Reviewer: 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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Series Rating:
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
