Series: A Highland Fairy Tale

Guest Review: Enchanted by the Highlander by Lecia Cornwall

Posted November 14, 2017 by Tracy in Reviews | 2 Comments

Guest Review: Enchanted by the Highlander by Lecia CornwallReviewer: Tracy
Enchanted by the Highlander by Lecia Cornwall
Series: A Highland Fairy Tale #4
Also in this series: Beauty and the Highland Beast, When a Laird Finds a Lass, The Lady and the Highlander
Publisher: Swerve
Publication Date: November 14th 2017
Genres: Historical Romance
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Gillian MacLeod is shy and quiet, the least likely of all her sisters to seek out excitement and adventure. But on a moonlit night at a masquerade ball, Gillian steals a kiss from a mysterious stranger, knowing she’ll never see him again.

John Erly, disowned by his noble English father, started a new life in Scotland. Most people are suspicious of the foreign mercenary and he does everything is his power to avoid romantic entanglements. But he can’t forget the bewitching beauty who kissed him in the dark, and stole his heart, even though he has no idea who she might be.

A year later, John is given the duty of escorting Gillian to her wedding and immediately recognizes her as the temptress he’s dreamed of for months. There’s not much he can do when she's promised to another man, but fate intervenes and this time, passion—and adventure—can’t be denied. Honor demands he stay away from the MacLeod’s enchanting daughter, but love has a very different ending in mind...

Gillian is fascinated by John Erly, an Englishman and the Captain of her brother-in-law’s army.  Gillian has always been quiet and shy and because of this she has let her family think and speak for her for her whole life.  When Gillian has the opportunity at a masquerade ball to be an unknown she takes the opportunity to seek out John.  He soon is enchanted and takes her into the garden.  They kiss and it’s amazing!  When people start entering the garden Gillian is afraid it will be her family and takes off, leaving only her mask behind.

Gillian leaves with her father the next day and doesn’t return for almost a year.  Though she has never forgotten the amazing kiss with John but she returns now so that her brother-in-law can take her to Edinburgh to get married.  She knows she can never marry John (because he’s English and her father would never allow it) so she has accepted the marriage proposal from a man who’s older than her father.

John has never forgotten the kiss he shared with the mystery woman and it’s haunted him for the many months since.  When he sees Gillian again he figures out she was the one he kissed.  He vows to stay away from her as he knows she’s betrothed.  When circumstances change and John is asked to take Gillian to Edinburgh to be married he can do nothing but agree.  Events cause the two to be together by themselves and they finally admit to themselves they’re in love.  Of course with Gillian getting married John isn’t about to stand in the way of her future but…things have a funny way of working out for the best – it’s a fairy tale after all!

This was another great fairy tale inspired romance in the Highland Fairy Tale series.  This one was loosely (and I do mean loosely) inspired by Cinderella.  Gillian drops her mask after she kisses John and gets back to her room at midnight.  That about covers the similarities.  Despite that it was a great story.

Gillian, as I said before, had let everyone think and talk for her all her life.  I have no idea why as she was smart and funny.  Yes, shy, but her family just drove right over her time and again – even when she did want to talk.  I was happy that when it came down to what she truly wanted (John) she opened her mouth and stood up for herself and their relationship.

John was a good man who had had a rough life but had settled into his duties as Captain in Scotland.  It wasn’t what he had planned for his life, but he did his job well.  He never expected to fall in love with a highland lass but when he did he tried to do the honorable thing. I had to admire the guy and his scruples.  I was also happy when he finally put his and Gillian’s happiness first – that was pretty great.

If you haven’t read this series, and you like fairy tales, then you should definitely pick up one of these great books.

Rating: 4 out of 5 

four-stars

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Guest Review: The Lady and the Highlander by Lecia Corwall

Posted April 5, 2017 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: The Lady and the Highlander by Lecia CorwallReviewer: Tracy
The Lady and the Highlander by Lecia Cornwall
Series: A Highland Fairy Tale #3
Also in this series: Beauty and the Highland Beast, When a Laird Finds a Lass, Enchanted by the Highlander
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, Swerve
Publication Date: April 4th 2017
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Laire MacLeod’s father has married a mysterious widow who is a vain beauty that deals with potions and spells. Laire does not drink them with the rest of her family and is the only one who could see through her stepmother’s games. When Laire flees to find help from her Uncle the Lady’s huntsman follows her with orders to kill. Laire must survive in a dangerous new city and find the antidote to a poisonous potion before it is too late.

Iain Lindsay is cursed. He is bound for seven years to be the hunter of a Lady who uses him to bring back birds to use in her potions. When Laire MacLeod escapes the Lady’s nets, Iain tracks her to Edinburgh, where she’s found shelter with an unusual band of thieves, but he cannot bring himself to harm her. Instead, he finds himself falling in love with the MacLeod beauty.

But a Highlander’s oath is his bond, and the price for helping her is death, both his own, and of those he loves.

Laire MacLeod is frightened for her family.  She is one of 11 daughters – her father has been married 8 times.  Laire has loved all of the different women in her father’s life until he married Bibiana.  Laire knows that there is something strange going on with her.  Her sisters aren’t acting normal.  Her father is so entranced by Bibiana that he can literally not take his eyes off of her.  Laire decides that she needs to get away and seek help for her family before Bibiana does something horrible to them but Bibiana sends her huntsman after Laire.

