Series: Heart of the Highlands, #1
Traits & Tropes: highlander; heroine with a secret
Publication Date: 06.27.22
Genre/Setting: Historical; Jacobean; London, England/Isle of Skye, Scotland, 1604
Heat Level: 3
Rating: 3.5/5
Marial Brandon has fallen under the thumb of one of England’s most ruthless crime lords and is now being forced to go from reluctant spy to assassin. Her brother is being kept from her as a bargaining chip, leaving her little choice but to agree to her employer’s evil scheme. She doesn’t expect to fall for the man she’s meant to kill, especially when she can’t afford to allow those feelings to grow when it means condemning her brother.
Kieran MacDonald, Laird of Clan MacDonald, is wary of all the English and the beautiful woman who inserted herself into his traveling party back to Skye is no exception. She’s too interested in him, and he’s entirely too tempted to give in. He’d love to let his body have free rein over his mind but reminds himself that he has secrets to protect at all costs.
Kieran and Mariel will both face tough decisions and be forced to determine where their love and loyalties lay. With the stakes so high, it seems unlikely the passion between them will be able to grow into more with so many lies and secrets between them.
I’m a sucker for a classic highlander hero and Kieran was no exception. He was a solid hero, with just the right amount of protectiveness, though he did get a bit too distracted by his physical desires a few times. I struggled to like Mariel though and wasn’t the biggest fan of all the misunderstandings, though they were pretty necessary for this plot, and I knew to expect them, so I wasn’t as bothered by them as I otherwise might’ve been. I still didn’t care for Mariel that much, but her actions and reasoning did make sense for the most part, though I do wish she’d confided in Kieran a bit earlier and we’d gotten more of them working to solve the problem together instead of her trying to go off half-cocked on her own. That illogical streak was my main issue with Mariel since she kept saying she didn’t want anyone to suffer and then formulating plans that made that suffering inevitable and left me wanting to shake some sense into her. Fortunately, she and Kieran did eventually get on the same page, and I enjoyed it when they came together to make things right and gain justice for the past wrongs done to both of them. These two made a good pair and their story was an enjoyable read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/3253080466
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4904835059
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