Charged with a crime they didn’t commit, the MacKinnon brothers faced a death sentence until they agreed to serve the British Crown in the colonies and take up arms against the French. Allied with the Indian tribes who lived beside them in the wilderness, the Scottish Highland warriors forged a new breed of soldier… MacKinnon’s Rangers Major Connor MacKinnon despises his commander, Lord William … despises his commander, Lord William Wentworth, beyond all other men. Ordered to rescue Wentworth’s niece after the Shawnee take her captive, he expects Lady Sarah Woodville to be every bit as contemptible as her uncle. Instead, he finds a brave and beautiful lass in desperate peril. But the only way to free Sarah is for Connor to defeat the Shawnee warrior who kidnapped her—and claim her himself.
Torn by tragedy from her sheltered life in London, Lady Sarah is unprepared for the harshness of the frontier—or for the attraction she feels toward Connor. When they reach civilization, however, it is she who must protect him. For if her uncle knew all that Connor had done to save her, he would surely kill him.
But the flames of passion, once kindled, are difficult to deny. As desire transforms into love, Connor will have to defy an empire to keep Sarah at his side.
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Overall:
Plot/Storyline:
Feels:
Emotional Depth:
Tension:
Romance:
Sensuality:
Intimate Scene Length: (for the first couple, a few later were )
Steam Scale:
Humor: Just a touch
Should I read in order?
Ideally, yes. This one is okay as a standalone because it gives the prologue of how Connor becomes a Ranger and there’s minimal page time with the previous characters. But the series is great, so read the whole thing 😛
Basic plot:
Sarah has been kidnapped. Her uncle, Connor’s nemesis, sends him to rescue her.
Give this a try if you want:
– 1760 time period in what is now upstate New York (America)
– The French and Indian war hanging heavily over the plot
– Captured heroine the hero is called on to rescue
– Forbidden love – heroine’s uncle and hero are enemies
– Soldier/Highlander hero with English heroine
– Roadtrip romance – this couple is all over the place!
– (Ages – heroine is 19, I’m not sure about the hero but I pictured him being in 20s?)
My thoughts:
I loooooooved this story. It’s my favorite of the series, though the whole series is really good.
Pamela Clare has become one of my favorite writers. She spends time on her characters, describing them, how they look, and their backgrounds. They have greater depth to me and I find myself becoming more attached to them than other characters.
Connor is so sweet and romantic to me. He’s honorable and kind. He’s put in dangerous and uncomfortable positions and his top concern is always Sarah. He seduces her with words and gentle touches and I just melted for him.
Sarah is wonderful too. She’s a musician, but her strict parents don’t approve. Connor brings out a brightness and confidence in her that is lovely and you can tell for the first time she’s actually being cared for.
I tend to usually not like a lot of craziness in the books I read, usually because to me it takes away from the romance and I just find them annoying. There’s a couple writers though, that I love it. And Clare is one that I love it. It makes me breathless, the danger, the worry. The war time setting is rife with uncertainties. I am on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen. She’s amazing with building tension throughout the story coinciding with those events.
My only complaints are a lot of my favorite romance stuff was in the beginning. So I did struggle a bit towards the end. They were separated for a bit and all the developed intimacy was in the first half. Still, lovely story and not enough to ruin anything for me.
I think I need to go through her other historicals sooner than later!
This Series Is A Homerun
4.5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed the MacKinnon brother’s trilogy. Like the others in this series, this story follows the same saving the damsel in distress theme. The details are different and still riveting, but for some reason (the premise I think), I thought Iain and Morgan’s stories were slightly better. Lady Sarah’s grit was commendable, especially given her background, but Conner was stellar. He served as her rescuer, protector, and comforter. I liked the way he shot straight when telling Sarah about their dire situation, yet he allowed her the choice, even if it put him in peril. I will be revisiting the stories of this band of brothers and friends time and again.