Category: Jacobean/Stuart Era (1603-1714)

The Stuart Era is 1603-1714 and The Jacobean era refers to the period in English and Scottish history that coincides with the reign of James VI of Scotland, who also inherited the crown of England in 1603 as James I.
Preceded by: Elizabethan era
Followed by: Caroline era
Monarch: James VI and I

Highland Temptation by Lori Ann Bailey

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Jacobean/Stuart Era (1603-1714), Scottish/Highlander1 Comment

Highland Temptation (Highland Pride #3)Highland Temptation by Lori Ann Bailey

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Highland Pride #3
Publication Date: 6/25/18

I was looking forward to a really good read when I started this book – well – it was MORE! It was a wonderful read. The characters were compelling, the story was interesting and action-packed – and – well – there were Highlanders. I believe this is only the third book by this author, but you’d never know it. I’ve read some seasoned authors with many, many books under their belt whose stories don’t flow as seamlessly as these do. You feel as if you are right there in the midst of the turmoil between the Royalists and the Covenanters. The suspense is thick in the air and danger is everywhere. You can feel it, smell it and taste it.

Kirstie Cameron has lived away from her beloved home, Kentillie, for three years now. Not because she wanted to, but because she couldn’t live with the pain of staying. Three years ago, at age seventeen, she finally found the courage to tell the man she loved with all of her heart that she loved him. She hoped he returned her love because she wanted a future with him. She loved him – she’d always loved him and she always would. Then, he ripped out her heart and stepped on it. He told her that they could never be because he saw her as a sister. A SISTER! So, Kirstie has spent the last three years living with her best friend, Blair MacNab at the MacNab stronghold.

Alan MacKenzie has never considered himself a MacKenzie because that clan shunned his family, became Covenanters, and abandoned his mother to be murdered by his father. No, he was a Cameron in heart and soul. The Cameron’s had taken him in when his mother was murdered and his father fled when Alan was only eleven. The Cameron’s loved him, nurtured him and treated him as one of their own. He’d never shame or betray them. So, what was he to do when the love of his life, the woman he wasn’t good enough for, declared her love for him? He couldn’t tell her that he loved her in return because he might have his father’s madness. So, he told her that she was like a sister to him and that was all it would ever be. Then, she went away to live somewhere else and he never knew why. [*smiles* Well, maybe he wasn’t the sharpest tack in the pack]

This is the third book in the series, so we know all about the plots of the Covenanters against the Royalists. This plot is a diabolical one – get rid of all of the existing Royalist lairds and convert their clans by force, marriage or whatever other means they had. The Camerons are aware of the plot to kill them and the other Lairds at an upcoming meeting of the clans, so they have come up with a plan to foil the plot and get rid of the Covenanters – or as many of them as they can. They’ll have Alan reclaim his MacKenzie name and pretend to have broken with the Camerons by converting to Presbyterian. He’ll infiltrate the Covenanters and relay all of the plans to the Camerons.

Kirstie has also gotten wind of the plot to murder her brothers and she plans to uncover the plot and stop it. So, she attends the Clan meeting with the MacNabs and begins her flirtation with all of the Covenanters, hoping to learn their secrets.

Imagine the shock when Alan and Kirstie see each other – and Alan is a Covenanter. Kirstie can’t believe that – there is something off about that but she doesn’t have time to worry about that. She’s busy trying to uncover the plot, search bedrooms at the castle and fight off the amorous advances of all of the Covenanter men.

It is exciting to see Kirstie and Alan dancing around each other – trying to fight their attraction and still work, separately, of course, to foil the plot. Alan finds it hard to concentrate on what he has to do because he’s always protecting Kirstie from some mishap or another.

One thing I did question though – at one point, Kirstie is in a bit of a bother. She needs to escape the bonds on her arms – tied above her elbows I think. She has to wriggle around and do some contortions in order to get to her dagger strapped to her thigh. A resourceful girl, right? Well – there was a very long, sharp sword laying on the floor near where she stood. She could have used that much easier than trying to get to the dagger and then get it positioned to cut the twine. Just a thought.

The only bad thing about the book is that it ended and now I have to wait for the next one! I wonder who will be next. Maybe Finlay and Blair will get their own book – maybe it will be Kirstie’s brother Malcolm. I can hardly wait to find out! I hope you’ll read and enjoy this wonderful book as much as I did!

Please check out my reviews at:
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

Laird of the Black Isle by Paula Quinn

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Jacobean/Stuart Era (1603-1714)4 Comments

Laird of the Black Isle (The MacGregors: Highland Heirs, #7)Laird of the Black Isle by Paula Quinn

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The MacGregors: Highland Heirs #7
Publication Date: 5/29/18

Mailie is the kind of heroine I like – strong, feisty, undaunted, smart, complex, loving and can totally take care of herself. Add a flawed, wounded, scarred, braw, huge, yet caring and tender hero and you have an outstanding read! The prose is excellently written, the plot well thought out and presented and the characters are very relatable and likable. The children, Will and Lily, were delightful and you just wanted to hug them. Then there is Ruth – we all need a Ruth in our lives. The MacGregor clan are all just sigh-worthy and we do get to see a fair amount of Tristan, our heroine’s father, and Adam, future laird of Camlochlin, who is featured in the next book. Lest I forget, one of my favorite characters is, Ettarre, a devilish-looking hound with the most wonderful disposition.

I started out being sure that there was no way I was going to like Lachlan MacKenzie, Dragon Laird of Black Isle, Earl of Cromartie. His is a tragic tale of loss, suffering, and pain and when he was offered a deal with the devil, he agreed to inflict that same pain, suffering, and loss on another family. So, why would I ever decide to like him? Well, Ms. Quinn handles it wonderfully. She doesn’t white-wash what he did and doesn’t make it like it never happened – she makes it a tale of redemption, forgiveness, and love. He was always a sweet and wonderful man and when you hear his story, you will see why he shut himself away from the world with almost no human contact.

Mailie MacGregor is the much-loved daughter of Tristan and Isobel MacGregor. She is sweetness and light itself and always sees the best side of everyone and everything. She is also strong and smart and can usually take care of herself. As Mailie and her cousin Nichola are shopping in a village square they have no worries because they are surrounded by five MacGregor men who are twice the size of anyone else around. There is a distraction, one of the MacGregor’s has been accused of theft – everyone charges over to protest – and – in a flash – Mailie is gone without a trace.

Mailie does all she can to get away. She kicks him, screams at him, flings herself away – you name it – and it doesn’t even phase him. He puts her across his shoulders and takes off running – and he runs for what seems like forever. Then, he flings her over a horse and they are off again to a boat where he rows her for an interminable amount of time. He is huge, strong and inexhaustible! She has no idea where she is or how she will escape – but escape she will. She knows her kin will be looking for her and won’t ever give up until they find her, then Lord help the man who has kidnapped her because her kin will kill him without a question asked.

Within a day Mailie is taking over his castle and him. She bores into him with question after question and demand after demand. She is slowly but surely cracking the shell he has built around his heart and his life. She is relentless. She won’t let him shut her out – and the more she learns, the more she cares and the less she blames.

It is wonderful to watch these two find their way to their HEA. It takes a lot of work – on Mailie’s part especially – but it is absolutely wonderful to see. I just know you’ll love this book. There is also an excerpt from the next book, Highlander Ever After, in the back and now I can hardly wait for that one!

Please check out my reviews at:
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbBookReview

“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”