Sandy M’s review of Highlander Untamed (The MacLeods of Skye Trilogy, Book 1) by Monica McCarty
Historical romance released by Ballantine 31 Jul 07

This has been a year of new authors for me, and Monica McCarty is one of the few shining stars to stand above a lot of the averageness out there. She gives you strong characters, a great plot, and true love and romance in her books. Do you really need anything more in a romance novel?

Isabel is finally getting the chance to prove to her father and brothers that being born a female isn’t a waste, that she can contribute to the family in some way just as they always have. However, what her family has asked her to do is to spy on the enemy and learn his secrets in any way she can. Any way whatsoever. Isabel knows the MacDonalds and the MacLeods have been at odds ever since her uncle sent The MacLeod’s sister home in disgrace after a handfasting that he obviously never meant to go through with, and so she is willing to now handfast herself to Rory MacLeod and do the same as her uncle at the end of a year, repudiate their alliance and hopefully return home with the means to destroy the MacLeod clan once and for all.

Being forced to handfast at the order of the king is bad enough, but to a MacDonald is more than Rory can take. He will welcome his enemy only to get this sham of a marriage started and then in a year’s time, he will send the woman home so that he can get back to the business of a true alliance with another Highland family to further his clan’s standing with the king and to make them stronger — stronger to wipe out their enemy. What Rory never counted on was that Isabel MacDonald would be the most beautiful lass he’s ever seen and his reaction to her is one he’s never had for any other woman. Vowing to stay away from her as much as possible, he is certain the next year will not be too difficult to get through.

Could there be a more handsome man anywhere? No, he has to be right here in the MacLeod castle where Isabel’s snooping and eavesdropping will bring her the harshest punishment if Rory ever catches her at it. She’s had too many close calls already, but that isn’t the worst of it. Since her handfasted husband is determined to ignore her all the time, Isabel has gotten to know and made friends with Alex and Margaret, Rory’s siblings, as well as a couple of his warriors — and that particular friendship seems to irritate the laird to no end.

But Isabel is determined to make the most of the time she has with the family she’s never had, along with the love of the people around her. The longer she lives with this clan, the more she hates the reason why she’s been sent to them. She is growing to love them, and betraying them is something Isabel simply no longer wants to do. Can she get away with tricking her uncle into believing she’s given him what he’s asked for and not betraying Rory after all?

Monica McCarty’s Highlander Untamed takes you through the depths of treachery of one clan upon another, the honor of a leader to revenge his family’s disgrace, the suspicions of a man and woman from opposite sides of a feud getting to know each other, and the joys of their new-found love and then the agony and heartache of betrayal that runs so deep you can feel it to the bone.

Ms. McCarty has created a hero and heroine whom are the epitome of strength and honor. Isabel is eventually faced with betraying her clan or betraying the love she’s just found. Rory is faced with following his duty as leader of his clan or sending away the one person in the world who will love him and make him happy. I enjoyed this book and its characters immensely. The emotion from every character you meet is heart felt, and you root for a love that looks like it may not endure after all.

Grade: A

Summary:

She has a year to make him love her… Isabel MacDonald agrees to a handfast marriage with Rory MacLeod, her clan’s bitterest enemy in order to end a deadly feud. But the handfast is only a cover to gain her access to his castle—and with a little seduction, his heart. But her treacherous plans are immediately tested by the fearsome Rory, a powerful Highland chief who embodies everything she admires. Soon Isabel has found the place in the family she’s always dreamed of with the man she must betray, and her only hope of happiness is to escape her own dangerous web of lies.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer… Rory’s duty as Chief of Clan MacLeod is clear: He’ll obey the king’s directive to handfast with the MacDonald lass—but under his own terms. As a handfast is only required for a year, at that point Rory plans to return this unwanted handfast bride to her family and forge a different marriage alliance. But his plan to keep his distance from his unwanted bride is challenged by the beautiful seductive siren who proves impossible to ignore. And when he catches her snooping and removes her to his bed to watch over her, Rory finds himself wishing that the year would never end.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series: