The Highland Commander (Lords of the Highlands)

by Amy Jarecki

Aiden Murray-Navy lieutenant, secret Jacobite, and second-born son to the Duke of Atholl-never expected to inherit his family's title. But when his brother dies suddenly, Aiden is forced to give up his career aspirations and return home. When he arrives, he lays his eyes on a bonny, blue-eyed lass at a masquerade ball and decides he must have her.

The illegitimate daughter of the Earl Marischal, Lady Maggie Keith has dedicated her life to helping battered women in the sleepy burgh of Stonehaven. But when her father is accused of treason, Maggie is forced to travel to London. But she is ill equipped to face vindictive courtiers and manipulative nobles, and humiliation threatens to crush her determination.

Suddenly finding himself thrust into the responsibilities of a marquess, Aiden's desire to help the lass is thwarted by rifts between Jacobites and government loyalists. When Maggie is wrongly accused of a plot to assassinate the queen, can the ardent warrior of Scotland cast aside his family loyalties and rescue the woman who has stolen his heart?

• ISBN10: 1455597856
• ISBN13: 9781455597857
• Publish Date: 29 June 2017 (first published 27 June 2017)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Forever
• Format: Paperback (A-Format (178x111 mm))
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[thebookdisciple]

The Highland Commander was a bit Scottish, a bit English, with a dash of scandal! Maddie is the illegitimate daughter of an earl. He has seen to raising her, so she has had a good education, but once her father married, her stepmother wouldn't allow Maddie to be around. She had such a sad and lonely life! But, she found her purpose and was running a hospital for women in her hometown. Then her father gets arrested and she has to go to London to save him.

Aiden is a sailor on the Royal Mary and he meets Maddie at a masquerade party. They don't begin a relationship quickly and lots of time passes throughout the story when they are apart. I loved that they were both inexperienced in the bedroom! I thought the plot was engaging and lots of events happen throughout the story to cause tension.

My biggest problem? The end! All this build up and all these terrible things then everything is wrapped up in a matter of a few pages! I was really disappointed with how quickly it just ended. It left me feeling a bit unsatisfied after having enjoyed the story a great deal.

 

• POV: 3rd


• Tears: I did tear up near the end!


• Trope: bastard child, Scottish


• Triggers: none


• Series/Standalone: stand alone


• Cliffhanger: no


• HEA: yes

Book by Mary Wine, May McGoldrick, Hannah Howell...then you will probably like The Highland Commander!

 

The Highland Commander

See full review on The Book Disciple

[stacey_is_sassy]

Could something else go wrong?

Well, I hate to say it but The Highland Commander was a bit depressing. I think the author has done an amazing job in keeping it as real and true to the times...and unfortunately, that's where she lost me. I read romance for the feel good feelings and those were few and far between. Everything that could go wrong goes wrong and it never seems to settle. I just wanted a little while where the couple had a chance to get to know each other without drama. There were abundant doses of lust between the characters, but not a lot of connection. We are told they stay up all night talking but I needed to experience a bit of it to confirm that their feelings were more than lust.

The heroine was doomed from the day she was born. She has the title of Lady but that won't really change the fact that she was born out of wedlock. From what I gathered, she was allowed the title even though she was a bas+ard. I haven't read a book where that happened before, so that was different and interesting. It seems she was more known for her title of bas+ard than Lady, unfortunately.

The hero is a spare who joins the Navy to make his own way through life, as most heirs spares are supposed to do. He is on a ship of fellow Scottish men who are now serving the Queen of England. There is complete unrest between England, Scotland and France, with a little tension happening in the colonies too. This is keeping them busy with little time for rest. His one chance at a break leads him to meet Lady Madelyn, and he is taken with her immediately.

Look, it wasn't all bad, it was just very serious. Both Aiden and Madelyn are pulled into scandals, intrigues, plots against the Queen and the scheming machinations of restless aristocrats. Poor Madelyn lands in hot water when she's accused of Treason, ends up in jail, then abducted, then escapes, then sent back to jail, then abducted, then safe...ish. Enough was enough, she had enough problems just getting past the situation of her birth.

It all ended up well but seemed to come good in the blink of an eye. If you love to read (what appears to be) a true representation of the times, and don't mind a wee bit of steam in your reads, The Highland Commander may be perfect for you.




I’m an Aussie chick who loves to read and review romance, drink coffee, be a Style Setter and stalk David Gandy. To see more of my reviews, fashion, food and pervathons -