This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
About The Book
The McTiernay brothers will always be able to depend upon Brodie Dunstan’s loyalty, his sword, and his strength. But there is another kind of bond—one that can fell even a fearless warrior…
Brodie Dunstan was an honored McTiernay commander when he agreed to leave and help an allied clan. Eight years later, he’s back among the McTiernays at Lochlen Castle, yet despite the welcome, Brodie feels he’s still searching for his rightful place. The moment he rescues a storm-soaked young woman on the road to Lochlen, he wonders if he’s found it…
From nun to killer to royal spy, Shinae Mayboill has had little choice in her life’s path so far. Now, caught in a compromising position with Brodie after her rescue, she’s ushered into a hasty marriage. To her surprise, Brodie is unlike any man she has ever met, with a tenderness that belies his powerful persona. Their passion deepens every day. But when Brodie learns the truth about her past—and the real reason she has come to Lochlen Castle—will there still be room for her in the Highlander’s heart?
My Review
In The Arms of a Highlander was quite an interesting read and I was really excited to read this as I have enjoyed this series (the books I have read so far) and so I instantly grabbed at the opportunity to read this one. I did switch between the ARC and the Audiobook, and even though I found this one to be an enjoyable read, I definitely had my struggles with this one. It definitely has very strong accents in the audiobook, so fair warning for audio listeners upon grabbing this one up. I do think I probably would have enjoyed this one much more if I had physically read it more than I did. The narration, while I really this narrator, I think I just wasn’t in the right zone to enjoy this one like I really wanted to. There was a lack of investment that I had in the story and I think I just wasn’t in the mood for this historical. I do think it had some great potential but didn’t quite make it out for me personally. I do think if you love highlander romance, then this one will work for you. Just make sure you are in the right mood for this one. I was intrigued by the setup of the romance. Which was a marriage of convenience. Our heroine, is escaping the nunnery and with her friend, they come across two highlanders from the McTiernay clan who offers them refuge but through a turn of events, our heroine Shinae becomes married to Brodie. Their relationship starts off sweet and passionate but then turns into an angsty-filled tension. I quite didn’t understand the length of the angst, to be honest, and maybe it’s just a plot point that many authors will use, but I just wanted to see more focus on the plot building outside of the relationship. Some of the reasons for the tension between Brodie and Shinae just didn’t quite fit and I did feel in some moments it was just used as a filler. There were many things about this story that I quite enjoyed. I love the gentle sweet way that Brodie and Shinae fall in love, they embrace their attraction to each other pretty quickly. I also found myself fascinated with the suspense elements of the plot and the ways the intrigue and danger were introduced to it. It was such a blast to see some of my favorite characters play a role in this story.
Overall I found myself having a ball of fun and adventure within the realm of this story this author has created. It offers such creativity, endearing passion, and strong characters that capture your attention from the beginning.
Title: In The Arms of a Highlander
Author: Michele Sinclair
Genre: Historical Highlander Romance
Format: eARC
Source: Zebra
Length: 352 Pages
Book Links
Amazon| Barnes and Noble| Kobo| Goodreads| LibraryThing| StoryGraph| Literal Club
Book Evaluation
Storytelling Quality: 3
Story Itself: 3.5
Character Development: 4
Writing Style: 4
World Building 4
Feels + The Romantic Heart 3.5
Pacing 3
Plot 4
Cover Art 4.25
Ending 3.5
Book Ratings
Overall Rating of the Book
Steam Level
Simmering—soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warm- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin’ up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.
Series Order
The Mctiernays
The Highlander’s Bride-Pub 2007 #1 in the Series
To Wed A Highlander-Pub 2008 #2 in the Series
Desiring the Highlander-Pub 2009 #3 in the Series
Tempting the Highlander-Pub 2011 #4 in the Series
Seducing the Highlander-Pub 2013 #5 in the Series
Never Kiss a Highlander-Pub 2017 #6 in the Series
The Most Eligible Highlander in Highlander-Pub 2018 #7 in the Series
How To Marry A Highlander-Pub 2019 #8 in the Series
In the Arms of a Highlander-Pub 2022 #9 in the Series
About Michele
In need of a creative outlet, I began writing novels after my second child was born. A voracious reader of romance books and a constant dreamer of romantic plots, I was encouraged to put my ideas to paper. I soon found out I loved it…all of it!
I am a member of the Romance Writers of America and of the Georgia Romance Writers.
In addition to writing historical romance novels, I also build large HO model trains, love to do huge cross-stitching pieces, relax by boating, and decorate everything I can during the Christmas season.
Interesting set up. Glad to see you really enjoyed it.
Sorry it didn’t quite live up to your expectations.