Highland Outlaw: Review

Highland Outlaw:

by Monica McCarty

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (February 24, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345503392

First Line: One of these days his cousing was going to get them killed. Patrick MacGregor could only hope that day wasn't today.

Handsome and dangerous, Patrick MacGregor is a wanted man, possessing the tough, tenacious spirit of his outlawed clan. He will stop at nothing to save his people from destruction, even if it means marrying Elizabeth Campbell, the daughter of his worst enemy. Yet the flaxen-haired beauty disarms him from the start. Her sweet, unspoiled softness touches the cold depths of his ravaged soul–and makes him want much more than revenge.

Inside the shy and dutiful Lizzie is a passionate woman longing to emerge, a woman ready for love. So when the piercing emerald eyes and searing kiss of a stranger spark in her a desperate hunger, she surrenders to Patrick’s glorious seduction–unaware that his daring deception has just found its one and only chance for redemption: a love more powerful than hate.

Favorite Quote(s): " If there is nothing between us, then why is your heart fluttering like the wings of a butterfly? Why is your breath quickening? And why do your lips part for me?"

"Do harm to mine and I'll do worse to yours" was part of the highland credo.

My Review: Another couple classified as star crossed lovers. This was a well written story from beginning to end. I will say that while this book could stand alone it would be better if you read the first book in the series. The timeline in this book is the same as the first so a lot of the story lines we were introduced to come back in this book, just told from a different angle. Patrick plays the role of "hero" perfectly. He is everything readers long to find when they pick up a book. Elizabeth also plays a strong, determined and witty "heroine".

Monica McCarty has once again given her readers a story that keeps them up at night unable to put their book down! Bravo!

My Rating: 4 stars

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Highland Warrior: Monica McCarty

Highland Warrior

( Campbell Trilogy #1 )

by Monica McCarty

The ruthless enforcer of Scotland’s most powerful clan, Jamie Campbell will use any means necessary to vanquish lawlessness and unrest among the feuding Highland clans. Seduction is a game as easily played as subterfuge, but when Jamie poses a as suitor to a rival clan’s daughter in order to expose treason, the line between duty and pleasure is suddenly blurred. Ebony-haired, ruby-lipped Caitrina Lamont defies him, denies him, and arouses him like no other woman.


Caitrina has no intention of forsaking her beloved father and doting brothers for a husband–especially a hated Campbell. But Jamie’s raw, sensual strength and searing kiss melt her resistance. When her idyllic world is shattered, Caitrina’s only hope to save her clan lies in the arms of Jamie Campbell, the enemy she holds accountable for its ruin. Can their tenuous truce, born in the velvet darkness of passionate nights, forge a love as strong as the sword that rules the Highlands?

First Line (s): Catrina Lamont peered into the looking glass as the young maid pinned the last section of lace ruff in place behind her neck.

My Review: Monica McCarty knows how to write a Highland romance novel. This is the first book in the Campbell Trilogy. I adored Jamie, he was everything you want your Highlander to be. Strong willed, mysterious and well hot ( and he even has a witty sense of humor, which is not something you normally see in McCarty heros)! Catrina was a bit harder to like, she was hardheaded and a bit cold. I found myself having a very hard time liking her or even feeling sorry for her. But I would change places with her in a heartbeat to have Jamie be longing to spend his nights with me! Can I get a wit woo and an Amen??

If your looking for a fast steamy and amusing read than this is a good choice!

My Rating: 4 stars

359 pages

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Highlander Unchained: Review

Highlander Unchained

by: Monica McCarty

Lachlan Maclean will do whatever it takes to protect his clan–even if it means abducting the most willful woman in the Highlands with the secret intention of wooing her for marriage. A born searing sensual leader possessing brute strength, and an imposing command, Lachlan is unprepared for the beautiful spitfire Flora MacLeod, who jeopardizes his plans to save his clan, and digs beneath his hard, chiseled exterior to expose a tenderness that may be his undoing.

The greatest marriage prize in the Highlands, Flora is determined at all costs to avoid her mother’s fate of being bartered away as a political pawn. Vowing to make her captor pay for his ruthlessness, she boldly engages him in a battle of wills, sweetening the challenge with dangerous passion–even as the lingering curse and deadly ghosts of a past tragedy reach out to thwart a tender love that has yet to be spoken.

