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A review by paulabrandon
Falling for the Highlander by Lynsay Sands
1.0
While I like my romance, historical romance generally isn't my cup of tea. My partner, knowing I enjoy romance, tried to buy me some books for Christmas, and that's how I wound up with three Highlander books by Lynsay Sands. I think my partner could have maybe tried harder to find out what sort of romance I read. For example, all the Harlequin/Mills & Boon Intrigue books lying about our house! Another clue would be that I didn't enjoy movies like Rob Boy or Braveheart. However, he's sad that I still haven't read one of these Highlander books in the year and a half since he gave them to me, so this is for him! (I know, I know, it's the thought that counts, but this really was a struggle to get through!)
Lady Murine Carmichael decides to flee from the castle she lives in with her cowardly half-brother Montrose Danvries after he tries to sell her to somebody in exchange for horses. Luckily, the person he offered her to was the noble Dougall Buchanan, who turned the offer down. He and his brothers come across her in her attempts to escape, and help her out. As they trek to where Murine can catch up with some friends to decide on what to do next, Dougall develops lustful feelings for Murine. And vice versa. However, it becomes apparent that Murine is under threat. Her half-brother? Or something else?
The first third of the book is little more than Murine either passing out or peeing. Very strange. Her fainting is commented upon frequently, but we never get an answer as to why the fainting was so frequent and then just stops, and she never faints again during the rest of the book. Events are described to the point where boredom steps in. For example, Murine and Dougall and his 150 relatives (exaggerating here, but that's what it felt like) are under threat from a fire. Murine rescues Dougall, and the process of her doing this takes up five pages. It just killed any potential suspense or excitement. Especially when another character is able to recount the events in a couple of sentences: "Made a rope out of bed linen, used the shutter to set up a pulley affair, tied one end of her rope to you, and one end to herself, then jumped out the window like a bride on the eve of an unwanted wedding. Her weight pulled you up and out the window and then you both crashed into the moat when the shutter gave way."
Murine and Dougall's developing relationship developed with all the snap of drying paint. They have lustful thoughts for one another and that's about it. The romance isn't helped by the fact that Dougall has six (SIX) brothers, and they all take up significant plot space with their presence and dialogue. An uncle even shows up at one point. And I could barely tell them all apart! I have trouble believing in the connection between the hero and heroine when the only time they spend alone together is when they're sexing it up! Otherwise, Dougall's brothers are always around. I wanted them to bugger off for a chapter at least so that Dougall and Murine could have a proper conversation that wasn't taking place during sexy times.
I have read a couple of historicals in my time - silly, florid ones published in the 90s, which were harmless fun, though hardly made me a fan of the genre. This book, published in 2017, didn't even have that flowery silliness going for it. It was just dull. My partner bought me the next two books in this series featuring other brothers in the Buchanan clan, and hopefully I can procrastinate another year and a half before I read the next one!
Lady Murine Carmichael decides to flee from the castle she lives in with her cowardly half-brother Montrose Danvries after he tries to sell her to somebody in exchange for horses. Luckily, the person he offered her to was the noble Dougall Buchanan, who turned the offer down. He and his brothers come across her in her attempts to escape, and help her out. As they trek to where Murine can catch up with some friends to decide on what to do next, Dougall develops lustful feelings for Murine. And vice versa. However, it becomes apparent that Murine is under threat. Her half-brother? Or something else?
The first third of the book is little more than Murine either passing out or peeing. Very strange. Her fainting is commented upon frequently, but we never get an answer as to why the fainting was so frequent and then just stops, and she never faints again during the rest of the book. Events are described to the point where boredom steps in. For example, Murine and Dougall and his 150 relatives (exaggerating here, but that's what it felt like) are under threat from a fire. Murine rescues Dougall, and the process of her doing this takes up five pages. It just killed any potential suspense or excitement. Especially when another character is able to recount the events in a couple of sentences: "Made a rope out of bed linen, used the shutter to set up a pulley affair, tied one end of her rope to you, and one end to herself, then jumped out the window like a bride on the eve of an unwanted wedding. Her weight pulled you up and out the window and then you both crashed into the moat when the shutter gave way."
Murine and Dougall's developing relationship developed with all the snap of drying paint. They have lustful thoughts for one another and that's about it. The romance isn't helped by the fact that Dougall has six (SIX) brothers, and they all take up significant plot space with their presence and dialogue. An uncle even shows up at one point. And I could barely tell them all apart! I have trouble believing in the connection between the hero and heroine when the only time they spend alone together is when they're sexing it up! Otherwise, Dougall's brothers are always around. I wanted them to bugger off for a chapter at least so that Dougall and Murine could have a proper conversation that wasn't taking place during sexy times.
I have read a couple of historicals in my time - silly, florid ones published in the 90s, which were harmless fun, though hardly made me a fan of the genre. This book, published in 2017, didn't even have that flowery silliness going for it. It was just dull. My partner bought me the next two books in this series featuring other brothers in the Buchanan clan, and hopefully I can procrastinate another year and a half before I read the next one!