Customer Reviews

Highland Hero (Scottish Knights)

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Lady Marsi Cargill is looking for a marriage with a love match, not a land acquisition. Her husband must be kind, handsome, and completely faithful and Sir Ivor "Hawk" Mackintosh is all those things. Hawk is only interested in the protection detail he has been assigned not a woman who will not stop talking.

Hawk is assigned by the King the task of protecting James, the 8-year-old boy who is second in line to the throne by hiding him from the castle. The need for protection comes from an obscure relative who has plans to use young Jamie as a chess piece in his goal to control the country. Under the guise of a lady's maid Marsi joins the group to avoid a forced marriage and sees the possibility of getting away with no one the wiser.

The one thing Hawk does not like is talkative women and liars, both of which seem to be character traits of Marsi. Hawk will uncover the truth and figure out what she is up to and keep the young Jamie safe from the predators who are hunting him. The journey they impark on is long, the road they take is treacherous, but to Hawk's surprise the company enchanting. He has his hands full with a young child used to getting his own way, but more so with a sassy woman who every day seems to get deeper under Hawk's skin and giving him over powering urges. Not one to dally with emotional attachments Hawk thinks Marsi has found a way to capture his heart as well as his passion even though he knows better than to ever touch let alone kiss her.

With the enemy in hot pursuit and closing in on them Hawk and Marsi learn to rely on each other more with each passing day especially when a declaration comes out of Marsi' mouth that changes everything. They may be traveling under the most adverse of situations but Hawk and Marsi know they key to solving the problems is staying together and stating the truth. However, will the whole truth help Hawk understand Marsi more or cause him to cast her aside for her lack of honesty?

Amanda Scott dazzles readers with the perfect combination of romance, suspense, and a touch of history. Hawk is as handsome as he is fierce and Marsi is a strong and determined woman who will have her way. Both of them are tough enough to handle anything together.

The hero, Hawk, and the heroine, Marsi, fall in love while on a secret journey across the Highlands in the early 15th century. They travel by foot, by horse and by boat and in none of their travels did Marsi seem to be especially likable. I couldn't see why Hawk was attracted to her beyond her looks. Marsi wasn't particularly warm, funny or open-minded. Instead, she was often high-handed and stubborn.

The "road trip" as plot device has been done many times in romance novels, so it would be great to find some originality in a few aspects of the story. There isn't a ton of originality in Highland Hero (Scottish Knights) but there were some bright spots. The dialogue between characters contained a lot of old-fashioned Scottish words and terms, which helped transport me back in time to the Middle Ages. Also, the descriptions of Scottish castles, inns, food, and clothing seemed very accurate and made the book more interesting. On the whole, I'd give this story a lukewarm recommendation.

In 1402 in Scotland eighteen year old Lady Marsi Cargill refuses to marry for anything but love, but must avoid the vows of an arranged marriage that her guardian the King of Scotland has arranged for her. The dying Queen Annabella tasks her youngest Lady-in-Waiting Marsi to escort the heir to the throne, her seven years old cousin Jamie, to his father the king.

The frail aging King assigns Sir Ivor "Hawk" Mackintosh to bring his son to him. The monarch fears his brother Albany will control the lad once the king joins his late wife. Hawk accompanied by Henrietta Childs and nursery maid Marsi escorts Jamie. As the knight falls in love with the disguised Marsi, the danger mounts from those who either want the heir dead or abducted. To keep the lad safe while on the treacherous journey, Ivor and Marsi pretend to be married, which in Scotland means they are married. When she finally tells her beloved protector that she is cousin to the heir, he becomes irate with her for her deception. However, he knows the mission comes before his contradictory disdain and love for Marsi.

Highland Hero is a deep early fifteenth century Scottish romance starring a strong cast. As always in an Amanda Scott historical the inclusion of real persona and facts enhances the romance; while treachery and betrayal are a normal part of the court. Readers will enjoy the historical romance between Ivor and Marsi as they escort and protect the future king of the Scots while falling in love.

Harriet Klausner

I love the setting of this book. It's 1401 in Scotland. The mother of the future King James just died and the king decided to send the child away for safekeeping. The king cannot stand up to his brother, the Duke of Albany. A trusted knight, Sir Ivor "Hawk" Mackintosh, comes to take care of the prince. The complication is, the prince's cousin, Lady Marsi Cargill, decides to come along also to avoid the Duke of Albany.

Lady Marsi masquerades as a maidservant. She's not very good at it, and pretty soon, Hawk found out. Lady Marsi is smart, spirited, but not always wise. Her mouth tends to ran away before she could think. Hawk is the opposite, which makes them a perfect compliment of each other.

