Shake Loose the Border by Andrea Matthews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Will Foster and Maggie Armstrong return and it is the week before their wedding, they are over the moon that it is coming to pass, especially so soon because there happens to be a priest who is passing by, but they are still worried about the Armstrong families reaction to their hand fasting, so the sooner they are married, the better they will feel. So as Will’s mother gets all hands on deck to begin the preparations, Will and Maggie are finding that they have very little time to themselves, an obvious ploy by his parents to make sure that they stay as true to waiting until they are married as they can, much to Wills annoyance.

As they escape for an afternoon together, Maggie comes across the body of Johnnie Hetherington in the woods looking worse for wear and in a state that distresses Maggie, but despite all the betrayals he has been at the heart of, she doesn’t understand why he has been left that way. As Will tries to explain it and settle Maggie’s heart and body to a somewhat normal state, they are interrupted by Sergeant Richie Carnaby arriving to request Will’s presence at his fathers home so that he can question them all about Johnnie, although how he already knows about it is one mystery and the other is who could have done Johnnie in when it is found that the Fosters had nothing to do with it.

Meanwhile, word has gotten around that their nuptials have been arranged and so Geordie Armstrong decides to take the matter into his own hands and still believing that he can change Maggie’s mind and get her to see reason and marry Ian Rutherford, he calls together both families to plan a raid on the Foster family and end the blood feud once and for all. As time grows short, the wedding is moved up a day and it is a good job that it was as the Armstrong’s descend on the Fosters and a bloody and violent battle begins between the two families. As the fighting intensifies, Will implores Dylan to get Maggie to safety and see that she escapes, but has to promise that he will follow shortly, however, a certain Ian Rutherford has other ideas and goes onto the attack when he spots Will across the battlefield. When Dylan settles Maggie and promises to return, he goes back, but he can see that the stone is disintegrating and may only have one more trip, so despite his misgivings, he heads back after Will, but what will he find when he gets there and will there be any time for him to say goodbye to Annie, the woman who has captured his heart?

This is another action packed trip into historical Britain and the Border Wars between the Reivers who live there, as blood feuds continue and both love and heartache dog their lives, but as they do a lot of living and laughing in between the two this charming story unfolds as a rollercoaster of emotion plays out over a beautiful landscape.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

View all my reviews