First Line(s): On a cold winter's day nearly a hundred years gone past, a curse was born....

My Review: If you could get past this book being a bit predicatble at times, you will find you have an endearing story with strong main characters. Main characters you felt yourself becoming attached to, very beliveable. This is a steamy read with more than one love scene, wit woo!

My Rating: 4 stars

363 pages

Find Monica McCarty on the web

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Highlander Unmasked: Review

Highlander Unmasked

(#2 )

by Monica McCarty

Synopsis:

Alex MacLeod’s virile physique, fearsome reputation, and renowned fighting skills have helped him master to perfection the role of a hardened mercenary. On a secret mission to protect his clan, he must keep his true purpose well hidden. But his dangerous endeavor is threatened by a beautiful woman he saves from outlaws, never dreaming she will appear at court and put his plans in jeopardy.

Meg Mackinnon needs a strong husband by her side to defend her clan’s holdings, but her search has been hampered by burning fantasies of the midnight rescuer whose smoldering blue eyes and raw sensuality left her breathless. Alex pretends to be a mercenary with no loyalties, yet he is clearly much more. As Meg challenges Alex to reveal all his secrets, the stakes grow perilously high, especially for the bold woman who dares to unmask a highlander.

First Line: He was going home.

My Review: Steamy hot! I love me a good Highlander Romance, grr baby grr! It was nice having Alex as the main character. We met him in the first book. I did find myself rolling my eyes at Meg though. Not as hot as the first in the series but still hot enough to make you go to bed at night ready for the Highlander you will find in your dreams. Hey, I am pregnant... it happens!

My Rating: 4 stars

432 pages

Find Monica McCarty at her website!

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Highlander Untamed: Review

Highlander Untamed

by Monica McCarty

Synopsis:

Rory MacLeod is a bold and powerful Highland Chief with only one allegiance–to his clan. He vows revenge against the rival MacDonald clan, though duty demands a handfast marriage to Isabel MacDonald–a bride he does not want and has no intention of keeping. But Rory couldn’t have anticipated the captivating woman who challenges his steely control, and unleashes the untamed passion simmering beneath his fierce exterior.

Blessed with incomparable beauty, Isabel MacDonald is prepared to use every means possible–including seduction–to uncover her husband’s most guarded secrets. Instead Rory awakens Isabel’s deepest desires and her sweetest fantasies. Now Isabel has found the happiness she’s always dreamed of with the very man she must betray, and discovers that passion can be far more dangerous than revenge.

First Line(s): The ground shook with heavy pounding of hooves as the score of warriors approached Dunscaith Castle.

My Review: This story takes on a lot of qualities of Romeo and Juliet ( and is even qouted at the start of the book). I loved how the two characters played so well of each other. Rory is the perfect hero figure in a romance story and Isabel is no damsel in distress, she can stand her own and as the sass to prove it!

My Rating: 4 stars

416 pages

You can find Monica McCarty on her website

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3 more book reviews

3 more quick reviews of books I have read while MIA from my blog! Enjoy!!

Palace Circle by Rebecca Dean

Delia Chandler, an eighteen-year-old Southern girl, marries Viscount Ivor Conisborough just before World War II, becoming part of the Windsor court. It’s every girl’s dream come true. But Delia is jolted from her pleasant life when she realizes, after the birth of her two daughters, that Ivor chose her only to bear an heir to his estate. Shortly thereafter, she begins an affair with her husband’s handsome, titled, and frequently scandalous best friend.

When Conisborough is appointed as an adviser to King Fuad of Egypt, Delia exchanges one palace circle for another, far different one. While she sees Egypt as a place of exile, her two daughters regard Egypt as their home. Only when war comes to Cairo—and Delia finally reveals the secret she has kept for so long—can she begin to heal the divisions separating her from those she loves.

My Rating: 32 stars

432 pages

Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.

Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation descendent of Martha Carrier. She is also a natural-born storyteller, and in her first novel, she paints a haunting portrait, not just of Puritan New England, but also of one family's deep and abiding love in the face of fear and persecution

My Rating: 4 stars

332 pages

Under Fire by Jo Davis

Zack fights fires and saves lives, yet his own thirst for life has run dry-until he comes to the rescue of a sharp-tongued exotic dancer named Corrine Shannon who soon has the normally shy hero burning out of control.

