ABOUT THE BOOK:
Can the fiercest master of battle conquer a woman’s heart?
They call him the Demon Highlander. The fearsome Lieutenant Colonel Liam MacKenzie is known for his superhuman strength, towering presence, and fiery passion in the heat of battle. As Laird to the MacKenzie clan, the undefeated Marquess has vanquished his foes with all rage and wrath of his barbaric Highland ancestors. But when an English governess arrives to care for his children, the master of war finds himself up against his greatest opponent... in the game of love.
Defying all expectations, Miss Philomena is no plain-faced spinster but a ravishing beauty with voluptuous curves and haughty full lips that rattle the Laird to his core. Unintimidated by her master’s raw masculinity and savage ways, the headstrong lass manages to tame not only his wild children but the beast in his soul. With each passing day, Liam grows fonder of Miss Mena—and more suspicious. What secret is she hiding behind those emerald eyes? What darkness brought her to his keep? And how can he conquer this magnificent woman’s heart... without surrendering his own?
READ A SAMPLE:
MY REVIEW:
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Highlander by Kerrigan Bryne is a 2016 St. Martin’s Press publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This third installment in the Victorian Rebels series snapped me to attention with the prologue and it never lost momentum.
Mena escapes a fate worse than death, is provided with a new name, and sent to Scotland with a position as a governess for the ‘Demon Highlander’, Laird Liam MacKenzie.
Did she trade one bad place for another?
This author has quickly climbed to the top of my list of favorite historical romance writers. I have become so picky about my historical romances, burned out on Regency, sick of weak, tepid story lines, that lacked any kind of backbone. It was all so sugary sweet, filled with historical discrepancies, and mostly just disappointing.
Then along came Kerrigan Byrnre…
Now here is a story I could sink my teeth into, giving me something to chew on, and a plot I won’t forget five minutes after I finished reading it.
Liam’s life has been very hard and it is not just the horror and ravishes of war that haunts him. He’s committed real atrocities in his life and lives with the guilt of his crimes every day. He’s brash, ill tempered, jealous, quick to draw assumptions, and may breathe fire. He is a huge brute of a man, and ignites fear in everyone but his children, who are in need of a little polishing before they embark on their duties as adults.
Mena and Liam get off to a comical, but rocky start, but things get even more complicated when Liam finds himself fighting long buried emotions, throwing a temper tantrum one minute ,then turning to mush the next, while Mena finds her voice, standing firm against the formidable Marquess, all while falling hopelessly in love with him.
This story delves into the abuse women were prey to by their husbands, who could do with them whatever they pleased. Hit them, send them to an asylum, and lock them away for as long as them pleased, subjecting them to atrocities we can not even begin to fathom.
If the wife of a Viscount could find herself in such a position, think how poorly a prostitute might fare, which is something Liam knows first hand, as he is subjected to mental, emotional, and psychological abuse by his father.
While these are dark themes, the best part is seeing two very troubled souls overcome great adversity, gain peace, experience redemption, and know the healing power of love. This type of journey is so much more rewarding cause the characters must overcome so many obstacles, tackle meaty issues, but walk out of the darkest places of their minds, hearts and souls, and into the light, to a place where life has a different meaning for them now, each knowing how fortunate they are to have each other, and a life they can cherish together. This is what makes a love story epic.
Don’t get me wrong, the story is not overly heavy, it is a very sweet story, and has twists, suspense, and adventure, and sexy time, too, but at the heart of it all, is the progress the characters make, which is uplifting and will leave you smiling from ear to ear!!
GET YOUR COPY HERE:
https://www.amazon.com/Highlander-Victorian-Rebels-Kerrigan-Byrne-ebook/dp/B01AGGG4ZW/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-highlander-kerrigan-byrne/1122537694
She's the author of THE HIGHWAYMAN, THE HUNTER, THE HIGHLANDER, and THE DUKE, coming soon from St. Martin's Press.
THE HUNTER, has been named the one of Amazon's best books of the Month for 2016!
She lives at the base of the Rocky Mountains with her handsome husband and three lovely teenage girls, but dreams of settling on the Pacific Coast.
Kerrigan loves to hear from her readers! To contact her or learn more about her books, please visit her sites:
www.kerriganbyrne.com
https://twitter.com/Kerrigan_Byrne
http://www.facebook.com/#!/kerrigan.byrne.9