Ian Lindsay, once a Laird in his own right, is bound to work for Bibiana for seven years.  That time is almost up and he wants desperately to get away from the witch, for that’s what she is, a witch.  When he is sent out to find Laire and bring back her heart he doesn’t want to do it.  He was attracted to Laire and doesn’t want to hurt her but he also knows there is no naysaying Bibiana.

Ian follows Laire to Edinburgh and plans to kill her but when he gets there he starts to see the potential of a real life and not one that involves Bibiana.  Laire is determined to find something that will stop Bibiana from hurting her family and she won’t let anyone stop her, no matter what it takes.

The Lady and the Highlander was a great book.  It was magic and fantasy blended so nicely with a Scottish highland romance.  The story was a take off of Snow White but I thought the way that Cornwall wrote the story was very original.  The “dwarves” weren’t dwarves at all and were actually child thieves.  I’m not sure what it was about the story that drew me in so quickly but I thought it was a charming story.  Yes, it was nutty as we didn’t really understand what Bibiana was doing to the people until later but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the book.

Cornwall definitely has a gift for rewriting fairy tales.  I’ve enjoyed her interpretations of Beauty and the Beast as well as The Little Mermaid as well as this book.  I hope she continues writing the Highland Fairy Tale series because she’s writes them really well.

Rating: 4 out of 5  

four-stars

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Guest Review: When a Laird Finds a Lass by Lecia Cornwall

Posted November 15, 2016 by Tracy in Reviews | 2 Comments

Guest Review: When a Laird Finds a Lass by Lecia CornwallReviewer: Tracy
When a Laird Finds a Lass by Lecia Cornwall
Series: A Highland Fairy Tale #2
Also in this series: Beauty and the Highland Beast, The Lady and the Highlander, Enchanted by the Highlander
Publisher: Swerve
Publication Date: November 1st 2016
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

She is his greatest enemy and his only salvation.

Malcolm MacDonald, a lawyer in Edinburgh, unexpectedly inherits his father’s title of Laird of Dunbronach, forcing him to return to a place he hasn’t seen since he was a small child. To gain the trust of a wary clan, Malcolm must act upon their insistence that he cast aside his English betrothed and marry a Highlander.

However, they have one condition—no lasses of the barbaric clan MacLeod.

When he finds an unconscious woman in the sea, he brings her back to his clan but not before doing the one thing that could save her life—hiding her all too telling MacLeod plaid. When she wakes with no memory of who she is, Malcolm vows to keep the little he knows about her identity a secret. As new dangers threaten his clan, the mysterious lass teaches Malcolm some very important lessons about how to be a Highlander and a laird.

But secrets never stay secret for long, and when she finds her plaid, her memory returns and she flees. Malcolm is forced to make a difficult choice to win her back, facing his darkest fears and his worst enemy for a chance at true love.

Malcolm McDonald is a lawyer and living his life when he finds men from the MacDonald clan in his rooms.  They tell him that his father has died and that on his deathbed he named Malcolm as the next Laird.  Malcolm and his mother left his home and father when he was just a young boy and he’s certainly not about to change his whole life now.  He appeases the men by agreeing to go to Dunbronach and he plans on making some changes, getting a steward and then returning to Edinburgh where he can live his life in peace.  He has NO desire to be the Laird of a clan.

When he’s at Dunbronach he gets away one morning to think on things and finds a woman unconscious on the beach and wrapped in a MacLeod plaid.  He’s been told that the MacLeod’s and the MacDonald’s have been enemies for four centuries – but of course nobody remembers what the original argument was about.  So when Malcolm finds this woman with the MacLeod plaid he hides the plaid and takes her to the healer.  When she awakens she doesn’t know who she is or why she was on the beach.  She stays at Dunbronach and soon she’s falling in love with Malcolm and he’s falling in love with her and everyone else is falling in love with her as well – too bad they have no idea she’s a MacLeod!  So what happens when the truth comes out?

I always love a good amnesia story and this one was definitely good.  I loved Ronat (the girl that couldn’t remember her name) so much.  (She was named Ronat because it means “seal” and one of the girls in the clan is just sure that she’s a selkie.)  Ronat steals your heart and that of Malcolm as well.  The story was fun and interesting and I loved reading about the pair falling in love.  Malcolm had horrible guilt because he knew she was a MacLeod but he was busy trying to save his place as Laird.  Yes, he had finally decided that that was where he was supposed to be but one of his clan members had called in a distant cousin to take over who was a right bastard.   Between trying to keep the women from his cousin, Maccus, from the women cuz he’s know for raping them when he gets drunk and trying to woo Ronat without letting her know that he knows, vaguely, who she is, Malcolm is kept very busy indeed.  Of course all secrets get found out and when Ronat finds out Malcolm’s secret she’s not sure she wants anything to do with him anymore…but maybe?  Lol

It was a good story and I liked all the ins and outs of it.  It was never a dull book by any means and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Rating: 4 out of 5

four-stars

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Guest Review: Beauty and the Highland Beast by Lecia Cornwall

Posted June 21, 2016 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: Beauty and the Highland Beast by Lecia CornwallReviewer: 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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three-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

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

three-half-stars

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