Returning to Scotland after a long absence, Lady Venetia Campbell recalls with fond memories her childhood and the young lad, Lachlan Ross, who nicknamed her Princess Proud. Those memories come to an abrupt end when Lachlan kidnaps her in reprisal for her father's reneging on a debt. Stolen away in a carriage and headed for the Highlands, Venetia plans to make Lachlan regret it. She makes every attempt to escape and sings ballads of highwaymen coming to gruesome ends trying to irritate him. When her attempts fail, Venetia begins to listen to Lachlan's claims of the injustices going on with the Scottish Clearances and her father's involvement.

Sir Lachlan Ross left the Highlands after a fight with his father and their neighbor, Quentin Campbell. He left to become a soldier and that life taught him how precarious life can be. Lachlan returned home to make peace with his father only to find him dead and the clan in disarray. Between the Scottish Clearances that evict the Scots from their homes and the money owed by Campbell, the clan and their way of life hover on extinction. Since Campbell refuses to pay, Lachlan becomes the Scottish Scourge, robbing Campbell's estate and friends for the money. When his daughter appears, Lachlan kidnaps her, determined to get justice.

Trying to prove to Venetia he is not a monster, Lachlan shows her the results of the English landlords and why it's his right to confront her father. Venetia tries to remember his cruelty in kidnapping her, but his sweet kisses tempt her. Neither realizes that Lachlan's actions have set forth the exposure of sordid family secrets that will rock the foundations of both families.

Sabrina Jeffries delights with a marvelous story of a vengeful Scot who loses his heart to his enemy's daughter. The clash of wills between the hero and heroine with their sparkling dialogue and passionate encounters provides hours of enjoyable reading. Ms. Jeffries's School for Heiresses series continues with excellence while enticing readers' curiosity with the letters at the start of each chapter that promises of another great tale to come.

Book Summary

A visit to her childhood home of Scotland takes a dramatic turn when Lady Venetia Campbell is kidnapped at pistol- point by her father’s sworn enemy. Sir Lachlan Ross is widely feared in his guise as The Scottish Scourge, but Venetia remembers her former neighbor as a handsome youth whose attentions she once craved. Now a wickedly sexy man, Lachlan exudes an appeal even more intoxicating … and much more dangerous. Though Lachlan tries to treat her as his foe, his scorching kisses tell another story. And despite his plan to use her as a weapon against her father, Venetia is determined that Lachlan’s lust for revenge will be trumped by an even more powerful desire...

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