Deception of a Highlander (Heart of the Highlands Book 1) by Madeline Martin is a delicious re-write of this story.
Well written and solid Highland Romance. The characters are charming and engaging. Full of mystery, suspense, intrigue, spies and can love find a way.
Mariel Brandon is forced to become a spy, for a ruthless crime Lord from England, in order to save her young brother.
Kieran MacDonald, Laird of the MacDonald clan, will do anything to save his clan from starvation and defeat.
When, he meets Marion in a bar, he decides to help her get to Scotland, with his warriors.
Unsuspecting trouble and sword fights follows them all the way to Scotland.
Can passion and love triumph over deceit and life? A story of life and death, love and loyalty.
Can Marion and Kieran win against deception, lies, untruths to find a HEA and save Marion's little brother from a ruthless underworld
crime lord.
An exciting and captivating story. Lovers of Medieval Romance, highlander, spies, ruthless characters and life lessons of loyalty and love. I throughly enjoyed DECEPTION OF A HIGHLANDER ❤ Well done Ms Martin!

I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Rating: 4.5
Reviewer: AprilR ( )

3.5 Stars /3 flames.

This is a 17th Century Scottish/Highland romance taking place mainly on the Isle of Skye at what is now known as Knock Castle. Our love interests are Muriel (an English spy) and Kieran (laird to the MacDonald clan).

Muriel and her brother, Jack, lost both of their parents to the plague. We were not told what class her family was. I am assuming they were not nobility or patrician since they were cast out into the street, but I don't know if they were laborers, shop keepers, artisans, etc. I guess this wasn't necessary for the story - but it is information I would have liked to know. I like to know the back story of the characters, it helps me develop a fuller picture of them in my mind. As for Muriel's lot in life, I sympathized with her but I didn't have a great connection with her character. I wish we could have seen more of Muriel's spy abilities. She could kick butt, but we didn't see much of it. So my favorite parts involving her were toward the end when she got to show off a little bit. My favorite quote of the book came from Muriel though:

A scar carries secrets, memories, and lessons. Asking you for an explanation would be like asking you to bare your soul to me.

Kieran was an honorable and caring man, and he didn't demonstrate the alpha male tendencies that are typical of most highland characters. It becomes apparent in the story that something bad happened to Kieran's brother, but the story of what happened was never really put out there. I think it should have been developed a little more so we could see why he was having such a hard time with his lairdship and guilt. Kieran struggled with himself a lot in this story, both in fighting his desire for Muriel, and in putting the needs of his clan and family first. I liked Kieran a lot, so much that I hated the deception aspect of this book. Muriel really started to get on my nerves with her lack of faith in Kieran, so the book started dragging a little for me.

I loved the way that Muriel described Knock Castle and the Isle of Skye as magical, and I believe I will be adding this location to my Scotland itinerary for next year. Reading these books and looking up the locations is really bringing the setting to life in my mind, and the pictures I saw of Skye are breathtaking.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I recommend it to readers looking for a historical romance in a beautiful setting, who are fans of stories involving betrayal and redemption.

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This book had some promise. An interesting idea for a historical romance, I was originally drawn in by the two leads and their circumstances. I enjoyed Kiernan’s sweet and protective nature, and I enjoyed how badass Mariel could be. I mean, how many heroine leads can wield a sharp implement as handily as her seductive wiles, I ask you?! And I liked how the author set the story in an exact time period frame, giving us a glimpse into James I’s court and into life in the Highlands. Seeing the difference between the two was fascinating.

However, my overall enjoyment of this work was ruined by the heavy, heavy emphasis on sex in the story. Within the first 30%, there was something like 4-5 sex scenes already. I mean really?!?! And where there weren’t any explicit sex scenes, sex was the main vehicle for the rest of the story, influencing how characters perceived each other, how they interacted, and as the main driving force for the whole plot. I almost felt like I was reading an erotica rather than a historical romance at times…

So some good ideas but overall enjoyment plummeted with the clothing. I liked the characters and their personalities. Their circumstances and the historical details were nice. But way too much horizontal polka!!! I mean, HR’s usually have sex but NOT to the extent this one had. I don’t think I’d recommend this one unless you’re feeling a bit frisky.

Note: Book received for free via NetGalley from publisher in exchange for honest review. ( )