A Buchanan brother finds a love to treasure in this scintillating historical romance from New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands… dogging their every step, she hadn’t expected to welcome the strong comforting embrace of their leader, Rory Buchanan. They say he’s a healer, but she finds the heat of his touch does so much more…
Let his brothers get married—Rory is too busy tending to the sick to be bothered with wooing a bride. But when he is tasked with accompanying a family friend’s “treasure” to the Highlands, he is surprised to learn the treasure is a beautiful woman on the run—and even more surprised to discover bruises hidden by her veil. Rory makes it his mission to tend to her injuries and protect her, but the thought of losing her makes him realize that perhaps it is his heart that is most in need of healing…
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Lush, lively and romantic — Lynsay Sands hits all the right notes.
I didn’t know I loved historical romance involving Scottish royalty, but I really do. This was a well-written slow burn with a strong female protagonist even though she’s badly injured for most of the book and seeking the help of Scottish warriors for protection.
There were definite fantasy elements-hello orgasm count on a virgin’s first time-but that’s part of the trope and didn’t take away from the enjoyable journey of this read.
I leapt into this one not having read Sands or reading previous books in the series and it stood alone fine, though there were plenty of sprawling mentions of names and relationships I’m assuming were check-ins on previous HEAs.
A wonderful story involving working together despite your beliefs and customs.
Thoroughly enjoyed this latest Scottish highland romance from Lynsay Sands. All the things I’ve come to expect and enjoy from her highland stories were there… wonderful characters, funny moments, sweet romance, danger and pesky troubles. As always, looking forward to the next highland story from this author!
Another Buchanan brother bites the dust. Rory Buchanan is a healer who is well-known throughout Scotland and even into England. He and his brother Alick are the last of the unmarried Buchanan brothers, though not for lack of opportunity. His family does their best to put a variety of women in front of him, but Rory isn’t interested. He will eventually get around to marrying, but his healer duties occupy him more. That all comes to an end when he receives a request to escort a “treasure” to a family friend’s home.
Elysande barely escaped her home with her life. A family friend turned traitor murdered her parents and all of their soldiers and beat Elysande nearly to death, searching for incriminating evidence against him. With the help of the servants and two knights who were away during the attack, she escapes the castle to meet with the man who will get her to her extended family.
I liked both Elysande and Rory. She is intelligent, kind, determined, and more than a little stubborn. It’s that stubbornness that compels her to bury her pain for as long as she can to facilitate their escape from her pursuers. Her kindness is evident in many ways during their journey, but especially during their stay in Carlisle. I loved how easily she connected with all types of people. Rory has been present in the previous books, helping his brothers along their ways to wedded bliss, but not ready to take that step himself. He immediately steps up to take responsibility for Elysande’s safety and find a way to get that evidence where it will do the most good.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Rory and Elysande. She intrigues Rory from the start with her determination and resilience, while Elysande finds it easy to trust him. I found it very amusing that Elysande was most interested in Rory for his protection rather than his healing abilities, as she is a good healer herself. Rory’s nose was out of joint because he wanted to be the one to heal her. I loved seeing them get to know each other over the journey and learn to trust each other. I had to laugh at how Elysande’s trust manifested during the first nights on the road, and she moved in on him while she was asleep. Poor Rory surely had some uncomfortable moments!
As Rory and Elysande grew closer, Rory had some unexpected bouts of insecurity. Because she doesn’t need him as a healer, and he doesn’t see himself as special, he isn’t sure what he can offer her. It takes some effort to convince him that he is more than just a healer; he is a fierce protector and a good and honorable man. That honor and protectiveness kick in when he realizes her reputation is a stake, and he takes steps to preserve it. I loved watching the attraction between them simmer until it could no longer be contained and how it enhanced the feelings growing between them.
