Paula Quinn

I truly believe that words are the gateway to a woman's heart and soul. I can only imagine the filling of a woman's heart as her true love whispers these words to her.

"Ye're so fine, Mairi MacGregor. Ye lay waste to my heart and restore my soul."

Or these words as he trails wet kisses down her neck.

"Ye're mine, Mairi." He vowed, kissing her again. "Ye will always be mine."

Or these words as he finally admits his regrets for having left her.

"I was a bloody fool fer leaving ye. Ye are my show more stars, my sun, my world. I love ye."

And finally, how can any female not melt into a pool of love at hearing these words of true adoration.

"Mairi", he said more softly, closer to the door. "I have loved ye all my life. I see yer face at the dawning of each new sunrise and in the fiery stars at night. I hear yer laughter in the tinkling of cups, the crack of yer tongue in the thunder. I have thought of ye in battle and it kept me alive, determined to be with ye again. And now that I am, I am haunted by yer tears."

Connor Grant has a gift. His words wash over you like a cool breeze on a hot summer night, caressing you, captivating you. He had me at "hello". Once Connor decided to tell Mairi MacGregor what was in his heart, she was putty in his hands, his words melting her resolve on the spot. Her sharp tongue and fierce loyalty to her kin and King were traits Connor adored, along with her long dark locks and natural Scottish beauty. He wanted her back. He had never stopped loving her and he wasn't about to let anything keep her from him again. Not his service to the Catholic King, not a jealous man, not even the threat of war.

I loved this book. Having read the previous stories in the series, I was well acquainted with the other characters, and I was happy to embrace them like family members I hadn't seen in years. You could feel the sparks flying between the hero and heroine. There was humour, passion, deceit and betrayal, all of it encompassed in a tale of battles between England and her surrounding countries, between Catholics and Protestants and between Englishmen and Highlanders. I cannot wait for the next book in this series which focuses on Mairi's brother Colin, a fierce and cunning warrior himself. I am sure this brave Highlander will envelop me with his words as well. show less

Mailie is the kind of heroine I like – strong, feisty, undaunted, smart, complex, loving and can totally take care of herself. Add a flawed, wounded, scarred, braw, huge, yet caring and tender hero and you have an outstanding read! The prose is excellently written, the plot well thought out and presented and the characters are very relatable and likable. The children, Will and Lily, were delightful and you just wanted to hug them. Then there is Ruth – we all need a Ruth in our lives. The show more MacGregor clan are all just sigh-worthy and we do get to see a fair amount of Tristan, our heroine’s father, and Adam, future laird of Camlochlin, who is featured in the next book. Lest I forget, one of my favorite characters is, Ettarre, a devilish-looking hound with the most wonderful disposition.

I started out being sure that there was no way I was going to like Lachlan MacKenzie, Dragon Laird of Black Isle, Earl of Cromartie. His is a tragic tale of loss, suffering, and pain and when he was offered a deal with the devil, he agreed to inflict that same pain, suffering, and loss on another family. So, why would I ever decide to like him? Well, Ms. Quinn handles it wonderfully. She doesn’t white-wash what he did and doesn’t make it like it never happened – she makes it a tale of redemption, forgiveness, and love. He was always a sweet and wonderful man and when you hear his story, you will see why he shut himself away from the world with almost no human contact.

Mailie MacGregor is the much-loved daughter of Tristan and Isobel MacGregor. She is sweetness and light itself and always sees the best side of everyone and everything. She is also strong and smart and can usually take care of herself. As Mailie and her cousin Nichola are shopping in a village square they have no worries because they are surrounded by five MacGregor men who are twice the size of anyone else around. There is a distraction, one of the MacGregor’s has been accused of theft – everyone charges over to protest – and – in a flash – Mailie is gone without a trace.

Mailie does all she can to get away. She kicks him, screams at him, flings herself away – you name it – and it doesn’t even phase him. He puts her across his shoulders and takes off running – and he runs for what seems like forever. Then, he flings her over a horse and they are off again to a boat where he rows her for an interminable amount of time. He is huge, strong and inexhaustible! She has no idea where she is or how she will escape – but escape she will. She knows her kin will be looking for her and won’t ever give up until they find her, then Lord help the man who has kidnapped her because her kin will kill him without a question asked.

Within a day Mailie is taking over his castle and him. She bores into him with question after question and demand after demand. She is slowly but surely cracking the shell he has built around his heart and his life. She is relentless. She won’t let him shut her out – and the more she learns, the more she cares and the less she blames.

It is wonderful to watch these two find their way to their HEA. It takes a lot of work – on Mailie’s part especially – but it is absolutely wonderful to see. I just know you’ll love this book. There is also an excerpt from the next book, Highlander Ever After, in the back and now I can hardly wait for that one!

Please check out my reviews at:
Blog: https://flippinpages.blog/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/flippinpages...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlippinPagesRev
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbBookReview

"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher." show less

2.5 stars rounded up. This heroine is an even more skilled warrior than the one in the previous book. And I was so interested and hopeful when she was introduced as being very brave and capable. But she ended up being kind of a ninny. She's a hothead who is uninterested, apparently, in coming up with a plan of attack given a challenge, but just charges off in whatever direction the mood strikes her. And she has a terrible understanding of human behavior, and is a trial for anyone who spends show more time around her. It was very disappointing. The hero on the other hand is *also* a great fighter, but on top of that is also clever and charming. There's a lot of 'battle of the wills' sort of thing, but it just felt so uneven to me. I guess perhaps it's more oldschool or something. She's loyal I suppose. But mostly I didn't find her very interesting and she irritated me. The hero was okay, though he didn't strongly appeal to me. If it had been edited down a bit more it might not have felt like it dragged out so much, but it could just appeal more to a different audience. I liked the first in the series, so I will continue on with the books that follow the next generation, and see how they go. show less

HOT KILTED SCOTSMEN ON A STICK!

Now that I have your attention...I just finished this entire series. And I liked it. A lot.

I have a side of me that wants to deny loving these type of novels. The Children of the Mist series is adventurous, engaging and a blast to read.

Ive heard it all before... 'bodice ripper' monikers for books like these. The assumption is that all romance is the same. I tell you, hands down, they are not.

Never judge a book by its genre. Isnt that what they say?

Some are show more saucy, some are warm and fuzzy. Well-penned, thrown together, or break the mold. Some are anatomy lessons (with liberal use of the words "turgid" and "heaving"), and some are fifty shades of awful (pun intended). Some are well-written Highlander stories that makes you read the whole series in under a week.

There are several reasons the author got it right. This author has a great voice. The history woven throughout the story, conflicts of historical holy wars, spies, the scramble for power, and royalty of England and Scotland. Relationships that grow, strong women, and the men are men without being idiot alpha males. The characters are well-rounded, intelligent, with backbone, honor and loyalty.

Like, erhmagherd, you guise.

Dialog was smart although a few turns of phrase were overused. I grew to appreciate each clan member like I knew them and how they thought or interacted. Very well done - and this from a book that cost me $1 at a garage sale.

Despite this broad-blanketing genre, the mass market cover remains the same: Regency/Fireman/Cowboy/Tatted/Kilted/Pirate guy in glistening, bare-chested glory is clutching a swooning, yet flushing, voluptuous woman/wench/Dutchess/captive who is unabashedly swooning, and if her rended or ill-fitted garments are any indication, she is indeed in dire need of a tailor asap to prevent future wardrobe malfunctions.

Regardless of the many stereotypes in this genre. Ive just enjoyed finding another series that breaks those stereotypes, six pack, washboard abs and all. Which reminds me, I need to do my laundry. show less