In a spellbinding new Highlands story from New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands, the laird of the Buchanans finds the one woman who is his equal in passion and courage Aulay Buchanan has retreated to his clan’s hunting lodge for a few days of relaxation. But the raven-haired beauty he pulls from the ocean puts an end to any chance of rest. Though he christens her Jetta, she knows … to any chance of rest. Though he christens her Jetta, she knows nothing of her real identity, save that someone is trying to kill her. As she recovers, it will not be easy for Aulay to protect her and keep her honor intact when she mistakenly believes they are man and wife…
Jetta sees beyond Aulay’s scars to the brave, loyal warrior she’s proud to call her own. But as the attempts on her life grow more brazen, Jetta realizes that not all is as she believes. And if Aulay is not her husband, can she trust the desire flaring in his eyes, or his promise to defend her with his life?
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Series: Highlanders #6
Publication Date: 6/26/18
It isn’t turning out to be a good day in the neighborhood for Laird Aulay Buchanan in this lovely, well-written new book in the Highlanders series. The story is delightful, the characters are wonderful and relatable and the romance is sigh-worthy. You’ll giggle and laugh-out-loud at Aulay’s brothers and sister and their families. They are in-your-face, interfering and wildly loving and supportive of each other. It is a family we’d all love to have as our own.
The anniversary of the death of Aulay’s twin brother and Aulay’s wounding/scarring is fast approaching. Aulay always goes into a weeks-long black funk depression around that time, so he’s decided he’ll seek solitude at his hunting lodge so he doesn’t have to deal with people trying to cheer him up. He really wanted to be alone, but his younger brother, Alick wanted to tag along. Alick’s version of resting and relaxing was wenching and drinking and was surprised to learn that Aulay’s version was fishing and relaxing. Alick decided to go anyway, but only for a couple of days.
As they head out into the ocean on their fishing boat they see something large floating on the surface. As they maneuver the boat toward the object, they determine it is the main mast and the crow’s nest from a ship – and – wait – there is a body roped to the mast. Aulay groans inwardly because he really doesn’t want to remove a bloated dead body and then have to take care of burial, etc. Then, the woman opened her eyes, showing she was very much alive and – she thinks Aulay is an angel.
Aulay questions the lass trying to determine who she is so he can notify her family. Then she says “Nay, he’ll kill me.” Then she mumbled something about a cat, a white lady, a betrothed who wasn’t a betrothed but she was being forced to marry and that he had killed his first wife. Some of that will become clear as you read the book, but other parts will remain muddy. I never like muddy, I always think if you are going to say it, explain it. You are left to infer a number of things. The important stuff is clear – and the rest, while it bugged me, certainly didn’t detract from my enjoyment. I’d tell you more about it, but it would give too much away.
The woman slips into unconsciousness again and Aulay and Alick take her to the hunting lodge to care for her. Aulay sends for a maid and his brother Rory who is a healer. She is beautiful – raven hair, green eyes and alabaster skin. She needs a name, so Rory decides to call her Jetta after her jet black hair. Aulay cares for Jetta himself – something about her calls to him. Then, weeks later, when she regains consciousness, she has no memory – none – she doesn’t know who she is, where she came from or why she was on that ship. When she believes that Aulay is her husband, they let her continue thinking that.
Aulay and Jetta draw closer and closer and things start to happen – a young maid is shot with an arrow, a dog is poisoned and Jetta is pushed down the stairs. Are they separate unrelated incidents?
There are twists, turns and surprises galore in this book. You couldn’t ask for a better read with a delightful, funny and engaged family and a heroine who is sweet, intelligent and brave. Then, there is Aulay – he is the sweetest, most caring wonderful hero I have read in a very, very long time.
I highly recommend the book.
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”
Highlander’s Promise by Lynsay Sands is book Six in the Highland Brides series. This is the story of Aulay Buchanan and Jetta. I have read (and Loved!) the other books in this series, but feel you can make this a standalone book.
