Pam's Review: Tamed by a Highlander by Paula Quinn

Tamed by a Highlander
~Paula Quinn

Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Forever
Publish Date: July 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0446552364
ISBN-13: 978-0446552363
ASIN: B004CFASZG

From the author's website:
Desire knows no bounds...

A LOVER'S PROMISE
Connor Grant left his first love in the Highlands, vowing to return after serving in the king's army. Seven years later, he is still fighting for the crown, and his victories are legendary-both in the battlefield and in the bedroom. Yet he's never forgotten his bonnie lass. And he certainly never expected to see her amidst the splendor of the British royal court: beautiful, breathtaking, and tempting him past the point of no return.

A LADY'S DESTINY
The night he left, Mairi MacGregor banished Connor from her life forever. Now her heart belongs only to Scotland. As part of a secret alliance, she journeys to London in search of information . . . only to find herself face to face with the one man she swore she'd never trust again. Though Mairi's body still craves Connor's touch, she can't forgive his betrayal. But a traitor lurks in their midst and to protect her beloved Highlands, Mairi must make a leap of faith and join forces with Connor-even if it means losing her heart to him again.

England, 1685. Seven years ago in Scotland, Connor and Mairi were happy and in love. Then Connor broke the news to Mairi that he had to travel to England to serve his king who is also his kin. He asked Mairi to go with him, but Mairi thought that he didn’t mean it and that he wanted out of the relationship. Connor stayed in touch and was faithful for several years, but Mairi was angry with him for leaving and never asked him to come back, so he never did.

Fast forward seven years; they meet again in England. Connor is now a Captain of the King’s army and well known as a lady’s man, and Mairi is being pursued by an Englishman who is constantly at her side. These emotions cause them both a bit of jealousy and make them wonder if they still feel something for the other. They are both a bit angry, both wondering if the other feels the same, both possibly still in love.

My thoughts:
This was overall a good read, but here are the reasons why I rated it 3 ½ stars: In the beginning there were a lot of names thrown around that made me confused and caused me to reread certain paragraphs, and then I just decided that if they were important that they would be repeated later on. There were also a few times when I found myself having to revisit some sections just because I would lose interest. Thirdly, at about halfway through the book I just wanted to talk to Mairi and Connor personally and make them see that they both still loved each other, meaning that I felt that the relationship struggle between them dragged a little bit.

That being said, it was overall a good read, especially if you like historical fiction with a sexy highlander lead. Connor was a great male protagonist. He ended up doing some pretty romantic things for Mairi (can’t tell you without giving anything away), and he was the perfect combination of romantic, jealous, and aggressive. Mairi is a strong female lead as well, and she knows how to take care of herself. She is known to hide daggers under her skirts, and Connor might just know where those are located.

This was the second book I read by Paula Quinn, and I will continue to read others by her. She definitely knows how to tell a story.

My Rating:

Pam

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

New Reviewer Pam: Laird of the Mist by Paula Quinn

Please join me in welcoming Pam, who has graciously offered her reviewing skillz to Book Addict.  When she's not reading, Pam plays the piano, kayacks, and is a chocoholic.  She stays up late to read, averaging around 3am, which is how she came up with the name @moonlightreader for twitter - go say hi!

Laird of the Mist
~Paula Quinn

Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Forever
Publish Date: December 1, 2007
ISBN-10: 0446619124
ISBN-13: 978-0446619127

From Goodreads:
PROTECTING HER WAS HIS PASSION
High-born though she is, Kate Campbell isn't afraid to draw her sword. When raiders strike, she rushes into the fray...and is lucky when a mysterious Highlander shields her from a deadly blow. Swept onto his stallion, she soon discovers that her rescuer is her clan's most hated enemy; Callum MacGregor, the man they call The Devil. Yet she cannot ignore his achingly tender touch or the way his fiery gaze leaves her breathless.

POSSESSING HER WOULD BE HIS PLEASURE
Callum MacGregor has taken many Campbell lives, but he's never saved one ;until now. Mesmerized by this spirited lass, he wants her by his side, even if it means holding her for ransom. As his fingers graze her sumptuous curves and tangle in her unruly tresses, Callum realizes Kate Campbell is his most dangerous foe of all. For he can't make love to her without betraying his kinsmen and his honor...and surrendering his heart forever.

Pam's review:

When I was scrolling through my nook and this book popped up on an advertisement for a steal of 99 cents, I was like, why not? It’s my first read by Paula Quinn and the first book of a series. I’m always looking for a new series to escape in.

The book pulls you right in Kate Campbell’s world where she is practicing her ax-fighting skills right before her home is caught in a raid. Callum MacGregor (aka: The Devil), her clan’s enemy, happens to intervene just in time to save Kate’s life. She ends up being taken as a hostage although she is definitely not treated like one. Kate grew up with horror stories of Callum and how he killed members of her clan. She soon realizes that there is more to the stories she grew up with and perhaps not all of them hold truth.

When I first started reading this book, I thought it was going to be a great romance with decent character development and a good plot. The character development while good, is also a bit one sided favoring Callum. The reader got to know what made Callum who he is, but I felt as though Kate’s character development got put on the back burner. The secondary characters in the book were likeable and made me smile; like Callum’s sister, Maggie, who was adamant about not eating meat, and very caring for her animals. However, without giving anything away, by the middle to two thirds of the book I just wanted it to be over already. I knew where the story was going and what was going to happen but the story just turned into the run of the mill at that point.