But just as they are consumed by flames of passion, they find themselves under fire from two relentless enemies with fifty million reasons to succeed. Can they withstand the heat while trying to save their own lives-or will their newfound romance be extinguished as fast as it began?

First Line: The back end of the SUV filled Zack Knight's windshield before his exhausted brain jolted to awareness, screaming the belated message to slame on his brakes.

My Rating: 4 stars

328 pages

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Carnal Gift: Review

Carnal Gift
by Pamela Clare

" I expect you to show my friend just how grateful you are. Your willingness is everything."

With those harsh words, the hated Sasanach earl decided Brighid's fate: Her body and her virginity were to be offered up to a stranger in exchange for her brother's life. Possessing nothing but her innocence and her fierce Irish pride, she had no choice but to comply.

But the handsome man she faced in the darkened bedchamber was not at all the monster she expected. His green eyes seemed to see inside her. His tender touch calmed her fears while he swore he would protect her by merely pretending to claim her. And as the long hours of the night passed by, as her senses ignited at the heat of their naked flesh, she made a startling discovery: Sometimes the line between hate and love can be dangerously thin.

First Line: Brighid Ni Maelsechnaill put the bacon and oatcakes on the table, her heart humming with excitement.

My Review: I was drawn right away to this books because of it's strong roots to Ireland ( and we all know how proud I am of my Irish roots). Brighid as not had an easy life and just when she feels she is ready to go out and take on the world, said world is turned upside down and shows no signs of ever being right again. Jamie is the ideal hero, he is what fantasty are made of. Strong, smart, handsome and fights for the good side! This story introduces to you to a family that would do anything for each other, anything!

My Rating:

368 pages

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When He Was Wicked: Review

When He Was Wicked

(Bridgerton Series #6)

by Julia Quinn

Synopsis:

In every life there is a turning point.
A moment so tremendous, so sharp and breathtaking, that one knows one's life will never be the same. For Michael Stirling, London's most infamous rake, that moment came the first time he laid eyes on Francesca Bridgerton.

After a lifetime of chasing women, of smiling slyly as they chased him, of allowing himself to be caught but never permitting his heart to become engaged, he took one look at Francesca Bridgerton and fell so fast and hard into love it was a wonder he managed to remain standing. Unfortunately for Michael, however, Francesca's surname was to remain Bridgerton for only a mere thirty-six hours longer — the occasion of their meeting was, lamentably, a supper celebrating her imminent wedding to his cousin.

But that was then . . . Now Michael is the earl and Francesca is free, but still she thinks of him as nothing other than her dear friend and confidant. Michael dares not speak to her of his love . . . until one dangerous night, when she steps innocently into his arms, and passion proves stronger than even the most wicked of secrets . . .

First Line: In every life there is a turning point.

Favorite Line(s): n/a

My Review: These two I felt had the most chemisty out of all the characters I have read in this series. It was raw... it was real... it was believable!! I found myself having feelings for them as individuals as well as them together as a couple. They played off each other perfectly and I loved how they would provoke each other in play in their daily talk. As for the love scenes, do yourself a favor and make sure you have a glass of wine or margarita near by! Wit woo!

My Rating:

364 pages

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To Sir Phillip with Love

To Sir Phillip with Love
( 5th in the series)
By Julia Quinn

My dear Miss Bridgerton,

We have been corresponding now for quite some time, and although we have never formally met, I feel as if I know you.

Forgive me if I am too bold, but I am writing to invite you to visit me, It is my hope that we might decide that we will suit, and you will consent to be my wife.
- Sir Phillip Crane

Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage, Except.... she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do as kiss her.... and more.

Did he think she was mad? Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking... and wondering... and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. except... he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered, and while Phillip was certainly handsome, he was a large brute of a man, rough and rugged, and totally unlike the London Gentleman vying for her hand. But when he smiled... and when he kissed her... the rest of the world simply fell away, and she couldn't help but wonder... could this imperfect man be perfect for her?


Favorite Line(s): " Hasn't it ever occurred to you that every thought and feeling doesn't need to be given voice?"

My Review: This is a love story, but it has a twist from the other books in this series, because the love story that shined the most in this story was the one of Phillip and his 8 year old twins. There is never any doubt that he loves his children and wants nothing but the best for them, but demons from his past have him questioning everything he says and or does with his children. It is a very believable story line!

