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devilbunny6's review against another edition
2.0
If I wasn’t so invested in this series, I would have put this down in the DNF pile. Why? Mostly because of the main characters. The MMC had no personality aside from being a generic grump. FMC was beautiful as usual for a stereotypical HR novel…and that’s about it. I generously gave this two stars because we got to briefly visit the MacDonnell’s (Saidh, Greer, and little Alpin are still a delight!), and I enjoyed all the Buchanan brothers…except Grumpy MacSnoozefest AKA Dougall. Plot was overly simple and the surprise villain at the end was no surprise. I also couldn’t get past the constant life threatening injuries to the FMC as an attempt to move along the plot and romance. Sometimes plot devices are just beyond my suspension of disbelief.
samsquanch's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The phrases "S/he murmured" or ""Oh" s/he breathed/said/murmured" are written too many times in this book.
There's a lot of nothing going on. People are always explaining things to one another. The beginning has the MC fainting all the time. 60% of the book is complete before they finally fuck.
There's a lot of nothing going on. People are always explaining things to one another. The beginning has the MC fainting all the time. 60% of the book is complete before they finally fuck.
tales_of_a_bookbug's review against another edition
4.0
A great addition to the Highlander series!This one focuses on one of Saidh's brothers - Dougall Buchanan and Murine Carmichael.
Lady Murine has lost a lot in her life and is currently staying with her half brother, who enjoys gambling way too much.He has gambled away her dowry and almost all of his fortune.
But she knows its the end of the straw when he tries to sell her off in exchange of horses!
Dougall and his brothers are disgusted by the offer.They wouldn't end up giving their prized horses to him anyway.He feels sorry for the beautiful sister who has to put up with such a brother.
They leave the castle soon, but are quite surprised when they come across a woman fleeing on a cow on their way back!
And guess who it is?Yep!Murine!
They're even more surprised when they find out that she is Carmichael's daughter and the Scottish lass who saved their sister.
Dougall decides to help her and take her back to Saidh.But, he wants to do more than just protect her and as they spend more time travelling together, the attraction between them gets too hard to resist.
Will he let her go once they reach home or find a way to keep her forever?
I loved the development of the relationship between Murine and Dougall.It wasn't too slow nor was it too fast.And the attraction between them was palpable! I loved the way the brothers treated Murine!So cute!And Dougall's jealousy if she got too close with them!Lol
Murine was a normal heroine.Not too Mary Sue-ish, but not like a warrior either.She tries her best to get out of situations on her own, but if that doesn't work out, she admits she needs help.
Dougall was an awesome Scot.He wasn't written as if he was a commitment phobe.His falling for Murine felt natural.
I also loved how the author mixed the mystery in with the romance.Sometimes, it felt weird that the characters ignored the warning signs right in front of them, as they were too occupied with their relationship or something else!But its understandable.
I also don't understand what happened to Murine's fainting issue?It's alright now that she eats well and has that tincture?I'd been thinking it was some kind of vertigo.
The last few chapters were wonderful with the action and culmination of the mystery.Things are resolved neatly.
The Buchanan brothers are an awesome bunch and I hope we get to read more stories about them ,especially the eldest!
If you love Highlander romances, you should really give this book and series a try!You might end up loving it!
Lady Murine has lost a lot in her life and is currently staying with her half brother, who enjoys gambling way too much.He has gambled away her dowry and almost all of his fortune.
But she knows its the end of the straw when he tries to sell her off in exchange of horses!
Dougall and his brothers are disgusted by the offer.They wouldn't end up giving their prized horses to him anyway.He feels sorry for the beautiful sister who has to put up with such a brother.
They leave the castle soon, but are quite surprised when they come across a woman fleeing on a cow on their way back!
And guess who it is?Yep!Murine!
They're even more surprised when they find out that she is Carmichael's daughter and the Scottish lass who saved their sister.
Dougall decides to help her and take her back to Saidh.But, he wants to do more than just protect her and as they spend more time travelling together, the attraction between them gets too hard to resist.
Will he let her go once they reach home or find a way to keep her forever?
