Tag: Hannah Howell

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

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Synopsis

When Gillyanne Murray takes possession of her dower property, she doesn’t expect the three neighbouring lairds to turn up on her doorstep. Intent on maintaining peace, they insist that she must marry one of them. After keeping them at bay for three days, Gillyanne agrees to marry Connor MacEnroy.

The first hours of their marriage are rocky as Connor rushes her to his home (Deilcladach) and promptly seems to forget her. Gillyanne soon finds that Connor has some strange ideas about ‘gentle-born ladies’ that she must correct. She also struggles to break through the tight hold Connor has on his emotions.

Her efforts are complicated by Connor’s uncle and resentful ex-lover. Then Connor’s uncle is found dead, murdered with Connor’s dagger. Connor is imprisoned for the murder, so Gillyanne must prove his innocence and uncover the real killer. Back at Deilcladach, can Connor show Gillyanne how he feels before her father gives her a way out of their marriage?

Review

Highland Bride could have been two different books. The first part, where Gillyanne defends her property from the three lairds, was hilarious. The methods she used to repel her suitors were inspired and they deserved everything they got.

Once Gillyanne agrees to marry Connor and goes to Deilcladach with him, the whole story changes. It becomes more of a romance as they get to know each other and figure out their relationship.

I loved Gillyanne. She is spirited, creative, and amusing. Despite her apparently diminutive size, she has strength and an outgoing personality, making her seem larger. It was so much fun watching Gillyanne deal with Connor’s ex-lover and her friends (aka “The Three Whores of Deilcladach”).

My feelings about Connor are more complicated. He is handsome and fierce and everything a romance hero should be, while still being able to develop as a character. He appreciates Gillyanne’s intelligence and accepts her guidance in their relationship. However, he is just a bit too stubborn when it comes to showing strength and emotion. And his devastation over his uncle’s death is believable but gets annoying.

The constant psychoanalysing was repetitive and eventually boring. We don’t need to be told every ten pages how Connor must stay strong for the clan because of the violence of the feud that killed his parents. Furthermore, the dialogue got a bit repetitive.

Conclusion

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

If you haven’t, you can buy it at the following stores:

Review of Highland Hearts, an historical romance by Hannah Howell 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

Moments after Tessa Delgado frees Sir Revan Halyard from her uncle’s dungeon, Revan kidnaps her. Revan suspects that Tessa’s uncle is involved in a plot to overthrow King James II and she just happens to have the information that he needs. Suddenly they are on the run, trying to reach the King before Uncle Thurkettle and the treacherous Douglases can track them down.

Forced together, Revan and Tessa find themselves increasingly attracted to each other and before long have begun a “no strings attached” affair. This is complicated when Tessa’s other uncle, Sir Silvio Delgado Comyn, demands that Revan marry her. Knowing how Revan feels about the land and money she has inherited, Tessa determines that she must find a way to release him despite how much she has come to love him.

Review

Highland Hearts was fast-paced with lots of action. Revan and Tessa are constantly running from some sort of danger or trying to get their various bits of information to the king. Even once they’ve passed their information on, they quickly uncover more information, making their flight to the king even more urgent.

These two have sex far too soon for my liking. I get that they’ve been alone in a cave together for days on end and there is this immediate connection between them. However, it is the 15^th century and Tessa is an obviously virtuous young woman. There is no way they would have done anything like this so quickly in real life.

Despite all the trouble she was in, she knew sleep would come quickly. It was just weighting her body when she felt Revan slip under the blanket and lay down beside her. Wide-eyed with shock, suddenly alert, she turned to stare at his broad back.

“What are you doing?” she squeaked.

“Going to sleep.”

“Ye canna sleep here.”

“’Tis the only place to sleep there is. Wheesht, I am too weary to bother with some fool lass’s outrage. I am also too weary to be any threat to any female. So ye can just calm yourself down and go to sleep.”

It was interesting to see how the characters dealt with Tessa having money while Revan had none. Usually the man has the money while the woman may have a small dowry (and not much more). Revan seems to be the only one who sees any problem with him not having any money to contribute to his potential marriage.

Conclusion

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

Review of Highland Sinner, historical romance set in 15th century Scotland by Hannah Howell

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

Women are being brutally murdered and butchered. Sir Tormand Murray has had affairs with all of them. Before long, rumours are circulating that he is responsible for the deaths and Tormand’s life is threatened by fearful locals intent on justice. His friend, Simon, soon arrives to investigate.

With more women dying and no leads to follow, Simon and Tormand meet with Morainn, a young woman who has visions. Morainn agrees to help but doing so quickly lands her in danger from the killers, and she moves to Tormand’s house so that his relatives can protect them.

Tormand fights his attraction to Morainn, fearing what she means for his future. However, constantly being in the same house makes it impossible to avoid her, and before long he finds himself trying to woo her.

Review

Highland Sinner is just as much mystery as it is romance. Who is murdering all these women? Why are they framing Tormand? Will Morainn ever find out where Walin came from? The ‘Tormand and Morainn relationship’ storyline seems to be secondary to the mystery a lot of the time.

I was pleased by how Tormand had already started getting over his “leaping from one bed to another like some demented toad” before meeting Morainn. There are too many books out there already where the hero acts horribly at the beginning and the heroine changes him.

I absolutely loved Tormand’s relationship with his family. They obviously care for each other and would do anything to save Tormand from suffering. Yet, there’s constant complaining about each other and teasing among them (especially about Tormand’s reputation and attempts to woo Morainn).

I didn’t like how much the relationship between Tormand and Morainn was analysed. There are way too many instances where Tormand ponders his feelings and future, or Morainn weighs the consequences of becoming his lover. It’s an effective way of showing how their relationship progresses, but it feels overdone.

Conclusion

Have you read Highland Sinner? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? What about other books by Hannah Howell? Let me know in the comments.

If you haven’t, it can be bought at Book Depository (they have free worldwide shipping!).