In Bed with a Highlander (McCabe Trilogy) [Mass Market Paperback]

Maya Banks (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 30, 2011 | Series: McCabe Trilogy (Book 1)

Maya Banks, the New York Times bestselling author of erotic romance, romantic suspense, and contemporary romance, has captivated readers with her steamy Scottish historical novels, perfect for fans of Julie Garwood. In Bed with a Highlander is the start of a beguiling trilogy featuring three unforgettable brothers risking everything to save their clan and their legacy—and to surrender their hearts to love.
 
Ewan McCabe, the eldest, is a warrior determined to vanquish his enemy. Now, with the time ripe for battle, his men are ready and Ewan is poised to take back what is his—until a blue-eyed, raven-haired temptress is thrust upon him. Mairin may be the salvation of Ewan’s clan, but for a man who dreams only of revenge, matters of the heart are strange territory to conquer.

The illegitimate daughter of the king, Mairin possesses prized property that has made her a pawn—and wary of love. Her worst fears are realized when she is rescued from peril only to be forced into marriage by her charismatic and commanding savior, Ewan McCabe. But her attraction to her ruggedly powerful new husband makes her crave his surprisingly tender touch; her body comes alive under his sensual mastery. And as war draws near, Mairin’s strength, spirit, and passion challenge Ewan to conquer his demons—and embrace a love that means more than revenge and land.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Wickedly delightful.”—Monica McCarty

About the Author

Maya Banks is the bestselling author of The Darkest Hour, No Place to Run, Hidden Away, Sweet Possession, Sweet Temptation, Colter’s Woman, and Colter’s Lady. She lives in Texas with her husband, three children, and an assortment of pets.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; Original edition (August 30, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345519477
• ISBN-13: 978-0345519474
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.1 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (171 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,975 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maya Banks lives in Texas with her husband, three children and assortment of pets. When she's not writing, she can be found hunting, fishing or playing poker.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#39 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#15 in Books > Romance

#16 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance

#17 in Books > Romance > Contemporary

#18 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Erotica

#18 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Contemporary

#15 in Books > Romance

#16 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance

#17 in Books > Romance > Contemporary

#18 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Erotica

#18 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Contemporary

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 58 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sexy Highlanders 4 1/2 stars...looking forward to series August 7, 2011

By JLW VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This highland book was reminiscent of Julie Garwood but with a little less humor and more sex. Mairin is a beautiful, slightly naive heroine who is the illegitimate daughter of the former king of Scotland. Ewan is the alpha male warlord who has decided that it is in Mairin's best interest for her to marry him instead of the evil man bent on claiming her dowry. They marry and slowly come to grips with a marriage that has nothing to do with convenience and everything to do with love.

In Bed with a Highlander is a good, solid read. So many times, I have been disappointed with highland romances for whatever reason. I wasn't this time. Ewan is a wonderful alpha hero who cares about his wife and her feelings. He comes to grips with his love relatively easily and can't wait to hear his wife say those words to him. Mairin was a little annoying at times, but when you remember her upbringing in a convent, it makes you understand why she says and does some of the things that annoyed me a little. The sex scenes were a little more graphic than a Garwood book, but it was still tastefully done. The end of the book leaves room for the next two books about the other brothers. While the main focus will be the brothers, it is clear that Ewan's and Mairin's story will continue.

Overall, I really liked this book, and I will defiantly read the next ones in the series.

61 of 74 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Cute but predictable and a bit dull August 21, 2011

By Orion VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I see review inflation has run wild with this title. This is not a 5-star romance. It is a collection of reworked ideas set forth in a straight-forward, simplistic style. They are all good ideas, of course. It's just they worked much better in the original context.

Kidnapping and marrying an heiress was done much better in, for example, Julie Garwood's The Wedding. Consummating under time pressure was done much better in Lindsay Sands' The Deed. The list goes on. It seemed like on every page there was a plot device that I had read in another book. So the story is predictable and feels recycled.

The setting, for no particular reason, is the Scottish highlands. You can tell it is Scotland, because people wear trews instead of trousers. Beyond that, there is nothing recognizably Scottish. There are no historical or geographic landmarks to orient the tale, and all of the attitudes and language are very modern. At one point the heroine says "I have a theory". The hero advises her to avoid "potentially explosive situations". The enemy is a "greedy power-hungry bastard". The are all interesting phrases, but they don't sound like ancient Scotland. They sound like modern television.

The plot begins at the beginning, moves forward in a straight-forward way, to a predictable ending. Secrets are revealed, but they are predictable and not very dark. The bad guy is not a tortured guy whose natural good character qualities have been flawed by unfortunate circumstances. He's just a big dumb bully. The characters are dull and their dialog is very boring. Here is a sample:

"I won't hurt you this time, Mairin."
"You won't?"
He smiled. "I won't. You're going to like it."
"I will?"
"Aye, lass, you will."
"All right," she whispered.

Not exactly scintillating conversation.

So the book is missing originality, clever dialog, interesting characters, an authentic setting and a creative writing style. Mostly, it is just a bunch of a bunch of romance-novel cliche's strung together to achieve predictable satisfaction from devoted (and not very picky) romance readers. Personally, I found it dull.

This is mass-market blandness, with no doubt wide but shallow appeal. Easy to read and easy to forget once you've read it, and no way is this book worth 5 stars.

43 of 54 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Deja vu... August 7, 2011

By Jenny Q @ Let Them Read Books VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I don't know about you, but I'm starting to think that if you've read one highland romance you've read them all. I'm not knocking on Ms. Banks in particular, because she writes very well. There's just absolutely nothing new or special here. And I think I've read this same plotline in at least half a dozen romances: A pretty little Scottish heiress, hiding out from an evil chief/laird/lord who wants to force her into marriage to claim her lands, ends up in the hands of a rival, gruff yet good, chief/laird/lord who also wants her lands but likes her, too, and convinces her marriage to him is her best option. The heiress is a virgin and shocked on her wedding night, and therefore the requisite scenes of asking older women for bedroom advice follow. While the heiress learns how to please her man and tries to become mistress of the keep, chief/laird/lord discovers how difficult it is to protect the heiress from any number of dangers she continually walks into, and from the constant threat of evil chief/laird/lord trying to take her away. Stop me if you've heard this one before.

This is by no means a bad book. Ms. Banks' writing is neat and natural, the period detail is good, and the sex is hot. There's just really nothing original about it and I found myself getting bored. We get a little action and excitement toward the end, but overall I wasn't captivated. I've seen lots of glowing reviews for this one, though, and I can't help but think that some of these reviewers haven't read as many highland romances as I have, and thus weren't getting such a feeling of same old, same old. It certainly wouldn't be a bad introduction for someone who wants to try a highland romance. Interestingly, though, I did find that both of our chief/laird/lord's brothers came across as being much more intriguing to read about, and there's a nice set-up in place for book two in this series. I'll probably give it a try in the hopes that it's more entertaining.