I loved the development of the relationship between Murine and Dougall.It wasn't too slow nor was it too fast.And the attraction between them was palpable! I loved the way the brothers treated Murine!So cute!And Dougall's jealousy if she got too close with them!Lol
Murine was a normal heroine.Not too Mary Sue-ish, but not like a warrior either.She tries her best to get out of situations on her own, but if that doesn't work out, she admits she needs help.
Dougall was an awesome Scot.He wasn't written as if he was a commitment phobe.His falling for Murine felt natural.
I also loved how the author mixed the mystery in with the romance.Sometimes, it felt weird that the characters ignored the warning signs right in front of them, as they were too occupied with their relationship or something else!But its understandable.
I also don't understand what happened to Murine's fainting issue?It's alright now that she eats well and has that tincture?I'd been thinking it was some kind of vertigo.
The last few chapters were wonderful with the action and culmination of the mystery.Things are resolved neatly.
The Buchanan brothers are an awesome bunch and I hope we get to read more stories about them ,especially the eldest!
If you love Highlander romances, you should really give this book and series a try!You might end up loving it!
mflake's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
scoutmomskf's review
4.0
Fun book. We first met Murine and Dougall in the previous book, The Highlander Takes a Bride. Murine and Saidh became good friends, with Murine having a big part in saving Saidh's life. Dougall is one of Saidh's seven brothers. He and his brothers were fun characters, especially with the way they had influenced Saidh while she was growing up. The closeness of the family impressed me in that book, and I hoped to see some of the Buchanan brothers get their own books. This one is a good start to that wish.
Murine has had a rough few years. Her beloved younger brothers and one older half-brother have died. Her mother became ill and also died. Though her father had been sick, he was getting better just before she went on the journey in the previous book. Unfortunately, her father died suddenly while she was gone, leaving her in the care of her remaining half-brother, Montrose. Montrose is weak, lazy, selfish, and a gambler. As the book opens, he is attempting to talk the owner of some Scottish horses into giving him credit so he can purchase the horses. Failing that, he offers up Murine for the Scotsman's pleasure instead. The Scotsman in question is Dougall Buchanan, brother to Saidh. He is disgusted by Montrose and his attempts to weasel out of paying, and even more so by the attempts to sell his sister. He can't get out of there fast enough to suit him or his brothers.
Horrified by her brother's plans for her, Murine immediately packed a few things and left, determined to go to her friend Saidh for help. Next thing we see is Murine riding her pet bull up the road as Dougall and his brothers overtake her. Recognizing her right away, Dougall and his brothers hide her when her brother's men come looking for her. Unfortunately, their methods brought on one of her fainting fits, leaving them no choice but to take her with them. By the time she finally comes to, they are well away from her home. I liked Dougall's decision to help her even before he found out about her connection to his sister. That connection made it even more important to all of the men. Dougall did not expect his attraction to her, and that attraction made him even more protective of her. It was sweet to see the way that he worried about her and her fainting fits. It was fun to see all the guys falling over themselves to take care of her, especially once they figured out the reason for her fainting.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Murine and Dougall. He was attracted to her from the moment he saw her but tried to resist due to differences in their stations. However, that resistance was futile as the sparks between them continued to grow. Murine was attracted to him also, but having heard him say he had no plans to marry any time soon, also tried to resist the sparks. It didn't take long for the idea of marrying her to gain in appeal for Dougall, though it took a while for him to let her in on that decision. When the sparks became overwhelming, the passion between them was pretty intense. I loved how good they were together, with no regrets afterward.
As the group continued their journey, they ran into unexpected trouble. Though they were worried about Montrose attempting to reclaim Murine, there was also something else going on. From strangers in the woods to Murine being shot with an arrow to a fire that nearly killed them all, it seems that someone has it out for either Murine or the Buchanans. I was on the edge of my seat when it came to the fire. Murine was fantastic in her efforts to save Dougall. All of this worked to convince Dougall that he needed to marry Murine sooner rather than later.
The suspense built when they got to Saidh, and they anticipated finally getting to confront Montrose. While waiting for that to happen there were some interesting discussions among the men regarding Murine and her troubles. It was all stuff that was blazingly obvious to a reader, but I enjoyed seeing the men work it all out. The final confrontation had a couple of unexpected twists to it, but in the end, Murine was safe. I was a little dissatisfied with the ending, as I felt that it left the fate of the Carmichael clan up in the air. In his fears for Murine's safety, I loved seeing Dougall finally admit his feelings for her.
