Tag: Highland Warrior

Guest Review: The Warrior of Clan Kincaid by Lily Blackwood

Posted July 20, 2018 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: The Warrior of Clan Kincaid by Lily BlackwoodReviewer: Tracy
The Warrior of Clan Kincaid (Highland Warrior #3) by Lily Blackwood
Series: Highland Warrior #3
Also in this series: The Beast of Clan Kincaid, The Rebel of Clan Kincaid
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: July 31, 2018
Format: eARC
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 320
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

LOVE TAKES NO PRISONERS

Derryth MacClaren is on the run. Traveling under heavy guard, she has been sent from her castle home to avoid capture by the vicious nobleman known as the Wolf, who has vowed revenge against the Clan Kincaid, and any who support them. When a surprise attack leaves her vulnerable, Derryth ends up in the hands of an enemy warrior who claims her, with the Wolf’s blessing, as his prize. But her captor’s gentle words and touch seduce her heart—and body—completely...and when she discovers the tattoo on his arm that proves him to be the legendary, long-believed dead son of the murdered Laird of Kincaid, Derryth knows she must find a way to alter his fate—and her own.

Cull has no memory of his family or past—all he knows is the life of a warrior, trained to fight on behalf of the Scottish king. If he can help the king’s law officer of the North, the Wolf of Badenoch, defeat a rebellious faction of Highlanders, Cull will be met with untold riches beyond possessing beautiful, innocent Derryth. But now that she has informed him of who he really is—Cullen Braewick, the youngest son of the slain laird—he is torn. If Cull exacts revenge against the Wolf, who executed his father, he stands to lose the precious lass who he has come to love. What is he willing to sacrifice for Derryth to keep her safe...and in his arms?

Derryth McClaren is the sister of the Laird of the Kincaid clan and has been living with the Kincaids for the past two years The Laird fears that they will be attacked so he sends Derryth away temporarily to her own home.  While they travel they are attacked and taken prisoner by the exact men they are trying to get away from.

Derryth is taken by the commander of the army that plans on attacking the Kincaids. At first he thinks that Derryth is a very young girl but once the mud and grime are removed he sees that she’s a very beautiful woman.  Derryth keeps her identity and link to the Kincaid clan a secret.  Despite trying to keep his hands and thoughts off of her, Cull the Nameless can’t do it.

Cull is a warrior and the King’s man.  He is attacking the Kincaid clan as he believes that he has orders from the king to do so.  He was once just a boy on a slavers ship with no memory of how he got there.  He was purchased by the son of the King and that’s how he came to be commander of the army.  When he finds out that Derryth is part of the Kincaid clan Cull starts to have second thoughts about attacking but decides he needs proof of the king’s son’s wrong-doing before he does anything.  He won’t risk the Derryth, the woman he has fallen in love with, or her family if he doesn’t have to.

The third book in the Highland Warrior series was a good one.  If you’ve read the first two book in the series, you know that they revolve around three brothers who were lost or thought dead.  Despite knowing that this third book was about the third brother I was a little disappointed in the blurb as it gave so much away!  Despite the over-sharing, I still enjoyed the way Blackwood unfolded the story.

Derryth was a bit of a pampered miss and was more interested in clothes and her hair than anything else. She was determined to change but it never happened.  Becoming a prisoner made her look at life differently and I think she grew during the book.  Cull was a good man.  He wasn’t evil or under-handed and I liked the honor he had.  When he realized that the king’s son might not have told him the truth about the orders to attack the Kincaid stronghold he sought proof.  I loved that he didn’t kill just for bloodsport.

The romance between the two main characters was good.  It’s a difficult thing, having the heroine fall in love with her captor, but I thought that the author wrote it well and didn’t have Derryth falling too quickly.

