Month: February 2023

Highland Heartbreaker by Julie Johnstone

On By TracyIn Medieval (1066-1540), Middle Ages / Medieval (476-1454), Part of a Series, Scottish/Highlander, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Highland Heartbreaker (Of Mist and Mountains, #4)Highland Heartbreaker by Julie Johnstone

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Of Mist and Mountains, #4

Release Date: January 17, 2023

After years of waiting for her betrothed to marry her, Elena MacLeod has had enough and plans to use the terms of the contract which say if they don’t marry by her 22nd birthday, she can withdraw from the betrothal. But the day before her birthday, Rolland MacKay aka the Highland Heartbreaker shows up to claim her. Elena is furious, she has no desire to wed a man who has tumbled practically every lass in the highlands while betrothed to her. But when she shoots him in the butt with an arrow, everything changes. They get to know each other, and love blossoms, a wedding is planned, but the night before they were to exchange their vows, Rolland leaves without a word. Later she hears that he was called away to a battle and acted dishonorably and was labeled a coward and a traitor by the king and that he took up with the king’s son, Lord Carrick. Elena is heartbroken, how could she have fallen for such a man? She needs to forget Rolland and move on, but each time she comes close to marriage, she breaks the betrothal – after 4 years and just as many broken betrothals, Elena begs to go to court. But trouble from her last betrothal follows her and when her life is in danger, her father betroths her to Rolland’s cousin, the new MacKay laird. Elena never expects to cross paths with Rolland again, but to her shock, that is exactly what happens and to make things worse, and tasks Rolland with delivering her to him. Could things get any worse?

Rolland never wanted to marry Elena, something he made clear to his father and hers when their parents betrothed them, but after years of rebelling, Rolland realizes that he is being selfish and that the marriage will help his clan, so he puts aside his rakish ways and travels to Dunvegan Castle to claim his bride. He was not prepared for the lovely woman who disguised herself to compete in the archery competition, who stands up to him and then shoots him in the butt with an arrow. This is not the biddable, boring wife he was expecting and suddenly marriage doesn’t seem like the nightmare he envisioned. But when the king demands his help in exchange for his brother’s life, Rolland will have to seemingly betray the only woman he has ever loved and give up not only his love but his title and his honor as well. And now four years later, he is finally closer to completing his task than he has ever been, but not close enough to reclaim his old life or Elena. And when he learns that someone is after her and she needs the protection of marriage, he agrees to deliver her to his cousin, even if it is the hardest thing he has ever done. He expected her wrath, but he never expected to fall deeper in love with the one woman who he can never have.

This was another incredible installment in a wonderful series. The book is well-written, nicely paced, and filled with amazing characters and lots of page-turning excitement. If you have read the other books and wondered about Elena and her broken betrothals, then this is the book you have been waiting for! This second-chance romance has intrigue, murder, betrayal, lies, secrets, wonderful secondary characters, action, life-and-death moments, steamyish love scenes, a little heartache, surprising twists, and finally a hard-won HEA complete with an epilogue. This is the fourth book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title. I was delighted to finally read Elena’s story and it was everything that I could have hoped for and more! I enjoyed this book and was a little sad to see it end, and hopefully, this won’t be the last we see of Elena and Rolland! I highly recommend this title and hope you love it as much as I did.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

Murder at an Irish Bakery by Carlene O’Connor

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

Murder at an Irish Bakery

Barbara’s rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Series Irish Village Mystery #9
Publication Date: 2/21/23
Period: Contemporary County Cork Ireland
Number of Pages: 304

This is the ninth book in the series and they are still fresh, interesting, and delightful reads. The author, through the characters, shares her love of Ireland with us – its quaint population and its green fields. The O’Sullivan Six has grown from a set of struggling orphans into a robust, confident set of siblings who are always 100% behind each other, yet pursue their separate interests as well. You do not have to have read the previous books in the series to enjoy this one, but – goodness – you are missing so much if you don’t read them.

Garda Siobhan O’Sullivan and DS Macdara Flannery have been married for almost a year and their love has only grown during that time. As luck (fate) would have it, Macdara is off in Dublin for business meetings, leaving Siobhan in charge at Kilbane. That certainly isn’t a problem because the town is normally quiet and peaceful. What more could Siobhan ask for than leading the security at a celebrity baking contest being held at Kilbane’s best bakery – Pie Pie Love? Siobhan is so excited – she’s addicted to sweets (as is Macdara) and she’ll be sampling the baked goods all week. Ah! Life is sweet!

Of course, things go wrong on the very first morning when an ‘anti-sugar’ protester shows up outside the bakery – with a bullhorn. Cameras are everywhere, so Siobhan wants to handle the situation with quiet dignity, but the protestor isn’t having any of that! When he ends up dead within a few minutes of arriving, things don’t seem to be going too well for the contest. Was the young man allergic to something? Did he have some sort of fatal medical condition? They won’t know until after the medical examiner does her job, and until then, they have to treat it as a suspicious death. Drat! That will certainly throw the contestants into a tizzy.

Yet the show must go on with six contestants, a director, a cameraman, and two hosts. With banter and jibes among the hosts and contestants, the contest gets underway – until one of the contestants ends up dead as well. Accident? Could be? Maybe not. You’ll just have to read the book to find all of the twists and turns this case takes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this excellently paced mystery with an antagonist who seems to always be one step ahead. Macdara and Siobhan certainly have their work cut out for them because nobody seems to have a motive for murder.

If you love a good mystery, witty banter among the protagonists, wonderful secondary characters, and a tad of romance, then this book is definitely for you. I recommend it – I’d buy it for a friend – and I’d read it again. Should you choose to read it, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. I can hardly wait for the next one.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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