The Highlander's Reward (The Stolen Bride Series) [Kindle Edition]

Eliza Knight (Author)

Book Description

BOOK ONE: The Stolen Bride Series

She belonged to another...

Lady Arbella de Mowbray abhors the idea of marrying an English noble occupying Scotland. When she reaches Stirling where she is to wed, she is thrown into the midst of a full battle between the Scots and the English. Fighting for her life, she is whisked from her horse by a warrior fighting with William Wallace who escapes with her into the Highlands.

But was destined to be his...

The last thing Laird Magnus Sutherland wants is a wife...but that is exactly what he got when he saved the beautiful English lass. Their countries are at war and they should be each other's enemy. When she is attacked by one of his own men, he determines the only way to keep her safe is to marry her.

Magnus brings Arbella to his home of Dunrobin Castle. And that's where the trouble begins... Neither one considered their mock marriage would grow into a deeply passionate love. What's more, they were both unhappily betrothed and those who've been scorned are out for the ultimate revenge.

See more books in this series! 

BOOK TWO: The Highlander's Conquest -- available now!

BOOK THREE: The Highlander's Lady -- coming soon!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Eliza Knight has crafted a wonderfully entertaining, emotional and sensual read. I loved the sizzling romance and the exciting adventures. Magnus, the hot Highland hero, stole my heart just as he did Arbella's." Vonda Sinclair, Award-Winning author of Scottish romance
 

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4 Wine Glasses from Reading Between the Wines! "This was a good read that I would recommend. Sometimes historical romances are hard for me to get into. They have to carry either a superbly intriguing plot or characters I enjoy to hold my attention. This book held the right kind of characters for me. Arbella was a fascinating mix of sweet and saucy for an English Lady, and Magnus was rough on the outside but a big gooey Highlander on the inside. This book has some action, a saucy heroine who spends half her time blushing and the other half axing, knifing and knocking people the hell out, and a sometimes shy - sometimes witty romance. I'm looking forward to the sequel that involves Magnus' brother Blane!" ~ Crystal L.

***

5 Stars and Reviewer TOP PICK from Night Owl Romance! "The Highlander's Reward was an awesome read. I absolutely loved it. It will draw you in from the very beginning and you won't want to put it down. It is packed full of emotion, amazing characters, action, and intrigue. I loved Magnus and Arbella from the very beginning." ~Tigger9

From the Author

I'm thrilled to introduce you to all the full of life characters in my Stolen Bride series! I write alpha heroes and feisty heroines. Lots of adventure and sizzling chemistry. While each book in the Stolen Bride series does flow in consecutive order, they also stand alone.

***

If you'd like to learn more about the setting for the Stolen Bride series and see some pictures, visit my blog: historyundressed.com/2012/07/castle-of-week-dunrobin-castle-and-bit.html

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 433 KB
• Print Length: 262 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Eliza Knight (July 11, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008KO9EV4
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,593 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent start to a new series!! July 17, 2012

By Callie Hutton

Format:Kindle Edition

Eliza Knight has done it again. The Highlander's Reward marks the beginning of a new series that already has me panting (no pun intended) for more.

Arbella de Mowbray is tempted to ditch her father who is escorting her to her betrothed. She doesn't want to marry Marmaduke Stewart, an English Baron living in Scotland. Before she's able to come up with a plan, her party is attacked and she finds herself fighting for her life. In the thick of the battle, Magnus Sutherland, Laird of his clan, spots the beauty struggling with her attackers, and whisks her away to safety.

Magnus's party has just delivered his sister to her betrothed in the Lowlands, and with Arbella in tow, Magnus continues on toward home. An incident with one of his men when they stop for a break, convinces him the only way to keep Arbella safe is to marry her. His promise to marry another, and Arbella's betrothal, doesn't factor into his decision.

I won't tell more of the story so as not to spoil the fun. Ms. Knight has just added another wonderful story to her list of captivating books. And the fact this is the start of a whole new Eliza Knight series about Highlanders is exciting.

