The Bold Heart by Carmen Cain

As Scotland's greatest warrior and heir to the earldom of Mull, few dared to cross swords with Ewan MacLean. But the price he paid for his fearsome reputation was a heavy one. To survive, he buried his emotions and became only the warrior, riding from battle to battle with his men to protect Scotland from threats within and without her borders and letting himself feel nothing else. After a bold, mysterious youth rescues Ewan and his men from the English, the group swiftly makes their way back to Scotland. But no sooner embarked on their journey home, a young Prince James sounds the call to arms, rises against his father, King James III of Scotland, and plunges Scotland into a dangerous civil war. But as they journey to join the prince, both Ewan and Alec discover their rescuer's secret--and both men find themselves falling unexpectedly in love with a raven-haired beauty.

I ended up really enjoying this one! We met Merry in [book:The Kindling Heart|18626393], as a young child she was wed to an evil Scottish Lord and her brother Ruan rescued her with the help of Ewan MacLean. Years later Merry learns that Ewan has been captured and scheduled for execution. Without giving it much thought she cuts her hair and rides to his rescue. Disguised as a boy she is able to travel the countryside and arrive in time to free Ewan and his men.

This is the last book in the series and some loose ends are tied up from previous books, but technically it could probably stand on its own. Merry was an extremely likable heroine, she continued to surprise me. I liked her outlook on life and how she could lighten the mood. I was a little nervous about her story since we first met her under upsetting circumstances in the first book, but years have passed and she is at peace and not haunted by what had happened to her. It's barely talked about. I loved how loyal she was to Ewan and they had great chemistry. I also loved that Ewan recognized early on that she was the only one for him. He was always loyal and kind to her. We had seen him in previous books and he is a fierce warrior, so it was great being able to see a softer side of him. I also loved Alec, he was great and I was heartbroken for him!

Overall, a fun medieval series! I think [book:The Bedeviled Heart|23248214] and this one are my favorites!

Content
Romance: Clean-Pretty clean, mild innuendo. Fade to black intimacy (after marriage), just kissing. Language: None
Violence: Mild-Moderate, some fighting nothing too detailed

Source: Amazon Kindle Unlimited

Nominated for a 2014 Swoony Award