The tension remains high throughout the book as their little troop barely seems to stay a step ahead of their pursuers. I loved their time in the town of Carlisle. Elysande’s ability to connect with anyone makes friends out of enemies. Rory worries that she’s too open with those that she encounters, and I could feel his frustration with her. But Elysande is proved right in a hilarious scene when nearly the entire town turns out to help them get away. Their worries aren’t over yet, as even once they make it into Scotland, their enemies are close behind. An attack on Elysande puts her life in danger and raises Rory’s suspicions. I loved watching him put his mind to discovering the truth, solving the issue of getting the evidence to the English king, and keeping Elysande safe. A last-minute betrayal nearly brought disaster, and I ached for Elysande because of it. Once again, Rory saved the day.
I loved the ending. First, the king summoned Rory and Elysande. I laughed out loud as Elysande talked circles around the king, making it impossible for him to annul the marriage between her and Rory. Rory’s amusement was fun to watch, as the king knew he’d been played and couldn’t logically do anything about it. Then, a month later, Rory’s “reward” for his help showed up in Scotland. I laughed out loud as Rory faced that headache, only to turn around and find another one coming from the other direction. Elysande’s happiness was vital to him, but what he faced could have been a disaster. I loved how it turned out and chuckled at her description of it being like having a kitchen full of cooks. Now I can’t wait for Alick’s story.
What’s not to love!
One again we are whisked away to the Highlands of Old, to catch up with the Buchanan clan. Once again a thrilling tale of love, loss, humour, and a fight for love with a sassy female and a Highland warrior… Lynsay Sands books are my go to source of escapism and she’s never let me down yet, so curl up under your blanket and enjoy the ride.
I enjoyed this book because it is suspenseful and interesting as well as romantic. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
HIGHLAND TREASURE, book 9 by Lynsay Sands of the Highland Brides series. With danger dogging their every step, Elysande “Ellie” de Valance is not expecting to welcome the strong comforting embrace of their leader, Rory Buchanan, a renowned healer. For Rory, he has been too busy healing to bother with a wife until he meets his perfect match. Lynsay Sands captivates her readers with this compelling story full of humor, wonderful characters, and a slow-burn romance, making HIGHLAND TREASURE a thrilling adventure to read.
One of my favorite series in the Scottish romance genre!
Another great addition to her Highlander series featuring the Buchanans. This one sees Rory finally meeting his match. I’ve loved every story in this series and can’t wait for the next one. I’d also like to revisit the MacGregor to see if he really kidnaps Dwyn’s sister! I bet that will be a fantastic story!!
Talk about a heroine being tested by fire. A reader meets Elysande while she’s in the middle of a life and death situation. Right away, this reader wanted the heroine to be safe, to find justice for her family, and I wanted her to stop hurting, both physically and emotionally. The author wanted to make sure that I was vested in the fate of Elysande, and Ms. Sands was 100% effective in creating that link.
I remember the last story, when Rory’s brother, Conran, was mistaken for him. Although there was a substantial plot, the sense of humor, adventure and romance was quicker to happen and grins were more prevalent. Highland Treasure has an extra serious bent because more than Elysande’s life is on the line and she feels that pressure every step of the way, in every place that they stay. Rory starts off doing what’s right but the quest quickly turns personal. I enjoyed watching their friendship and relationship grow. The moment both realize they have red hot chemistry happens in the absolute darkness of night in a forest, alone, when Rory has to apply more pain salve on Elysande’s bruises. That scene was the tipping point and I knew right then that not only were they going to be great together, but once that genie is out of the bottle, there’s no putting it back in. It gets quite hot. Even during those times, there were elements of humor and embarrassing instances which made for fun reading.
No story written by Ms. Sands is heavy-handed in dark plots – there are moments to spice it up, to provide motivational conflict and drama, but they are short lived, placed perfectly and give the right level of backdrop to showcase the strengths of both hero and heroine. This novel is no different. It’s entertaining, interesting and at times, quite adventurous – in short, a great read.
I felt so bad about one of the bad guys. I mean, I really hope that he can be redeemed because I truly felt that he was a victim too and shouldn’t be written off. I hope Ms. Sands lets readers know the full skinny when she’s ready. As it is, he served his diabolical purpose in this book.
