NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERMaya Banks, the bestselling author of romance and romantic suspense has captivated readers with her steamy Scottish historical novels, perfect for fans of Julie Garwood. In Highlander Most Wanted, a reclusive woman content to live in the shadows shows a Highland warrior the true meaning of love. Genevieve McInnis is locked behind the fortified walls of McHugh Keep, … behind the fortified walls of McHugh Keep, captive of a cruel laird who takes great pleasure in ruining her for any other man. Yet when Bowen Montgomery storms the gates on a mission of clan warfare, Genevieve finds that her spirit is bent but not broken. Still, her path toward freedom remains uncertain. Unable to bear the shame of returning to a family that believes her dead or to abandon others at the keep to an imposing new laird, Genevieve opts for the peaceful life of an abbess. But Bowen’s rugged sensuality stirs something deep inside her that longs to be awakened by his patient, gentle caress—something warm, wicked, and tempting.
Bowen seizes his enemy’s keep, unprepared for the brooding and reclusive woman who captures his heart. He’s enchanted by her fierce determination, her unusual beauty, and her quiet, unfailing strength. But wooing her will take more than a seasoned seducer’s skill. For loving Genevieve, he discovers, means giving her back the freedom that was stolen from her—even if it means losing her forever.
“[Maya] Banks has written an emotionally taut Highlands romance. . . . Lush emotionalism, compelling characters and a moving story line will win romance fans.”—Kirkus Reviews
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Kidnapped on the journey to meet her betrothed, Genevieve McInnis has spent the past year as a prisoner at the MacHugh keep, held by a cruel man determined to possess her so thoroughly that no other man will ever want her. When the keep is taken by the Montgomery clan, Genevieve finds herself a bit revived by the laird’s brother, Bowen. But even with her growing confidence, her future is unclear. She wants her family to continue to believe her dead to avoid bringing them shame and decides her place must be at an abbey. But Bowen is patient and gentle in a way she never expected, and he soon has her longing for a different future.
When Bowen captures an enemy keep in his brother’s name he is wholly surprised by his level of interest in the wounded, enigmatic Genevieve. Her beauty and strength captivate him, but he knows he must be incredibly patient with her after all she’s endured. As he falls rapidly in love with Genevieve, Bowen realizes that her happiness won’t be complete without freedom to make her own choices, even if it comes at the expense of his own contentment.
I love all things Highlander, but this book wasn’t quite as good as its predecessor. Some of the dialogues grew repetitive, especially in descriptions of the characters’ thoughts and circumstances. This also featured a pet peeve of mine: the third act separation of the hero and heroine, and the reason for them coming back together (as of course we knew they would) annoyed me. I wish they’d been willing to act on their misery without each other rather than needing an outside catalyst to return them to each other. I loved Bowen as a hero and his treatment of Genevieve was just the sweetest. It was nice to see a heroine with issues the hero helps her work through as we typically only get the reverse with a tortured hero. I do wish we’d gotten more enumeration from Genevieve on her feelings for Bowen. I especially enjoyed the side characters and the bit of bonding we saw between Bowen and Teague Montgomery and Brodie Armstrong. I was also really shipping Brodie and Taliesan so I’m hoping that will be revisited eventually and that we’ll learn more of the fate of the spiteful MacHughs if we ever get the long-awaited continuation of this series. This was a strong story with a sweet relationship between the hero and heroine but more of that development could’ve been shown on the page rather than the reader learning of it later.
Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspot.com/2021/03/highlander-most-wanted-by-maya-banks.html
Banks writes wonderful Highlanders!
Another re-read. I could read this book every few months I think.
First read in 2012. This is a book/series that I could read again and again. Genevieve is a victim of horrible abuse. She was abducted on her way to marry and kept prisoner for two years. She suffered through rape and physical abuse, however she never loses her pride and dignity. Bowen fits the description of a true hero. He and the Armstrong/Montgomery clans attack the McHugh castle in an act of revenge against the McHugh clan. The hateful McHugh clan members label Genevieve as a whore and Bowen believes it. With that said, he never mistreats her or belittles her. He falls in love with her and defends her against his own laird. He is willing to give up all for his love. It’s a beautiful love story with a strong heroine and a hero that is warm, tender and supportive of the woman he loves. I can see myself reading this book again and again when I’m in a book slump
Enjoying this passionate series of romantic novels.
Audiobook: Narrator – Kristen Potter
I swear by all that is holy that this narrator is the absolute BEST for this series as well as the other series located in Scotland. I can’t recommend her or this author’s highland series enough. They were made for each other!
Wow! This story just about broke my heart in two. I remember reading this one years ago and not really enjoying it that much. The only reason I can think of is that I was spoiled by all the Scotland magic I was reading at the time. Too much of anything can become tainted to some degree. With time and distance I realized that I actually loved this story.
This was so angsty, with such a damaged heroine and the beautiful, perfect hero that stood up for her. I swear I wanted to weep at the injustices done to Genevieve. But holy heck, was Bowen just too wonderful! His absolute resolution and determination to protect her from the harsh words and actions hurled at her was the kind of thing I love to see in my heroes.
I don’t want to give anything away, but the steps that are taken to bring about Genevieve’s happiness were actually soul destroying to me! Read/listen and you’ll know why. I love a selfless hero! This is definitely filled with angst, drama, wit, and romance. Highly recommend!
I loved this book! Awesome characters and story. Romantic and steamy!
One of a very great series, this one I had difficulty putting down. Honestly, I generally have difficulty putting down this author’s books, regardless of the genre she is writing.
Highlander Most Wanted was a very good read. There are a few unexpected scene’s I loved.
I love Julie Garwood historical romance books and this series is as good
I read this book and the whole series quite a few years ago before I owned a Kindle. I have all of them and they are on my “to be read again” shelf when ever I get through the long list of ones TBR now. This is a great series and I highly recommend all of them.
This book was not an easy read. The heroine was a tragic figure. She brought her to life and you learn to care and root for her. The hero was such a good man. It was worth the struggle.
Enjoyed this book for fun and relaxing reading.
There was absolutely no room in my TBR to read this, but here we go – I listened (via Scribd) and read this in less than 24 hours. I started it almost immediately after blowing through Never Seduce A Scot and I can’t tell you which one I loved more! Eveline and Genevieve are equalling compelling heroines, Graeme and Bowen are both the best sort of heroes (alpha through and through with a depth of love for their women that is staggering), and the stories were each gripping page-turners. I’m actually sort of happy I caught on to the series so late in the game because it means that I only have to wait a matter of months for Brodie and Taliesan’s story! I’ll just have to read Maya Banks’ other historical fiction series to bide my time meanwhile 🙂 5 out of 5 wine glasses.
This was excellent. I was caught up in everything, lost in the time period, and truly invested in these wonderful and strong characters. Amazing read!
What else do you need to know. Maya Banks, always wonderful.