Overall a good book filled with action, romance, treachery and love.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Highland Warrior

four-stars

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Guest Review: The Rebel of Clan Kincaid by Lily Blackwood

Posted December 14, 2016 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: The Rebel of Clan Kincaid by Lily BlackwoodReviewer: Tracy
The Rebel of Clan Kincaid by Lily Blackwood
Series: Highland Warrior #2
Also in this series: The Beast of Clan Kincaid, The Warrior of Clan Kincaid (Highland Warrior #3)
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication Date: December 6th 2016
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD

Since childhood, Magnus has been led to believe he is the Laird Alwyn’s bastard, and raised to hate the Clan Kincaid. But when he learns he is without a doubt the son of the murdered Laird Kincaid, his life as he has always known it is shattered. Now, hiding his knowledge and his fury, he returns to Burnbryde Castle, awaiting the chance to strike against the man whose treachery robbed him of his legacy. His first act of rebellion: to steal a kiss from the redheaded beauty who’s betrothed to the Alwyn’s eldest son and heir.

Since her arrival at Burnbryde, Tara Iverach has been confined to a tower to guard her virtue before she marries. But after a surprise embrace with a lean, bare-chested Highlander who claims to be the Alwyn’s oldest son, she can’t contain her excitement over her good fate. Unfortunately, he is the wrong eldest son, and she is set to marry his cruel and lecherous half brother, Hugh. Can Magnus conquer his rivals and claim his Kincaid destiny before the woman who’s captured his heart becomes his sworn enemy’s bride?

Since childhood, Magnus has been led to believe he is the Laird Alwyn’s bastard, and raised to hate the Clan Kincaid. But when he learns he is without a doubt the son of the murdered Laird Kincaid, his life as he has always known it is shattered. Now, hiding his knowledge and his fury, he returns to Burnbryde Castle, awaiting the chance to strike against the man whose treachery robbed him of his legacy. His first act of rebellion: to steal a kiss from the redheaded beauty who’s betrothed to the Alwyn’s eldest son and heir.

Since her arrival at Burnbryde, Tara Iverach has been confined to a tower to guard her virtue before she marries. But after a surprise embrace with a lean, bare-chested Highlander who claims to be the Alwyn’s oldest son, she can’t contain her excitement over her good fate. Unfortunately, he is the wrong eldest son, and she is set to marry his cruel and lecherous half brother, Hugh. Can Magnus conquer his rivals and claim his Kincaid destiny before the woman who’s captured his heart becomes his sworn enemy’s bride?

Magnus has always believed – because his mother told him – that he was the bastard son of Laird Alwyn.  He’s spent his life trying to be a good warrior and get his father’s attention.  Then he found out that he is actually the son of the slain Laird Kincaid.  The Alwyn was instrumental in getting his parents killed and now he’s working with his Kincaid brother to take down the Alwyn.  Of course he’s doing this all while in the Alwyn home.

Tara has been in a convent since she was 15 years old and her parents died.  Her sister was sent off to court by their guardian and she gets letters from Arabel every once in a while.  One day at the convent her guardian and his two sons show up, tell Tara that Arabel is dead and take Tara away to marry Arabel’s betrothed.  Tara knows that she needs to get away because that’s not what she wants at all.  She ends up at the Alwyn keep however, and meets Magnus.  They are drawn to each other and when she finds out that he’s willing to help her escape she’s hesitant to trust him but does it despite her misgivings.  When she finds out that Magnus may not be as trustworthy as she thought Tara will have to take it upon herself to get away from the Alwyn’s for good.

This was a great addition to the Highland Warrior series.  I really liked book one in the series and this was no different.  Magnus was a great hero and I loved reading about him.  I felt so bad about the way he’d been treated his whole life.  Yes, things started to change for him but it was too little, too late as he’d already found out what a bastard the Alywn was.  He was completely enamored by Tara from the first meeting.  He wanted to do nothing but protect her from the eldest Alwyn son, Hugh, who was a toad.  Magnus was a good person – kind and honorable.  He’s damned sexy too. 🙂

Tara was definitely high-spirited in a really good way.  She knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it.  She wasn’t one to sit around and left everyone else decide her fate and I liked that about her.  I thought that it was sad that her sister had died and that she couldn’t figure out what had happened to her.  She had the determination but no one was willing to give her the info she needed.  I did think that she jumped to conclusions with Magnus during the book but I appreciated that the author realizing that herself instead of trying to justify her distrust.

