Customer Reviews

Highland Warrior: A Novel

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After reading the first trilogy by Monica McCarty, I was really looking forward to this one. It was also a very good story. Jamie Campbell is the legendary enforcer for Clan Campbell. Caitrina Lamont is the rival clan's reigning beauty. Campbell attends the highland gathering at the Lamont Ascog Castle under the guise of courting Caitrina while he searches for the outlawed MacGregors. Jamie then finds the ruse is real and wants the highland lass for his own. I enjoyed how well McCarty worked in the perspectives of the conflicts from both sides of the feuds between the highlanders and lowlanders in this book. Jamie is (sigh) a wonderful character. I enjoyed his humor and the beginning scene when Caitrina is stuck in a tree is perfect. The reason I gave it four vs five starts is that I thought Caitrina a bit shallow at times, while Jamie was a much stronger three dimensional figure. Still all in all a great book and I am really looking forward to the next one!

I loved McCarty's previous highlander series, but this book was so aggravating. The heroin was so thick headed, her inability to communicate with her husband was frustrating. She seemed to have the same trust issue again, and again, and again. Parts of it were good, but it was so predictable. When she failed to trust him again, I almost quit reading it. It just got old, especially when the hero was so good to her.

To be honest, I generally download romance novels on my Kindle as a quick, inexpensive and easy escape from reality. Oftentimes, these romances rush through character development and move immediately into the racy scenes. This isn't necessarily bad, but with those types of books, I rarely (if ever) remember the names of the characters or even the author. Highland Warrior is the first McCarty book I have read, but it certainly won't be the last.

Because the author really develops the characters of Caitrina Lamont and Jamie Campbell, I found myself caring what happened to their relationship. I wanted to get back on the train to read more, and to learn the fates of the Lamonts and Campbells - how would Jamie and Caitrina possibly move past their clan loyalties/rivalries?

I definitely recommend Highland Warrior to anyone who likes historical romances - I think the characters and story set this book above most romance novels.

I had a very tough time getting over the precipitating event in this book ...

Jamie Campbell is your typical strong, powerful, highland hero, right hand man and fiercely loyal to the unpopular but powerful Earl of Argyll. He pretends an interest in Caitrina Lamont, pampered, beautiful daughter of the Laird of Lamont, to investigate the possibility that the outlawed MacGregor Clan is sheltering on Lamont lands. Lamont is hosting a week of highland games partially in hopes of finding a husband for his daughter. Old family ties require Lamont to offer refuge to the MacGregors, but Argyll has passed laws making anyone who shelters a MacGregor a traitor. Jamie sees this in black and white -- the law is the law, but the fact that the law is in conflict with traditional highland honor is a problem.

The events that happen after the games are brutal, and the rest of the book never quite redeems them. I can perfectly understand why Caitrina cannot "trust" Jamie. It's not that she doesn't trust him, but that she cannot trust Argyll or his brother. She has good reason NOT to trust them as their handling of events are vicious and dishonorable. Anyway, I never felt that justice was adequately served in the book, which detracted from it.

In 1608 on the Isle of Bute, off Scotland, Lord Lamont hosts a Highland gathering at his Ascog Castle in hopes of finding an acceptable husband for his not always biddable daughter Caitrina. He hates using his offspring as pawn, but feels for the sake of the clan's safety he must arrange a marriage that brings a strong alliance with it. She understands the need and accepts her role, but prays that her fiancé is not a Campbell; a clan the Lamont tribe has feuded with for years.

Due to the pleading of her younger brother Brian to rescue a kitten from a tree, Caitrina climbs up, but her sibling leaves once she gives him the feline before helping her down. The Privy Council's enforcer Jamie Campbell arrives in time to help the damsel in distress out on a limb; that is after taking his time as he admired the view. In spite of the clans' disputes and Caitrina's trepidations, Jamie marries her. However, whereas he sees the world as black and white, she sees a rainbow. They fall in love, but their marriage remains fragile as he remains inflexible unable to understand that chastisement is not always the best response to right a wrong. When his beloved almost dies, Jamie begins to comprehend how fortunate he is to have Caitrina as his wife and to have her love as he begins to understand justice without passion leads to injustice.

The opening of Monica McCarty's latest Highland saga, The Campbells, is a terrific character driven historical romance that showcases a great author cleverly using a seventeen century setting to make a point about modern day justice. Love is not enough as Jamie as the enforcer never cares about circumstances when he doles out punishment in the name of justice. Caitrina is his opposite as she feels strongly all the pertinent information needs to be considered before determining the best fairest course of action. Fans will relish their dispute over what justice truly is.

