Mairi MacGregor (a name I had trouble with throughout the book because I wasn’t sure if I should pronounce it Mary, Mawri or use a long sounding ‘I’ for the ai) has loved Connor Grant since she was a toddler. They grew up together at Camlochlin, their home hidden in the mists and mountains on the Isle of Skye, and he promised to love her forever but he left her to fight for a Protestant king in England. It didn’t matter that the king was his cousin or that he promised to return to her or send for her in England because he knew how she felt about Protestants or Cameronians and how she loved her home in the Highlands. The day he left, she vowed to stop loving him but she never quite got over him and it has been seven years.

In those years, she took up her sword and along with her brother, Colin, hunts down and kills radical Cameronians. They are part of a secret alliance of men or mostly men who want Scotland to return to Catholicism.

Connor Grant was sent for by his cousin, King Charles, to fight for him. He couldn’t very well ignore an order from his King. He tried for many years after he left Camlochlin to convince Mairi that he loved her but when she refused to answer his letters, he had to face reality and go on with his life. Now, King Charles is dead and his brother, James, is king. King James is Catholic so many Highlanders are gathered in Whitehall Palace for his coronation celebration and Mairi is amongst them.

I had a hard time with how Mairi acted towards Connor. The author clearly states that Connor did everything he could to save their relationship but Mairi but she was the one who broke it off. She is mad because she has heard rumors about his many lovers over the years but how can she be mad at him for going on with his life after she refused to continue their relationship? I also had a hard time stomaching her hatred for Protestants. She claimed it was because of their persecution of Catholics yet the Catholics did the same thing to Protestants when they were in power. She was stubborn and kind of blind to her own faults.

Connor and Mairi go through quite a bit of fighting before they realize that they still care for each other but now they will have to fight for each other. There are a sister and brother who are hell bent on marrying Connor and Mairi. Lord Henry de Vere, the Earl of Oxford’s son is in love with Mairi. She has been the only woman who has been kind to him since he received the horrible scar on his face. His sister Lady Elizabeth de Vere has her eye on Connor, not only because he is handsome but because he is the king’s cousin which would help her social standing and please her father greatly. What Mairi doesn’t know is that Henry overheard her talking to Connor about her secret of how she hunts down radical Cameronians who are plotting against the new king. He’s figured out that she was the one who gave him his disfiguring scar on his face and if she rebukes his love, he will have to kill her. Henry and Elizabeth have a plan to get what they want that would mean the end of Connor and Mairi’s rekindled love.

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First off, the concept of conquering or taming the heroine was mentioned like 20 times, which is at least 18 more than I’d care for. It’s not the end of the world, but rein it in a little. (As one might do a heroine... =D just kidding). This is a second chance love story, with a bit of childhood sweethearts and enemies to lovers tropes mixed in. The heroine was a tad more immature than I would like, but she wasn’t a total brat and was otherwise generally likable. Their separation ultimately felt kind of unnecessary and a waste, but, that sort of thing does happen sometimes, so it might just depend on how much you typically enjoy second chance romances. The hero was decent, and there were some creative aspects, so overall 3 stars. ( )

Misunderstanding and long hurts makes their reunion filled with lots of tension. I prefer a little less denying the obvious but it was well written.
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I really enjoyed "Tamed by a Highlander" by Paula Quinn. This is a continuation of a great series revolving around a Highland clan and each one has built upon the original story and just gets better and better. This book focused on Connor and Mairi and their love story was as fiery as I expected. The plot and characters are so well written, grabbing your attention in the first chapter and leaving you wanting more when it's over. I experienced this book via Audiobook format which I also highly recommend. The narration with the proper accents - made the story come to life in a way the voices in my own head would not have been able to accomplish.
Happy Reading...enjoy! ( )

I reviewed this book for Romance Reader At Heart website.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:


James, Duke of York, is crowned King of England, Scotland, and Ireland in the year of our Lord 1685. Callum MacGregor, clan chieftain of the MacGregors, is at the king's court for the occasion with his wife Kate and his children, Tristan, Colin and Mairi. Rob, his eldest son, stayed back home in Camlochlin.

As the story opens, Callum has decided that Kate and he will head back home, but since it's still very dangerous in that neck of the woods, he's come to the conclusion that Mairi and Colin would remain in the king's court. Our heroine is not so happy about this order from her father, but she has no choice but to obey. Headstrong, clever and brave, our heroine is also on a mission to unearth the truth behind the betrayal of the Highlanders and their religious persecution. Now that she's stuck in the same place as Connor Grant, a man who left her seven years ago, she's determined to stay out of his way, accomplish her mission, and as soon as possible head back home to Camlochlin.

Connor Grant left his home in the Highlands seven years ago to serve the English King Charles II. It is now seven years later, and our hero is a Captain in the army and serving a new king, the Catholic King James. Seeing the girl he loved who has now grown into a beautiful woman, is very hard for our hero. Leaving his Highlands and his love was something he never got over, but he had no choice in the matter, as duty called for him to serve his king. It hurt him greatly that Mairi couldn't accept nor understand his duty. She refused to join him there, and now she is here and he knows that he'll never regain his peace, especially after her father asks him to look after her!

As these two try to deal with their reunion, we're treated to their back and forth banter, and the love they still feel but are not willing to admit to each other. Throw in some court intrigue and treachery, and we have a well written, very accurate account of the Stuart dynasty and highly entertaining love story.

There are so many reasons to recommend TAMED BY A HIGHLANDER. Ms. Quinn has penned a fast-paced, well developed, very vivid and true-to-history romance. Our heroine was likable despite her stubborn and determined nature, and our hero was a man of honor who would not give up on one woman that he knew would never be out of his blood. Ms. Quinn does an awesome job of painting a picture with her words. Through her writing, this period and time come to life, and we feel the passion, fear, the intrigue and the deception, and pray for a happy ending for these childhood sweethearts.

I wish I'd read the previous two books, or maybe I should say three, which would include LAIRD OF THE MIST, Kate and Callum's HEA. Usually these books are written so you really don't need to read them in order, but in this case, I wish I had read the previous stories because they would've helped me understand the family dynamic a bit better.

The Children of the Mist series are stories of the happily-ever-after of four children of LAIRD OF THE MIST's Callum and his wife Kate. RAVISHED BY A HIGHLANDER is Rob's story; SEDUCED BY A HIGHLANDER is Tristan's; TAMED BY A HIGHLANDER is Mairi's; and CONQUERED BY A HIGHLANDER will be Colin's. Needless to say, all of the others are now on my Wish List, and I'm looking forward to reading them all--in order.

Melanie ( )