Sandy M’s review of To Conquer A Highlander by Mary Wine
Historical Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 1 Jul 10
I had just been thinking that I haven’t read a Highlander book in a bit. It’s one of my favorite reads and Sybil keeps me swimming in them if she can. But this time I was playing on my ereader and came across this book by Mary Wine, so I started reading.
And I’m actually glad I did. This is my first book by Ms. Wine and I’m pleasantly surprised.
She grabs the reader right away with Torin McLeren, while on his way home, seeing smoke dancing against the sky from that direction. Racing toward the village he discovers devastation. Many dead, homes burned, and revenge coursing through his veins. I was taken with Torin immediately, feeling for him, living his grief with him. I wanted revenge too.
When he finds out it’s a neighboring clan who rained such destruction on his people, Torin and his men are on the hunt for their leader to bring him justice. In doing so, however, he learns his enemy’s daughter is on her way to be married to a traitor, so Torin intercepts the bride to be. He’s a Highlander, after all. Taking women for retaliation is what they do.
Of course, it takes a strong woman to stand up to a Highlander, and Shannon McBoyd is as independent as they come, even though she’s been belittled and beaten by her father all her life – just because she’s female. He has no use for a daughter. Her coming wedding is something Shannon’s looking forward to, only to be out of her father’s house and from under his cruel rule. When she’s taken by Laird McLeren and learns of her father’s traitorous actions, she truly now has no one to depend on but herself.
Being in enemy territory only makes Shannon stronger. The McLeren clan doesn’t know how she’s had to live all of her life, so their respect may be grudging but it’s eventually given all the same. And their arrogant laird has shown her compassion and gentleness, causing her to alter her plans in destroying him for taking her from her life. Torin is determined to have Shannon, to settle down and start a family. It’s the McBoyd blood that may keep them from the happiness they’ve just found, however, because the final decision on her fate is out of Torin’s hands.
I really like this hero and heroine and they work very well together, even despite all the odds against them. The secondary characters are also quite likable, and I especially like the way Torin’s men protect Shannon, even to the point of standing up to their laird once or twice. There’s a couple of issues here and there, i.e., the dialogue sounds too modern once in a while, but it’s not enough to take that much away from the story.
I’m looking forward to next book in the trilogy.
Grade: B
Summary:
A fierce Highland laird ready to kill for king and country…
When Torin McLeren discovers his neighbor’s plot against his king, he takes their daughter as his prisoner, thereby stopping her father’s plot from going forward. But that leaves him with a woman under his roof whom he can’t ignore, and not just because she’s his enemy’s daughter…
A woman who’s as much trouble as she is temptation…
Shannon McBoyd decides to use her captor to experience passion for the first time, and then to destroy him. But her plan goes awry because once she has lured Torin into her bed, she no longer wants to hurt the one man who seems to value and understand her…
Even if her father will kill him—and her—when he discovers what they’ve done…
Read an excerpt. (click Excerpt tab)
Other books in this series:
