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Review: Claiming the Highlander by Kinley MacGregor

Review of Claiming the Highlander, an historical romance set in medieval Scotland by Kinley MacGregor

Claiming the Highlander by Kinley MacGregory cover (review by the Travelling Book Nerd)

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Synopsis

Maggie masterminds a rebellion amongst the women in an attempt to bring a feud between two clans to an end (a la Lysistrata). Braden McAllister, shameless womaniser and brother of the Laird, arrives home after checking his southern lands and finds himself in the middle of a standoff between the women and the men.

Ever the peacemaker, Braden attempts to negotiate with Maggie before the men attack their women. Maggie decides she’s going to talk to the Laird of the other clan and try to get peace. Believing that this plan of hers will never work, Braden insists on accompanying Maggie along with his English older brother, Sin.

While they travel, Maggie struggles with the feelings she has had for Braden since childhood. Braden finds himself unexpectedly attracted to Maggie and is torn between this and his disinclination to hurt her.

Review

Overall, this was a good book. It was a light, quick read; very entertaining. The dialogue is humorous and flows naturally. The major characters are realistic and likeable, and the two main characters develop nicely. None of the scenes seemed overly drawn-out or skipped-over.

The opening scene shows Braden having fun with three women. This and other early scenes show him as shallow and intent purely on pleasure – just a pretty face. I really liked how Maggie could see that there is more to Braden. She sees how caring he is, his dreams, and how much deeper his personality is. While his brother, especially Sin, seem to see this too, none of the other women do; I think it might be one of the reasons that Braden had to fall in love with Maggie.

It was nice to see the glimpses of Braden and Maggie’s childhood friendship. This was revealed in several well-placed flashback scenes throughout the book. These scenes helped me to understand the two characters and, more importantly, their relationship to each other.

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Sin. He obviously had a very bad start to life. These experiences have made him hard, distrustful, and full of hate. From what we see of him in this book, he has used this to become a rich and powerful man (which is good but I still felt sorry for him). Apparently there is a separate book about Sin; I would like to read it one day.

I didn’t like how easily the feud between the clans was resolved. The men of both clans had been at each others throats for years. Sure, making Robby MacDouglas realise how much he cared for his wife was a good plan, and ending the feud after Sin saved her life was plausible, but it just seemed too easy and over too quickly.

Conclusion

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

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Review: On A Highland Shore by Kathleen Givens

Review of On a Highland Shore, historical fiction set in medieval Scotland by Kathleen Givens

On a Highland Shore by Kathleen Givens cover
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Synopsis

Margaret MacDonald, daughter of the Laird of Somerstrath, has just discovered that the man she is to marry has been unfaithful to her with her best friend. Because of her family’s refusal to cancel the betrothal, she travels to court to ask King Alexander to release her from it.

Returning home, she and her escort find that Norsemen have destroyed Somerstrath and massacred the inhabitants. While cleaning up the bodies, they find that several young boys are missing, including one of Margaret’s younger brothers.

They are joined by several relatives and allies, including Gannon MacMagnus, a young Irish warrior with a Norse father. Together they start recovering from the invasion and track down the attackers.

Review

The beginning seemed to get off to a bit of a slow start. However, once the Norsemen attack Somerstrath the story takes off. As the book continues, it is intense and suspenseful, especially during the battle scenes (warning: they were a bit graphic).

I enjoyed the brief appearances of real historical people, such as King Alexander. This ties the story in to the real historical setting. The book does a great job of showing the beauty of this time along with the brutality.

I struggled to care about Davy, the brother who was abducted. I just hadn’t seen enough of him to become attached to him before he was taken. I was more concerned about whether they would find and stop the Norse invasions or not.

There was a tease about Nell’s story. She meets a man called Liam and it seems obvious that eventually they’ll get together. Apparently the author planned to write another book featuring Nell, but died before she could do so. That’s a shame, because I want to understand that reference.

The author did a really good job of showing Margaret’s emotions; I could really feel her helplessness, loss, and betrayal.

‘Margaret stumbled down the hill behind Rignor. They checked every house. They found no one alive.

Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think.

They stopped before what had once been the gatehouse, staring at the still-smoldering roof of the keep. Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think. The chant ran through her mind, but thought was already very difficult. There was a roaring in her ears, almost like the sea. She no longer even saw the bodies of the men who had died here, simply stepped over the fallen who lay strewn across the stone courtyard and in the storeroom that had been the ground floor.’

The relationship between Margaret and Ganon adds a bit of romance to the story, but not enough to make it a romance novel rather than historical fiction. It also seems a bit shallow; I think the author hasn’t done a very good job of the “show don’t tell” thing with regards to this part of the story.

Margaret and Ganon were both strong people. I liked them much more than weaker characters such as Rignor. While I didn’t want Rignor to die, I was glad that his death allowed Margaret to become the clan leader; she always looked like a better leader than him.

The Norseman (main baddie) is pure evil. Rignor and Lachlan are shown as bad, they certainly do bad things, but they aren’t evil at heart. They are understandable given the setting and context.

Conclusion

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

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

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Review: The Perfect Wife by Lynsay Sands

The Perfect Wife by Lynsay Sands

Review of The Perfect Wife, an Historical Romance set in Medieval England by Lynsay Sands

The Perfect Wife by Lynsay Sands cover (Review by the Travelling Book Nerd)

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

Avelyn has a very poor view of herself. This leads to a calamitous wedding day, including a gown that’s too small, fainting during the ceremony, and setting the marriage bed on fire.

At the beginning of their marriage, Avelyn suffers several mishaps and her new husband, Paen, worries that she might be clumsy and incompetent. Avelyn falls into a depression as she thinks that her husband cannot stand to be around her. Once he realises this, Paen sets about convincing her of her own worth.

Review

The Perfect Wife was a light, quick read. When I read it, I had been unable to concentrate on anything heavier. It was the perfect book for me to read at the time.

The characters are very likeable. Paen and Avelyn are so unsure of themselves and their relationship and they try so hard to please each other. Sometimes they act a bit silly, especially at the beginning, but it shows their eagerness and naivety. To me it made them more endearing.

I enjoyed how the relationship between Paen and Avelyn unfolded at a steady pace. When they first meet each other, Paen is unimpressed with her, but as they get to know each other, he comes to care for her, then at the end they both realise they love each other. This process happened realistically, and while Paen’s realisation of his feelings are sudden, we are shown them developing at a believable pace.

I enjoyed how at the beginning, Avelyn kept trying to alter her appearance for Paen but that he preferred her as she was. She thought she was overweight and went to extreme lengths to look thin so that Paen would like her, binding herself and sucking in her cheeks. She wanted to look good for him, but he found her attractive how she was.

‘His gaze slid over her now in the red gown, and Avelyn bit her lip, afraid that without the binding he would be displeased. She was doing her best not to flinch when he announced, “You look much better now. There is colour in your cheeks, and you are no longer all sucked up and fishy looking.”

“Fishy looking?” Avelyn gasped with dismay.

“Aye.” When he pursed his lips and sucked his cheeks in to show her how she’d looked, Avelyn felt herself flush again. She hadn’t realised how ridiculous she’d appeared. And she had imagined herself looking better!’

I liked the little mystery woven through the story. It is introduced slowly so that at first I didn’t realise there even was a mystery. Having a mystery was a great way to keep the story going while Paen and Avelyn’s relationship progressed. The resolution of the mystery was also a great climax to the story and created a fantastic ending to the book.

Conclusion

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

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

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