The Highlander’s Lady of Loch and Sea by Heather McCollum

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Brotherhood of Solway Moss #3

Release Date: January 27, 2026

After escaping with three other men from an English prison, Cyrus Mackinnon and his fellow inmates, have been working hard to build an alliance among the clans of the Isle of Skye. To that end, he has engineered a wedding between his sister Grace and Iain Macqueen, the chief of the Macqueen clan. His sister seems happy and adding the Macqueen to the alliance, makes for a stronger Skye. But trouble starts almost immediately when Grace’s wedding is interrupted by an otter! Once the otter is shooed out, Cyrus sees a woman throw a note into the church, a note that warns Grace not to marry Iain. The wedding takes place, despite Cyrus’ unease. Later at the wedding feast, he meets an enchanting woman, and they spend an amazing night together, but he wakes up to find himself tied to the bed and the woman holding a knife to his throat. But instead of killing him, she begs his forgiveness and escapes, leaving him nude and tied to the bed. When he is found by Rory MacLeod, he is determined to find his enchantress and get some answers.

Widow Laria Macqueen is the daughter of a previous chief, but now is the champion of the clan members who have been cast out by Iain. Laria is certain that Iain murdered his mother (her aunt) and that he has an elaborate plan to take over the Mackinnon plan. He promised her aid for the outcasts if she would kill Cyrus. She planned to do it, but after sharing an amazing night with him, she just couldn’t go through with it and leaves him tied up and angry. She joins her outcasts in the woods and isn’t overly surprised when Cyrus finds her. She tries to explain and warn him of Iain’s treachery, yet it is clear that he doesn’t trust her, but she won’t stop trying to make him see the truth. He finally begins to believe her, and deeper feelings develop, but as much as she would like to give into those feelings, she cannot afford to indulge herself when her people are in danger. will they lose everything they have been fighting for, or can they find a way to save her people and keep the alliance?

This installment of the Brotherhood of Solway Moss is a well written, nicely paced story that has a lot going on and a lot of familiar faces. Cyrus and Laria have an amazing chemistry, and you can’t help but root for them. Their story is filled with emotion, secrets, murder, prejudices, steamyish love scenes, heartache, sacrifice, answers to some questions from the previous installments, a lot of new questions, a bit of magic and finally an ending that will warm your heart and leave you wanting more. I am now really looking forward to the final installment and finally learning the truth about Asher MacNicol! This is the third book in the series and while it could be read as a standalone, you will have a much better reader experience if you read the books in order.

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