Laird of Sighs by Willa Blair is a Spring Into Books Festival pick #scottishhistoricalromance #historicalromance #scottishromance #newrelease #giveaway
- N. N. Light
- Apr 1
- 6 min read
Title:
LAIRD OF SIGHS
Author:
Willa Blair
Genre:
Scottish Historical Romance
Book Blurb:
Now that his twin is blissfully married and starting a family, Anders Sutherland longs for the same happiness. Lasses have always favored him, but he refuses to settle for anything less than a love match. Winning a bride worth keeping for life is a challenge he will enjoy—if he survives. When a storm at sea spits Anders onto a hostile shore, he finds himself falling for the spirited lass who nurses him back to health.
The handsome stranger who shows up at Ailsa Sinclair’s clan stronghold captivates her. Is he friend or foe? Her parents and brother, the heir, are away, so the clan's safety depends on her ruling. Then the stranger collapses at the gate, making the decision for her. As she cares for his injuries, she learns why all the lasses sigh over him, and her spark of attraction to him grows into fevered longing.
But Ailsa soon discovers that no matter how he came to them, Highland hospitality be damned, she should never have allowed Anders inside her walls. Fearing betrayal, he has kept an important secret. He’s the son of an enemy laird. Will she fight to save the man who stole the heart she has so carefully guarded for years, or will she let her family toss him in the dungeon—or worse, back into the sea?
Their clans say they’re enemies, but their hearts disagree.
Excerpt:
Ailsa Sinclair cursed her father as she looked down on the bedraggled man leaning heavily on the oaken door below her. She added a softer curse for her mother, too. Why had they gone to Orkney without her? Couldn’t one of them have stayed at home? And why had her brother Boden chosen today to go hunting? Though he was three years younger than Ailsa, he was the heir, which meant he was responsible for Sinclair. If he was here, she would not be faced with this conundrum. She wouldn’t be in charge. She wouldn’t be the one to risk Sinclair castle. If this went wrong, if anything happened to anyone within its walls, she would be blamed for the decision she made.
She could always deny the man entry. But he seemed exhausted. He was injured and likely unable to leave Sinclair land under his own power. There was no stray horse in view. He was wet. Had it rained overnight? Aye, it had. A storm. She recalled the noise and the bright flashes of lightning that penetrated between the slats of the shutters over her window. So, he’d been out in the storm, and now that she looked more closely, perhaps he’d slipped and fallen on wet ground. Several times. She could see blood on his face and clothes.
Or had he fought someone? Was he dangerous?
Silly question. All men were dangerous.
But the more she studied him, the more she wondered. He stood with his back to the door now, resting his head against the wood, eyes closed. Despite his battered condition, he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Tall, muscular, broad-shouldered and long of leg, his dark hair was plastered to his head by rain or blood, exhaustion making his lips thin and pale. But his jaw was strong, his nose straight, and his hands wide and powerful.
A shiver of—what? —ran down her ribs. Fear? Nay. Desire? Surely not.
He didn’t seem threatening. But her mother had told her again and again that all men were dangerous. And this was most definitely a man.
“Have ye looked yer fill, lass?”
How dare he! How did he know? His eyes were closed. Besides, it was her job to look. To weigh what she saw and decide. Did he want her to deny him entry?
“Why are ye here?”
“I dinna ken where else to go.” He lifted his head from the door, opened his eyes, winced, and looked up at her.
“Who are ye?”
“I dinna ken that, either.” He lifted a hand to his head and shrugged. “Sorry. I’m bereft of answers at the moment. If I could come in, get dry, have yer healer tend to me, perhaps some answers might come back to me.”
Was he deliberately refusing to answer her questions? Bargaining for entry and for care? And taunting her, too? She opened her mouth to tell him to go away, but hesitated. What if that was not what he meant? He looked, well, gorgeous, but also exhausted and beaten. How far could he go on his own? Sinclairs were not inhospitable. Her mother was one of the kindest people she knew. Her mother would let him in. She would argue with the laird, Ailsa’s father, if need be.
What would the laird do?
So many questions and conditions ran through her mind, she feared she’d been staring at the man far longer than was proper, especially when he stared back.
“I dinna think I’ve ever seen hair the color of yers,” he said suddenly, “and I ken many lasses. ’Tis beautiful.”
He looked ready to collapse, and yet he complemented her hair?
He was trying to flatter her into letting him inside Sinclair’s gates. That decided her. “Ye’d best be on yer way,” she told him with a frown.
On her clan’s bible, she would have sworn she saw tears glint as his expression fell to hopelessness. Then his eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped to the ground, loose-limbed. He’d made no effort to catch himself. He must have passed out. Or had he? Dear God, what if he’d just died? “Go get him and take him to the healer,” she commanded the nearby watchmen.
“But Lady Ailsa—“
“Dinna argue. Fetch him to the healer. Now!” What if her indecision had killed him? Her heart broke, guilt swamping her. Dear God, had she killed the man? Her mother would never forgive her. Depending on who he was, or where he came from, her father might not, either. Surely someone would come looking for him.
She picked up her skirts and made her way to the stair down to the bailey in time to see the stranger carried in under the iron spikes of the portcullis. It took four of her men to move him. They continued toward the keep as she ran down the steps, then followed them inside to the Sinclair herbal.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Amazon: https://buff.ly/RbTvx7o
What’s your favorite thing about springtime?
Flowers! I love to see our Redbud tree burst into bloom, followed quickly by fragrant mountain laurels and a succession of more vibrant colors as the weather warms. I open the windows and let in fresh air, relax on the back patio in the shade listening to the birds, and practice enjoying the moment.
Why is your featured book a must-read this spring?
LAIRD OF SIGHS is my latest release, the second of the Sutherland Twins spin-off from my His Highland Heart series. Readers will love Anders and Ailsa’s romance. It can be read as a standalone, but they’ll miss a lot of fun if they skip the first book, LAIRD OF LIES, Anders’ minutes-older brother Stellan’s romance with Mariota MacKay. Settle in and enjoy both!
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $100 Amazon gift card.
Open internationally.
Runs April 1 – 30, 2025
Drawing will be held on May 1, 2025.
Author Biography:
Willa Blair is an award-winning Amazon #1 bestselling author of Scottish historical, light paranormal, and contemporary romance filled with men in kilts, psi talents, and plenty of spice. Her books have won numerous accolades, including the Marlene, the Merritt, National Readers’ Choice Award Finalist, Booksellers’ Best Award Finalist, National Excellence of Romance Fiction Awards Finalist, National Excellence in Story Telling Award Finalist, Reader’s Crown finalist, InD’Tale Magazine’s RONE Award Honorable Mention, and NightOwl Reviews Top Picks.
A life-long student and reader, she has been a stained glass artist and instructor, a foreign language teacher, a computer scientist, an analyst, a manager, and an executive. She loves reading and writing novels set in the past, present, and future, as well as scouting new settings for books. She has visited six continents and can get by in several languages. She thinks being an author is the best job she’s ever had.
Her popular series are available in ebook, print, and audiobook formats.
Willa loves to hear from her readers. Find her at www.willablair.com.
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