Customer Reviews

One Man's Love (Highland Lords)

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In 1746 Scotland, the Duke of Cumberland ordered Colonel Alec Landers to stamp out the Highland insurrection. Alec spent many of his youthful summers here at the home of his mother, viciously killed by another clan. The English earl never forgave any Scot for that murder including the women he still loves and first kissed at eleven (and received a slap for it), Leitis MacRae.

Alec uses Leitis as a hostage to keep the area calm, but soon learns the truth behind his mother's death. Feeling guilty for his butchery at Inverness, Alec masquerades as Raven to protect his matriarchal people from his sire's side. As Alec and Leitis fall in love, he risks everything to keep her safe from a personal enemy who wants him and his beloved dead.

ONE MAN'S LOVE is a well written Scottish historical romance starring a hero caught between two worlds and a heroine filled with love trying to help him choose her side. The story line is exciting though many in the audience will feel they have visited mid eighteenth century Scotland many times before. Karen Ranney is a wonderful author and sub-genre fans will enjoy her opening gamut in the Highland Lords series.

Harriet Klausner

From the very first pages you will be caught up in the emotional maelstrom of this historical era. I've been known to weep during and at the end of a book - but from the very first pages - oh my God I was hooked. On his eleventh birthday, young Ian MacRae half English, and heir to a British Earldom, and half Scot would never be the same. His mother had been brutally assaulted and killed during her yearly visit to her family. On that day Ian would renounce his Scottish heritage for the brutal clan wars that claimed his beloved mother as the latest casualty.

Years later in Scotland 1746 - after the slaughter at Culloden - the English forces under the command of Cromwell are still persecuting the defeated Scots. Ian, now known as Colonel Alec Landers has come to take over the command at Fort Williams. The clan MacRae that once totaled over 300 was now a mere handful, but in that handful of survivors was the first girl he had ever kissed - Leitus MacRae. She was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen nor did she recognize the grown up man who had been her childhood friend. She only recognized the hated English uniform and not the man who wore it. Alec/Ian could not come out and let Leitis know who he was as it could cause him his very life if the English knew he was half Scot, and as her enemy she was sworn to hate him. In order to save her uncle, she agreed to become the Colonel's hostage to ensure her uncle's life. But this strange, and though she hated to admit it, handsome and kind man was not easy to understand. He was supposed to be the `Butcher of Inverness' sparing no Scotsman - yet he showed compassion that confused her and his nearness aroused passion she was ashamed of.

Sickened by the slaughter and senselessness of war Alec played a dangerous game, assuming the disguise of `The Raven' in order to help ease the burdens of the people, he tricked Leitis into helping him. That she would fall in love with the Raven who she learned was actually Ian was inevitable - that she could still have an attraction for the English Colonel was her torment.

This was an outstanding and beautiful love story with well defined characters that you will get very emotionally caught up with. The love between Alec/Ian and Leitis seemed to be an impossibility given the era and that is what makes this such an unbelievable story as to what a man would do - for `One Man's Love'. A superb beginning for this much anticipated trilogy.

This book was absolutley wonderful!! I read reviews here on Amazon about Karen Ranney and decided to giver her Scottish Lord's series a try. So, I bought all four of them and couldnt wait to start them. I was not dissappointed! One Man's Love is a beautiful story. The ending, while bittersweet, couldnt have ended any other way than it did, and it brought tears to my eyes. Ian and Lietus are a beautiful couple and shared such an intimate history that more than once it made my eyes misty. I felt for Lietus, when she didnt understand her attraction to The Butcher and her love for Ian. To feel that way for two men has to be a disconcerting feeling, to say the least. Mrs. Ranney made me feel like I was a part of the book and like I was there going through it all with the Scots. The loss of Lietus's family and Ian's mother made me remember that at a time in history things like that actually did happen to the Scots. This book showed a great respect for the history of the Scottish people, while telling a beautiful romance. A great read and another to add to my never ending pile of favorites. Now on to book two of the Scottish Lord's series!