In the end a very good book.  I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book as I’m sure it will give us the story of the third – and still currently missing- brother.

Rating: 4 out of 5

four-stars

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Guest Review: The Beast of Clan Kincaid by Lily Blackwood

Posted June 2, 2016 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: The Beast of Clan Kincaid by Lily BlackwoodReviewer: Tracy
The Beast of Clan Kincaid by Lily Blackwood
Series: Highland Warrior #1
Also in this series: The Rebel of Clan Kincaid, The Warrior of Clan Kincaid (Highland Warrior #3)
Publisher: Macmillan, St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication Date: May 31st 2016
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

A Highland warrior battles to reclaim his birthright in the first of a new series filled with seduction, revenge, and soul-stirring passion...

They call him the Beast—a hardened mercenary whose heart seems as cold as his icy blue gaze. They do not know his true name: Niall Braewick, son of the Laird of Kincaid. It has been years since he escaped into the forest the night his father was murdered. Now he has returned, ablaze with a vengeful hunger. He will gain the MacClaren chief’s trust, gather his clan, and take back his lands. And take the MacClaren’s daughter as well...

Though he pulled her from the river, saving her life, Elspeth has been warned to keep her distance from her father’s hired warrior. He is a barbarian—a shame, as he is far more compelling than the lechers and fools competing for her dowry. Little does she know that, like the castle itself, she is a prize Niall intends to claim...but will he extract blood for blood and possess what is his, or will his enemy’s beautiful, innocent daughter tempt him to forsake his dream of conquest?

When Niall was just 12 years old his fathers keep was attacked by clan chiefs he thought were his friends.  In order to save his people the Kincaid had to surrender.  His three sons were sent to hide until things calmed down. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and the boys were taken off in three different directions when they heard that their mother and father were killed.

It’s been 17 years and Niall is ready to claim back his birthright – his land and title.  He has been working as a mercenary for many years and has hundreds of men who are loyal to him.  He returns to the Kincaid keep that is now in the hands of the MacClaren clan.  Niall’s plan is to infiltrate it as a friend, and eventually take over from within.  He does manage to get into the good graces of the MacClaren but he also finds himself smitten with the MacClaren’s daughter, Elspeth.  Elspeth, who is also smitten with Niall, is not free to marry him however, as she’s to be married in a political match to firm alliances with another clan.

When it comes down to taking what’s rightfully his, Niall has an issue with it that he didn’t think he would.  He’s fallen in love with Elspeth but can he kill her father knowing how much it will hurt her?

This was an unexpectedly good story.  I’m not a huge fan of revenge books but I love a good Scottish romance so picked this one up.  I’m so glad I did.

Niall was a great hero and really made the book for me. Yes, he was initially bent on revenge and planned to kill the MacClaren but when he fell in love with Elspeth he realized that killing her father would kill any love she had for him.  I loved the alpha man with the compassionate side to him – it made him much more likeable and that’s always a good thing.

Elspeth was a strong female character as well and a good match for Niall.  I appreciated how she stood up to her father to a point.  Obviously in medieval Scotland women normally did whatever their fathers wanted them to do.  She was prepared to make a political match and do her duty until she met Niall.  I was happy she made the right decision and made her father’s council agree to the reasoning behind it all.

Now I do have to say that I wasn’t a fan of how quickly Niall and Elspeth fell in love.  Yes, they had spent some time together but I would have liked to have seen that romance blossom more before they declared their love for each other.  Niall did save Elspeth’s life several times so that obviously brought on some hero worship but I just would have liked a bit more.

Overall the story was good, the writing was engaging and I really liked it.  I’m very much looking forward to book two to see what’s up with the other brothers that were “lost” as well.

Rating: 4 out of 5

four-stars

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