Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

To Charm a Highlander by Callie Hutton

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Medieval (1066-1540), Part of a Series, Scottish/HighlanderLeave a comment

To Charm a Highlander (The Sutherlands of Dornoch Castle Book 5)

Barbara’s rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Series: The Sutherlands of Dornoch Castle #5
Publication Date: 11/30/23
Period: Medieval Scotland
Number of Pages: 184

This was another delightfully entertaining story of the Sutherlands of Dornoch. I have enjoyed all of the books in the series, but this one was particularly sweet and poignant.

Lady Donella Sutherland is the slow-witted sister to the Laird of the Sutherlands, Haydon Sutherland. Haydon dotes on Donella but has low expectations of her. That was not always the case. Once upon a time, Donella was vivacious, happy, curious, and interested in everything around her. Then, around her fourteenth year, something happened to her and she became vague, sad, and disinterested in everything around her. Haydon doesn’t know what to do or how to help her, so he just loves her and lets her be. That is how it goes until she trips and hits her head, which brings her back to being the way she was. She was, however, very lucky to have someone catch her.

Callum Gunn has been turned out by his clan because his vicious brother has spread lies about him. Fraser, his brother and newly minted Laird, claims that Callum caused their father’s death. He didn’t, but Fraser won’t listen. So, Callum leaves his clan and wanders around a bit looking for a new home. He likes the Sutherland clan because they are honest and trustworthy in their dealings, so he petitions the Laird to become a member of the Sutherland clan. Haydon is just declining the request when Donella trips on the stone stairs and Callum dashes to catch and save her. After that, Callum becomes a member of the Sutherlands – but Haydon is still wary of him.

I love Callum and Donella together – he is so sweet and gentle with her as she remembers and has to deal with what happened to her in the past. He never rushes her and always allows her the space she needs – but he’s always close enough to support her should she need it. I also love that Donella respects Callum for who he is and doesn’t buy into those silly rumors for even a second.

I thoroughly enjoyed the short, entertaining story and I hope you will as well.

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

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A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances by Grace Burrowes

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances (The Lord Julian Mysteries #3)

Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 StarsSeries: Lord Julian Mysteries #3
Publication Date: 9/5/23
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 236

This author has delivered another intriguing mystery featuring the very engaging and wounded Lord Julian Caldicott. Lord Julian is still recovering from the wounds he received while in captivity during the Napoleonic wars. Those visible, external wounds are getting somewhat better, but those internal wounds to the heart and soul are taking much longer. Those internal wounds may never completely heal because – well – both Julian and his brother Harry were spies during the war – both were captured by the same torturer – but only Julian survived. The case Julian is about to be asked to undertake will definitely try his limited emotional resources because he is going to learn things about his much admired slightly older brother that he’d rather not know – or maybe he would.

Lord Julian’s older brother, Arthur, the Duke of Waltham, tasks Julian with determining the parentage of a young boy who could be the salvation of the Waltham duchy. For personal reasons, Arthur won’t marry, and Julian isn’t sure he can sire children, so this child being a legal heir would be a boon. How will Julian ever go about proving it? The mother died shortly after delivering the child into the hands of Mrs. Davenport and Harry was tortured to death by one of Napoleon’s elite torturers. No clues. No witnesses. Oh! My!

This was a fun an exciting rollercoaster ride with ups, downs, twists, turns, and finally a nicely satisfying ending. I love all of the characters, their relationships, and their interactions – but that is a hallmark of this author. I know this is a mystery series, but there is a hint of a slow-burn romance for Julian and I cannot wait to see what it heads. So, I can definitely recommend this book and I truly hope you’ll give it a try and love it as much as I did. The only problem is – I now have to wait for the next book!

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