"Highland Hellcat"
by Mary Wine
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: Oct 5, 2010
Source: sent by publisher
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
My Review:
Brina Chattan has spent her whole life preparing to be a nun, while her two sisters would be wed to powerful members of neighboring clans. When her sister, Dierdre, has an affair before her marriage, her betrothed finds out. Connor, the Lindsey laird, doesn't want a disgraced bride, so he steals Brina while on her way to the abbey. Brina fights Connor every step of the way, but she can't deny her attraction to him. When they arrive at his home and she's spoiled by the luxuries she never would have had at the abbey, she starts to question the life that has always been set out for her.
I really liked Brina, she was so independent and struggled to accept Connor's help with anything because she'd never been given the luxury of having anyone to lean on before. Her whole life, she'd watched her sisters wear pretty dresses and have their hair fixed but she was never able to have those things. She was so strong because she never complained about her place in life. It was so interesting to see her eyes opened to how nice the little luxuries in life were. I also liked that Connor loved to give her those things she'd never had, making her life as comfortable as possible.
I loved how every time Brina thought she would irritate Connor by acting like a screaming "hellcat," that he actually liked it! It was really funny to me how it just made him chase after her more.
I was a little impatient at first because the hero and heroine didn't meet each other until 50 or so pages into the book. Once they met, there was a lot of focus on the romance though.
This one wasn't really my style of romance. I think my biggest hurdle to really enjoying this one was what I felt were unkind attitudes towards women. I'm not a stickler for historical accuracies when it comes to attitudes and values-I want girl power! There was foul language and a lot of the story revolved around Deirdre being a disgrace for not being a virgin bride, and then of course the stealing of Brina.
Main Characters: 3/5
Supporting Characters: 3/5
Setting: 3/5
Romance: 3/5
Uniqueness: 3/5
Cover: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Bottom Line: Overall, this was a nice historical romance but I wanted more respect towards the women in the book.
O yah I wouldn't be cool with that either. Great honest review :)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely doesn't sound like the most unique read, and frustrating that it took them forever to meet. Either way, sounds interesting, and this is a brilliant, honest review :)
ReplyDeleteIf I say I don't mind the unkind attitude it sounds wrong, I just mean I get it, it was another time, even if it pisses me off. Like one thing that happened in book 1, that made me boil
ReplyDeleteThanks for the honest review. I think I might try to get my paws on this book if I can. I think I could enjoy it - I'm have certain leniency with medievals, because they are medieval, but I'll see if/when I get it.
ReplyDelete:D
Ahh I hate it when it takes so long for the hero and heroine to meet, I understand your feeling. But I'm glad you still enjoyed it. Great review.
ReplyDeleteI found an ARC of this book at my used bookstore for $1, and snatched it up. I like the books I've read from this author. Though this one may not be perfect, I look forward to reading it. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI love how we can react differently to the same book. :) I didn't even notice the wait before they met and the bad language was minor compared to some I have read. I agree it is hard for us modern women to relate to the way women were treated back then. I think that's why I always like a spirited heroine too.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book. And I love Highlanders and now I've realized all highlanders are actually have bad languages. In most books i've read. but sounds strong ;p
ReplyDeleteLove the sparring and the chase sounds very spirited by both warring lovers.
ReplyDeleteHighlanders beware... kilts are coming back with vengeance. Can someone order my hubby a pink kilt ??