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

The Highlander's Lady of Loch and Sea (Brotherhood of Solway Moss Book 3)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. *

Alliance with Her Renegade Knight by Lissa Morgan

Alliance with Her Renegade Knight (Harlequin Historical: Medieval)Alliance with Her Renegade Knight by Lissa Morgan

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: July 1, 2025

Life has not been kind to Isolda Breydon, first her father and brother perished at sea leaving her to run the family wool business, a predominantly male profession whose members did nothing to help her succeed, and then she was betrayed by her betrothed, which left her reputation in tatters. But none of that deterred her, but when the Duke of York crossed King Henry and went into exile, leaving the people in his village at the mercy of the new Lancastrian regime, things became hard for the common man and Isolda could not stay silent. She began anonymously penning scathing poems criticizing the unfair taxes and corrupt leadership. But setting herself against the hierarchy has consequences and she finds herself under the eagle eye of Sir Henry Wevere a knight in the service of the new overlord, the Earl of Shrewsbury. But Henry poses a threat not only to her freedom, but to her heart as well.

Sir Henry Wevere has been sent to Ludlow to find the author of the disparaging poems, and he too has more than his fair share of heartache and has vowed to never love again. But when he meets Isolda, his heart refuses to listen to reason and falls fast and hard for her. When he realizes that she is the author of the poems he is torn between his duty and his heart. He tries to get to the truth and finds himself falling harder for Isolda, but can he risk his heart or should he turn from love and just concentrate on doing his job?

I loved the blurb for this book and really liked Isolda and Henry, they are wonderful characters. I loved how well Isolda and Henry worked together against the injustice, and it was easy to believe their love for each other as well as their fear of embracing that love. Overall, I liked this story, but I did feel that it was repetitive at times, especially concerning their individual heartaches, and I found that a bit frustrating. But if you prefer a slow burn, no spice type of love story, with intense feelings, then this story is definitely for you. Please note, this story does have deep roots in grief, so if that is a sensitive subject for you, I would suggest checking the content warnings before reading this book.

*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. *