Aulay has visible scar on his face that turns women and children away from him. Aulay received the scar the same time his twin brother was killed. Even though Aulay has several other brothers and one sister he still feels the lost. When he goes to be by himself to fish and relax he finds his little brother has tagged alone. They happen to find ‘Jetta’ who has no memory and is in bad shape. Since the brother’s don’t know her name they nickname her “Jetta’ because of her jet black hair. When Jetta wakes up she assumes that Aulay is her husband and his other brother who is a healer tells him to not say anything to upset her so he lets her assume its turn. Aulay is quickly drawn to her beauty but more so in the fact that she looks at him as a man and does not see the scar. But danger is after Jetta and Aulay will do anything to protect her.
Books like Ms. Sands make you wish that you can give it a rating of 100 stars instead of just 5 stars. Ms. Sands brings romance, humor and a great story together with her writing.
Loved this book!
Laird Aulay Buchanan’s day is not going as expected. He felt a black mood coming and set out to his hunting lodge for some time alone, but his younger brother Alick has tagged along. Aulay reiterates that he is going fishing – nothing more. Alick is disappointed (he was hoping fishing meant drinking and wenching), but decides to stay for a couple of days anyway. They take a boat out on the ocean and Alick spots something – it looks like a ship mast. They get closer and discover a woman tied to the mast. They cut her free and are shocked that she is alive. She wakes and looks at Aulay, he prepares himself for the inevitable scream of horror when she sees his scarred visage. But she surprises him by asking if he is an angel. He asks if she has family they should notify and she gets upset and babbles about a cat, a white lady and betrotheds who are not her betrothed killing their first wife and now will kill her. Aulay promises to keep her safe and will not alert anyone until she is well. He asks her name, but she has passed out. That is when he sees the blood. They rush back to the lodge and he sends Alick to get Rory and a few of his other brothers.
She is wounded and Rory doesn’t expect her to live, he shaved part of her head to treat the wounds and leaves her in Aulay’s care. He spends the next few weeks nursing her back to health. He has been calling her Jetta, because of her beautiful black hair, but he longs to know who she is, because she is the first woman to look upon him without horror since he got the injury in the same battle that took his twin brother Ewan. She wakes and believes that Aulay is her husband, she has no memory of her past and when she tries to remember, it causes her extreme pain and she passes out. Rory tells Aulay to play along, he doesn’t want her to get upset or be frightened. Aulay agrees, but his attraction to her makes it hard to keep his distance. Especially when Jetta doesn’t understand why her “husband” won’t bed her.
Slowly, Jetta heals, but has not remembered much more than a few trifling bits of her previous life. She and Aulay spend a lot of time together and she tells him how lucky she is to have him for a husband. When he is called back to the castle to investigate the shooting of a maid, Jetta learns more about his past. Aulay longs to return to Jetta, but he owes Katie, the maid justice. His attempts to discover who Jetta really is have turned up nothing and he wonders what will happen if she learns they are not really married. Will she leave him? His uncle points out that his family has descended on the lodge and she will soon be brought to the keep – if she calls him husband and he calls her wife, they will be in fact married. But Aulay doesn’t want to trick her, he will have to tell her the truth.
Jetta and Mavis are at the lodge and are upset over the death of Robbie’s dog when Saidh, Edith, Murine and Jo all converge on the lodge. The ladies wanted to meet Jetta and they all love her – they want her to be married to “her sweet Aulay” and if Saidh has anything to do with it – she will. They take her back to the keep and Aulay is worried that she will inadvertently announce they are married and takes her right up to their room. He leaves her to rest and goes back to his family. They all think he should keep her and the ladies go up to get her dressed. When she finally comes down, she is pushed and tumbles down the stairs. They are unable to find the person who pushed her, so Aulay orders a guard on her. Later over dinner, she remembers more and Aulay’s secret is out. She is upset, but when he very sweetly proposes, she accepts.
