15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Lack of Clarity, April 20, 2009
This review is from: Highland Scoundrel: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)
Having just read the first two enjoyable books in the authors new Trilogy, "Highland Warrior" and "Highland Outlaw", I was really looking forward to reading the final installment, "Highland Scoundrel", the story of the eldest brother Duncan. As the story unfolds ten years ago, when Duncan and Jeannie first met, it held my interest, but once the story goes into present time, it degrades to endless, and I mean endless, pages and pages of redundant inner dialog, rehashing again and again the same emotional issues. The same can be said for the lovemaking, pages after pages of the exact same descriptive language you've read many, many, times over. If I were to average it all out, I would say 25% real story, 40% rehashing of emotional issues and 35% rehashing of lovemaking. I can only shake my head in puzzlement how other readers could give this book a five star rating, and truly wonder if the author has lost her clarity. Why would ANYONE want to re-read the same thing over and over and over again? Very, very, disappointing!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Great Read, March 30, 2009
This review is from: Highland Scoundrel: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)
Highland Scoundrel was a great read because Ms McCarty knows how to create wonderfully complex heroes. Duncan has been wronged by a lot of people but the one that hurt him the most was Jean Grant. When he finally returns to the Scotland to reclaim his right to his homeland he must use her to get to the bottom of what happened to make him labeled a traitor.
What I enjoyed the most was the incredible angst of the situation that both Duncan and especially Jean found themselves in answering the age old question... how important is "family/clan" loyalty when it clashes with the love of your soulmate? Ms McCarty didn't make this a cookie cutter fix and the reader was held in the story to the final pages. The added pluse was the appearance of Jamie and Lizzie and their spouses from the first two books which brought this whole trilogy full circle to a very satisfying end.
The only draw back to this and other of her books is that she uses a bit more narative than I like, but that is a personal preference. However, for those readers who love Scottish romances, she offers something much more than the typical "kinna/dinna" books by effectivly using Scottish Gaelic. She also knows her Scottish history shown by her use of the word "tutor"
But most important she, unlike so many other Scottish romance writers, knows that Scottish Whisky is never spelled with an "e".
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highland Scoundrel- A Joyfully Recommended Title, September 16, 2009
This review is from: Highland Scoundrel: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)
It was love at first sight when Duncan Campbell spotted Jeannie Grant at Stirling Castle. But fate tears the young lovers apart when Duncan is framed and convicted of treason. Escaping to the continent to avoid the hangman's noose, Duncan leaves everything he's known behind, including the woman whom he loved and was betrayed by. Now, Duncan has returned to clear his name and to do that he needs Jeannie's help. What he finds instead is himself at the wrong end of a pistol.
Jeannie can't believe the man she shot is the same man who abandoned her ten years ago. Duncan has returned to Scotland and is demanding her help, but though she wants to aid him, Jeannie has secrets of her own she has to protect. Yet, Jeannie finds she can't allow the man she once loved to be put to death.
As Duncan and Jeannie search for the truth, each finds that the lust - and love - they once felt for each other has never died. But with time running out and Duncan's enemies closing in on the pair, the lovers must decide if they can learn to trust one another again and bare all their secrets for a chance at a love that has stood the test of time.
Deception, warfare, and intrigue provide the perfect backdrop for this stunning romance from Monica McCarty. Highland Scoundrel is everything a historical romance should be with its engaging blend of fact and fiction combined with characters who will grab your heart and a plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
What I love about Highland Scoundrel, indeed about all of Ms. McCarty's books, is that each character feels real. From Jeannie and Duncan down to the tale's villain, no one is written in black and white terms and, whether or not I agreed with each character's view on any given point, I do understand their perspective. I applaud Ms. McCarty's ability to do this so seamlessly; I didn't even notice it until the book had ended. Yet that's exactly what draws me to Ms. McCarty's work - the three-dimensionality of her characters. Even Duncan and Jeannie are not infallible and it's the mistakes they make as much as their good points which made me unable to put Highland Scoundrel down. I read the book in one sitting, incapable of stopping because the characters were so likeable and I was invested not only in their romance, but the book as a whole (the details of which I'll forgo going into so as to not give any spoilers).
Highland Scoundrel is the third book in Ms. McCarty's irresistible Campbell trilogy. While the book does stand on its own, fans of the first two books will delight in seeing familiar characters, including the heroes and heroines of Highland Warrior and Highland Outlaw. A wonderful conclusion to a perfect trilogy, Highland Scoundrel is not to be missed!
Shayna
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
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