Holly‘s review of Taming the Highlander by Terri Brisbin
Historical romance published by Harlequin Historical 1 Jul 06

Although I enjoy historical romance novels, lately I’ve been disappointed in the majority of the ones I’ve read. I realized the other day the reason for my disappointment stems from the fact that I have a hard time suspending disbelief over some of the situations the characters find themselves in. Basically, I don’t think the novels I’ve read recently have been in keeping with how I think historical times really were. While that doesn’t always bother me, I think I’ve just been craving something a little more realistic. Terri Brisbin did an excellent job, in my opinion, of staying true to the times. It was very refreshing and just what I was looking for.

She didn’t gloss over some of the more unsavory aspects of historical times, but instead highlighted them. Jocelyn is all set to marry one of her father’s fostered men when she’s told her brother has been captured and the price of his release is her agreeing to marry his captor, Connor MacLerie, called The Beast because of the rumors circulating that he murdered his first wife because she couldn’t bare him children.

Though she doesn’t want to – especially considering the rumors surrounding him – she knows she has no choice. I think I liked this aspect best. She didn’t want to, but she knew she didn’t have a choice. There was no fighting it, or running away, or doing something stupid. She just did what she had to do. She didn’t like it, but she did it regardless. It was refreshing to have a heroine who knew her own mind and wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself when needed, but who also knew she had to make the best of a bad situation. I think she was much stronger than many other heroines for just that reason.

Connor’s first wife fell down the stairs. For three years afterwards he spent considerable time and effort cultivating the rumor that he pushed her. He’s been told by the king that he needs to remarry, so he chooses Jocelyn because she has enough spirit to stand up to him and because unlike his first wife, she’s not beautiful. Connor struggles to stay detached from her, because he knows had he not loved his first wife, she wouldn’t have died. I enjoyed his character very much. He was the typical highland warrior, more than prepared to go to war, but not nearly prepared enough to deal with a woman and her sensitive feelings. Though this could have become tedious, Brisbin did a credible job of balancing his need to be a man with his need to have peace in his household. He screws up several times, giving Jocelyn what he assumes she wants, but he always makes it right in the end. I even understood his need to keep her at arms length.

The plot was tight and well drawn, though it didn’t take much to figure out who the villain of the piece was. I’m not sure if the author intended for it to come as a surprise or not, but it wasn’t long after the character was introduced that I figured the whole thing out. Even so, the focus of the story was on the main protagonists, so the mystery/suspense plot wasn’t in the forefront and therefore wasn’t as important as it could have been.

Overall an extremely well drawn novel with wonderful character development.

Grade: A-

Lady Jocelyn MacCallum had always believed she would marry for love. But the price of her brother’s freedom was to become fearsome Connor MacLerie’s new bride – a bargain that could cost Jocelyn her life.

From the moment she looked into Connor’s sternly handsome face, Jocelyn began to hope that the rumors surrounding his first wife’s death were false. His reputation was as wild and untamed as the Scottish moors. Would she find a way to reach the man beneath that forbidding exterior?