Devil of the Highlands

Lynsay Sands is another author on my must-buy list. It doesn't seem to matter whether it's a paranormal or a historical, her stories have humor and heart and leave me feeling good when I'm done.

Evelinde is living under the thumb, and temper, of her horrible stepmother. With her father dead and her brother fighting in the Crusades, there's no one left to protect her. So when her stepmother calls for Evelinde with a smile--she knows it's not going to be good. Then she learns she's to be married! She's going to get away! Unfortunately for her, her stepmother has betrothed her to the Devil of the Highlands, a man feared and reviled across Scotland.

Duncan knows about the rumors that surround him. He's a man of few words and knows the worse show more his reputation, the less actual fighting he has to do. His first wife died under suspicious circumstances (which only added to his infamy) but he NEEDS an heir. He doesn't expect anything more than a pleasant marriage and children. It doesn't take him long to realize Evelinde needs rescuing, but from the moment they meet...things just seem to go from strange to stranger!

Lots of humor, lots of hot lovemaking, and a happily ever after filled with love. For a historical with a strong, silent Scot in a kilt, and a woman who wants the words too...don't miss "Devil of the Highlands" by Lynsay Sands. You'll be smiling for days! show less

Their first interaction was ridiculous, but it got a bit better as it went along. I liked their misunderstanding of love languages, that seemed very buyable. Minor- All his efforts to show her care in the beginning weren't nearly as obvious as he supposed, and she was pretty much entirely unaware of them until they were 'translated'. I also liked the hero's increasing attempts to actually communicate with words. The mystery was a bit wobbly, but wasn't awful. And the heroine was more bumbling than I care for, but on the better end of that type, and rescued herself a good portion of the time.

Devil of the Highlands
4 Stars

Synopsis
Forced into an arranged marriage with a man known only as "The Devil of the Highlands", Evelinde d'Aumsbery is expecting the worst but soon discovers that marriage may be just what she needs. Cullen Duncan needs a wife to bear his children and follow his orders but realizes that Evelinde is so much more that he could have hoped for.

Review
Light and fluffy, historical cozy mystery set in the Highlands.

Very little world building and virtually no historical background but the characters are engaging and the plot is quite good (once you get past the silly shenanigans in the beginning). The romance is cute and the murder mystery is compelling enough to keep turning the pages.

Cullen is your typical alpha show more male/sexy highlander who finds the woman of his dreams in the most unexpected of places. He is not that big on words but more than makes up for it with his actions.

Evelinde is a sweet if quite ditsy and clumsy heroine. She has numerous TSTL moments but for some reason they come across as endearing rather than irritating.

The writing is simple and flows making this a quick and effortless read. Recommended for those in need of light fare that is not too taxing on the brain. show less

The narrator sounded a little bored at times but she did a great job with the character voices. The story was great, loved the mystery and was surprised by the outcome.

Hmm, I'm thinking Cullen and Evelinde (love that name for some reason) are going to be really good for each other. Their first meeting reveals a lot about where I think this book is going and I'm excited!
There are some great humorous moments, subtle but there. There were also a lot of lines which made me giggle like a school girl. Even though Cullen doesn't speak much, he seems to have a way with words.
Although I was initially excited about this book, there wasn't much that stood out from this story for me. The murder mystery was just good enough to keep me reading to find out who the culprit was. The whole book felt very generic to me, like maybe I had read the same story time and time before. The setting is the 1200s in Scotland but show more frankly it could have been set in any time period and place. The Scots of course have their accents, yer and verra, but other than that the author does a poor job of making the reader feel the time and place. (Marsha Canham's "Highland" series does an exceptional job at giving the reader a feel for the Highlands) The book is simply mediocre and I am glad I didn't spend money on it.
It was a super fast read and did have couple great lines in it but I just know in a week I will have forgotten all about it; well except for the cover and how much it looks like "Madmaritgen" Val Kilmer from "Willow".

C show less

3.75

Listened to audio narrated by Marianna Palk. Interesting accent, easy to listening.

Evelinde is married off to the 'Devil' by her wicked step-mother, only Cullen isn't the devil, just a man not bothered to quell rumors. Cullen is a man of few words believing his actions are more important than words. Unfortunately this leads to a lot of pain and heartbreak on Evelinde's side. Even though Evelinde has suffered many losses, she's still a sweet, gregarious girl, that seems to have a knack for getting into trouble.

Cullen and his clan comes across as very set in their ways, their mantra is 'it's always been done that way' and so when Evelinde tries to make improvements she gets a lot of resistance.

Change seems to come only when someone show more is endangered and eventually Cullen finds his silence and lack of change has done more harm than good and makes changes, I just wish he'd done it a bit early in the story because the connection between the too seemed lacking until then.

More of my reviews can be found at https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/ show less

A light easy romance. A sexy Scot and his new English wife, taken from her evil step-mother's rule must learn to love each other as well as solve several attempts on her life. Interesting story. I did not like it enough to continue reading her books. I like more world building.