Reviewer: Tracy Beauty and the Highland Beast by Lecia Cornwall
Series: A Highland Fairy Tale #1
Also in this series: When a Laird Finds a Lass, The Lady and the Highlander, Enchanted by the Highlander
Publisher: Macmillan, Swerve
Publication Date: June 21st 2016
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Series Rating:
Powerful and dangerous highlander Dair Sinclair was once the favored son of his clan, The Sinclairs of Carraig Brigh. With Dair at the helm, Sinclair ships circled the globe bringing home incredible fortune. Until one deadly mission when Daire is captured, tortured and is unable to save his young cousin. He returns home breaking under the weight of his guilt and becomes known as the Madman of Carraig Brigh.
When a pagan healer predicts that only a virgin bride can heal his son’s body and mind, Daire’s father sets off to find the perfect wife for his son. At the castle of the fearsome McLeods, he meets lovely and kind Fia MacLeod.
Although Daire does his best to frighten Fia, she sees the man underneath the damage and uses her charm and special gifts to heal his mind and heart. Will Daire let Fia love him or is he cursed with madness forever?
Dair Sinclair was once a man who would took risks like no man his clan had ever seen. That brought his clan great wealth and they all loved him to pieces. Until of course he came home after being captured and tortured and sent home a broken man. Nothing his father does will break Dair out of his ravings and his wounds don’t heal properly. The Laird (Dair’s father) sends for the local healer who doesn’t have a clue what to do. She states, in a moment of fear, that only a virgin bride will heal Dair, the Laird sets off to find one.
The Laird ends up at the MacLeod holding after he hears that MacLeod has a load of daughters he needs to marry off. He meets Fiona who goes by Fia while there and asks that she come try her healing on his son. Fia agrees and heads off to Carraig Brigh with Dair’s father and her sister Meggie. When she arrives Dair is up and about with his physical wounds healing but his emotional ones are still bad. He had to watch his cousin get raped, tortured and hanged and he relives it every night. He scoffs at Fia being able to help him but he finds that she does. Of course someone who doesn’t want Dair to get well spreads rumors that Fia must be a witch because that’s the only way that Fia could have helped Dair.
While Fia was only brought to help Dair and Meggie supposedly to marry him, Fia finds herself falling in love with the man. Of course Dair doesn’t believe he can have happiness and that puts a damper on things but it can’t stop him from falling for Fia as well. The each have physical and emotional scars to deal with but together they can conquer anything.
This was a sweet story. Yes, it’s a fairy tale but it was done well. Though it was the Beauty and the Beast story I liked how she made Fia have scars as well. They didn’t take away from her beauty and that beauty was from within as well. I loved Dair and Fia together and how they worked through their differences time and again.
The villain in the story was quite obvious from the get go. I didn’t like the person from the first time they were introduced onto the page and that continued. There weren’t any surprises in the story but it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next in Lecia Cornwall’s fairy tale series.
Rating: 3.5/3.75 out of 5
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