Marin's Promise

Borderland Ladies, Book 1

By: Madeline Martin

Narrated by: Ruth Urquhart

Length: 9 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

From USA Today best-selling author Madeline Martin comes the first book in her Borderland Ladies series, where dangerous lands make dangerous ladies.

A lady who will defend her family and her castle...

Lady Marin Barrington, eldest of the Earl of Werrick's five daughters, is a born protector. Not only has she taken on the role of mistress of the castle and caregiver to her sisters upon their mother's death, she also acts in her father's stead while he is serving the king abroad.

Dedicated and resolute, failure is never an option for her. So, when a reiver forces his way into the castle, Marin won't surrender easily and takes it upon herself to kill the usurper. Except, plans go awry when passions are awoken and matters get complicated.

A man who must succeed no matter the cost...

Bran Davidson's sister is going to be hanged, unless he agrees to take Werrick Castle. Ever a pawn in a rich man's game, Bran has no choice but to force his way into Werrick on behalf of the Scottish Middle March Warden.

He quickly discovers getting into the castle is the easy part. Dealing with its mistress, however, will take every ounce of cunning and determination he can muster, especially when she turns his blood to fire.

A promise that changes it all...

In a game where desperation and love dictate the lives of many, a simple promise can change the tide of favor and open the door to pleasure and danger alike.

©2019 Madeline Martin (P)2020 Madeline Martin

Disappointed

I loved the Last Bookstore in London. After a few chapters of Marins Promise, I had to stop. Performance was poor, being very confusing with each character, especially the men. Scandalous and explicit sexually is not for me.

All Is Not As It Appears!

Marin’s Promise is the first book in The Borderland Ladies series. When Bran Douglas is forced to take Werrick Castle Lady Marin does not fully understand that “all is not as it appears!” This saying is repeated by her young sister Leila several times throughout the story as the action builds and the story takes its twists and turns. There are so many amazing characters in this story to fall in love with and of course Bran and Marin are at the top of the list. It is a cleverly spun tale with plenty of action, romance and suspense to keep you listening while sitting on the edge of your seat. Ruth Urquhart does a fairly nice job with the narration. Some of her male voices could use some improvement however most of the characters are well done and she shows emotion when necessary. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook and can’t wait for the next installment in yet another well crafted series from this amazing author.

even better on audio!

Since her mother's death Lady Marin Barrington has served as mistress of her father, the Earl of Werrick's castle, as the eldest of his five daughters. She also takes command of the castle when her father is away serving the king. When a reiver forces his way into the castle during one of her father's absences, Marin plays the part of gracious loser all the while plotting ways to kill him. Except, when she finds herself presented with the opportunity, in the most intimate of moments, she discovers a primal connection with Bran and can't bring herself to go through with killing him.

Bran Douglas is sick of reiving and being used as a pawn in other, more powerful men's wars, but with his sister's life on the line, he has no choice but to take Werrick Castle for the Warden of the Scottish Middle March. He had issues gaining access to the castle, but handling its mistress is a different story altogether. When an attempt on his life causes him to lock Marin in the dungeons, Marin devises an escape that inadvertently puts her family in danger so she promises to marry Bran and smooth his way at Werrick Castle in exchange for his help in saving her family.

Bran amazed me with his naivete and surprise at the lack of cooperation he received from the castle's inhabitants, including Marin. What exactly was he expecting?? I certainly didn't like Bran at first, especially when he was still talking about how attractive he found Marin's sisters, then happily headed to bed with Marin. This didn't exactly endear him to me, on top of his taking her castle, even if he was trying to protect his sister and was really a good man.

I did love that Marin and her sisters had been trained for battle as sons would've been. As much as I didn't like him at first, Bran really grew on me about halfway through the book. It did bother me that Bran wasn't honest with Marin sooner about his reasons for attacking the cast in the first place, but she wasn't exactly honest with him either and that was yet another factor that made this story more realistic. It was nice to see Bran and Marin's relationship develop and them grow to rely on each other and work as a team. I'm not sure what witchcraft was worked here but I went from not liking Bran and not being all that into this book at first to loving it and ranking Bran as one of my favorite heroes now. If you're not thrilled with it at first, definitely stick with it because I wound up really enjoying it and not being able to put it down. I loved this book when I read it and Ruth's narration makes it so much better; I think she was the perfect choice for this setting.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Give me a strong heroine any day

I loved Marin’s story. She is the strongest historical female I have ever read. Her father has given her and her sisters the ability to defend not only themselves but their castle and their home. Marin is left in charge of the castle while her father is fighting with the king. Her sister is captured and is held ransom for access to the keep. Marin has no choir to let the rouges in. Bran is so much more than how he starts. He is the rouge who takes the castle but not in the traditional kill them all manor. He just wants to do what is required to save his own sister. And he knows he needs the people living there to keep the castle going. Marin and Bran are like no others I have read. At each other’s throats most of the time but a underlying attraction that neither can deny.

