Review: Highland Lover by Hannah Howell

Review of Highland Lover by Hannah Howell, an historical romance novel set in medieval Scotland.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see our full disclosure for further information.

Synopsis

Alana Murray is kidnapped and is imprisoned in a very dark hole with Gregor MacFingal Cameron. After a trying escape, Alana becomes fevered and Gregor has to find a safe shelter and nurse her back to health. In her delirium, she reveals more about herself than she had wanted to, including that she was searching for her sister, Keira.

Once she’s recovered, the two of them set off to find her sister, whose home just happens to be in the same direction as Gregor’s family. When they reach Gregor’s home, they are both stunned to find Mavis, the woman Gregor had courted, and her father already there and claiming that they were betrothed.

In the meantime, Gregor has realised which woman he wants to marry but he doesn’t want to speak of his feelings to Alana until he has dealt with Mavis. This has left Alana hurt and unsure if she can trust him.

Review

Highland Lover has to be the worst book I have read by this author. While the first half had action, it was unoriginal. Once they arrived at the monastery, there were all these references to Keira’s story that made no sense and kind of overshadowed Alana and Gregor for a bit. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t as good as Hannah Howell’s other books.

It seemed a bit strange that the cabin Gregor found to hide in immediately after the escape was so safe for so long. Why would such a nice cottage be so convenient? Surely the Gowans would have known that it was there and checked it for their runaways.

The fact that the cottage had a sturdy wooden door should have alerted him to the possibility that this was no mere cottar’s hut, he realized. Opening one of the thick shutters on one of the three windows, he found glass panes, a true luxury. Although the mattress upon the bed was stuffed with straw, it was thick and clean. A poor man would have taken such a fine mattress with him. Gregor then recalled how the cottage was tucked deep within the woods with no area cleared for farming or the raising of animals. He began to think he had stumbled upon some laird’s retreat, perhaps even a place where he housed his lemans out of sight and reach of his wife. It was pure luck that the man was between lovers at the moment, Gregor mused.

I loved the way Artan and Lucas were so protective over Alana, and how Gregor responded to their behaviour. It was so entertaining but realistic. I can easily imagine protective elder brothers from any era acting the same way over the man who beds their little sister.

By the end of the book, I found myself with quite a disliking for Gregor. I can understand why he didn’t tell Alana about Mavis (after all, he justifies himself repeatedly). But then it turns out that he has two illegitimate sons that he never so much as thought about while he was with Alana.

Conclusion

Have you read Highland Lover? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments.