Reviewer: Rowena Untamed (MacKinnon's Rangers, #2) by Pamela Clare
Series: MacKinnon's Rangers #2
Also in this series: Untamed (MacKinnon's Rangers, #2)
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: January 3, 2012
Format: eBook
Point-of-View: Alternating Third Person
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 369
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Series Rating:
In the breathtaking tradition of The Last of the Mohicans...
MacKinnon's Rangers
They were a band of brothers, their loyalty to one another forged by hardship and battle, the bond between these Highland warriors, rugged colonials, and fierce Native Americans stronger even than blood ties.
Though forced to fight for the hated British, Morgan MacKinnon would no more betray the men he leads than slit his own throat—not even when he was captured by the French and threatened with an agonizing death by fire at the hands of their Abenaki allies. Only the look of innocent longing in the eyes of a convent-bred French lass could make him question his vow to escape and return to the Rangers. And soon the sweet passion he awoke in Amalie had him cursing the war that forced him to choose between upholding his honor and pledging himself to the woman he loves.
Untamed is the first book that I tackled from Casee’s picks for my Summer Reading Challenge, it’s also the second book in the MacKinnons Rangers series by Pamela Clare and it’s got the whole Last of the Mohican feels to it, which I’ll admit, I wasn’t all that interested in reading before I picked it up. I’m so glad that I forced myself to get over myself and get this book read because it was good stuff. Thanks for the recommendation, Casee! 🙂
So this book follows the MacKinnon Rangers Leader, Morgan MacKinnon, as he is injured in war, taken captive by the enemy and then falls in love with the woman that nurses him back to health (while in enemy hands). Morgan has stepped up to be the leader of the Rangers when his older brother stepped down from military service and is now living the farmer’s life with his wife and young son. On a scouting mission, Morgan is shot trying to save one of his Rangers and because he knows that he’s dying, he sends the Rangers to safety knowing that his younger brother Connor will lead their men against the enemy. The Rangers were forced to fight with the British Army because the leader of the British Army is a lying piece of shit but to ensure that Iain and his family is safe, the Rangers fight. So for now, the French are the enemy.
When the French take Morgan captive, they nurse him back to health in hopes that he’ll give them the answers they need to defeat the British Army and end the war. Amelie Chauvenet is tasked with nursing Mogan back to health and she is not at all happy to know that once Morgan is healthy, the French Army plans to send him to his death. Each day that she nurses him back to health, she gets to know the Rangers Leader and the closer she gets to him. She doesn’t want to like him because she holds him and his Rangers responsible for the death of her father but she can’t stop her heart from feeling what it feels for Morgan MacKinnon and before she knows what is what, they’re married and loads of drama is still waiting for them.
There’s a lot going on this book with Morgan’s injuries, his developing relationship with the forbidden Miss Chauvenet and once they’re together, they’re still not out of the woods because Morgan has to get Amelie to the safety of his home with Iain and Iain’s wife Anne but he’s also got to prove he’s innocent of treason. Things happen quickly once they’re married but I will say that the beginning was a little slow for me. It took me a while to get into the story but once I got a sense of who was who and what was going on, the story picked up and my enjoyment went right up with it.
Morgan was a fantastic hero who led with heart and genuine care for his men. They were all brothers to him and there wasn’t a thing he wouldn’t do for any of the Rangers. I liked that. I liked seeing how loyal his men were to him and I really enjoyed seeing the love he had for his brothers and to see that love and loyalty returned right back to him from them. He did what he had to and I loved seeing how much he loved Amelie.
Amelie was a great heroine but there were times when I wished she thought more of what she wanted from Morgan than she did. She wanted him to join the French army so that it would be okay for her to love him, not even thinking what becoming a traitor would be for him. She didn’t think at all about how him joining her cause would pit him against his brothers because they had already given their word to fight for the other side. But aside from that, I thought she was a great heroine. She was strong, brave and she loved fiercely. I was super happy that she finally got the family and the home that she wished for because she did deserve it.
Overall, this was a fabulous romance that I came to adore. I’m mighty interested in going back and reading Iain’s book and then finishing up the series with Connor’s book. I enjoyed getting to know both brothers very much in this book and so they’re on my TBR list at the very top. Let’s hope that I get to them soon. This book was great and I definitely recommend.
Grade: 4 out of 5
MacKinnon’s Rangers
