Monday, January 14, 2019

Review - Laird of the Black Isle

Author:  Paula Quinn
Series:  Highland Heirs #3
Genre:   Historical Romance
Publisher:   Forever
Format:  Kindle
No. of Pages:  400 
Date of Publication:  May 29, 2018
My Rating:  5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:
This Highlander will risk everything to find his daughter...

Lachlan MacKenzie has nothing left to lose since his wife and daughter were killed. But when a shadowy figure reveals his little girl might still be alive, Lachlan will do whatever it takes to find her—even abduct a lass from the MacGregor clan for an exchange. Being caught would mean certain death. But the laird of the Black Isle won't let anything—or anyone—interfere with his mission...not even his beautiful, stubborn captive.

Even his heart

All Mailie MacGregor wants is to return home to her family. And the Highland beast who captured her can go to the devil. Her plan: to thwart him at any cost and win her freedom. But she never expected to be so drawn to the fierce warrior and the desire in his eyes. 


MY THOUGHTS:

Lachlan MacKenzie is a man forced to live a dark life. He lost his wife and daughter two years ago and his world all but ended. Imagine his shock when someone reveals that his daughter may yet be alive. So the action Lachlan takes is something he can indeed live with. He kidnaps Mailie MacGregor. He is promised information about his daughter if he is willing to trade Mailie. She is not a quiet little mouse who simply accepts capture, even if it means that Lachlan might never get news about his daughter - good or bad.

Lachlan is more than shocked at his reaction to his captive. Mailie appeals to him on a level that is beyond his understanding. By the same token, Mailie is enthralled by Lachlan, despite him being her captor. As a reader, for a moment I was just wondering if I was going to "enjoy" reading a book where the heroine might fall in love with the hero. With an excellent plot and superb writing, the believability factor was extremely high. There is no doubt in my mind that the author excels in this genre. I was rooting for these two to fall in love. Of course, this is a historical romance - romance being the key word - so we know the conflict must be resolved.

What I will leave for the reader of this review that might want to get a copy of this book or series is to see for themselves how marvelously this is done. Therefore, I almost don't know what to say in this review at this point. What didn’t I like about this book? Not much. What did I like? I loved Mailie - her strength, compassion and capacity for love was beyond beautiful. Lachlan and his broken heart just melted my very own. Seeing his transformation was gratifying. Lily and Will really added a wonderful layer to a formula that was already beyond exceptional. Needless to say, of the four Paula Quinn books I've read so far, Laird of the Black Isle is certainly my favorite.

I have just read the first two books and this series, A Highlander's Christmas Gift and The Scot's Bride, and before writing this review, I devoured the following book in this series, Highland Ever After. All I can say at this point is that I will be reading the entire MacGregor and MacGregor Heirs series, which is several books in all. 

Review Links



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I made it! I'm finally here! My first book, Lord Of Desire, will hit the bookshelves August, 2005.

It's been a long road.

I've always loved stories. I was fortunate to have a mother who not only read to me, but made up tales of her own. My luck continued as I grew up. Fourth grade was one of my favorite years as a student. Some things you just never forget, like Sister Joseph Anne and her original stories about the adventures of Jane and Fifi at Avocado Green. I could have sat at my desk for the next ten years and listened to her.

When I was eleven I had the supreme audacity (and confidence) to submit my own masterpiece, a short story, to a science fiction house. To my disbelief and dismay, my story was rejected. Not one to be disillusioned by a mere, We're sorry, but this is CRAP, I submitted yet another manuscript, this one a full length paranormal. Rejected again. What did they know, anyway?

It didn't stop me from writing. I wrote poems, plays, and short stories. But I never submitted any of them again. They were the children of my loins! (Sure I thrived on the dramatic, but doesn't every pre-teen?) I couldn't bear having someone critique them.

An avid reader, I read The Exorcist and Jaws before the movies came out. After all, what could a producer show me on screen that could compare with my imagination?)

My favorite genre in reading was science fiction, but something was always missing. Enter my other first love. When I was fourteen I met the boy who would become my husband. By then, I was already a hopeless romantic, (I just didn't know it yet) so the poor guy didn't stand a chance. Then one day he kissed me. Aha! That's what had been missing from my library! A knee-melting, heart-accelerating kiss! I bought myself a black and white composition notebook and poured my heart out into sonnets, which I read to my sweetheart while he yawned. But who cares if I brought him close to unconsciousness? I had found my niche! Romance, ah, sweet, scintillating romance! Life made sense. I finally understood why I always had to have a Ken doll to go along with my Barbie.

Happiness. Bliss.

Then reality came a' knocking. I wrote because I loved writing. The thought of making it my career hadn't crossed my mind. (And those rejection letters tucked deep beneath my stack of journals, calling out, remember me? Remember me? Well, they didn't help either.) I had to get a job. One that paid real money. My life took a different turn, one that I affectionately call, The Joys And Why Can't You Just Put The Toilet Paper On The Roll Thingie Of Motherhood. Yes, I married my knee-melting kisser of a boyfriend and had three beautiful children and a zoo, complete with a Lhasa Apso, a Chihuahua, a brand new beautiful Cockatoo named Marley, and lots of finches, keets, and fish.

I still wrote. I happily clicked away at my keyboard, page after page, content to share my stories with my mom and my best friend before sealing each manuscript in a colorful plastic envelope and retiring it to my file cabinet. Fortunately, I took them out every so often and read them to my husband late at night, after the kids went to sleep. He never yawned, but he did fall asleep on several occasions.

But he was always my champion. (Would a romance writer marry anything less?) And he convinced me to submit my work.



No comments:

Post a Comment