The key to his past… …lies with the enemy sharing his bed! Part of The Lochmore Legacy: a Scottish castle through the ages! Rory Lochmore had expected to wage battle, to claim land and finally secure his standing within his clan… Instead he won a wife. A McCrieff wife. Their convenient marriage could unite the two long-feuding clans forever. But can a political alliance give way to a … give way to a passion strong enough to stand the secrets of the past?
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Oh, my. Secrets of a Highland Warrior blew me away. I don’t know what I expected when I opened this book, but what I got was wonderful writing, believable characters and an intriguing plot. Nicole Locke is a gifted writer. Her words took my breath away, and had me imagining myself in this story. I could feel the emotions deep within myself as I read. I haven’t had this kind of reaction to a story in quite a while.
This story took me on a whirlwind of a journey. The plot is magnificent and I could not put this book down. The descriptive writing had me glued to the pages as I felt all the emotions of our characters. I am so in awe, I’m having trouble writing this review. This is one of those stories you really need to read for yourself.
Secrets of a Highland Warrior has left a mark on my heart, and I will continue to praise it and get people to read it. Prepare yourself for a story you will feel you’re a part of. Just incredible! Highly recommended!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of a blog tour with Rachel’s Random Resources. All opinions are my own.*
Find this review and more on my blog: https://www.jessicabelmont.wordpress.com
I found this book totally engaging. The attraction between Rory Lochmore and Ailsa McGrieff was honest and straight forward and because of that, there was less tension on them and more on the secrets and lies around them. A strong couple who find their way to stay together. Nice epilogue!
A free copy from the author for an honest review.
I try to read the books as near to the post day as possible, so I can have them fresh on my mind while writing my review. I finished the book yesterday and my mind is still living in that world! This is my first book from Nicole Locke, and I must say that that I love what I’ve read! Even though this book is the 4th in the series, it can be read as a standalone; I haven’t read the previous ones and I could keep up with the story just fine.
The McCrieffs and the Lockmore have been enemies for nearly a century. Each clan has its own version for what happened all these years ago and the animosity is palpable every time the clans cross paths.
Rory is the Lockmore’s Chief’s son. He’s been trying all his life to make his father proud of him and prove him that he’s worthy of his family. That’s the reason he finds himself crossing the borders to enemy territory, to claim the land the King took from the McCrieffs and gave to the Lockmores. What he doesn’t anticipate is the turn of events from that time on.
Ailsa is the McCrieff clan healer and the Tanist’s daughter. Her father is in charge of the clan, since their Chief is ill and bedridden. Her feelings toward the Lockmores are not the best because they killed her friend. She’s fierce, outspoken and feels for anyone that needs her help. She’s my favorite kind of heroine!
Neither Rory nor Ailsa could predict her father’s plan. Rory came to claim a piece of land and instead got himself a wife and a whole lot of mess! They both fight their arrange marriage at first, but Ailsa wields to spare more bloodshed between their clans.
This book was a true roller coaster. The plot is full of twists and turns and will grip you from the first chapter till the last. Nicole Locke gives us a story laced with lies, deceit and hidden agendas. Nothing is what is seems and everyone has plans you won’t see coming until they are upon you. If you are looking for a historical romance with a splash of mystery, then this book is definitely for you!!
The year is 1293 and Rory Lochmore is the son of the chief of Clan Lochmore. Their lands are separated from the McCrieff’s by a single stream, one too thin to keep them from constantly drawing their swords. Rory is eager to prove his worth yet again by claiming the land given to them by the king, but a pair of deep, green eyes catch him off guard. Yet he’s not one to be swayed by a pretty face, until he’s made an offer he can’t refuse.
Ailsa McCrieff is the healer for her clan and the daughter of the next chief. When her father inherits the title, he’ll also be inheriting generations of hatred between the McCrieffs and the Lochmores, but he has a plan to mend the strife…have Ailsa marry Rory. She’s horrified at the thought of being tied to a savage, despite his handsomeness, but she knows it could be the only way to save lives.