They marry and when they slip away to consummate their vows, another attempt is made on her life. Worried for her, he confines her to their chamber. But later sees her sneaking into his brother Niels’ room and propositioning him – Aulay is devastated, he believed her words of love and feels like a fool. But soon he realizes, not all is as it seems but can he save her before the viper in their midst gets to her!
You just can go wrong with a Lynsay Sands Highlander novel, they are a perfect blend of humor, action and steamy love scenes. I loved this book and cannot wait for the next installment in the series. Even though this is the sixth book in the series, but it can absolutely be read as a stand alone title with no problems and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an UNCORRECTED eARC that was provided to me by Edelweiss and the publisher*
The Highlander’s Promise was entertaining from beginning to end. It included one of my favorite tropes of the scarred hero who finds love unexpectedly. In this case Highlander,Aulay Buchanan had a hugh scar on his face from the war and had been rejected by his betrothed when he returned. But fate has a way of stepping in and while out one day with his brother, they found a mysterious woman washed up on the shore and in terrible shape. She had lost her memory, except she knew someone was trying to kill her and they began calling her Jetta. Of course, Jetta assumed Aulay was her husband and the story takes off from there. There is a mystery to be solved as far as Jetta’s actual identity and who is trying to cause her harm. Full of many twist and turns with a budding romance, this story was delightful with moments of humor and a lot of wonderful characters with the Buchanan brothers and their spouses. Aulay was such a wonderful guy and he and Jetta fit well together. I have not read all of the books in this series, but this can be read as a standalone. I have always enjoyed stories by Lynsay Sands and this is no exception!!
Enthralling!
Great characters, entertaining dialogue, and emotional scenes of love and laughter fill this story. Of course, there was also a mystery to solve. I was so happy Aulay found his match in Jetta. He was a bit of a tragic figure in the previous books in this series. His story is my favorite.
4.5 stars
Feeling a bit depressed at the anniversary of his twin brother’s death, Laird Aulay Buchanan escapes to his clan hunting lodge to fish and relax for a few days. On his first trip out to sea, Aulay rescues a beautiful woman who briefly tells him someone wants her dead and promptly slips into unconsciousness. Seeing to her care puts paid to his relaxation and when she finally awakens with no memory, Aulay and his family call her Jetta and agree to help keep her safe from whoever is trying to kill her. Keeping her safe becomes all the more complicated when Jetta wakes and mistakenly assumes Aulay is her husband.
Not wanting to traumatize her any more, Aulay doesn’t correct Jetta right away, especially as she seems to be unfazed by the gruesome scar across his face that sends most ladies running. Aulay begins to wish their pretend marriage were real, but doesn’t know how to make that happen without jeopardizing her healing. When attempts on Jetta’s life grow more serious, she begins to gain snippets of memory and realize her assumptions about her life are incorrect, leaving her to question whether she can trust Aulay to protect her and if she really belongs with him.
In typical Sands style this book had a lot going on. I’m a sucker for a scarred hero and I adored Aulay. He was so sweet and adorable and his interactions with Jetta were both charming and rather comical. My only complaint here was the number of stupid decisions made by Aulay and his brothers/family in several situations with regards to the murderous attacks on Jetta. I caught myself yelling at the narrator as I listened to this on my commute. Nonetheless, this was a high quality narration, a story that held my attention, and overall a satisfying Highlander romance for me.
I don’t know how she does it. The Highland Brides books are so funny and so romantic at the same time. Love them!!
Another great book by Lindsay Sands. One of best books with steamy characters and a great romantic story.
I have been provided with a review copy of The Highlander’s Promise through Edelweiss for an impartial review. This is the sixth book in the Highland Brides series and each book can be read as a standalone title. I just absolutely loved this book and getting to see these characters again. This series has just been fantastic. They just keep getting better and better. You just lose yourself in each character’s lives and I just couldn’t put it down. This book features Aulay Buchanan and we get to meet a new character in Jetta. I just loved getting to see them come together and figure everything out. I can’t wait to see what next for this series.
