Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Review: The Highlander Takes a Bride by Lynsay Sands

The Highlander Takes a Bride 
by Lynsay Sands
Series:  An English Bride in Scotland, #3
Pub Date:  July 28, 2015
Publisher:  Avon
Pages:  384
Format:  eARC
Source:  Edelweiss
  

My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

A bold, seductive laird meets his passionate match in a scintillating Highland romance from New York Timesbestselling author Lynsay Sands... 

Sword fighting, swearing, and riding astride come naturally to Saidh Buchanan. Simpering and holding her tongue—definitely not. Raised alongside seven boisterous brothers, Saidh has little interest in saddling herself with a husband... until she glimpses the new Laird MacDonnell bathing naked in the loch. Though she's far from a proper lady, the brawny Highlander makes Saidh feel every inch a woman.

She has an angel's looks, a warrior's temper, and seeks out his kisses with wanton eagerness. Little wonder that Greer is intrigued by his comely guest. When reckless desire overtakes them, he's more than willing to make an honest woman of her. But Saidh is the target of a hidden enemy, and Greer faces the battle of his life to safeguard the woman he wants above all others.


I enjoyed this historical Scottish romance from Lynsay Sands. It was entertaining and well-written, particularly the Scottish dialect.  I didn't realize it was a the third book in the series when I picked this up, so it made me go back and read the earlier books.

I absolutely adored the heroine, Saidh (even though I don't know how to pronounce her name). She is not a simpering female in the slightest. I think I would have probably been a lot like her if I lived during the time period. I definitely would have preferred riding astride, climbing trees and sword fighting to sitting around darning socks. Saidh was the perfect match for Greer, the mercenary turned laird. He respected her abilities and didn't try to curb her tomboy behavior. In fact, they encouraged the outrageous behavior in one another.

I also really liked the secondary and tertiary characters in this book... namely Saidh's seven brothers and the lady friends we met briefly in the beginning of the story. I hope we see some of their brothers get their own book, particularly Aulay.

There was a bit of suspense, but that aspect seemed familiar. I have read another highlander book with a similar plot of murder and mayhem. Though here, the betrayal caught me by surprise... I didn't see it coming until almost the end.

If you are looking for a light fun fluff read, don't pass this one up.  I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.



About the Author


LYNSAY SANDS is the nationally bestselling author of the Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series, as well as numerous historicals and anthologies. She’s been writing stories since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there’s occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus. Please visit her on the web at www.lynsaysands.net.


Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads



Giveaway

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Excerpt


“A lady does no’ climb trees.”

“Ye’ve told me that three times now, lad,” Saidh responded dryly, shifting her foot up to the next branch and hauling herself upward.

“Aye, but ye’re still doing it, so I thought mayhap ye had no’ heard me,” Alpin said sharply. When she didn’t respond to that, he added, “I could climb up there to pick the apples and throw them down, ye ken.”

“Then there would be no one to catch them,” Saidh pointed out.

“I was thinking mayhap ye could stay below and catch them, as a lady should,” he said, sounding much put upon.

Saidh plucked the apple she’d been climbing to and glanced down to see where the boy was before dropping it in his direction. Once Alpin had caught it, and set it with the others they’d already gathered, she started to climb down and asked, “Just how old are ye, Alpin?”

“Nine,” he said proudly.

“Hmmm,” she muttered, easing down another branch. “Ye act ninety.”

“Laird MacDonnell says the same thing,” Alpin announced with disgust.

“Then we are in agreement,” Saidh said cheerfully, easing down another branch.

“I suspect the two o’ ye would agree on a lot o’ things,” Alpin said sounding annoyed.

“I suspect yer right,” Saidh said with a laugh and jumped to the ground. She took a moment to brush her hands together, then released her skirt from where she’d caught it up and stuck it through her belt for the climb, then beamed at the boy and said, “Is that no’ nice?”

“Nay,” Alpin assured her heavily. “I’m thinking ’tis a bad thing.”

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “Why is that?”

“Because ye both just go about doing as ye wish with little regard fer how a laird or lady should behave,” he said firmly. “Someone needs to take the two o’ ye in hand and teach ye—What the devil are ye doing now?” he interrupted himself to ask with dismay when Saidh moved over to the apples, caught her skirt up and knelt to begin placing the apples in the bag-type affair she’d made of her skirt.

An English Bride in Scotland Series

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