Neil Forbes is the new Marquis of Braemoor after the staged death of his cousin. Neil hadn't liked his cousin until shortly before he left Scotland and faked his own death. He had thought he was an uncaring womanizing gambler but in truth he had a secret life. He was the Black Knave, a man who smuggled Jacobites out of Scotland because the English were hunting and killing them.


Neil had always worked hard and dedicated himself to Braemoor. He was born a bastard but his uncle had come for him when he was a child to serve as his son's companion. He learned that he was nothing more than a servant when he fell in love with a lady but his uncle scoffed at him and told him he can't marry because nobody wants to marry a bastard, especially one whose mother was crazy. He told Neil madness ran in his mother's family. As a result, he broke up with Janet via a note that said her dowry wasn't large enough.

Janet had loved Neil with all her heart but his cruel breakup letter had changed that. She waited many years before marrying. She only did marry because Alasdair Campbell seemed charming and she fell in love with his three little girls. But Alasdair was a monster. He beat her and the girls. Janet gave him a son but he was still horrible.

When Alasdair suddenly dies, his family accuses her of murdering her and tries to take over guardianship of her son, the heir to Lochaene. She only has one person to turn to, Neil Forbes.

At first, I wasn't sure if I liked Neil. I thought he was kind of boring but then I realized he was exactly the kind of man I like. I love the quiet tortured types.

I did not like Janet. I know she was a good mother but she was so ungrateful and so bitter that I just couldn't stand her.

This was a good story but there was just too much of it. There was too much introspection and it moved too slowly to keep my attention. I took a lot of breaks from reading it.

I'm going to read the last book because the story is interesting. It is just has too much filler. ( )