It’s disappointing because it started out so great and unique, but then it felt too familiar like it was something I had already read. Because of that, I rated this book 3 out of 5 stars.


  Pam

Review: Seduced by a Highlander by Paula Quinn

From the author's website:
Book#2 in the Children of the Mist series
His kiss is her undoing...

SINS THAT CAN’T BE FORGIVEN
Tristan MacGregor is famed throughout the Highlands as a silver-tongued seducer and an unrepentant rogue. Bold and charming, he’s dallied with many women, yet none as beguiling and mysterious as the lass he steals a kiss from at the king’s court. Little does he know this beauty is one of his clan’s greatest enemies. br>

PASSION THAT CAN’T BE DENIED
Isobel Fergusson has despised the bloodthirsty MacGregors ever since they murdered her father. When she learns the handsome stranger who melted her resistance is a MacGregor, she vows to forget him. But Tristan means to possess her at any cost and Isobel’s body turns traitor at his touch. Can a man she’s sworn to hate be the only one she can ever love?

_________________________________

I had not read Ms. Quinn's first book in this series, Ravished by a Highlander, but when the opportunity arose to read the 2nd book in the series, Seduced by a Highlander, I jumped on it!

10 years ago, young Tristan MacGregor got into a fight with young Alex Fegusson. It spiraled out of control and when the dust cleared, Tristan's favorite uncle was dead, and Alex's widowed father was dead too - leaving his older brother Patrick as leader of the Fergusson clan. Patrick and Isobel were still children themselves, and had to take care of their 5 younger brothers, leaving them susceptable to raids from stronger clans nearby. The bitterness between the MacGregors and Fergussons was deep and strong.


I am a sucker for handsome, rogue-ish Highlanders. The kilts, the speech, the stubborn perseverance...I love it all. I liked Tristan, very much. He was a sympathetic hero - I don't know if you could call him a Beta hero or not - he knew how to fight and was good at it, but he preferred to convince you to see his way of things instead of beating you until you give in. His father and brothers were more prone to get their way by fighting, Tristan was more like his dead uncle.

Isobel was a terrific heroine - spunky, opinionated, fiercely loyal to her family. She was a hard worker and cared for her brothers very much.

I was captured from Isobel and Tristan's first meeting. The back-and-forth between them was lively and engaging. When Tristan goes to Isobel's home to try to set things right - hilarity ensues. Isobel's brothers were very funny, as was Tristan's reaction to them. I've said before I don't like kids in my romance stories but these kids were funny.

I really, really enjoyed this book - the end was a bit abrubt, I would have liked a bit more detail, but other than that it was a sweet story.

My rating:

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Ravished by a Highlander by Paula Quinn

You know I love my highlanders; nothing's sexier than an alpha male with a brogue and a kilt!

As Ravished by a Highlander begins, we meet Davina Montgomery - she's been disguised as a novice at a convent in England. She's been there since birth, and for the last 4 years her main companion and friend has been Captain Asher, leader of the men assigned to protect her.

Robert MacGregor is the son of a highland laird, and he and his brothers are on their way to meet his father at the coronation of the new king. As they are riding, they come upon the convent under attack. They join in the conflict, and as Asher lays dying, he begs Robert to save her and keep her safe. Against his better judgement, Rob agrees to the dying man's wishes. He doesn't know who she is or why she needs protecting, but he is a man of his word.

After many stops and surprises (some pleasant, some unpleasant), they decide to go to Robert's home on Skye, where he knows he can protect her against any intruders. Although she has kept her identity from him, he has figured it out and knows how dangerous it will be to protect her. Robert understands the weight of the responsibility he is undertaking, but he finds he cares about her, and will do anything to keep her safe and near him.


My thoughts:

I enjoyed this book. For much of the first half I was a bit frustrated - it was hinted at many, many times that she had a secret identity and if anyone found out trouble would ensue. But once the storyline kept moving, and her identity was revealed to the reader, I enjoyed it more. There was a lot of political intrigue, but I was able to keep all the parties separate and it was not hard to follow. I'll admit I was surprised at who the traitor was.

The scenes that took place once they reached Rob's castle were the ones that drew me in. The images of the castle, and the surrounding countryside were wonderful. I liked that we were able to see a more playful side of Davina, it made her a more engaging character. Rob is just delicious! His scenes with Davina were so sexy and tender; I wanted this HEA for them and I didn't see how it was going to work out!

It was scenes like this, where this hard, strong highlander was brought to his knees, that made my heart break:

Rob barely heard him and lifted his arm to swipe the swords out of his way. His wife's cry stopped him.

"Please, please, Rob. You cannot die."

"I am dead if he takes ye from me," Rob told her across the length of the blades, desperation hardening his face and softening his voice.

Oh, so, so sweet!

I also enjoyed reading about Rob's family; I liked his aunts and cousins. I was especially captivated by his brothers and brothers-in-arms; they were quite entertaining and I hope they all get their own stories.

So, after a slow start I did really enjoy the 2nd half of this book and am looking forward to the next book in this series - Seduced by a Highlander, which IS about one of Rob's brothers :)

I give Ravished by a Highlander 3 1/2 stars!



This book was provided to me by the publisher free of charge in exchange for an honest review.