I loved seeing more of the Buchanan brothers. They were quite an impressive group. It was fun to see them falling all over themselves to take care of Murine. I especially enjoyed Conran and the way he gave Dougall such a hard time over his interest in Murine. Alrick was fun as the youngest and his occasional cluelessness. I'm most interest in Aulay and what happened to him. I look forward to reading his story.
Murine has had a rough few years. Her beloved younger brothers and one older half-brother have died. Her mother became ill and also died. Though her father had been sick, he was getting better just before she went on the journey in the previous book. Unfortunately, her father died suddenly while she was gone, leaving her in the care of her remaining half-brother, Montrose. Montrose is weak, lazy, selfish, and a gambler. As the book opens, he is attempting to talk the owner of some Scottish horses into giving him credit so he can purchase the horses. Failing that, he offers up Murine for the Scotsman's pleasure instead. The Scotsman in question is Dougall Buchanan, brother to Saidh. He is disgusted by Montrose and his attempts to weasel out of paying, and even more so by the attempts to sell his sister. He can't get out of there fast enough to suit him or his brothers.
Horrified by her brother's plans for her, Murine immediately packed a few things and left, determined to go to her friend Saidh for help. Next thing we see is Murine riding her pet bull up the road as Dougall and his brothers overtake her. Recognizing her right away, Dougall and his brothers hide her when her brother's men come looking for her. Unfortunately, their methods brought on one of her fainting fits, leaving them no choice but to take her with them. By the time she finally comes to, they are well away from her home. I liked Dougall's decision to help her even before he found out about her connection to his sister. That connection made it even more important to all of the men. Dougall did not expect his attraction to her, and that attraction made him even more protective of her. It was sweet to see the way that he worried about her and her fainting fits. It was fun to see all the guys falling over themselves to take care of her, especially once they figured out the reason for her fainting.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Murine and Dougall. He was attracted to her from the moment he saw her but tried to resist due to differences in their stations. However, that resistance was futile as the sparks between them continued to grow. Murine was attracted to him also, but having heard him say he had no plans to marry any time soon, also tried to resist the sparks. It didn't take long for the idea of marrying her to gain in appeal for Dougall, though it took a while for him to let her in on that decision. When the sparks became overwhelming, the passion between them was pretty intense. I loved how good they were together, with no regrets afterward.
As the group continued their journey, they ran into unexpected trouble. Though they were worried about Montrose attempting to reclaim Murine, there was also something else going on. From strangers in the woods to Murine being shot with an arrow to a fire that nearly killed them all, it seems that someone has it out for either Murine or the Buchanans. I was on the edge of my seat when it came to the fire. Murine was fantastic in her efforts to save Dougall. All of this worked to convince Dougall that he needed to marry Murine sooner rather than later.
The suspense built when they got to Saidh, and they anticipated finally getting to confront Montrose. While waiting for that to happen there were some interesting discussions among the men regarding Murine and her troubles. It was all stuff that was blazingly obvious to a reader, but I enjoyed seeing the men work it all out. The final confrontation had a couple of unexpected twists to it, but in the end, Murine was safe. I was a little dissatisfied with the ending, as I felt that it left the fate of the Carmichael clan up in the air. In his fears for Murine's safety, I loved seeing Dougall finally admit his feelings for her.
I loved seeing more of the Buchanan brothers. They were quite an impressive group. It was fun to see them falling all over themselves to take care of Murine. I especially enjoyed Conran and the way he gave Dougall such a hard time over his interest in Murine. Alrick was fun as the youngest and his occasional cluelessness. I'm most interest in Aulay and what happened to him. I look forward to reading his story.
imskylow's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Less fun than the other books in the series. It’s hard to explain why but it felt more political heavy than romantic. There was romance but there was very little tension between them. It was almost too easy. Also, it’s pretty obvious Maurine has an eating disorder due to her PTSD but it doesn’t go much into the emotional aspect of it. They just make sure she eats without really going deep into why she wasn’t. The threat of Maurine’s half brother was more talk than seeing the action of their brutality. I don’t know. I guess I wanted more action than talk.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Violence, and Murder