The writing is quick paced and lively. Humor is sprinkled throughout. Magnus is a bear with a puppy's heart, and Arbella is brave, honorable, and strong. They are a great couple.

The Highlander's Reward was my reward for being smart enough to grab this wonderful book as soon as it hit the cyber shelves. If you're smart, you'll grab it, too.

Well done, Ms. Knight! Another winner.

Callie Hutton, Author

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Who doesn't love a Highlander? July 14, 2012

By Andrea

Format:Kindle Edition

A sizzling page turning romance with just the right amount of conflict and sensuality! You don't want to miss this trek through the Highlands! A MUST read!!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Beginning! September 23, 2012

By Sheila

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is my first time reading this author (but not my last). This is a very entertaining, sensuous and exciting read. Everything I love in a Highland romance was in this story. I just hated for the story to end. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

The H/h are both strong characters. It's actually fun watching them fall in love. They are both sensuous adults and the sex is steamy. I highly recommend this book. It is actually one of the better Highland Romances I've read in a while.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A delicious read! July 13, 2012

By Dorothy Muir

Format:Kindle Edition

When English lady Arbella de Mowbray rode with her father to meet her fiancé at Stirling, she hardly expected to ride straight into the middle of a battle. Nor did she expect to be swept off her feet by the enemy: Sutherland Clan's laird, Magnus. Coerced into marriage for her protection, Arbella decides the union would be in name only--after all, what self-respecting English lady wants a barbarian Scotsman for a husband?

Her determination is tested as her body responds to Magnus like they were meant to be together. Worse, her heart starts to yearn for more. She wants a marriage in truth, not just in name. Magnus is strong, virile, and nothing like the barbarians she's been told about. His gentleness and understanding take her by surprise, until she surrenders to their mutual desire.

For Magnus, Arbella is a welcome reprieve from an unwanted political marriage. Her beauty, her passion, her acceptance by his clan sink deep into his heart, and forces him to realize the truth of love's hold over him. He does not want her to leave, now that he has found his unanticipated happiness.
But worry and misunderstanding haunt them both. And those they spurned want their revenge, coming to claim it just as Magnus and Arbella finally understand each other.

In The Highlander's Reward, Eliza Knight has crafted a delightfully sensual love story filled with heart-throbbing tension. The bitterness and animosity between the English and the Scots during this era is well-depicted, bringing the history alive. The powerful emotions of two mortal enemies growing into mutual understanding and love are vivid and well-portrayed.

Highlander stories abound, but The Highlander's Reward stands out.... The emotional intensity and lush sensuality are sure to draw in the most devoted highland story reader. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series! Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Story and characters fell flat... March 29, 2013

By T.J.

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

When her convoy is attacked by a band of rebels on her way to meet her betrothed, Lady Arabella de Mowbray of England finds an unlikely rescuer in Magnus Sutherland, a Highlander laird and the enemy of her people. In order to protect her against his own people's contempt and ill-intentions, Magnus marries Arabella, giving her his name and his protection as they journey back to Magnus' home. What had been intended as a marriage only in name until Arabella can return safely to her father becomes something more when Magnus and Arabella, unable to deny their attraction to each other, give in to their desires, discovering a passion and love for one another that eclipses the world of difference and rivalry between their people.

The plot was promising - a Highlander who steals the intended bride of an Englishman, a developing romance between two historical enemies, the "jilted" betrotheds of both hero and heroine seeking revenge for the humiliation, and the inevitable confrontation with Arabella's father once he learns that his daughter has married a Scotsman, the very act of which goes against a direct command from the English king who ordered Arabella to marry an Englishman. With all this going on, there's sure to be drama and there was, except I didn't find it to be the best delivery of the plot elements. A lot of the events that transpired and the interactions between Arabella and Magnus was so unbelievable it was hard to truly enjoy the book.

