Tamed by a Highlander [Mass Market Paperback]

Tamed by the Highlander is the third in the Children of the Mist series and the fifth in Quinn's Highlander romances that include the first two MacGregor/Grant romances (see full list below). It's a good one and continues the romances of the children of Callum MacGregor and his friend, Graham Grant.

This one carries us into the reign of King James II, who at age 51 in 1685, ascended to the throne of England upon the death of his brother, Charles I. Connor Grant, son of Graham Grant (A Highlander Never Surrenders), faithfully served King Charles for seven years and is now a Captain in the army of the new Catholic King James. The girl Connor loved and left back home in the Highlands, Mairi MacGregor (the girl who told him she loved him when she was 6 and he was 9), considered his devotion to an English king a betrayal and refused to join him when he asked her. For seven long years, the two have been separated, each believing the other at fault. Connor has racked up his victories on the battlefield and in the bedroom, the latter much to Mairi's chagrin. Now they are reunited in the court of King James where Mairi has come for information on the Covenantors. The love they still feel will be revealed amidst treachery surrounding the new king. Already there is a cloud over the throne cast by the Protestants and William of Orange.

As always, Quinn's story is true to history and weaves the characters' lives into the events that affected the times. Unlike some "historical" romance, Quinn actually gives you real history, not just a general background setting. Her characters are well developed and believable. Connor is a wonderful Highlander, a warrior son of a warrior, who has seen the wisdom of serving the English king, even though his heart is still in the Highlands. Mairi comes across as a stubborn young woman bent on having her way and fighting for a cause (Catholic Scotland), above the love of a good man. At times it was hard to sympathize with her but she comes out ok in the end.

If you aren't familiar with the history of James II's reign, or the Catholic-Protestant struggle, I recommend taking a look at some online research before reading the book or you might be left wondering what are Covenantors (Scottish Presbyterians) and Cameronians (radical Presbyterians) and why they were such a concern of Mairi's.

I recommend this one and all in Quinn's Highlander romances (see full list below and my other reviews of her books). The first one, Laird of the Mist, is a particular favorite of mine.

The MacGregor Series:

Laird of the Mist (Callum MacGregor and Kate Campbell)
A Highlander Never Surrenders (Graham Grant and Claire Stuart)

Children of the Mist Series:

Ravished by a Highlander (Robert MacGregor and Davina Montgomery)
Seduced by a Highlander (Tristan MacGregor and Isobel Fergusson)
Tamed by a Highlander (Mairi MacGregor, Connor Grant)
Conquered by a Highlander (Summer 2012 - Colin MacGregor and Gillian ...)

Conquered by a Highlander, the next one in the series, begins 3 years later. (There's a preview in the back of Tamed by a Highlander.) It's the romance of Mairi's brother, Colin MacGregor, who is featured in Tamed by a Highlander as a loyal brother and able young warrior just joining King James' army. As the historical events around King James grow ever more tumultuous, it should be an interesting tale.

This is my first historical romance in the highlander background, and boy did I love it! There's a reason it's called Tamed by a Highlander because Mairi had such a wild, fiery personality and only the hunky highlander Conner could tame her fight and passion. It took me a little bit to get into the story because I kept on getting confused between all of the different names and titles of people, but after that I just couldn't get enough. It was so much fun to read about how they both loved each other, but thought the other wanted nothing to do with them. Their romance was so sweet yet full of passion at the same time that it left me wanting so much more. One thing that took some time getting used to was how they all talked in Irish accents, using words like "ye" for you and "fer" as for. Having them speak like that in my mind though made the Irish men, especially Connor, all that more enticing with their accents (because I love me some sexy accents). This may have been my first highlander romance, but it will definitely not be my last!

I reviewed this book for Romance Reader At Heart website.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

James, Duke of York, is crowned King of England, Scotland, and Ireland in the year of our Lord 1685. Callum MacGregor, clan chieftain of the MacGregors, is at the king's court for the occasion with his wife Kate and his children, Tristan, Colin and Mairi. Rob, his eldest son, stayed back home in Camlochlin.

As the story opens, Callum has decided that Kate and he will head back home, but since it's still very dangerous in that neck of the woods, he's come to the conclusion that Mairi and Colin would remain in the king's court. Our heroine is not so happy about this order from her father, but she has no choice but to obey. Headstrong, clever and brave, our heroine is also on a mission to unearth the truth behind the betrayal of the Highlanders and their religious persecution. Now that she's stuck in the same place as Connor Grant, a man who left her seven years ago, she's determined to stay out of his way, accomplish her mission, and as soon as possible head back home to Camlochlin.

Connor Grant left his home in the Highlands seven years ago to serve the English King Charles II. It is now seven years later, and our hero is a Captain in the army and serving a new king, the Catholic King James. Seeing the girl he loved who has now grown into a beautiful woman, is very hard for our hero. Leaving his Highlands and his love was something he never got over, but he had no choice in the matter, as duty called for him to serve his king. It hurt him greatly that Mairi couldn't accept nor understand his duty. She refused to join him there, and now she is here and he knows that he'll never regain his peace, especially after her father asks him to look after her!

As these two try to deal with their reunion, we're treated to their back and forth banter, and the love they still feel but are not willing to admit to each other. Throw in some court intrigue and treachery, and we have a well written, very accurate account of the Stuart dynasty and highly entertaining love story.

There are so many reasons to recommend TAMED BY A HIGHLANDER. Ms. Quinn has penned a fast-paced, well developed, very vivid and true-to-history romance. Our heroine was likable despite her stubborn and determined nature, and our hero was a man of honor who would not give up on one woman that he knew would never be out of his blood. Ms. Quinn does an awesome job of painting a picture with her words. Through her writing, this period and time come to life, and we feel the passion, fear, the intrigue and the deception, and pray for a happy ending for these childhood sweethearts.

I wish I'd read the previous two books, or maybe I should say three, which would include LAIRD OF THE MIST, Kate and Callum's HEA. Usually these books are written so you really don't need to read them in order, but in this case, I wish I had read the previous stories because they would've helped me understand the family dynamic a bit better.

The Children of the Mist series are stories of the happily-ever-after of four children of LAIRD OF THE MIST's Callum and his wife Kate. RAVISHED BY A HIGHLANDER is Rob's story; SEDUCED BY A HIGHLANDER is Tristan's; TAMED BY A HIGHLANDER is Mairi's; and CONQUERED BY A HIGHLANDER will be Colin's. Needless to say, all of the others are now on my Wish List, and I'm looking forward to reading them all--in order.

Melanie

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 19 reviews  3.5 out of 5 stars