Highland Treasure ended with a truly surprising and broad-scoped happy ever after that was over-the-top wonderful and satisfying. I enjoyed it so much and was left with a happy glow. There was so much joy it was almost perfect. There is one thing the author didn’t do and that was answer the biggest question about Elysande!! How could Ms. Sands not do an epilogue of the epilogue!! I hope to find out the answer in the next book. There WILL be a next book in the Highland Brides series, right?
I love Lynsay Sands and I loved this book. When and author can combine romance, intrigue, passion, fear, and a host of other emotions into one book, the author has talent. This book and this author did just that.
A woman fleeing for her life after being seriously abused and a man who is a healer by choice and profession find love while avoiding people intent to do her more than harm makes this an exciting love story that I’ve already read twice. Both leads are strong passionate people. The secondary characters are very well written. The plot is believable and grabs your attention from page one.
I highly recommend this book and will most make you want to read all the other books in this series and the books who are just related to it.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am volunteering an honest review.
Rory has been one of my favorite characters in the series. I’m looking forward to Alick’s story.
We finally get an HEA for Rory Buchanan, one of my favorite of the Buchanan brothers.
Rory has been too busy healing to bother with a wife but he has met his perfect match in Lady Elysande de Valance.
The story opens with Elysande in the dungeon, beaten badly by the men of de Buci, once a close family friend but now he has killed her father and soldiers and her mother has been maimed (and soon dies). Two loyal servants have rescued Elysande and sneak her out of the castle to two soldiers who had been away when the massacre occurred. They are tasked to deliver Elysande to Rory to guard her and take her to her family in Scotland.
Rory has been in detestable England healing a wealthy nobleman and is anxious to go home to Scotland. He and his men accept the task of delivering Elysande to her family but soon discovers how badly injured she is and admires her bravery in traveling with barely a complaint. He vows to heal her but finds that Elysande has also been taught healing by her mother. Rory also learns that Elysande has a vital message to deliver and that she is being pursued by de Buci. The trip is fraught with danger and Elysande has several “accidents,” making Rory suspicious that they have a traitor in their traveling party. The person is finally discovered and all is saved.
I have loved Rory throughout the previous books. He’s a gentle healer but, being a Buchanan, he has also trained as a soldier and can hold his own in battle. In Elysande, he has found someone who can be a true partner with her also being trained In healing. Admiration soon turns to love and their romance is sweet and intimate. I love the townspeople who rally to help them and having brother Alick along adds humor to the story. The only issue I had is that there seemed to be a chapter missing between the showdown with the traitor and the epilogue. Although the epilogue was a good one, I would have liked to see another chapter to finalize the story with action rather than jumping forward to the epilogue where the rest of the action is just explained after the fact. This drops the story down to a 4 rather than a 5 for me.
It’s been a long time since I last read an historical romance, but after this one I plan on reading more! This is also my first Lynsay Sands book, and I most definitely plan on going back and reading her back catalog!
I very much enjoyed this story. This is about the journey Elysande makes after meeting up with Rory. We learn what has happened to her and her story as they travel along her way, and also learn about Rory as well. It’s clear that there have been prior books with Rory’s family, but Lynsay Sands is an excellent writer and I never felt like I couldn’t follow along, and had I not known there were books before, I would not have realized it here.
I very much liked the mystery and intrigue that follow along with Rory and Elysande, and I love the slow burn start to their love story. I also love that this book has them together for almost the entire book – traveling together, getting to know each other, and falling in love. It’s a sweet romantic story, but very much not a fade to black one.
I also very much loved the detail in this book. The author does a fantastic job of explaining things that we wouldn’t know or understand in contemporary times in a way that doesn’t pull you out of the story, but satisfied my inquiring brain. This is unique – I used to read historical romances a while back, and don’t remember ever getting those details before and I very much appreciated that here. It’s well done in that it gives you information, but it’s not too much or done in a boring way – weaved in naturally with the story!
I’m very much looking forward to reading more of her books!
Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Oh wow! I absolutely love Rory and Elysande. She was so brave. The things she endured. Wow! And Rory, the healer and protector. Swoon worthy for sure. Such a great story. I really love these Buchanan brothers in the Highland Brides series.