Excellent Narration For An Outstanding Story

Narration Review:
I was so pleased that the author chose Ruth Urquhart as the narrator for this title. I always prefer to see a female narrator when a title is told from the female lead’s perspective. The narrator’s range of voices gave each character a distinct voice – she even managed to do creditable male voices. I loved the way she portrayed Bran. Her pacing was excellent – not too fast – not too slow – just right. Her range of emotions and voices sucked you right into the story and didn’t let you go until the last page. She definitely delivered an excellent listen.

Book Review:
OMG!!! What a wonderful beginning to this new series. It is full of action, romance and a cast of characters with whom you will fall in love. Several years ago (11 I think) the Earl of Werrick’s castle was attacked. His wife was raped and left pregnant by one of the reivers. She later died giving birth to the child. Rather than blaming the babe, the Earl and his four daughters loved the little one with all their hearts – looking upon her as the final beautiful gift from their mother. The Earl couldn’t stand the idea of anything ever happening to his beautiful daughters, so he raised them as warriors as well as ladies. Each had a specialty, but they could all fight as well as a man. This series features each of those five daughters. You’ll meet and love all of the sisters in this first book.

Marin, the oldest daughter of the Earl of Werrick, took over the responsibilities for the castle and her siblings when she was very young – at her mother’s death. Her father went into a deep depression and it was all left on Marin’s young shoulders. She didn’t even have time to grieve for her mother because she had to meet everyone else’s needs. Then, once her father somewhat recovered, he took off for the wars and the protection of the castle also fell to Marin. Marin selflessly loved and cared for everybody in the castle – everyone except herself. She never asked for anything for herself – although she did bask in her father’s praise.

Bran Davidson is a border reiver, not because he wanted to be, but because it was the only way he could feed himself and his sister who is all that remains of his sister. He’s not your ordinary reiver though. There is no raping or mistreatment of women by any man in his army. They all know that if that happens, Bran will personally exact swift punishment that ends in their death.

Bran has been forced into capturing the Earl of Werrick’s castle. The man who wants the castle, Kerr, has arrested Bran’s sister and will put her to death if Bran doesn’t do as Kerr wants. Bran hates all rich, privileged men and Kerr certainly fits that bill – Bran has even refused to work for Kerr in the past. Now he has no choice and he intends to succeed – no matter what – because he has to save Ena, his sister.

Bran has been observing the castle for several days and it seems that it is impregnable. Then, he sees one of the young daughters of the castle outside the walls with only a single guard. He dispatches the guard and captures the young girl – and demands that the castle surrender or he will cut the throat of the girl. That threat turns Bran's stomach, and he’d never do it, but the people in the castle don’t know that.

Marin’s father is off at war – the King needed him – so Marin is in charge of the castle. She has only a small contingent of warriors within the castle walls because her father took most of them with him. She can’t surrender – but can’t win a fight – and she has to protect her sister, so she surrenders the castle even though her sister begs her to let her die and not to surrender the castle.

Bran marches his warriors in and takes over, but he didn’t realize the strength and loyalty of the servants and soldiers in the castle. He finds he has to form an alliance with Marin or he’ll end up killing everybody inside – and he certainly doesn’t want to do that. As Marin and Bran spend time together, work together and get to know each other, an unlikely love grows between them.

I admire Marin and her strength and loving nature, but Bran is a real hero in every sense of the word. He saves Marin’s sisters and servants when he doesn’t have to, he fights to save the castle and he loves Marin beyond all measure.

The romance is real and wonderful and the love scenes are steamy. I just know you’ll love this book as much as I did. I can’t believe I have to wait for the next book, Anice's Bargain, featuring the second oldest sister. I loved Anice in this book and I just know she’ll be a remarkable heroine – just like Marin

Loved this audio book!

I absolutely loved this book. The author did an amazing job with the storyline, and the characters were so entertaining to read about.I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loved historical romance. The Narrator did an amazing job at bringing these characters to life. It is very much worth the read and listen. I can't wait to read more from this author and get to hear more audiobooks!

Fabulous

Wow, wow and wow! What a start to the Borderland Ladies series. I literally could not put the book down. It is the story of Bran, and Marin, Lady Of Werrick Castle, in her Fathers absence. It is a wonderful story with emotional ups and downs, crying and wishing for love. Madeline Martin has always been an amazing author, but this one was beyond amazing. I personally can’t wait for the next book. The book includes enough drama, past guilt, uncertain feelings, a battle, enough to keep you on your toes and wanting more. This is an excellent example of why I love Scottish historical romance. Through Ms. Martin the characters come to life. Please do yourself a favor and read this. You won’t be sorry. I was gifted this book and am voluntarily reviewing. Five+ stars. I read this book and just finished the audiobook. It is a wonderful story, with flawless narration. I hope the rest of the series is released on audiobook as well.