Miss Eloise Bridgerton is another strong heroine. Julia Quinn always shines in this area. Eloise is true to her beliefs and sees the good in all, but doesn't let that blind her from the facts. She is talkative ( to a fault at times), caring, loyal, straight forward with her honesty. Phillip and Eloise play off each other perfectly.


My Rating:

384 pages

I received nothing for this review. I picked this book up on my own free will at the local library.


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Romancing Mister Bridgerton

Romancing Mister Bridgerton
( 4th in series)
By Julia Quinn

" Everyone knows that Colin Bridgerton is the most charming man in London."
- Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, March 1824

" Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friends brother for... well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret.. and fears she doesn't know him at all.

Colin Bridgerton is tired if being thought nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of the never ending sameness of his life, and, most of all, tired of everyone's preoccupation with the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can't seem to publish an edition without mentioning him in the first paragraph. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad, he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same--- especially Penelope Featherington! The girl who was always simply... there is suddenly the girl haunting his dreams. But when he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, his elusive bachelor must decide... is she his biggest threat- or his promise of a happy ending?

First Line: On the sixth of April, in the year 1812- precisely two days before her sixteenth birthday- Penelope Featherington fell in love.

Favorite Line(s): " I love you with my past, and I love you for my future".

My Review: To date I would say this book is the most mild in the series. Dare I say tame. But... oh there is always a but... the characters were endearing and very real! This story kind of has an underdog feel to it. the good guy ( or girl) can and does end up shining bright when it is truly their moment... we see this happen a few times in this book. Once again Julia Quinn has made a strong leading lady, will never tire of reading books like that.

My Rating:

370 pages

I received nothing for this review. I picked this book up on my own free will at the local library.

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An Offer From A Gentleman

An Offer From A Gentleman
( 3rd in series)
by Julia Quinn

Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball- or that " Prince Charming" would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.

Who was the extraordinary woman? Ever since that magical night, a radiant vision in silver has blinder Benedict to the attractions of any other- except, perhaps, this alluring and oddly familiar beauty dressed in housemaid's garb whom he feels compelled to rescue from a most disagreeable situation. he has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, nut this breathtaking maid makes him weak with wanting her. Yet, if he offers her his heart, will Benedict sacrifice his only change for a fairy take love?

First Line: Everyone knew that Sophie Beckett was a bastard.

Favorite Line(s): " You are the reason I exist," she said softly, " the very reason I was born."

My Review: Oh man I am going to be paying for this come morning, or wait it is morning. I just spent the whole evening and well into the morning reading this book. Do you really need to know what I thought of this book... ha ha ha! Julia Quinn is a mastermind! Cindrella meets the cold hard reality of life... perfection! This is not your Disney Cindrella story at all, this one is the Cindrella story for the older crowd. I am torn between wanting a Highlander for a fictional boyfriend or one of the steamy, hunky Bridgerton boys. Grr baby grr!

My Rating:
Paperback: 384 pages

I received nothing for this review. I picked this book up on my own free will at the local library.

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The Viscount who Loved Me

The Viscount who Loved Me
( 2nd in the series)
By: Julia Quinn

1814 promises to be another eventful season, but not, This Author believes, for Anthony Bridgerton London's most elusive bachelor, who has shown no indication that he plans to marry.

And in truth, why should he? When it comes to playing the consummate rake, nobody does it better...
-- Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1814

But this time the gossip columnist have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry- he's even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended's older sister, Kate Sheffield- the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate is the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams....

Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes do not make the best husbands- and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate is determined to protect her sister- but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. and when Anthony's lips touch hers, she's suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself....

Favorite Line(s): And when a man loved a woman, truly loved her from the depths of her soul to the tips of her toes, wasn't it his God given duty to try to make her happy?

My Review: A funny, clever and witty read! I love that Kate was not afraid to speak her thoughts just because she was a woman in a time when being proper was more important than honesty. I assume that if I lived in this time I would be a lot like Kate. I was able to relate with her because of her spunk and the fact that at times she could not hold her tongue if her life depended on it. This novel teaches us once again that the heart is a million times smarter than the mind! An awesome addition to this series!


My Rating:

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages

I have received nothing for this review. I picked this book up on my own free will at the local library.

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