The Highlander Burns for Vengeance by Julie Johnstone

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Return of the Highlanders, #3

Release Date: December 30, 2024

When his home was attacked by the Lord of the Isles and the Campbell clan, leaving his parents dead and 3-year-old Graeme Stewart captured along with Eppie Stewart, a family retainer tasked with getting him to safety and held prisoner for the next 18 years. After enduring years of beatings and horrific tortures, he finally escapes with Eppie on the very evening his captors got word from their laird via a message delivered by Maisie Campbell to kill him. Graeme carries Eppie and makes the 40 mile walk to his family’s holding of Dunstaffnage and is reunited with his brother Ross, the new laird. For the next 3 months, with the help of his brother, he prepares his mind and body for revenge, the Campbell laird who attacked his family was found to be a traitor and is dead, but they are sure his son Brody was also a traitor and at the very least knew of Graeme’s imprisonment and did nothing to help him. They have an audience with the king to discuss the broken betrothal between his sister and Brody Campbell and plan to ask for retribution. But the king surprises them by being unwilling to condemn Brody and demands that Graeme handfast with Campbell’s daughter – the same woman who arrived with the missive the night he escaped. Graeme wants nothing to do with Maisie Campbell but won’t defy his king. But handfasting with her doesn’t mean he will stop looking for proof to convict her brother of treason, nor does it mean he will ever trust her. Too bad he desires her more than any woman he has ever known and despite his plans, he can’t seem to ignore her.

Maisie Campbell is on the cusp of marriage with her brother’s best friend, Aidan Buchannan when she is sent to St. Benedicts’ Abbey to deliver a message for her brother and finds herself caught up in an unforgivable act perpetrated by her family. Maisie was crushed when her father was found to be a traitor and further devasted when he killed himself, but despite her father’s crimes, she cannot believe her brother knew anything about the attack on the Stewarts or Graeme’s imprisonment. She agrees to the handfast, intent on proving Graeme wrong about her brother. They butt heads from the start, but Maisie is a good person and knows that Graeme has suffered at the hands of her family, she tries to show him that she is not like her father and slowly it seems like Graeme is coming around, but trust is hard for these two and familial loyalty just makes everything harder. Can there be a happy ever after for them or are they doomed to heartbreak?

As usual, Ms. Johnstone delivers another well-written, emotionally satisfying story filled with likable characters and a dash of intrigue. Graeme and Maisie are both wonderful characters, Graeme has suffered unimaginable horror at the hands of the Campbells and Maisie is appalled by that fact, but they each are firm in their convictions and sure that their understanding of the situation is the right one. Together they have a lot to overcome and despite seemingly impossible odds, they do find their HEA. I really enjoyed this story, but I will be honest, I had a really hard time believing that Graeme who had been a prisoner, who hadn’t been around any women besides his caregiver since he was 3, and had no true sword training managed to become not only an accomplished lover and swordsman but also learned to ride a horse and oversee the family’s holdings in less than 3 month after escaping his 18 year captivity. That point aside, I found this to be a well-crafted story that finishes up the series nicely, reuniting the Stewart siblings and finding them each a love to help them overcome the tragedies of their youth. This is the third book in the series but can be easily read as a standalone title with no problems.

*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. *