To Yield to a Highlander by Callie Hutton

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Jacobean/Stuart Era (1603-1714), Part of a Series, Scottish/HighlanderLeave a comment

To Yield to a Highlander (The Sutherlands of Dornoch Castle Book 3)7Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: The Sutherlands of Dornoch Castle #3
Publication Date: 5/6/22
Period: Jacobean/Stuart Era (1656) – Scottish Highlands
Number of Pages: 193

Lady Elsbeth Johnstone has been restless and feeling useless for the last couple of years. Now, she’s finally decided what to do about it – she’s going to become a nun. Three years ago (To Deceive a Highlander) Elsbeth’s father betrothed her to Laird Haydon Sutherland, but he scared her to death, so her twin sister Ainslee changed places with Elspeth and married Sutherland instead. Now, Ainslee and Haydon are blissfully happy and Elsbeth has been living with them at Dornoch Castle. Then, Elsbeth began to develop tender feelings for Haydon’s brother Conall even though Conall loved every woman he saw and swore he’d never marry – until he did (To Marry a Highlander). Now, there are two strong women living in the castle and Elsbeth feels there is no place for her. She’ll never marry unless she can have what her sister Ainslee and Maura (Conall’s wife) have with their husbands. Since no man she’s ever met stirs the slightest feeling within her, she’ll become a nun where she can do good for others. Now, to convince Haydon and her sister to allow her to go to Perth to join the nunnery there.

Laird Duncan Grant doesn’t want his two neighboring clans to form an alliance through marriage – nor does he want to go to the trouble to search for a bride. So, the easy answer is to just steal the bride who is to seal the alliance between those neighboring clans. He’ll actually be doing the woman a favor because the man she is set to marry is a brute. So, he’ll kidnap her, bring her back to his castle and marry her. Yep – problem solved. Until – they kidnap the wrong lass. OOPS!

The attraction between Elsbeth and Duncan is immediate, but both are stubborn and set on their goals – for her, it is to become a nun, and for him, it is to never, ever, love his wife because it killed his father. Can they give up their stubbornness and find happiness with each other? What happens when her father shows up in Perth with her betrothed in tow? The man is odious – but – the contracts are signed. Will Elsbeth once again become the obedient daughter and do her father’s bidding?

This was a fun, entertaining read and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. The characters are lovely – and the ending is smile-worthy – and there is a nice setup for the next book as well.

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

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Three Debts Paid by Anne Perry

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, George V - 1910- 1936, Historical Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

Three Debts Paid (Daniel Pitt, #5)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: Daniel Pitt #5
Publication Date: 4/12/22
Period: London – George V (1912)
Number of Pages: 320

With the addition of Inspector Ian Frobisher and the return of Miriam fford Croft, this book was a really enjoyable read. After the last book, I was a bit afraid the series was headed downward (for me anyway). However, with this book, it seems it has once again hit solid footing. I am a huge fan of the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series and loved the idea of their lawyer son, Daniel having a series. So far, while I really like Daniel, he is not his father and hasn’t seemed strong enough to have the story rest totally on his shoulders (handsome though they are). Hopefully, Ian Frobisher will become a steady character – and with Miriam as a love interest and helpmate, Daniel will find his own path and soar. I’m really looking forward to it.

Toby Kitteridge, Daniel’s friend and immediate senior at the law offices, is taking a holiday and all of the work is falling to Daniel. So, when Inspector Ian Frobisher, an old friend from Cambridge, shows up at the office, Daniel is more than happy to see him. Ian has come to request Daniel take Cambridge professor Nicholas Wolford on as a client. Wolford is a crotchety, temperamental, ill-tempered, mercurial, brilliant professor of Modern History who is being sued for plagiarism and assault. Once Daniel speaks with the professor, he knows the plagiarism case will be very easy to win, but the assault – well, that might be a bit harder since the professor readily admits that he did hit his accuser breaking his nose, jaw, and several teeth.

Ian Frobisher has a serial killer on his hands – and that killer is growing more and more violent with each attack. The killer only attacks on nights when there is a heavy rainstorm – and he mutilates the body by removing a portion of an index finger. There are already two bodies – two lovely, successful young women who were only trying to get home during a rainstorm. Pressure is mounting and Frobisher and his sergeant, Bremner, cannot find anything that ties the women together. When a third body is added to the count, everyone in the city is very afraid and wonders when/where the next victim will turn up. Then, when high government officials tell Ian he cannot investigate the life of the third victim – well – that certainly puts a spanner in the works!

Miriam fford Croft has finally returned from Holland which was the ONLY place in all of Europe where she could become Dr. Miriam fford Croft and be granted the professional status to practice. Now, she is working with the eccentric Dr. Evelyn Hall as a forensic scientist and is ecstatically happy about that. Her very first case is the victims of the serial killer currently terrorizing London. Can she and Dr. Hall unearth enough clues from the wounds and the bodies to help Inspector Frobisher find the murderer?

While each of them is working on their own cases, they are also very aware of what is going on with each other. So, if one comes across information, or can help, they stand ready to do so. How will they ever discover whether any of the victims are related in some way? Could the victims be totally random?

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read and the perpetrator may surprise you. I thoroughly enjoyed the addition of Ian Frobisher to the book and hope we see more of him in future books. Another thing I thoroughly enjoyed was seeing Daniel come to realize that he had feelings for Miriam – and to see the hint that Miriam was becoming aware that she returned those feelings. I don’t really have an issue with the large age difference – she’s 40 and Daniel is 25 – but I’m afraid it may cause them some issues in their relationship as they go on. Not because of their own feelings, but because of the prejudices of others. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how that all plays out.

I hope you will read and enjoy this book as much as I did.

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

View all my reviews