Highland Flame (Highland Weddings #4) by Mary Wine-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 5, 2017
NEWLY MINTED LAIRD SEEKS WIFE, PREFERABLY RICH
Laird Diocail Gordon has just inherited his uncle’s run down castle and rag-tag clan. He knows the sorry sight of the castle would send any woman running, but is determined to find a wife to help return his home to its former glory.
Widowed lady Jane Stanley is determined to return to England, even if she has to tromp through the Scottish Highlands on foot to get there. Her travels lead her straight into the midst of a troop of dangerous Highland warriors. The mysterious, brawny laird forbids his men to harm her, and the spark between them is immediate. The only way Diocail can keep her safe is to take her home with him, but will the miserable state of his clan douse her newly ignited Highland flame?
Acclaimed author Mary Wine has written over 30 works of Scottish Highland romance, romantic suspense and erotic romance. An avid history-buff and historical costumer, she and her family enjoy participating in historical reenactments. Mary lives in Yorba Linda, California with her husband and two sons.
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REVIEW:5 out of 5 for this reader folks!
Every time I pick up a Mary Wine novel I am swept off my feet and wanting more. This book was no exception!
Highland Flame by Mary Wine is the fourth book in her “Highland Wedding” series. A highlander historical romance with some English thrown in, a bit of history and appreciation for hottie in a kilt can all be found here.
Diocail Gordon, (love this name and have never heard it used before) just became laird to the Gordon clan. A clan that is in complete disarray with a run down castle and a whole lot of baggage. Accepting that he must fulfill his duty to his clan, Diocail sets out to fix all the broken pieces and make it new again. He is strong, very sexy, prideful (not annoy at all), is fair, kind and stern when need be. He is pretty much the best book boyfriend a reader can have! LOL
Jane Stafford is a widow and after discovering her husband’s deep debts, she opts to head back to her family home in England and treks it by foot. Jane is likeable, strong, stubborn, a little temperamental and one tough cookie! She is discovered while on her journey home trespassing on the Clan Gordon’s land . She is met with trouble and before she knows it, she is being swept away by the laird.
There is some serious hot chemistry between Diocail and Jane and I mean hot chemistry. WOOT, these two can tear it up likes it’s nobody’s business. There is a constant sexual tension every time they see each other and before we know it Diocail is trying to marry her and Jane is trying to deny her heart. They do get there however and the journey is remarkable.
Mary Wine writes the hottest highlander romances. I had a hard time putting this book down as it flowed so easily from page to page that before I knew it I was finished. So many endearing moments between this couple that you find yourself rooting big time for them. So much more but I am going to leave it at that, and you can enjoy every shocking, and loving moment this book has to offer. Like I said, if you love the highland historical romances then you will love this one as well!
HAPPY READING! 🙂
Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Highland Spitfire
Highland Vixen
Highland Hellion
Highland Flame
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Rachel T
But how much fare to put on the tables?
He had no idea or even how to go about making sure there were ample hands to prepare the food. Diocail felt his brain throbbing as he contemplated all the things needed to run a kitchen, and those were only what he knew about. What truly nauseated him was that he knew damned well how lacking his knowledge was. He knew how many men to ride out with, how many horses, and his education continued on to include how many blacksmiths it took to make sure those horses were shoed, how many stable lads it took to make certain those animals were fit to ride, how much feed and what sort was needed to maintain a horse’s strength.
A hundred details, and a kitchen was no different. No wise man made the mistake of thinking it an easy thing to keep running smoothly. Their current circumstances were proof of that surely enough.
“Ye need a wife, one raised with the education to see this place set right. No’ that any decent girl would have this house as it is,” Muir added. “Try to contract one, and she’ll run home to her father the moment she sees the condition this castle is in. But ye need one. A wife, that is.”
“I hoped to have a bit of time before getting down to that part of being laird,” Diocail groused.
“Best set yer secretary to sorting through the offers in Colum’s study.” Muir didn’t offer him any respite.
“Do nae hold out any hope,” Diocail replied. “There is a decade of letters sitting there. Any offers are long past their time of opportunity.”
His new lairdship was proving to be far more challenging than he’d ever thought it might be. Somehow, in all the times his mother had spoken to him of the day he’d take over the Gordon clan as laird, she had never mentioned just how complicated the duty was. There was building to consider, horses, men, training—and the list went on. All things he’d been taught as a man.
Now there was the kitchen, and God only knew what else went along with running one
smoothly.
Well, not God.
He let out a grunt. Here was something he knew less about than the Lord above.
Women.
And, more precisely, a lady and the duties she would have been trained to do.
There were reasons a laird wed a woman from a highborn family, and one was that she would come with an education as diverse as any given to a laird’s son. Running a kitchen was more than turning bread; it was knowing how much bread to set out to rise in the morning so that the supper table was full and how much grain was needed to make it through the winter and how many hands were needed to produce it all. His head began to ache. He didn’t know what went into bread, much less how much was needed to see an entire castle through a day, but as laird, his duty was to make certain the tables were laid with fare.
Nor did he know anything at all about helping a lady settle into the place he hoped she’d make into a home.
Muir was correct; she would run back to her father before sunup.
Diocail took another swig of the whisky, wishing it would dull his senses.
But all it did was warm him enough to make him conscious of the draft coming through the holes in the roof. He tipped his head back and discovered stars peeking at him where tiles were missing, likely from the winter storms. Colum was a bastard for leaving his people to such circumstances.
Laird of the Gordons. Diocail’s mother’s dream.
And his nightmare, it would seem.
Historical facts you should know
1. A reverence was the proper greeting for this era, sometimes called courtesy. You stepped back with one foot, bent at the knee, keeping your back straight and ‘lowered’. If you were the higher ranking person, you would do the same and it was called ‘offering courtesy’, meaning it was a polite way of greeting one another. Even Queen Elizabeth Tudor lowered herself before the archbishop of Canterbury.
2. Every house had a buttery….it was where the butts of ale were stored.
3. A butler was the man who kept the keys to the buttery. In this period, he was huge and someone who could defend those keys with his brawn because ale was essential to survival in winter
Acclaimed author Mary Wine has written over 30 works of Scottish Highland romance, romantic suspense and erotic romance. An avid history-buff and historical costumer, she and her family enjoy participating in historical reenactments. Mary lives in Yorba Linda, California with her husband and two sons. Website | Goodreads | Facebook
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Grace: I keep at least two dozen stuffed animals in my law office at all times. I’m a child welfare attorney, so the inventory tends to need replenishing. Shopping for stuffed animals is FUN.
Grace: My thoughts on this topic are hard to condense into a few sentences, but basically, the litmus of test of what goes into the story should be whether a fact, quote, or snippet of description pulls the readers into the tale or kicks them out of the tale. My obligation to the reader is to entertain, first and foremost. The difficult aspect of historical romance is that what pulls one reader into the story is likely to bore another reader witless. Worse, you can be entirely accurate about your history (Yes, there are circumstances when a duke will be addressed as “Duke,”), but if you contradict established lore, you will not only throw readers out of the story, but antagonize them with your accuracy. It’s a tricky balance, and I’ve yet to meet an author who could get it right for all of the readers all of the time.
