Tavish faces dangers and duties of his own: his demanding mother would see him respectably wed, and his interfering sister knows too much—and has schemes of her own.

Facing a lifetime apart, Iain and Tavish must leave their childhoods behind for good as they choose between honor and love, innocence and happiness, and their vows before God and to each other.

Review

The Laird’s Forbidden Lover by Amelia C. Gormley is a historical romance that takes place in Scotland. The main characters are Iain Munro and Tavish MacIntyre, future Laird of Creachann-Dubh. The romance between Iain and Tavish begins when they are both very young boys. The Laird’s Forbidden Lover is a passionate tale full of heat and the folly of youth. Iain and Tavish remain true to each other as they grow to adulthood despite the risks inherent in being gay in medieval Scotland. The passion between them never dims and the heat is real.

The crux of the novel revolves around Iain and Tavish mapping out a future with each other in some other life away from their families, or succumbing to pressure and fulfilling the plans that their families have mapped out for them. How they cope with the pressures and try to maintain their love for each other is touching. Tavish and Iain are both likeable characters and seeing their young sexual curiosity and fiery passion as they work out the mechanics of making love is sweet.

Despite their positions in the community, Iain is the stronger and more resolute of the two young men. He is also the one suffering the most turmoil over his love for Tavish. The future Laird of Creachann-Dubh is much more impetuous. Tavish takes the lead in most of their sexual activities and their encounters are what tie the novel together. Some of their scenes smolder on the page. You can almost feel the heat on their skin as they clutch each close in dark hallways.

The Laird’s Forbidden Lover is a short story with some technical issues. Gormley writes with a strong voice, but the novel has some structural problems. The flashbacks are too abrupt. Several times I found it necessary to re-read sections to be sure what time-frame I was reading in the story. It also would be nice to know exactly when the story takes place. The secondary characters, such as Tavish’s sister, Aileen also need some fleshing out. Aileen is pivotal to the plot, but I never had a clear picture of her motivations.

I really like’d The Laird’s Forbidden Lover despite some minor issues and gave it 3.75 stars!