Customer Reviews

The Hellion and the Highlander

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great-reading book. The romance and developing feelings of the characters are believable. And the author does an outstanding job at capturing the time period and the Scottish brogue of her characters. The scenes flow well and it really keeps your attention. I really can't think of anything negative to say about the book. It's just a great read! Lynsay Sands is now one of my favorite authors (this was the first book of hers that I've read)!

This is the 3rd novel in LS's highland series. 1. Devil of the Highlands 2.Taming the Highland Bride.

Kade is a Scottish warrior on the mend at his good friend's castle in England. Averill has been caring for Kade in between parading around for English lord's hoping to find a husband. But the Englishmen seem to find her..um... charms laking. Kade likes Averill from the beginning but thinks she may be too timid/sensitive to stand up to his drunken brothers and father back at home. (See Taming the Highland Bride for same drunk brothers and father). After a hilarious run in with a portly English lord, Averill unknowingly proves her spunk to Kade and thus he decides they will marry. She on the other hand is not so sure.

Kade makes plans to travel back to Scotland to take over as laird. His father's inebriated ways have turned the castle to ruins and most of the people have fled. Someone has other plans for Kade and is attempting to murder him. Averill and Kade must work together to find the killer and make a life together.

There are some great characters in this book that I look forward to seeing in future books. Look for a brief meeting with Tavis, from Devil of the Highlands. I'm hoping he'll be in an upcoming book. Hopefully as someone's hero. Can't wait for the next one!!!

This book is not too exciting past the first couple of chapters.

The heroine is true to her virginal status. In addition, she lacks self confidence and esteem and I did not conclude that she overcame these emotional issues.

Surely, readers can fall in love with the hero, but based on the heroine's physical and emotional description, I do not see why the hero falls in love with the heroine; other than the fact the he totally loved the stories about the heroine from his captive friend and fellow crusader which also happens to be the heroine's brother.

The only realistic aspect of the book was the fact that the heroine remained true to her virginal character and qualities, but you could not conclude that these two protagonists held long deep desires and passion for one another; they only consummate their marriage and relive the experience at the end of the book due to too many attempts on the hero's life when he initiates romance with his wife (VERY unrealistic for a hero being caught fighting long and hard for years in the crusades and finds himself suddenly and agreeably wed. If he really was in deep passionate love with his new bride as he claims later on in the story, nothing would've kept him apart from continuing his intimacies with her.

The author seemed to have needed to fill up the pages of this book with three attempts on the hero's life and his unending duty to take over as clan laird by setting his father and brothers straight in their drunken lives. The description to this read can only be described as cute and sweet, but not suspenseful and lacking in reality within the time period.

It hit all the right notes, nothing exceptional though.

Avy has got carrot colored hair and a birthmark, small one, that apparently make her the spawn of the devil - marks her as one with a fiery temper and so she's become insecure about herself bc all the english lords refuse to have her as a wife. Her Father, for the brief time he's in the book, struck me as ridiculous. Enough said on that.

Kade is one of the good guys, back from the crusades after being imprisoned and treated as a slave, he's Avy's brother's friend. She takes care of him while he's recuperating. He ends up marrying her.

Some intrigue starts about mid-way through. Not all that intriguing. Kade has A happen, then B, then C, then D. Miraculously never suffering greatly and recuperating fast enough for the next thing to happen. The culprit just confesses. And the book ends.

Nothing new and exciting happens in this genre anymore...I keep picking up more of the same hoping for something better.

As Averill Mortagne tends to her brother Will's wounded friend Kade Stewart she slowly falls in love with him. Averill's fiery red hair and nervous stuttering have turned many suitors away, so she is glad Kade cannot see her due to his injury. Kade can't see Averill, but he likes what he hears and her caring nature stirs him. Kade wants to become Laird of his home so he can stop his drunken father and brothers from further ruining the castle and lands. He takes the beautiful and reluctant Averill for his wife and returns home to find the castle in near ruins and his life being threatened at every turn. Averill soon proves that her spirit is as fiery as her brilliant red hair as she helps him gain everything he always wanted.

Averill is a seductive combination of innocence and passion. She's been misguided by fools who convinced her that she was ugly and unworthy, but Kade saw through all of that before he even regained his sight. He's a good man and an even better husband. His lessons extend beyond teaching Averill to love and accept herself, and they match the intensity of his lessons in passion. Kade wasn't looking for a wife, but Averill became an unexpected and delightful bride, while Averill never thought she'd find a husband who loved and accepted her for who she was. Kade is a wonderful surprise. The Hellion and the Highlander is a story about finding love when you least expect it.

Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

The Hellion and the Highlander has already been adequately summarized by others. I would like to say that I really enjoyed Sands' novel as a first time reader of her writings. I appreciated the fact that the hero and heroine of the story cared about each other throughout the book. Even though circumstances conspired against them, and some of those circumstances were quite amusing, the couple was portrayed as loving towards one another. Enemies created the suspense and conflict. This particular way of creating suspense was a much needed break from some of the medievals I have read lately where the hero was a total crab through the majority of the book. Who falls in love with a verbally abusive jerk? Well, not a concern here. This was a light, amusing read, and though the humorous parts were a bit predictable, Sands has a way with wording that made them work and made them funny. I will definitely be reading another one by this author.

Reviewed at Another Look Book Reviews

Hellion and the Highlander was my favourite of Lynsay Sand's medieval Highland series. There was just something so heartwarming when the talkative Lady Averill nurses the gravely injured Kade back to health.

Lady Averill has red hair and in the English medieval times, red hair superstitiously meant that the person had a devil temper. Couple that with the strawberry birthmark on Averill's cheek, she was turned down for marriage quite a few times.

Kade's injuries left him blind for awhile so all he got to know of Averill was a sweet docile lass that took much care in nursing him back to health. Once Kade gained his site back, he was strongly attracted to her beautiful red hair but wished she had a stronger demeanor. She'd never last in the harsh Highlands as sweet as she was.

One particular night Kade witnessed Averill's hot tempered side and he was a gonner. He immediately asked for her hand in marriage and her father eagerly accepted.

Once back into the Highlands at the Stewart holding, there was trials and obstacles that Averill had to overcome. One was putting up with drunken in laws. It was a tough situation as Kade needed to take over as laird and have his clan accept him. He was gone for many years and the clan was in complete disarray.

As Kade took over as laird of the Stewart Clan, there was someone trying to kill him. It was certainly quite a mystery as there was no obvious villain to point the finger at.

In no time at all, Kade and Averill fell in love but not admitting it to each other. I loved that the couple are married at the beginning of the book and the entire story is of how they fall in love and work as a team. Highly enjoyable.

Teasers - adorable Laddie, wet chemise on horseback, Averill & Evelinde meet, chest of treasure

This was my first Lyndsy Sands book and I was not impressed. While there were some very humorous bits, particularly the new bride's inexperience, the author's character develop was undone by inconsistencies. Careless errors like saying that Gabe talked with Avril while he lay in bed recovering and let later after marrying, his character changed to a man of few words and little conversation. The biggest disappointment was the narrator. I don't think I have ever heard anyone worse!! Voices for the various characters were terrible and not always consistent, intonations were not consistent with the mood of the character. I wouldn't suggest this person continue in the narrator business.

Lynsay Sands never disappoints. She's the kind of author that appeals to all of us who love paranormal romances.

I listened to the first two books as audio books as well as this one. The first was better and I enjoyed it somewhat, but the second and third were clones of the first one. They just had different names and were in different places. By the third book I thought that if I heard she/he "said dryly" I was going to scream. The hero can't respond to the heroine except with a "grunt" or a "growl" (in all three books). At the suspenseful (I use this term loosely) parts of the book, when someone is trying to kill the hero (which happens numerous times in each book) it goes off in a tangent about absolutely nothing for what seems like forever. The whole clan would have been killed if it were actually happening.

I understand the authors attempt to make the villain a surprise but I find it hard to believe that no one would see the bad or evil in them. Maybe I'm naive to think that you wouldn't see just a little of the bad come out at least once. They are amazing actors.

One good thing about these books is that everything works out with no unfinished questions hence the two stars instead of one.

I hate not finishing a book no matter how bad it is and this one was a trial to finish after having listened to the same book three times with a different title. The heroine was in no way a hellion. Although the heroine seems to have common sense at times she still does some pretty stupid things, i.e. the cream.

These are the first books I have read from the author and I hope her other series books are at least a little different from each other.

The narrator did a really good job on all three books. She has a nice voice that I found pleasant to listen to. Of course I know nothing about a Scottish accent, but her Scots accent sounds authentic. I found it very pleasing to listen to.