Highland Gladiator

Highland Gladiator (Scots and Swords Book 1) by Kathryn Le Veque is a new and exciting series. A romance with, revenge, justice, a demented sociopath, familiar ties, great fight scenes, and an epic love story.
Take a trip to Medieval Scotland to meet, Lor Careston and Isabail Keith on an epic Medieval Scottish Romance. A gripping love story, that’s sure to capture a reader’s heart.
Filled with dramatic fight scenes, passion, greed, love, and romance. The ending is emotional and compelling.
Another well written and well crafted story, with characters that have depth and strength to endure all that’s thrown their way. MAGNIFICENT read! I can’t wait for Book 2 of this exciting and intriguing new series. Well done, Kathryn Le Veque!!
#NetGalley,#HighlandGadiator, #KathrynLeVeque,#SourcebooksCasablanca

“I voluntarily received a complimentary copy, however, these are my honest opinions. I was in no way required nor compensated to write a review.”

Rating: 5
Heat rating: Mild
Reviewer: AprilR

Highland Gladiator by Kathryn Le Veque is a little different than most of her books. She tends to write about noble knights, which Lor is not. He is a blacksmith. He lives in small village as part of Clan Lindsay, although clans have little meaning for him. He falls in love with a girl form another clan. Not surprising for a romance by Le Veque. One day his grandfather send sends him on an errand to another village. He returns to find his own village burned to the ground and littered with bodies. He can find his grandfather nowhere. In his grief he goes to see the laird of his clan to demand he be given information on Ludus Caledonia, the fierce school for warriors of which he had heard. While the information is sketchy, Lor follows up on it leaving a message for his beloved, written in sand. Isabail, not surprisingly, never receives the message and believes Lor dead, along with the rest of the village. Eventually he is discovered by the scouts for Ludus Caledonia and admitted to the famous school, nothing but revenge on his mind. Down the road, Isabail, her father, and her brothers arrive at Ludus Caledonia to purchase a warrior to train and lead her father’s men against Clan Lindsay, who continue to threaten their lives.

Both Lor and Isabail are wonderful characters, written as only Le Veque can, despite not being nobles as is her habit. The plot is complicated but all becomes clear in the end, the subplots solving themselves neatly as the main plot resolves. Highland Gladiator is a well-written and compelling story of greed, which consumes many lives and eventually destroys them. The violence rages as the love grows. Right wins in the most satisfying way as Lor saves the day. Despite the fact that these are all common folk, they are indeed noble as this story unfolds and the reader is able to see all for what they are. An excellent read, as we have come to expect from Le Veque, I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of Highland Gladiator by Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #highlandgladiator

***4 Stars***

Historical romance isn’t something I tend to be drawn to, at least not in recent years, but sometimes one pops up and my curiosity is peaked, or in this case, the author kept popping up on various sites and seeing that this was a first in series, I decided to give it a go and I gotta say, I really enjoyed it spending time in the Highlands and learning all about the Ludus Caledonia.

I loved Lor and Isabail. Lor is a sweetheart. I’m not sure if he’d be alright with that description, but he is. He is also a hard worker and once he gets his barings, he is a force to be reckoned with. Isabail is fierce. She isn’t a meek, stay at home type of woman. She is independent and honest and has no problem speaking her mind. Their journey to their HEA as, at it’s heart, a sweet one despite the circumstances surrounding them. I loved how they balanced each other out and how they simply liked the other for exactly who they were, not who they thought they should be.

This was a fun read. The writing was engaging, pacing good and I really liked being in both Lor and Isabail’s heads and getting to see how they viewed the world around them. The concept of the Ludus Caledonia was pretty cool and I definitely want to dig deeper into all that goes on there…and speaking digging deeper. There were quite a few characters that peaked my interest like Clegg, Axel, Milo and even Wendell, but it’s Galan I really want to know more about, so I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next book in the series!

~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

Highland Gladiator
Scots and Swords Series #1
Kathryn Le Veque
https://www.facebook.com/kathrynlevequenovels/
Release date 08/25/2020
Publisher Sourcebooks Casablanca

Blurb :

Truth. Justice. Revenge. Behind these stands The Scotsman’s Sword

Gladiator meets Fight Club in the Scottish Highlands in a new romance from USA Today bestselling author Kathryn Le Veque

When Lor Careston’s quiet Highland village was attacked and burned, he felt helpless against the raiders who destroyed his home. Seeking revenge, but lacking the fighting skills he needs to execute his mission, he sets out to find the Ludus Caledonia—a mysterious fight guild that turns men into warriors.
Lor trains hard, proves himself in the ring, and earns a place with the very clan that decimated his home, having decided to set his plan for revenge in motion from inside the clan. But his plan didn’t include Isabail Keith, a fiery lass who prefers broadswords to embroidery and isn’t afraid to stand with the warriors of her clan. Lor thought the Keiths were his enemies, but when Isabail is threatened, he’ll have to decide what he’s willing to risk for the woman who has captured his heart and the clan that has become his home.

My review :

Will his new need of revenge And who they are alter their possible future together …

It is only recently that I have discovered Mrs Le Veque world, and it was through a series, sequel from another so at time, the many characters were a bit overwhelming.
So when I saw the blurb of this one, I requested it, as I had great hope because of it being the first in a whole new series. And I did well.
It would have been a shame to miss this wonderful read. While it still have this modern undertone, I loved everything in this book, from the setting to the different parts dividing the course of Lor and Isabail’s journey.

Oh I loved Lor, he is such a kind, caring and lovable man. He is not one for lies and if he does, it weights heavy on his heart.
Isabail is a strong woman, raised among man, it made her a resourceful lass, one as clever as any warrior even more as she has to be more cunning because of her lack of physical strength.
From their first encounter as kids to their crossing path again years later, it is her will and his kindness that called to one another.

She is light and fire, when he is smooth water, the beacon in his time of darkness, the guiding light to free him from the shadows. When he soothes her temper and accepts her the way she is.

For a book with a revenge plot as main line, it is no angsty read as Mrs Le Veque gives voice to her characters and while they are not always straightforward, they are trustful in their feelings.
5 stars

The very last scene is quite a tear-jerker moment. A lovely ending.

I was granted an advance copy by the publisher Sourcebooks Casablanca, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

https://www.facebook.com/429830134272830/posts/682180702371104/?extid=nY0heabARDqFEuOz&d=n

What an amazingly captivating fantastic story told wonderfully! The writing is smooth and unhindered even with the fast pace it’s really hard to put the book down or get swept away. The characters major or minor practically jump off the pages giving not just are three dimensional, but are very real and believable. Lor the gentle blacksmith lives a peaceful life, is admirable and lovable. He’s not the typical alpha hero wanting to dominate or take over. As he becomes this big bad warrior he remains an awesome guy never losing who he truly is. Isabail the fierce feisty heroine is the fire to Lor’s calmness. She’s likable despite her fighting ways, she wouldn’t be one to that would like a tranquil time but is would be willing to fight with you. She is a strong girl but still someone that you want to be around. Ms. Le Veque brings everything to the table telling a tale that grips you from the very beginning and doesn’t let up until the very end!