Harriet Klausner

I love this book! Jamie Campbell had to go through so much and his character is amazing! I loved that this book overlapped with Monica's first series and felt so much for Jamie. Highland Warrior is a book that I couldn't put down or forget about. I love this author and hope she keeps her hot & sexy highlanders coming.

Because I started out reading Highland Outlaw before I realized there was a book before it, I was more sympathetic to the MacGregors. So when I started this book I already didn't like Jamie Campbell. The fact that his brother is so ruthless and Agryll condones it and lets him get away with it kills me. For Jamie to look up to someone who would allow such things to happen seems a little unrealistic, and/or just makes him a blind bat that follows the pack. I feel like some scenes were extremely brutal and created a strong dislike for characters that weren't later addressed. I'm hoping that she saved it for the other books. I am praying that Jamie's brother get's his due, the MacGregors get what should be theirs, and that Agryll falls....I just can't like him for some reason. He seems a little shady.

This is the first book in Monica McCarty's 2nd trilogy, and for those who have read her first 3 books, the hero of Highland Warrior, Jamie Campbell is not unknown. We got to know and (even though we didn't root for him to win the heroine) like him in Highlander Unmasked. But since then Jamie has grown up, matured and became a fierce and feared warrior, but of course we, the readers know that underneath that hard and fearsome exterior is a kind hearted and fair man. I wouldn't summarize the plot of the novel, you can read that at the product's description, let me just say, that Monica McCarty got even better (if that is possible) since her first trilogy. Both the hero and the heroine are sympathetic and likable characters, Caitrina is a passionate, headstrong and compassionate (and of course strikingly beautiful) heroine, and Jamie is a swoonworthy hero: tall, dark, handsome, loyal, courageous and strong, with a kind heart and strong sense of justice.

McCarty's story telling is gripping and will transport you in the misty green medieval Scotland in no time! Her writing style is exceptional, with such a superior writing quality that I haven't seen for quite some time in other recent romance writers. Her writing is amazingly brilliant and evocative, she paints such a real picture of the scene, of the characters, that you feel you are there witnessing what is happening, or at least watching it like a movie!

The emotions, attractions, friendships, loves, loyalties, hate, betrayals are described very powerfully, they are not just words, but raw, overwhelming or heartwarming emotions. McCarty wove so much sensuality into the whole story, that it keeps simmering all through. I love reading about the H/H inner struggles and thoughts and emotions, and McCarty gave me that to perfection!

If you are a historical romance lover, if you love your heroes to be larger than life, broad, noble, strong, honourable Scots, if you like to read sensual, heartwarming good quality romance, then I think you'll simply love this book!

I have read all three in this series (Highland Warrior, Highland Outlaw and Highland Scoundrel) and loved them all. I did not find the same weaknesses that I did in the MacLeod Trilogy (see my other reviews). All three of these are strong Highlander reads. They take place in early 17th century Scotland. This first story is that of Jamie Campbell, who is cousin the the Earl of Argyll and his "enforcer" strong arm of the law. Jamie's all about bringing criminals to justice and current assignment is to hunt down the MacGregor outlaws. That is why he travels to Ascog Castle on the Isle of Bute where the Laird Lamont is believed to be harboring MacGregor fugitives. Jamie intends to pose as a suitor to the Laird's famously beautiful, willful and outspoken daughter, Caitrina, while he searches for the MacGregors. He did not plan on falling for the girl when he claimed a kiss as a boon to rescuing her from a tree where she is stuck in her underwear (long story). Caitrina has no plans to marry at all, preferring to stay with her father and brothers where she is happy. But the ravages of the war between the Argyll and the MacGregors will change her life and to save Ascog and her people, it seems the only option for her will be Jamie Campbell. This is a great story of how love can come from tragedy and resentment for wrongs done can be forgiven where there is love. McCarty develops the characters and back stories well and has great sexual tension between the characters. My only negative on the three books in this series is that her love scenes all seem the same, well described but a bit too measured when one might like to see passion overtake control once in a while. After all, couples don't go through the same moves every time. Still, it's an enthralling Highlander romance. I recommend this one--and all three in this series!

This was the first book of Monica McCarty's that I read and it got me hooked. Now I have read all her books and am eagerly awaiting the release of the The Hawk at the end of August. I love her hero's and herione's. I like that she loosely bases her characters on true historical figures. I have been reading romance novels since I was eighteen (you know...last year...lol [I wish] and she is by and far my favorite author. If you like a good historical romance, with some racy sex in it, then start with this and read all her books. She made me want my very own Scottish laird. :)