Desired by a Highlander (Macardle Sisters of Courage Trilogy Book 2)

Willow is the dependable, sensible sister and, due to her mum’s tutelage, has become a fine healer. She’s on her way home from visiting her sister Sorrell when the small troop escorting her is attacked. She’s taken prisoner and lowered down into a hole in the ground where a male prisoner is being kept. She has no idea what awaits her and all the reasoning in the world isn’t going to help her.

Slatter is a scoundrel and a good-for-nothing. He’s a liar, far from dependable, has no common sense, and is the one responsible for a fire that was started on Macardle land. He’s a man of fine features and many a woman has lost her heart to him. Or is there more to the tales about Slatter than anyone knows?

Once again Donna Fletcher has written a beautiful story with a bit of a mystery and a goodly portion of romance to satisfy my hunger for a happy ever after for my hero and heroine. When I open a book by this author I know I’m in for excitement and adventure to the point of never wanting to leave the pages of such a well written, nail-biting, page turning story full of bad guys, tense moments as well as humor, love, laughter and wonderful characters. This story is fast paced and has an awesome ending that ties all the mystery and questions together quite nicely. This is a great addition to book one in this series.

Desired by a Highlander is the second book in the Macardle sisters’ trilogy; this book focused on the eldest: Willow. At the conclusion of the first book, Willow is departing her sister Sorrell’s new home with a strong contingent of her brother-in-law’s warriors to see her safely home. When this story begins, the troop is under siege by ruthless barbarians, and Willow has hidden herself well until the lead barbarian (named Beck) demands that she reveal herself or he will kill one of the warriors she was traveling with, she yells her location and is painfully yanked out of the barbed bush she was hiding within. The warriors are left for dead, but Willow (a very accomplished healer) is able to feign providing comforting words as he dies (his wounds were not fatal, but she has him play along), so that he can rescue his comrades and find help as Willow is dragged away. Upon reaching the barbarian camp, Willow is tossed into a prisoner’s hole in the ground… except that this one is occupied… by a very attractive and very naked man.

Said naked man is Slatter, considered by many to be a scoundrel, liar, and charming rake who has a “love ’em and leave ’em” mentality. Slatter realizes that Beck has a motive in doing so: keep Slatter from escaping as Slatter is known to escape any situation. Beck knows that Slatter would not abandon a woman prisoner, especially not one so vulnerable as Willow — and while their introduction was made in the dark, when the sun rises, they realize they “know” each other as Slatter was a prisoner at Macardle (accused of setting fire to buildings on their land), and Willow dispassionately attended to his injuries, not at all swayed by his charming tongue in the process which was a very new experience for Slatter. Beck decides to have even more fun with Slatter by giving him the choice to “save” her via marriage. Slatter would rather hang than be married, but he feels compelled to help Willow and agrees. But before he can return Willow home, he must find the man who has been impersonating him and destroying his reputation while placing him in danger of being executed for the many crimes this man has committed in his name. Who is this man who claims to be Slatter? Why is he so vengeful, and what can he possibly gain from ruining Slatter’s name? Will Slatter and Willow seal their vows as passion seems to draw them closer, or will they do the sensible thing and annul their nuptials before it is too late to turn back?

What I liked:
— Willow is a very likeable character; Slatter is very intriguing with his many secrets
— There was a lot happening in the story which made it move very quickly and keep the reader interested to see how it would all be resolved

What I didn’t like as much:
— Holy confusing multiple plot lines, Batman! For me, it got a little too “busy” with the various plot lines happening all in this one book – if one of them were fully explored (the impersonator OR the slayer situation, for example), I think it would have been a little easier to follow; as it was, there was too much going on to the extent that it felt rushed and unsatisfying when the truths were revealed
— At the beginning, the attacking barbarians demand the warriors to “give them the woman!” but we have no idea why they wanted her or how they knew she traveled with them – that seemed random in retrospect
— It still doesn’t make sense to me about the motive for the impersonator – just didn’t really seem to be a compelling reason in the end
— The steamy goodness factor fell flat for me – the chemistry was there early on (for example, the scene in the prisoner hole), but the later action just didn’t do it for me as it wasn’t very descriptive or exciting

Overall, this was a story I enjoyed but felt there were unanswered or dissatisfying resolutions in the end. I am very much looking forward to the final story about the youngest sister Snow as the set-up in the past couple of books has gained my interest in how that will come about.

Plot — 3.5/5
Main Characters — 4/5
Supporting Cast — 3.5/5
Steam Level* — 2.5/5
Violence — nothing graphic
Language — not egregious
POV — 3rd

*Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 – clean; 1/5 – mild; 2/5 – sensual but nothing descriptive; 3/5 – now we’re getting somewhere; 4/5 – yes please! ; 5/5 – they did EVERYTHING in this one, y’all

Please note that I received an advance copy of this book directly from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Really enjoyed this one! Super excited for the next one!