Tag: Heather McCollum

The Highlander’s Tudor Lass by Heather McCollum

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Scottish/Highlander, Tudor Era (1485-1603)Leave a comment

The Highlander’s Tudor Lass (The Brothers of Wolf Isle Book 3)My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Barbara’s rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Series: The Brothers of Wolf Isle #3
Publication Date: 8/22/22
Period: Tudor England – 1547

I have been looking forward to the release of this book for a while now. I’ve read the first two books in the series and they were non-stop action and excitement with a romance just as exciting as the action parts. Not this one. It is a nice read but is missing the action and excitement of the other books. In the first two books, the pirate Claude Jandeau was a fierce, mighty, nasty pirate who stole away innocent women and children and sold them into slavery to men who wanted them. He is bound and determined to get the Montgomerie sisters into his nasty hands. So far, the only thing that has stood in his way is the Macquarie brothers. One of the brothers married the older Montgomerie sister and now, since their father’s death, she wants to bring her sisters to Wolf Isle to live with her. Callum and Drostan (twins) Macquarie were dispatched to Hawick to accompany the four sisters back to the isle. When they arrived, two of the sisters had left for England. Drostan accompanied the two sisters (Kat and Agnes) who were at Hawick back to Wolf Isle and Callum continued to Sudeley Castle in England to retrieve Anna and Dorothia (Dora) and then accompany them north to Wolf Isle.

Since the pirate Jandeau escaped before he could be hanged, the Montgomerie ladies cannot be left unprotected. Anna and Doro are in the employ of the Dowager Queen Katherine Parr Seymour as Ladies to Princess Elizabeth. When Anna refuses to leave, Callum knew he had to stay until he could convince her to leave.

We spent several months or about 70% of the book at Sudeley Castle with Callum trying to convince Anna and dealing with the English who looked down upon him. This part went on much, much too long. When they were deceived and ended up in the hands of Jandeau, it was a tad more exciting, but not by much. Jandeau was a mere shadow of himself and really didn’t pose much of a threat at all.

I enjoyed the book; it just wasn’t the exciting, page-turning, swashbuckling read I had expected. I wanted some exciting cross-country chases, or sword fights onboard a pirate ship or … something. It did get livelier; it just wasn’t that bone-tingling excitement from the previous books.

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

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Highland Justice by Heather McCollum

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

Highland Justice (Sons of Sinclair, #3)Highland Justice by Heather McCollum

Tracy’s rating: 4/4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Sons of Sinclair, #3

Release Date: April 26, 2022

Gideon Sinclair, the third son of George Sinclair and known as the Horseman of Justice is returning to Varrich Castle when he comes upon a woman twirling in the falling snow. He approaches and she tries to cover up what she is doing, but when one of her children screams for help – they both follow the sound and Gideon saves a much younger woman from drowning. He insists on taking her home.

Widow Cait Gunn Mckay is terrified that her sister Willa might take ill and die, so much so that she decides to steal some coin from their rescuer, but soon realizes that she stole his ring as well – a ring proclaiming him to be the Horseman of Justice. Worried that he will discover the theft and come for her – leaving her adopted children defenseless. She uses her skills to enter his rooms to return the ill-gotten goods and is caught. But a bone-melting kiss enables her to escape out his window. But Gideon is on to the Orphan’s home matron. He catches her and is ready to pass judgment – but to his shock, the villagers rally around her and make Gideon begin to rethink not only her punishment but his calling.

He is merciful with her and they form a friendship, which quickly becomes more and has Gideon wondering if things are not as black and white as he always assumed. HEA begins to look like a possibility, but when the king arrives and whispers of treason abound, Gideon will have to choose between the woman he has come to love and the king he has sworn to serve.

This third book in the series is an adventure, filled with memorable characters, steamy love scenes, great secondary characters, cameos from the other “Horsemen”, lots of villains, a heroine with a unique talent and a big heart, a hero who learns the real meaning of justice, lots of action and a few laughs to keep the book from being too intense. I did think the book started slow and was a little repetitious with the “Horsemen” references, but once Gideon and Cait meet, things get interesting and the pace picks up. This is the third book in the series and could be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading the series in order. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I am happy to recommend this title.

*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.*