The Highlander’s French Bride by Cathy MacRae-a review

THE HIGHLANDER’S FRENCH BRIDE (The Highlander’s Bride #5) by Cathy MacRae-a review

The Highlander's French Bride

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 27, 2015

Heir to a lairdship, Kinnon Macrory is driven to prove his worth by fighting the English on the battlefields of France. His dreams of heroic valor are destroyed by the realities of war—the atrocities visited by fellow soldiers on the very people he is sworn to protect. Three years in a French prison for a crime he did not commit leave Kinnon longing for the one thing of beauty in his war-torn life—a young woman of great kindness and wisdom named Melisende.

Melisende de la Roche struggles to stay one step ahead of soldiers who would imprison her for helping an injured Scotsman wrongly accused of treason. She finds refuge in her uncle’s shop—until a chance encounter sends her fleeing into the unknown once again, haunted by the beguiling friendship with the troubled young Scotsman she is certain she will never see again.

Determined to find the woman of his dreams, Kinnon returns to France, only to discover a trail of clues to Melisende’s whereabouts. Their reunion will open the doors to passion, but half-truths and lies from the past could destroy the one thing they both are willing to fight for—each other.

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REVIEW: THE HIGHLANDER’S FRENCH BRIDE is the fifth installment in Cathy MacRae’s THE HIGHLANDER’S BRIDE historical romance series. This is Scotsman and heir to the Macrory Lairdship Kinnon Macrory, and French woman Melisende de la Roche. Kinnon is Gilda Macrory’s brother-first introduced in The Highlander’s Tempestuous Bride. THE HIGHLANDER’S FRENCH BRIDE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty.

Told from third person point of view THE HIGHLANDER’S FRENCH BRIDE follows Kinnon Macrory onto the battlefields of France and into the lives of French sisters Melisende and her younger sister Lucienne. For weeks, Kinnon travelled to the sisters’s farm in search of food for himself and his men, but war soon came to the small village, and Melisende found herself trapped in town aiding the wounded and dying while her sister played nursemaid, back home, to an equally wounded Kinnon. When Kinnon is charged with treason and abandoning his post, Melisende and her sister become embroiled with the soldiers only to find themselves on the run with no place to go. Years would pass before Melisende would set eyes on the man with whom she had fallen in love, but not before Lucienne embarks on a journey for herself.

THE HIGHLANDER’S FRENCH BRIDE follows two paths that will intersect years later when Kinnon is reunited with the woman he loves. Upon his release, Kinnon needs time to heal from his debilitating wounds, but is determined to search for Melisende and her sister knowing that one or both could have been captured by the British soldiers. The relationship between Kinnon and Melisende is very slow to build as the majority of the storyline sees the leading characters separate and in different countries. The reader has a front row seat as Kinnon searches for the woman he lost; and Melisende is constantly on the run –one step ahead of the price on her head.

Cathy MacRae has admitted taking liberty with the historical accuracy and honestly I would not have noticed the timeline anomalies. Because the storyline traverses France and Scotland, we get a little bit of the Scottish brogue and the French language of love. Each of Cathy’s storylines features an animal or close pet. The premise is entertaining with a myriad of subplots and twists; the characters are colorful and animated-Lucienne’s personal story is heartbreaking and intense; Melisende and Kinnon’s life experiences add maturity and resolution; the $ex scenes are intimate but mostly implied. The romance and sexual tension between Melisende and Kinnon is sorely lacking due in part to the long separation throughout most of the storyline. I will add that the ‘long separation’ between leading characters is a regular feature of Cathy’s storylines.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy

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The Highlander’s Tempestuous Bride by Cathy MacRae-a review

THE HIGHLANDER’S TEMPESTUOUS BRIDE (The Highlander’s Bride #3) by Cathy MacRae-a review

the Highlander's Tempestuous Bride

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 11, 2014

Returning home after a ten-year absence, Ryan Macraig falls for a fiery, red-haired lass from the wrong side of the firth. He can’t ignore his need to see her again, even knowing she must be a hated Macrory.

Gilda Macrory trespasses Macraig land, but haunting memories of the young man she once met there draw her to the forbidden place. Learning he is Laird Macraig’s son threatens her dreams, for her father would never agree to a marriage between his daughter and their enemy’s son.

With pirates raiding the coast, bad blood between the Macraig and Macrory clans could cost Ryan and Gilda their love—and their lives.

••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: THE HIGHLANDER’S TEMPESTUOUS BRIDE is the third installment in Cathy MacRae’s The Highlander’s Bride historical romance series. Advancing the series approximately twelve years, THE HIGHLANDER’S TEMPESTUOUS BRIDE focuses on Ryan Macraig and Gilda Macrory. Gilda is the daughter of Laird and Lady Macrory whom we met in book two-The Highlander’s Reluctant Bride.

The storyline focuses on the simmering feud between the Macraig and Macrory Clans. When Laird Ranald Macrory calls a meeting of the local Lairds to deal with the recent threats by pirates and thieves, it does not go unnoticed the attraction between his daughter and that of his enemy’s son. What ensues is a hastily arranged personal and private declaration between two young lovers whose actions put into motion the growing animosity between father and son, and the neighboring clans. An attack by pirates against the Lairds and their villagers, finds Gilda caught between two families and yearning for the love of a man she had only known for a very short time.

The relationship between Gilda and Ryan is quick to develop. While each has been betrothed to another, Gilda and Ryan ensure that their future belongs to one another. The sex scenes are passionate but mostly implied.

The secondary and supporting characters include Gilda’s parents Ranald and Catriona, her younger siblings as well as Ryan’s family and best friend Conn. Ryan’s father wants nothing to do with his son’s choice for a wife but circumstances will change when the families go to war against marauding pirates and thieves.

Cathy MacRae continues to build upon the Highlands of Scotland, the stormy seas of an unforgiving ocean and the backdrop of Scottish castles and thriving villages. Her continued use of Scottish brogue and text brings the foothills of Scotland onto the pages of The Highlander’s Bride Series.

My only complaint is the quick resolution and reveal as it pertains to a major plot point in the story. The building animosity and mistaken beliefs were quickly remedied within a short period of time. There are moments of heartbreak and presumed betrayal that barely merited a mention but ones that could have aroused painful and intense feelings of anger and hurt.

THE HIGHLANDER’S TEMPESTUOUS BRIDE is a compelling and seductive addition to Cathy MacRae’s The Highlander’s Bride historical romance series. The breathtaking and stunning grounds of the historical Scottish Highlands stirs the imagination and startling wonder of times long ago.

READING ORDER
The Highlander’s Accidental Bride
The Highlander’s Reluctant Bride
The Highlander’s Tempestuous Bride

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy

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