Arabella's characterization came off as childish and irrational and none at all what you'd expect out of a heroine.... From the very beginning, she's feared the Scots based on tales that her people have regaled her with (and what horrifying images that is inspired), so it's no surprise that she nearly lost her head trying to fight off the Scottish rebels that attacked her convoy. What was surprising was her reaction at first meeting the hero - she was stunned speechless with his appearance and nearly swooning from his "beauty" despite the fact that he was Scot. Understandably, this is the hero so she's supposed to be attracted to him, not repulsed or we wouldn't have a romance novel in our hands, but the way her "initial attraction" was presented seemed so out of context that was unbelievable. When Magnus proposes marriage, she put up such weak resistance and agreed so quickly when he told her that it was a good idea an it was for her own safety that I had to laugh at the absurdity of it. Sure, for us readers we know that it's for her safety, but in her shoes should she agree so quickly? Then much later when she finds out that Magnus had been promised to someone else before meeting her, she takes off in a fit, betrayed that he never told her (never mind that she had a betrothed too), doesn't bother to listen to the hero who tried to explain the situation (even going so far as to knock him unconscious), ignores the truth like the fact that Magnus is married to her, plans to walk to England when the grooms refused to give her a horse, and then much later before she gets attacked does she wonder if perhaps her marriage was not a lie after all. She wasn't very rational or well behaved and I think these revelations type of situations where the heroine is faced with a discovery that rocks her world is key to defining her character as a true heroine. In the end, she wasn't a very strong character to me, neither was her portrayal the best.

Magnus' portrayal was also equally disappointing. Even from the start nothing really stood out about him - a fierce laird, powerful warrior, carries the honor code on his shoulders, doesn't believe in love, and sees marriage as a means to form alliances between clans. Of course the latter is expected to change once he meets Arabella, but the transition from his old brutish self to reformed hero was lacking and unbelievable. In fact, it felt more like a switch than a transition. The moment he lays his eyes on her, he's already mentally waxing poetry about her beauty, in the middle of battle. He wants to protect Arabella, and for some reason the only way to do that was to marry her (like the idea popped out of nowhere) because he couldn't inspire enough loyalty from his men to not harm her unwedded to him. When she tells him that their marriage will only be in name, that pisses him off because he obviously wants more. He spends nearly the entire time after their marriage thinking of convincing his wife to kiss him and allow him to bed her. After he beds her, he thinks of more ways to kiss and bed her. Etc. Honestly, nothing really stood out about him other than he wanted to protect the heroine in the beginning. I expected to see something more from his character, but that never happened.

And with this kind of hero and heroine, the chemistry was not believable, and certainly nothing sizzled off the pages of the ebook. Without resistance from each side, there's no tension, and there certainly weren't much in this book. The dialogue fell flat, the prose you get are along the lines of: "the fruit of his wife's offerings", and "she sent a blast of imaginary ice around the organ" (Arabella referring to her heart). Now, I'm not sure if that's how they really spoke in ancient European times, but that just made me laugh.

Overall, this wasn't the most enjoyable read having spent more time questioning the believability of the events and characters rather than enjoying the story. If you want a Scot-English rivalry romance, I'd recommend Judith McNaught's "A Kingdom of Dreams" where the Scot is the heroine and the English is the hero. That one has tense rivalry, plot twists around the corner, the love between the hero and heroine are developed accordingly, the heroine actually puts up resistance, and the dialogue is much more well suited to portray the individual character's personalities and intent. Read more ›

More About the Author

Eliza Knight is the award-winning, multi-published, Amazon best-selling author of sizzling historical romance and time travel erotic romance. She runs the award-winning blog, History Undressed. When not reading, writing and researching, she likes to cuddle up in front of a warm fire with her own knight in shining armor. Visit Eliza at www.elizaknight.com or www.historyundressed.com

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#39 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Historical

#48 in Books > Romance > Historical

#51 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

#55 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical

#39 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Historical

#48 in Books > Romance > Historical

#51 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

#55 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical