After losing almost their entire clan to illness, Alexander MacCoinnich and his three brothers, his best friend, and two cousins have been forced to become mercenaries. They have honor, however, and only fight for those Alexander deems worthy, even if they sometimes face accusations of "traitor." When he and his brother are badly injured and the group all face death from exposure following the deadly Glencoe Massacre, they find themselves at Clan Neal's keep under the care of her mistress, Catriona. She has acted as lady of the keep since her mother's death, striving to keep her deathbed promise to protect the clan from her cruel father, the chieftain, as well as her equally cruel twin brother, Calum. Her father's death only makes things worse as Calum proves himself to be even more sadistic and evil than their father was. 

With the future of Clan Neal looking very bleak indeed, Alexander could be Catriona's salvation, but she has to decide it it's worth leaving her clan to their own fate. Alexander is considering giving up his warring ways to settle down and have something stable to offer Catriona. But when her father's death unleashes Calum and the clan's fear of him gives him power, it may be too late for Catriona to escape her own fate, much less save her kin from theirs.

This book gave me an enormous sense of suspense and danger almost from the very beginning. No one is who they seem and you don't really know who has the power or who can be trusted. Alexander was a fantastic hero, the classic big and strong type. Catriona has always been alone until this point, since her mother's death. Meeting Alexander gives her the first real hope she's had in a long time and she proves to be quite the fighter, especially when she learns things about her family that are even more sordid than she had expected. Alexander makes Catriona feel safe and she knows he's a danger to her heart just as well as she knows he's a mercenary and she can't hope to keep him by her side. Catriona also fears the loss of her people to her brother's evil and her dire situation arouses Alexander's protectiveness and makes him determined to help her. The danger brings the two together quickly, but in a believable way.

Ms. Greyson has given us a group of great heroes that are truly likable and I look forward to learning more about each and their backstories in future installments of this very promising series.

I received an advanced copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.