There’s nothing more then animosity and physical attraction between them, not a great start to a marriage. But the fates of both their clans rest on their shoulders and only a wedding will stop the bloodshed. Can they come together to make a true match, or are they doomed to lives of misery?
While this is book four in the Lochmore Legacy Series, it’s the only book I’ve read. While I did feel that I missed out on some backstory and a few tidbits what would have made reading much smoother, it wasn’t anything crazy. I would suggest starting with book one, as you should with all good series, but I enjoyed myself immensely, even by starting at the end.
Ailsa was a fantastic character. Her tongue was just as sharp as the shears she used for cutting herbs and she wasn’t one to be meek and obey. She’s really makes the marriage happen by seeing Rory see reason and I liked how she wasn’t just a swooning lass. Their relationship was also a pleasure to follow, as they went through not only newlywed growing pains, but found a way to trust that the other wouldn’t stab them in their sleep!
I also found the historical side to be very believable. If you’re not familiar with me, or the blog, you won’t know that I’m a historian and nothing ruins a historical book for me than blatant mess ups. For example, many people will write books set in Scotland and throw kilts around like confetti, despite using the wrong tartan or having the time period set before kilts were even a thing! It’s silly, but having Locke not throw Rory into a kilt was fabulous.
Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it to all historical romance lovers.
Secrets of a Highland Warrior was a phenomenal historical Scottish romance! It’s a tale of a marriage of convenience that becomes so much more.
Two clans, feuding through the ages, both drowning in secrets and deceit. Two strong and independent individuals, willing to sacrifice their own happiness to try and do what is right for their clans by mending the feud.
I really loved these characters and how perfectly matched they were for one another. Watching them struggle with what they feel is right while also discovering their feelings for one another was a beautiful adventure . . . especially as they navigated the tangled web of clan secrets waiting to tear apart their newfound relationship and uneasy truce.
If you are a fan of highland romance, this book is truly a gem! 5 stars.
The stillness of the villagers as Rory and his warriors rode to the McCrieff castle was almost his undoing. Today was the day he would prove himself to his father. That he deserved to be chief when the time came. The Lochmore’s had been granted McCrieff land across the river that seperated their feuding clans, but no word had come that they intended to hand it over. So Rory led the troups to take what was theirs. But he was met by a man, not the chief, who invited him in for a meal. Unfortunately it seemed a trap and he could see the woman with flame read hair standing in the background. Well so be it..
The man who met Rory was the tanist, or man to next be chief, and the woman standing behind was his daughter, Ailsa, a healer who was keeping the current McCrieff chief alive, for he was on the brink of death. But as Ailsa saw Rory her thoughts were “He was…hugh. Broad of shoulder, his arms twice as thick as any man’s she’d ever seen. She’d always been around warriors, but there was no one like him… this stranger who rode through the gates as if he owned McCrieff Castle. Everything about him screamed of dominance, of power, of ownership.”
Nicole Locke has a true gift in her words and descriptions that had my heart pounding and I could feel the emotions coming off the page and the chain mail slapping against leather. Ailsa’s reaction was to Rory as a man, not just as an enemy as their gazes met. She could see the name mentioned in their exchange was “Rory.” A name she knew from a story.
The surprise was her father wanted Rory to marry her so their clans could be united. What? He marry a McCrieff? The entire exchange as they negotiated and Ailsa finally felt it would save bloodshed was an intense negotiation. I think his desire as a man for her and her strength in her words and actions swayed him because just by them marrying did not mean there would not still be war between their clans.
Wow, I felt part of a whirlwind “watching” this scene play out. My heart went out to these two. Rory had so much emotion, even if he did not show it on the outside. He never felt he deserved to be the next chief. He felt he had to prove himself. So many secrets that needed to come out to heal them and their clans.
