Highland Surrender by Heather McCollum

On By TracyIn Elizabethan Era (1558-1603), Part of a Series, Scottish/Highlander, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews, Tudor Era (1485-1603)Leave a comment

Highland Surrender (Sons of Sinclair, #5)Highland Surrender by Heather McCollum

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Sons of Sinclair, #5

Release Date: October 24, 2023

Erik Halverson, the leader of the lethal Wolf Warriors of Norway and three of his best men travel from Norway to carry out a mission for the Dowager Queen Sophie of Denmark-Norway. Queen Sophie is the mother of Scotland’s Queen Anne, and she believes that the Sinclair “Horsemen” are too powerful and will try to take the crown from King James and her daughter. She kidnaps Erik’s only living relative, his younger sister Iselin, and holds her at court with threats of marrying her to her chancellor until Erik abducts the Sinclairs’ sister, Hannah. She thinks that by taking Hannah, she will gain control of the Sinclair’s, thus saving her daughter. Erik is not happy with this plan, but he will do anything to save his sister. He travels to Girnigoe Castle and is relieved to learn none of the Sinclair brothers are in residence, he hopes to find and take Hannah before they return, but his hopes are dashed when he is unable to to learn which woman is Hannah and the youngest brother, Bas returns earlier than expected. But not one to give up, he figures out who she is, and when she seems bent on seduction, he uses that in his favor to steal her away. But things go downhill from there when stowaways in the form of Cait and Gideon’s daughters, Libby and Trix, a storm, traitors, and the burning attraction he feels for Hannah. How can he turn her over to Sophie, yet how can he not?

Hannah Sinclair wants a child, she is almost 30 and has no prospects for marriage, thanks to her overprotective brothers. So when she meets Erik, who is posing as a trader, she decides that he is perfect for her needs, since he will be gone by the time she learns if she is pregnant and her brothers will have no way to find and kill him. Unsure of how to seduce a man, she turns to her sisters-in-law, who are more than happy to instruct her. Things get a bit complicated when Bas returns early, but not even that is going to deter her, she lures Erik to the stables, and just as things start to heat up, he turns the tables on her and steals her away to his ship. At first, she is furious and bent on making him pay, but when they are blown off course and have to land in the Isles to make repairs, she learns the truth and knows that there is no way this doesn’t end in war. She knows her brothers will never back down and Erik makes it clear that he won’t either, so it is up to Hannah to find a way to save them all. But can she save her heart from breaking?

This was the final installment of the series and what an ending it is! I thought this was a great story, I loved Erik and Hannah, they had great chemistry, they have both suffered loss, and they both have a deep love for their families. They are perfect for each other, but the lies, secrets, and circumstances all mean that happily ever after is all but impossible. This book is filled with deadly highlanders, equally deadly Norse warriors, fearsome wives, mischievous little girls, laugh-out-loud moments, fan-yourself moments, nail-biting moments, and a heaping helping of heartache before our lovers find their HEA. This was a fantastic end to a wonderful series and definitely a must-read title. This book could be read as a standalone title, but I strongly recommend reading the series in order for the best reader experience.

4.5 stars, rounded up.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

Some of Us Are Looking by Carlene O’Connor

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

Some of Us Are Looking (County Kerry Mystery #2)

Barbara’s rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Series: County Kerry Mystery #2
Publication Date: 10/24/23
Period: Contemporary Ireland
Number of Pages: 320

I love this author’s Irish Village Mysteries series because the characters are fun and interesting and the mysteries are not dark and brooding though they include murder. So, of course, I wanted to try this series as well. I read the first book and rated it well because the characters were certainly unique and though the story was on the dark side, I cut it some slack because of setting up the series, character backstories, etc. However, this second book is even darker and more brooding and the main character’s personality quirks just got to be annoying rather than endearing. It just seemed to drag in some spots and I found myself skimming over the slower and more plodding parts. I do like that the main characters are older – maybe in their forties.

After the last case, Inspector Cormac O’Brien has been permanently transferred to the lovely town of Dingle and is hoping to spend some quality time with his mother before she passes. That, of course, is a pipedream when a peaceful old man is deliberately run down on a country road. To make things even worse, a few days later the body of a beautiful young woman is found tied to a tree – with her hand chopped off. Cormac has done a very stupid thing and must recuse himself from running the case – but he can’t turn loose and let it go. Officially, the person in charge is Sergeant Barbara Neely, but Cormac is right in the middle of it.

Veterinarian Dimpna Wilde has her hands full running her father’s (now her) veterinary practice as well as assuring her father, who is in the advanced stages of dementia, gets the care he needs. Add a wayward son and a wild-child mother into the mix and she probably can’t handle much more. So, the last thing Dimpna needs is to find the body of a young woman tied to a tree.

Cormac, Neely, and the rest of their crew work through clue after clue after clue – and they all seem to point to different people – but mostly they point to the girl’s friends. With Dimpna adding more clues to the ones gathered by the guards, can they solve the murders before another one happens?

Yapping dogs, screeching parrots, and raging bulls all play a role in the very animal-oriented book(series). If you follow the animals, you’ll find the madman – and none too soon because he already has his list of other targets.

I wanted to really love Dimpna and Cormac, but I just couldn’t get there. I made allowances in the first book because of getting the series set up, but I actually liked them both better in the first book than I did in this one. I don’t think I’ll read the next book, but maybe I’ll try one further down the line to see how the characters have progressed. So, while it was a good mystery, I thought it was a bit slow and plodding and didn’t care for the main characters.

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

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