Historical mistakes made it a bit jarring. Starting with hay bales in a story about the 1300’s. Hay wasn’t bailed until the mid 1800’s when a hay press was invented.
Lady Elysande de Valance after being taken captive by De Buci’s and his the English soldiers to beat and brutalized her. Her mother enlist the help of highlander healer Rory Buchannan to get her treasure to safety to the Sinclair family in the Highlands. Elysande is determined to deliver the matter of life message her mother has given her to her Sinclair family. After the beating she’s taken traveling by horse is brutal for her, but Rory the healer discover how badly beaten she was tries to help her, make her more comfortable and ends up losing his heart to the beautiful brave Elysande. It’s a race to the Highlands with the English soldiers hot on their trail before their caught. Elysande. Rory, his brother and his men will die trying to keep her safe and they have their hands. I love them together it was a great story filled with adventure, romance and intrigue. I have voluntarily read and reviewed.
4.5 stars, rounded up.
When renowned healer Rory Buchanan receives a message begging him to take Mairghread de Valance’s “treasure” to her sister at the Sinclair holdings in Scotland, he cannot refuse, but he is not prepared when he learns that the treasure is actually her daughter.
After being betrayed and nearly beaten to death by a family friend, Elysande de Valance of Kynardersley is drowning in pain and grief and not sure who to trust, but something about Rory touches something deep in her and gives her the courage to tell him all – including the plot by her attacker, Baron de Buci, to kill King Edward III.
As they travel, a bond forms between them, and soon it becomes clear that de Buci isn’t done hunting Elysande and Rory will have to play a deep game of intrigue to keep the woman he has come to love safe!
I really liked this book, it was a bit more intense than the typical Lynsay Sands book, but it was a very riveting read! Rory and Elysande are so perfect for each other and I just loved the fact that she is also a healer and how put-out he was about it – that small detail and his reaction added some much-needed lightness to the book and save the story from being too grim. The heat level of this book was not quite at warm as the previous books, but it was just right for the story. This book has a bit of everything: intrigue, betrayal, murder, warm love scenes, a bit of lightness, another shocking betrayal, and finally a HEA complete with a fantastic epilogue. The book did have title errors and I did feel like the fate of one of the villains was left unanswered, but overall neither of these things impeded my enjoyment and I would happily recommend this book. This is the ninth book in the series, but can easily be read as a standalone title with no problems!
“Highland Treasure” is book 9 in the Highland Brides series by Lynsay Sands. Don’t be concerned about the whole sequence though, because you definitely can enjoy this story as a stand-alone. If you’ve had the pleasure of reading others in the series, then like me you’ll enjoy seeing Rory Buchanon at last find the woman that is his perfect match.
Rory is a highly respected healer, something that sets him apart from his warrior siblings. He has earned a lot of money plying his skills to the wealthy who beg him to travel to them – even though he helps for free those who cannot afford it. As he is departing from a high-paying client in England, he receives a note asking him to deliver a treasure to the Sinclair Clan in the Highlands. The note directs him to a location where he finds a brutalized Lady Elysande de Valance and 2 of her family’s soldiers. She has to deliver something vital to the Sinclairs, while eluding the vicious maniac who killed her father and all but 2 of his soldiers, slaughtered innocents, drove her mother to her death and committed other atrocities. There is a lot to this story that I don’t want to go into because I think it’s a lot more fun to discover it for yourself. I will tell you that there is mystery, intrigue, humor, betrayal, lust, danger and love.
Elysande is fiercely determined to deliver the treasure entrusted to her. She is smart and resilient, honorable and brave. Rory comes from a wonderful, close-knit family, and even though he is not primarily a warrior like the rest of them, they wholeheartedly support his devotion to being the best healer he can possibly be. He’s never been attracted to a woman the way he is to Elysande and fortunately the feeling is mutual. This book was a page-turner for me and I couldn’t put it down until I got to the very end. The epilogue was particularly wonderful and funny.
I do wish we found out what happened to Simon – when you read the book you’ll understand what I mean. I’m looking forward to seeing Alick Buchanan’s story, and in that hopefully getting an update about Elysande and Rory.