This was an intense story, but so satisfying. The descriptive prose truly was brilliant and has made me admire this author even more. “Her hair might have been what caught his eye, but it was the emotion in her eyes that snared him. His eyes kept to hers and he didn’t know when the assessment of each other turned from political to personal, but his body felt it. His soul felt it and he could do nothing to stop it.”
I am sorry if I have rambled but I want to tell the entire story evidently! Yes it had a definite impact on me and I know you will feel the same. Prepare to be engulfed in a story that takes a journey of emotions. But what an ending and epilogue. Just amazing…
Secrets of a Highland Warrior is the fourth and final book in The Lochmore Legacy series by author Nicole Locke. Before I get into the actual review for this book, I first must applaud the authors involved in this series, Janice Preston, Lara Temple, Elisabeth Hobbes and Nicole Locke. It’s been an absolutely fantastic series and I’m saddened to leave these characters behind. Each book has been unique in its story, but yet seamlessly linked with its tie to the Lochmore Legacy. I do hope the authors will be able to continue on with some of the secondary characters or spin-offs of their stories! It would be great to revisit these characters and the settings again. So now on to Rory and Ailsa and a mystery revealed…
Rory Lochmore is the only son of the Lochmore Chief. He travels to McCrieff land to claim what the English King Edward had already granted the Lochmores, a piece of land that their clans have fought over for years. But what he ends up getting is a wife…
Ailsa McCrieff is the McCrieff clan’s only healer. Her father has been elected to be heir apparent to the Chief, the Tanist. When her father offers her for marriage to their sworn enemy, she is shocked and not happy. Can these two sworn enemies, find a way to bring peace to their warring clans?
I knew this was going to be a powerful book and Ms. Locke did not disappoint! With each of the three previous books we’ve been gradually building to this final book, to this couple, and their story. From the very beginning when Rory first sees Ailsa hiding at the top of the stairs, he felt… as if he knew her. At that moment as the reader, you just felt it too! That the power and the pull between these two was uncontrollable, undeniable, and meant to be. I absolutely loved Rory. He’s a warrior, raised to be leader of his clan. But yet you see the vulnerability in him, from secrets in his past. The pull he feels towards Ailsa is disturbing to him at first, but yet he can’t help it. Ailsa was such a strong character. She’s headstrong, stubborn & determined and like no woman Rory has ever known. Together these two work to trust each other, to unite their clans and work toward a future together.
Ms. Locke has done an exceptional job of tying all the pieces together, solving the mystery and giving us a beautifully written love story to last a lifetime and beyond, for always! With an absolutely perfect epilogue from author Janice Preston, this series has now come full circle. It’s been a pleasure and a joy to read this series, perfection from beginning to end. Bravo ladies and dare we ask encore…
Excellent conclusion to the series, as the last pieces of the puzzle begun in the first book are revealed. The year is 1293, and there have already been generations of hostility between the Lochmores and McCrieffs. Now that the English king granted a piece of the McCrieff’s land to the Lochmores, it is time to claim that land. After months of their missives being ignored, Rory Lochmore, heir to the clan chief, is on the way to confront the leader of the McCrieffs. Fully expecting to meet resistance, Rory is deeply disturbed by the lack of it.
Rory has spent all his life trying to prove his worth to his father and feels that successfully handling this matter will go a long way toward doing so. When he arrives at the McCrieff castle he is met by the chief’s second-in-command, the Tanist, as the chief is dying and invited in for a meal instead of a battle. There he discovers that the Tanist is prepared to accede to the king’s demands, under one condition – that Rory marries his daughter, Ailsa.
