Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Review and Guest Post: My Highland Bride by Maeve Greyson

My Highland Bride 
by Maeve Greyson
Series:  Highland Hearts #2
Pub. Date:  Aug. 25, 2015
Publisher:  Loveswept
Pages:  298
Format:  eARC
Source:  NetGalley


My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

Perfect for fans of the Highlander novels of Karen Marie Moning and Janet Chapman, Southern sass meets Highland heat in Maeve Greyson’s scintillating new Highland Hearts romance.

With bedroom eyes and racetrack curves, Kenna Sinclair seems like just another pretty Kentucky girl. But she can also read minds, erase memories, and jump through time—a skill set that comes in handy when her matchmaking granny sends her back to thirteenth-century Scotland on the pretext of visiting her older sister. When she encounters the clan’s womanizing man-at-arms, Kenna instantly knows the gorgeous Highlander has only one thing on his mind. She vows to steer clear of him, but after a single electrifying touch, she finds that playing hard to get won’t be quite so easy. . . .

Bewitched by the first lass who could ever resist him, Colum Garrison will do anything to prove his devotion, even ask for Kenna’s hand in marriage—and swear off his chosen form of recreation until their wedding night. It’s a burden for a man of his thunderous appetite, but the sinful temptation is not his alone: Colum’s fetching bride-to-be is practically trembling with anticipation for a moment that can’t come soon enough. When she’s willing, Colum will be ready and waiting—with a love that lasts a lifetime.

Maeve Greyson does a good job at writing light-hearted fun fantastical stories that start in the 21st Century America and end in 13th Century Scotland. My Highland Bride is the second book in the Highland Hearts series. The first book, My Highland Lover, involved the eldest Sinclair sister (Trulie) and her fated husband (Grey) who was chieftan of Clan McKenna.

In this installment, its time for Kenna (the second Sinclair sister) to embrace her fate and travel from present-day Kentucky to the 13th Century Highlands. Of course this matchmaking scheme is all set into motion by the matriarch, Granny Sinclair. Kenna's fated husband is to be Colum Garrision, the man-at-arms for Clan McKenna. And for this couple - its nearly love at first sight... or should I say tingle at first touch!

Kenna is a likable heroine. Although she was resistant to the time travel at first, once she gets to Scotland, she goes all in and decides what she wants straight away. I admired that. Kenna had a hard time balancing her modern feminist type of ideals with the fragile ego and overarching pride of a Scottish warrior. When Colum is reluctant to move their relationship forward (because he is a numpty), Kenna struggles to maintain the status quo instead of taking matters into her own hands.

Colum was an empathetic hero. As soon as he met Kenna, he changed his womanizing ways and sets out to prove that she is the woman for him. But once Kenna is amenable, Colum suddenly feels like he is not quite good enough for her and must better himself before he can offer her marriage. I did not like the wallowing Colum was engaging in and wanted to shake him several times in this book. But other than that, I liked him as a hero and empathized with his plight of wanting to give Kenna the world.  But like I said... he was an addlepated numpty more than a few times!

Unfortunately Colum and Kenna's plans to get the other to acquiesce to their desires blows up right in their faces. A new character comes into the story as an antagonist, and foils everyone's best laid plans. I don't want to say too much about that part of the plot because I don't want to spoil anything - but part of it was heartwrenching. And this new character, Laird Sutherland, promises to be an interesting character in the next book, My Tempting Highlander (expected pub. Feb. 2016). I am very excited to see Sutherland matched with another Sinclair sister and see what fate has in store for them!

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

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No one has the power to shatter your dreams unless you give it to them. That’s been Maeve Greyson’s mantra since she was a girl. When she’s not at the full time day job at the steel mill, Maeve’s writing romances about sexy Highlanders and the women who tame them. Tucked away in a five acre wood, Maeve listens to the wind singing through the trees and hears her characters telling their stories. Her work is proofed by her sharp-eyed dog, Jasper, and her greatest supporter is her long suffering husband of over thirty-five years who’s learned not to throw away any odd sticky notes filled with strange phrases.


Special Guest Post from Maeve Greyson


You get back whatever you send out…

I’m a big believer in Karma and the law of attraction.  So much so that there have been times that I’ve prayed I’ll live long enough to witness Karma giving certain folks a rib-cracking squeeze until they choke. Yes—I know that’s not nice but I just can’t help myself sometimes. I’m still a work in progress. But most of the time, I do my very best to always send out what I wish to receive.

Usually, a smile, a kind word and genuine interest in someone else’s plight makes life move along better. Occasionally, I’ll run across a terminally bitter soul. When they snap and snarl at me, I’ll tell them I’m sorry they’re having a rough day and I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. After all, who knows what personal demons they’re battling?

Of course—there’s always that one person that you just can’t reach. I had one such individual fix me with a squinty-eyed, go-to-hell look and inform me in no uncertain terms that she was not having a bad day. Silently, I responded with, “Oh. So you’re just a bitch.” Vocalizing that might’ve made me feel better about her treatment of me but admittedly, it probably wouldn’t have improved her mood.

So outwardly, I smiled and informed her I was glad to hear it—especially when at that exact moment the coffee cup on her desk happened to tip over and dump in her lap making quite the brown splash all over her very nice pair of white slacks. I swear I didn’t do it. But I couldn’t help but think she’d gotten back exactly what she’d sent out.

In My Highland Bride, my heroine Kenna has to learn just such a lesson. When you plot a bit of chaos to make things go your way—you sometimes get back more chaos than you can handle.

What about you? Do you believe you get back whatever you send out?




Highland Hearts Series


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