Thursday, December 29, 2011

[NOR Review]: "Highlander's Heart"

Highlander's Heart by Amanda Forester
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (November 1, 2011)
Series: The Highlander Series, 2
Genre: Historical Romance
Summary (Amazon.com):
Fleeing into the wilderness to escape an abusive marriage, Lady Isabelle Tynsdale would sooner face down a wild boar than spend another night with her wretched husband. Battered by the elements, desperate to elude a band of attackers, and defending herself against, as fate would have it, a wild boar she is rescued by the handsome Laird David Campbell.



Campbell knows holding Isabelle captive for ransom is his best chance to temper the storm threatening to destroy his clan. The ransom of an English countess should be more than enough to pay off his debts to England and save him from an unwanted marriage. But Isabelle didn't escape her husband just to become another man's captive and Laird Campbell is seriously misguided if he thinks she's going to go quietly.






Other Books in the Series:
Click on the covers to buy from BN.com; the title links to the book's page on the author's site.






Book 1: The Highlander's Sword









Book 3: True Highland Spirit
(March 2012)







Where to Buy*: Amazon | Kindle | BN.com
More Info: Author's Site | Book Site | Excerpt



My Review:

Lady Isabelle Tynsdale was married off at a young age, to a man much older than herself. Her wedding night was horrible—and when he suddenly came in to try and kill her during the night, she fled, running back to the safety of her uncle and her home. That is where she has been for years now; but when her uncle dies, leaving her without any family or protection, she knows she must petition for a divorce if she wants to stay safe from her husband.




During the journey she becomes separated from her guard and wanders off a bit too far. She finds herself in the wilds of Scotland, and it seems like every time she turns around something (or someone) new is coming after her. Suddenly she is saved by David, Laird Campbell, a rugged Highlander who catches her attention and makes her wish that she was someone else....



But rather than help her to get back to England, a place he despises, he decides to ransom her off to her husband and be rid of her. The only problem is, his whole heart isn't into this idea; and despite how much trouble the English lass is, there is something about her that enchants him, that makes him want to know more. Some part of him would love to be her knight in shining armor, but when he has two powerful rival clans trying to marry him off to their daughter and granddaughter, he knows that he is as free as Isabelle for such a relationship. David has a responsibility to his clan, to his family, and to his country—but he also has a responsibility to his heart. So which does he listen to?



The one thing I truly enjoyed about The Highlander's Heart was the wit and banter between David and Isabelle. It wasn't constantly there, but it would show up just when I least expected it and I'd find myself smiling like a fool for the next few pages. They were constantly throwing jabs back and forth at each other, some sarcastic, some joking, all of them just funny enough that if you caught it, you would chuckle: subtle humor, one of my favorites, especially in a book.



I liked that Isabelle was a bit of a handful, but at times I felt that she was simply being too silly, even, dare I say, stupid, by running off every time without thinking about the consequences. She simply assumed that she would be able to make it back to England with no problem, as if her simple presence would make everything turn out perfectly, rather than the reality of it: she was nothing but a bundle of bad luck, always getting herself into trouble. And often pulling others into the mess with her! She wasn't my favorite heroine ever, to be honest, but neither was she the worst. I simply would have preferred to know more about her; her character wasn't completely three-dimensional, something that I think is a requirement in a good book.



David was much the same way. I would have liked more from his character, but what was there wasn't bad, it just wasn't my favorite either. I did like that David was a flawed hero, in that he was deathly afraid of heights. He doesn't like that he has this fear, being a big brawny laird and all, but his family understands and that's really all that matters. Now Isabelle does as well, and in fact manages to help him through his fear a bit...by use of a diversion of the most sinful sort!



The storyline was very complex, and pulled in a lot of historical accuracy, in regards to the Scots' fight against England and whatnot. I do wish that there hadn't been so many sidelines that the plot when off onto, as it did take away from the main romance of Isabelle and David a bit, but at least they were enjoyable, if cut a bit short due to trying to fit so many stories in the one book.



3.5 STARS! A wonderful historical romance, The Highlander's Heart may have a few flaws, but it is still a good, solid read for any Highlander fan out there. I would recommend this book for some of the witty scenes alone even if I had problems with a few of the other areas in the novel. I look forward to reading the next book in this series, as it is supposed to cover Morrigan McNab's story, and she was a bit of a feisty woman. A lush, enjoyable historical, The Highlander's Heart is sure to entertain many readers!


Favorite Quote:
"I'm getting chilled waiting for you to stop whining and start impressing me with your kissing arts."
"Whining? A Highlander never whines."
"Still waiting."
"We grunt and growl and scratch ourselves in inappropriate places, but never, ever whine."
"And I am still waiting."

This is a good example of the witty, yet sometimes subtle, banter that goes on between Isabelle and David, and one of the reasons I liked this book.





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Thanks to Night Owl Reviews, where I received this ARC for free in exchange for reviewing the book. (Free book does not equal biased review, however!) This review is the property of NOR.
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Enjoy!






Until Next Time,
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1 comment :

Blodeuedd said...

*Thinks about it*
Nope it was book 1 I read, duh, I am so forgetful! And this one sound even better