Ailsa, besides being his daughter, is also the clan’s healer and has been caring for the gravely ill chief. She is beautiful, headstrong, and blunt, and none too happy with her father’s plans. But Ailsa is also very intelligent and loves her people, and after considering the ramifications agrees to the marriage. When Rory’s best friend is poisoned right after the marriage announcement, she must race against time to save him and prevent all-out war.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Ailsa and Rory. Ailsa is no meek and obedient miss but is keenly observant and outspoken when she needs to be. Neither one trusts the other at first, thanks to the long-standing feud between their clans. I thoroughly enjoyed Rory’s reactions to Ailsa’s words, as he is unused to having women speak their minds quite so freely. However, it doesn’t take long for him to appreciate her honesty and inability to beat around the bush. Rory is cautious about the marriage, unsure of his father’s reaction, and tries to keep Ailsa at a distance. This is increasingly difficult, as the sparks between them are impossible to ignore, and when they finally give in, the results are incendiary. But there are obstacles that hold Ailsa and Rory slightly apart. Rory has some deep-seated insecurities stemming from his doubts over his place in his family. Ailsa, who is privy to some explosive secrets learned from the previous healer, suspects that some of what she thought was myth is, in fact, true. I ached for Rory, who hesitated to take Ailsa home, believing that his parents disapproved. There were some tense moments upon their arrival back at Lochmore, with a roller-coaster of emotions as secrets were finally laid to rest. I adored Ailsa’s support of Rory during this time and loved the effect it had on him and his confidence in who he was. It was easy to see how this couple became the legend that they were for both families through the ages.
The epilogue was written by Janice Prescott, author of the first book in the series. It was beautifully done, bringing the story in a full circle. The depth of emotion as Rory and Ailsa were finally reunited was incredible, and I loved seeing how all four couples had a part in it. Lachlan and Flora’s final words were perfect.
Impossible possibilities
A few months before, Edward, the English King, had given some of the McCrieffs’ land to the Lochmores, precious land bordering the stream. And on a spring day of 1293, the two clans were to settle their differences. Rory Lochmore, acting on behalf of his father the clan chief, is ready for battle. Instead, he is met by Frederick McCrieff, the Tanist and heir apparent, and invited to partake in a meal. The clan Chief, Hamish, is gravely ill and tended to by Frederick’s daughter Ailsa, a healer. Ailsa had been kept in the dark about the land dispute, and is shocked when her father announces that she is to marry Rory to bind both clans. Rory is just as stunned as Ailsa; he came here to claim what belongs to the Lochmores by royal decree. He never planned on marrying the enemy, he wants power and control, but he cannot help his visceral reaction to the fiery beauty, and he could think of worse punishments than marrying the healer. Ailsa is a practical woman, she does find Rory terribly attractive, and she reluctantly agrees to the marriage, if only to avoid further unnecessary bloodshed.The marriage was to bring a semblance of peace, but a tragic and inexplicable incident puts everything in jeopardy. Is there someone who wishes the clans to war? Is someone lying? Is there a traitor in the house? Who really benefits from the feud?
The Great Feud had begun many years before and, dear readers, it is a complicated story! There are many secrets, and not only Rory’s. Rory and Ailsa are a most unlikely couple, but destined to be together. I loved Ailsa; she is very outspoken, independent, intelligent, and passionate. All qualities that Rory appreciates, even if she surprises him. Rory is brooding and overall what we have come to expect from a Highland warrior; he is quite the tormented hero. He’s a man of his time, I suppose, but on their wedding night, I thought him quite the boor; not much of a romantic hero there, but there was a method to his madness, and he redeemed himself. But it was an odd wedding night indeed.
I often feel clan wars seem like spoiled children throwing a fit and not letting go because they can’t stand to lose face, but in SECRETS OF A HIGHLAND WARRIOR, we see that there is solid ground for the animosity that has persisted for generations between the Lochmores and the McCriefs. I know I always seem to grumble about some detail, but I found the outrage at Rory being forced to use his right hand disconcerting. Everyone was very strongly encouraged to use their right hand throughout the Middle Ages and beyond, as the left hand was thought to be the hand of the devil. Only in the latter half of the 20th century did it become acceptable to be left-handed. Unless it was different in Scotland. The Lochmore Legacy ends on a high note with a wonderful epilogue written by Janice Preston. All the loose ends are tied up as the epilogue brings the series to a satisfying conclusion.