Category: Tracy’s Reviews

Highland Captive by Alyson McLayne

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

Highland Captive (The Sons of Gregor MacLeod, #4)Highland Captive by Alyson McLayne

Tracy’s rating: 3/3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Sons of Gregor MacLeod

Release Date: July 30, 2019

For two and half long years Gavin MacKinnon, Laird of MacKinnon has searched for his young son Ewan. Ewan disappeared when Gavin’s wife Cristel took the boy to a market day gathering, she returned ill with the plague and died without giving Gavin any information about what happened to Ewan. Most believe the boy perished, but Gavin refuses to consider the possibility and will never stop searching for his boy. A lead about Ewan has brought Gavin back to the same gathering that he disappeared from.

Deidre MacIntyre nee MacColl is at the gathering at her husband Lewis’ request when she sees Gavin and knows that he is the father of her son Ewan, seeing him terrifies her and when he confronts her about her interest in him, fear sends her running back to her home and her son, wondering what Lewis has done.

Gavin is sure Deidre is the woman the witness saw with Ewan. So he along with his foster brother Kerr follow her to her home and find Ewan, but even then, Deidre denies that Ewan is Gavin’s son and much to Gavin’s dismay, Ewan doesn’t know who he is and refuses to leave his “Mama”. Left with no choice, Gavin takes Deidre and Ewan back to his keep. He plans to send Deidre back just as soon as Ewan becomes comfortable with him again. He knows that taking Deidre is likely to cause a clan war and he welcomes the fight. But what he doesn’t plan on is falling in love with her or the trouble brewing within his own clan!

This was a good story, but compared with the previous books, I didn’t feel like it was as well thought out and plotted. At the end of this book, I had more questions than answers and was truly baffled about a few things. I also had a hard time liking Deidre at the beginning, I sympathized with her pain – but Ewan was not her son and she knew Gavin was his father, but she lied and tried to keep Ewan from Gavin, even knowing the pain he has suffered for years without his son, that just seemed beyond cruel to me. But Gavin wasn’t much easier to like, he was just so angry and determined to get rid of Deidre that it was a bit hard to side with him. The writing in general was good, but the first two-thirds of the book seemed to drag and then the last third flew by in a flash, with multiple villains, shocking secrets, a long awaited love scene, more questions than answers and an epilogue that left me feeling a little disappointed. This is the fourth book in the series and I would recommend reading the books in order rather than trying to figure out the ongoing mystery of who is trying to destroy the Sons of Gregor MacLeod by starting with this book first.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

Brazen & The Beast by Sarah MacLean

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Brazen and the Beast (The Bareknuckle Bastards, #2)Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean
Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Bareknuckle Bastards #2

Release Date: July 30, 2019

Lady Henrietta “Hattie” Sedley is preparing for a very special night out, but her plans are derailed even before they begin when she finds a gorgeous, unconscious man tied up in her carriage. Tonight was supposed to be the beginning of the “Year of Hattie”, this her 29th year will be the year she finally made her dreams come true and she refuses to let this man ruin it! She wakes him up and asks why he is in her carriage (even though she has a pretty good idea who put him there) – when he is less than cooperative, she unties him, he steals a kiss and she pushes him out of the carriage – problem solved and she can carry on with her night! Hattie wants nothing more than to take over her father’s shipping business, but her father wants her to marry and for her brother Augie to run the business, so she forms a plan to change his mind, Hattie is not opposed to marriage, but she has spent many seasons on the marriage mart and has never had an offer, she knows she is not what men consider attractive, she is too tall, too plump and too outspoken, but her father just refuses to believe it, so she will make herself unmarriageable and for that she needs to be ruined.

Saviour “Whit” Whittington AKA the Beast is revered in Covent Gardens, he along with his brother Devil are known as the Bareknuckle Bastards and there is nothing that happens in Covent Gardens that they don’t know about – so when he wakes in a carriage and remembers that he was driving a shipment of goods and was attacked, he wants answers and he is pretty sure the intriguing woman who just pushed him out of her carriage is the key to discovering who robbed him.

He finds her in a brothel for women and strikes a deal – she will find and return his goods and he will help her set her plan in motion by bedding her. Hattie knows her brother Augie stole Whit’s property and fears for his life, she returns home and finds her brother, stabbed and whining – she learns why he stole from the Bareknuckle Bastards and the staggering amount that he has taken.
Hattie figures out a way to repay Whit and can’t wait for him to find her, instead she goes looking for him in Covent Gardens. He learns she is looking for him and tails her for a bit, he only intervenes when he believes she is in dangers, but much to his surprise, Hattie isn’t the one who needs saving! Who is this goddess and why does he want her so badly?

I really loved this book, it is a well written, fast paced story with lots of emotion, action, great secondary characters, a heroine who can hold her own and doesn’t need saving, steamy love scenes, a bit of heartache, betrayal and dreams coming true! This is the second book in the series, but it can definitely be read as a stand-alone with no problem and I am happy to recommend it!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected e-ARC that was provided to me by Edelweiss and the publisher. *