I get to see glimpses of Scotland as the group travels along trying hard to avoid capture by the villainous duke. There are moments of hilarity which makes this book a real pleasure to read. The conversation are witty, the events flow smoothly from one to another. It's very easy to get lost in the prose. Amanda Scott is a wonderful author. She's as engrossing as Jennifer Donnelly in her Rose trilogy, as Eloisa James in her Midnight series, as Paullina Simons in her Bronze Horseman trilogy. (review also published at dgr8mom.com)

Amanda Scott's novel Highland Hero is a delicious tale filled with a wonderfully written heroine named Marsi and a mouth watering hero named Hawk. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I found myself transfixed on the wonderful story line. My only complaint would be some of the moments through out the book seemed a little cliché but for the most part I really enjoyed the book. The beginning of the book is fantastic and really sets the mood up for the rest of the story. Amanda Scott stays true to the year 15th century with her wonderful descriptions and details. The cast of characters are marvelous and add a wonderful color to the overall story. I would highly recommend this book to any lover of Scottish romances or historical romances in general.

I love this author, such good history and romance. Cannot wait to have time during the Holidays to read the books.

HIGHLAND HERO by Amanda Scott is an exciting historical romance set in 1402 Scotland. It is book #2 in the "Scottish Knights" series,but can be read as a stand alone. See "Highland Master'. This is the story of Lady Marsi Cargill and Sir Ivor "Hawk" Mackintosh.Lady Marsi disguises herself as her young cousin's maid to escape an arranged betrothal. Sir Ivor is one of the King's loyal Knight's he summoned to guard and protect his young son. Together Lady Marsi and "Hawk" must protect England,the King's young son, and their new found love. This story has love,passion,danger,secrets, survivial,friendships,highlanders, intrigue,romance,sweet sensuality,enemies,healing and desire. A must read for any historical,romance,and anyone who enjoys the Scottish highlanders. "Highland Hero" is a powerful story of loyalty and love that will capture your heart from the first page to the last. A not to miss Scottish story. Received for review from the publisher. Details can be found at Forever,an imprint of Grand Central Publishing and My Book Addiction Reviews.

Amanda Scott is yet again one of the authors that's `new to me' even though she's been around for a while.

This is the first of her books that I've read, and a second book of her `Scottish Knights' Trilogy in which men of Brotherhood of St. Andrews find their HEA's. They met at St. Andrews while studying under Bishop Traill, the chief bishop of Scotland. To avoid clan fights among the young and hot-headed students, he made them all use nicknames and forbade discussions of family, clans and home territories.

The first book HIGHLAND MASTER was Sir Finlagh Cameron's story and his nickname was Lion who's known for his ability with the sword; HIGHLAND HERO is Sir Ivor Mackintosh's story and he's known as Hawk with expertise in archery; Captain Jake Maxwell was nicknamed Sea Wolf, for his skills in sailing and his story will be coming out in April of 2012 in HIGHLAND LOVER.

Reading the second one without the benefits of the first, I can vouch that the author has done an excellent job of making it as a standalone.

The year is 1402 and Scotland's King Robert III knows and clearly recognizes his weakness when it comes to his younger brother, the Duke of Albany. In his frail state, he knows that his promise to his dying wife to protect their youngest son must be kept, and that Albany can never be allowed to be near James. He fears that Albany, now third in the line of succession, after David, Governor of the Realm, and seven-year-old James, is too ambitious and greedy, therefore might do away with his sons.

To carry out this Robert needs the best of the best for the job and gets Hawk to accept the task of secretly escorting seven-year old Jamie to the now old Bishop Traill of St. Andrews, where he knows the boy will not come to any harm.

Lady Marsi Drummond Cargill is a cousin of the late Queen and as such, she is under the protection of the King. She also knows King's weakness to buckle under Albany's wishes, and upon hearing that Albany i on his way to Turnberry Castle with plans for her to marry a man she knows wants only her substantial dowry, she decides to take the matter into her own hands. Albany will need to catch her before he can marry her off to one of his devious allies.

Finding out from Hetty, Henrietta Childs who's been taking care of Jamie, that they're getting ready to leave for parts unknown, she immediately grabs the opportunity to `disappear' while blending in with the entourage. She believes that no one will recognize her as a lady's maid. Not so easy if you grew up giving orders and not following them, which she finds out along the way.

I found this story extremely engaging and heartwarming. Both hero and heroine were strong characters, yet vulnerable in their own way. The secondary characters of Hetty and Will were great addition to the story.

The journey for them all is a revelation and each character will come out of it richer for the experience, but before that happens there are road blocks and treacherous enemies to overcome.

In the midst of all the danger Hawk and Marsi will find that love can bring the best out of them and one misspoken word will bind them together for a lifetime.

Ms. Scott brings history and fiction together so seamlessly, and her prose will transport you back in time while the plot will keep you in suspense until the end. I liked this story and highly recommend it for its romance, history and entertainment!

Melanie

* I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Highland Hero gives us a likable hero in Hawk. One of the bravest and most skilled warriors of his generation. Hawk is deeply loyal to his King and agrees to hide the young prince to protect him from the the King's younger brother, the Duke of Albany. As Hawk risks everything to protect the young prince, his attraction to the mysterious Marsi adds just enough humor to the story.

Highland Hero delivers politics, intrigue, and romance. With Hawk and his circle of Scottish warriors Amanda Scott begins a new series of exciting romance.

ISBN-10: 0446574309 - Mass Market Paperback $7.99
Publisher: Forever; Original edition (October 1, 2011), 400 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.