Good book. I’ve been looking forward to Aulay’s story, and it did not disappoint. Aulay is the oldest of the Buchanan’s and laird of the clan. Several years earlier he was badly scarred in a battle that also killed his twin brother. On his return, his fiancée refused to marry him because of the scar. Since then, Aulay has resigned himself that no woman would want him and instead devoted himself to caring for his family and clan. As the anniversary of the battle approached, Aulay planned to get away for a few days where his black mood wouldn’t affect others, and his well-meaning family wouldn’t try to cheer him up. He wasn’t able to escape completely, as youngest brother Alick decided to tag along. I had to laugh at Alick’s dismay when he discovered that Aulay’s definition of relaxing was fishing, not drinking and wenching.
Aulay’s plans to relax went out the window almost immediately. While out fishing on the ocean, he and Alick came across a woman tied to a ship’s mast and floating in the water. In a brief moment of consciousness, she called Aulay her angel and muttered something about someone who wanted to kill her. When she finally regained consciousness, she could not remember who she was or anything about her life. However, she believes that she and Aulay are man and wife.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Aulay and Jetta. He was caught between a rock and a hard place for most of it. His brother, the healer, insisted that Aulay go along with the deception, believing that telling her the truth could hinder her recovery. But the growing attraction between them made it difficult for Aulay to do the honorable thing. I liked Jetta. Aulay’s scar never bothered her from the very beginning; she actually believed that it made him better looking. Instead of the monster he believed himself to be, Jetta thought he was the kindest, most considerate man in the world. I ached for Aulay. Underneath the surface of the laird was a vulnerable man who wished for a woman who wanted him for himself. He wanted what he had with Jetta to be real. I loved the time they spent together, which was sometimes sweet and simple, and other times hot enough to scorch the pages. Aulay also knew that he had to tell Jetta the truth before she learned it on her own, but he was also afraid of how it would affect them. When the truth did come out, I loved how the less-than-eloquent Aulay tried to find the words to tell Jetta how he felt.
There was some suspense added to the book by the question of who wanted Jetta dead. When a look-alike Buchanan clanswoman was shot, it became clear that Jetta was in immediate danger. I loved how the Buchanans rallied around her, joining forces to protect Jetta and discover who was behind the attacks. The tension increased as the attacks escalated and Jetta had flashes of memory return. The final confrontation had several unexpected twists, as the villain made their move. I especially enjoyed how Aulay figured out who it was, though it took him a few minutes longer than it should have. The intensity of the final scene was incredible and had me glued to the pages until it was over. I loved that it was Saidh who saved the day.
Fantastic story. Romance, mystery, and several twists and turns. Good, unexpected ending. Lots of smiles included in the story – I will never look at bread and carrots the same way again!
Anything she writes….
Loved the characters,but sometimes they could be irritating.
Lynsay Sands’s The HIGHLANDER’s PROMISE is a well written historical novel located in Scotland. Aulay and his youngest brother go fishing. Their restful day on the water is cut short by an unconscious lady floating on top of a mast of a ship. Will she survive her injuries? Where did she come from? Where is the ship? Danger and intrigue are woven into this woman’s story.
Loved it!
Fun. Have continued with series.
The main man was a little different in his thought process in this one. I still enjoyed it though.
Love this author. All her books are excellent!
We finally have Auley’s story! We have been waiting, well I have been waiting since I first started to read about the Buchanon’s starting with Saidh and I was happy that Lynsay continued to write about her brothers, but I was anxiously waiting for Auley’s turn, 1. he was the Buchanon Laird, 2 he was always so sweet and great that I wanted him to get his love story and he did with Jetta and she was worthy of his love. Grab a copy and enjoy!
I am loving this series!! The characters are popping out of the page and the story just flowed. I look forward to learning about the rest of the brothers!