Series: N/A
Traits & Tropes: forbidden; highlanders; reformed rake
Publication Date: 05.29.23
Genre/Setting: Historical; Medieval; Scottish Highlands
Heat Level: 1
Rating: 2/5
According to her cruel, manipulative father, Kali Bane embodies all the worst traits a woman can possess. She would’ve fled him long ago if it weren’t for her concern for the safety of her beloved younger sisters. The choice is taken from her when her refusal to marry an English lord sees her father banish her to the McKay clan in the Highlands, accusing her of witchcraft.
She’s no more welcome among the McKays where the aging laird truly believes Kali to be an enchantress and locks her away from the sight of most of the clan, apart from Adam, the laird’s son and heir. His kindness makes her long to trust him and it’s almost enough to have her forgetting about escaping back to her sisters.
No one will protect Kali’s sisters if she doesn’t, but the longer she remains among the McKays, the more Kali and Adam see broader manipulations beyond just her father. They’re pawns in a greater scheme that could destroy those around them to satisfy the greed of their fathers if they don’t do something to stop it and protect the fragile love growing between them.
This story had such potential, but it just didn’t really work for me, and you do risk spoilers from here as I get my thoughts out. My biggest struggle here was how undeveloped the plot felt. Everything either felt rushed or didn’t add up or make good sense. For instance, the heroine lamented how she’d had to move from the Highlands where she was born to the lowlands when her father’s lands were confiscated. But then she mentions sneaking around the streets of Aberdeen to get what her sisters needed. Since Aberdeen is situated firmly in the Highlands, I found this very confusing, and I never really figured out exactly what sort of land and political situation was going on here or why she kept speaking of living in the lowlands.
I really never warmed to either of our MCs and struggled to really root for them as a couple. Adam came off as a weak little horn dog. He was a total hypocrite given his shabby treatment of Kali when they first met. Even after he confessed his feelings for her, he went on to treat her poorly and his reasoning behind such behavior was flimsy and immature at best. He just seemed utterly spineless to me, and he should’ve stood up to his father earlier, maybe before people started losing limbs to his deteriorating mental state. Furthermore, Adam’s obsession with Kali’s innocence and purity was extremely creepy given his apparent penchant for sleeping around. He also refused to make Kali any promises, even when what she was asking of him really wasn’t about her, yet he had the nerve to demand promises from her. In fact, the only male character with any shred of decency in this entire book was Adam's friend, Sam. I could possibly get behind a book for him but the rest of the men in this book seemed to want nothing more than to abuse women and the hero wasn't much better, though we were supposed to believe he was.
For her part, I did get sick of Kali’s syrupy sweetness. She would start to put Adam in his place when he deserved it, only to somehow wind up smiling at him, leaving me utterly dumbfounded. Much of the conversational flow was choppy and the dialogue often didn’t make much sense. Neither Kali nor Adam seemed to be fully fleshed out characters. He was utterly spineless, and I couldn’t find much to like about him. She was reduced to her beauty and willingness to martyr herself because of it in order to save her sisters. Then he had the nerve to blame her for his feelings for her because he perceived them as weakness. He just came off as a brute and we’re somehow supposed to believe he’s noble and good-hearted. I didn’t buy it. He had the power to fix things and took entirely too long to do so, preferring instead to bluster and not live up to his word. I just found the whole thing tiresome and lacking in continuity, with Adam’s behavior making no sense and neither of the MCs being characters I could root for. It also didn’t help that the plot felt slapdash, and the ending was incredibly rushed, leaving me feeling rather unsatisfied, but also unbothered given how little I cared for these characters.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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