This story oozes love. You know the mother loves Alec, you know Alec loves Leitis, and you know the MacRaes love their Scotland. You are never in doubt.

Alec is tormented from the battlefield and battles within himself. Leitis is tormented by her losses. The clan is tormented by the threat of extinction. Everything and everybody come together in a desire for preservation.

Ranney treats the characters and the setting lovingly and respectfully. The reader leaves the story educated about the historical period, awed by strength of the Scottish people, and warmed by the love Alec and Leitis share.

I was quite looking forward to this book. I had been a fan of Ranney for about four years although I had only read one book, After The Kiss, a terrific book. I looked forward to reading this book from the prologue, which sounded quite interesting; however the novel just went downhill.
The hero and heroine are supposed to be strong characters, and I was rooting for them in the beginning but then the hero changed and there were many inconsistencies between his behaviour as The Raven and that of Colonel Landers. And it seemes that the character himself seemed not to take his behaviour so seriously although most of it was opposed to his role of Colonel. Leitis also didn't seem to question the sudden arrival of this Raven, which is weird. Here comes a man that says that he is a McRae that you haven't met and you are so willing to take everything to he says without much questioning.
I just don't think that the story was well planned, there were too many changes that occurred without me seeing how it developed within the story line. There are too many serious inconsistencies from the introduction of the characters to the their role in the book that just cannot be ignored.

This is a bleak tale that had me wondering halfway through the book if I was actually reading a romance. The circumstances of the people is so depressing that it is hard to imagine a romance set during these awful times.
Set in war ravaged Scotland in 1746, Ian MacRae returns to his mother's home where he had left upon her brutal rape and murder. Under the belief a warring clan had killed his mother, he had enlisted in the British army to wreck havoc upon the Scottish he hates.

Known as 'Butcher of Inverness' Ian arrives to find his mother's former home ravaged by war. The people are starving and defeated. Out of the few survivors he finds Leitus MacRae, a young lady he shared a stolen kiss with many years before. Not recognizing him, Leitus finds herself his captive in exchange for one of the older clansman who foolishly likes to stand on hills playing his pipes.

Karen Ranney depicts very accurately, not to mention vividly how the English decimates Scotland during this tragic period in history. However, the chemistry between the hero and heroine is lacking, perhaps due to the very violent realistic backdrop and total hopelessness of the situation.

As Ian begins to find his Scottish roots again, and becomes "The Raven" in order to help his mother's people. Leitus finds herself falling in love with him, and therefore her captor in disguise.

This story is too gloomy and sober for this reviewer's taste though Ms. Ranney is not to be faulted for her writing, which is fluid and well paced.

The heroine of this book was irritating. The writer tried to make her seem headstrong and strong willed but she was really just rather stupid to provoke men who were much more powerful than she so openly. She was just extremely lucky that the hero was a good guy and stopped her from getting hurt. She tries to defend men who are complete cowards and just cause trouble and let her take the consequences. There was zero chemistry and the you just don't care about the characters.

Alec Landers, future Earl of Sherbourne, is haunted by a traumatic past: the rape and brutal murder of his Scottish mother. With the belief that another clan was behind it, Alec returned to England to live with his English father, all the while nurturing his hatred of everything Scottish because of the loss of his mother. But one thing he could never get out of his mind was the Scottish girl who captured his boyish love and affection.

Now a grown man, Alec's orders are to return to Gilmuir, the home of his mother's people, and oversee the construction of Fort William. Alec arrives at Fort William to find the once powerful McRae clan reduced to a handful of old and young starving people, and Leitis, his boyhood love, without home and family.

Despite their hatred and distrust of him, Alec knows that he is the only hope for his mother's people. The only solution is to move the McRae clan to a safer place. To do that, he must risk all to ensure their safety.

I thought this book was just okay. There wasn't anything spectacular about it or even earth shattering. The plot was simple and predictable, even the characters seemed a bit one-dimensional.

If you want to read this story, I suggest borrowing a copy from the library to read before you make a purchase.