Sandy M’s review of Highlander Ever After by Jennifer Ashley
Historical Paranormal Romance published by Leisure on 1 Apr 08
This is only my second book by Jennifer Ashley and I am fast becoming a fan. So far her heroes are leaders, larger than life, and wonderfully sexy, and her heroines are independent and witty. The romance between them is fiery and loving. Paranormal elements are thrown in to make reading so much more fun.
Egan and Zarabeth share a history of attraction, knowing they can never be together. She is a highborn princess and her future is with a nobleman husband. He is a lowly Scottish laird with nothing to offer her. It’s been five years since they’ve seen each other, since she married another, and now she is coming to him at the behest of her father and her cousin, Crown Prince Damien of Nvengaria, for his protection from the husband who has used her and would betray the prince had she not escaped to alert her family. Their attraction is even stronger now after their years of being apart, but Egan will not betray her father’s trust, nor will he cross the line into adultery, even though her marriage is essentially dead and even when Zarabeth makes it so very difficult for him to walk away from her. And she does make it quite difficult for him. As a Nvengarian woman, she is as sensual as a woman can be, having been taught at an early age how to pleasure a man. There are some good scenes where Zarabeth pushes Egan nearly past his limits with her touching and caressing.
Both characters have their share of pain. Egan still hurts from the cruel treatment he received from his father, who preferred his youngest son over Egan, a son and brother who took what he wanted with no regard to the feelings of others. His father blamed Egan for the death of his brother in the war, and that’s something that has haunted Egan all his life. Zarabeth’s five-year marriage to a power-hungry man has left her a shell of her former self. Being among the gregarious MacDonald Highlanders, however, is just what she needs, along with the chance to finally make Egan hers. She also has the gift of magic and the ability to hear others’ thoughts, which is used in some very interesting ways. Egan, however, is the one person she’s never been able to hear, except in times of peril. We’re teased plenty with their almost lovemaking, but the frustration is worth it when these two finally come together. Their loving is intense and all-consuming and each succeeding scene in which we experience it is better than the last. And the last love scene where they share thoughts as well as their bodies is quite moving and very nicely done.
We are also entertained not only by Egan’s family and friends, but also with the MacDonald Curse and his sister’s machinations trying to marry him off so an heir will be forthcoming. The other Nvengarian characters are as varying as the Highlanders. My favorite is Baron Valetin, who is half logosh (shapeshifter) and half human. I enjoyed the budding relationship between him and Egan’s sister and was hoping for a little more there. I got the feeling that perhaps that might be another book, but checking the author’s site didn’t satisfy my curiosity. I’m hoping that may be something she’ll delve into down the road.
Grade: A-
From the back cover:
Egan MacDonald was the one person Princess Zarabeth couldn’t read. Yet even without being able hear his thoughts, she knew he was the most honorable, infuriating, and deliciously handsome man she’d ever met. And now her life was in his hands. Chased out of her native country by bitter betrayal and a bevy of assassins, Zarabeth found refuge at the remote MacDonald castle and a haven in Egan’s embrace. She also found an ancient curse, a matchmaking nephew, a pair of debutantes eager to drag her protector to the altar, and dark secrets in Egan’s past. But even amid all the danger raged a desire too powerful to be denied….
Read an excerpt here.
