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Warriors of the Highlands #1
My Highland Warrior
A delicious Highland historical romance from a beloved storyteller.
"Miriam Minger is a 50-carat jewel!" - Affaire de Coeur
Fearsome Scots laird Gabriel MacLachlan must take a bride, but not just any bride. Magdalene, his liege lord's younger sister is known to be as bonny as any Highland lass but as mad as a loon. Mad Maggie, they call her-and Gabriel has no choice. Not if he wants to put food in his clansmen's bellies, clothes on their backs, and repair the crumbling castle he calls home. A fat dowry in exchange for a madwoman, whose life will be in danger from the MacLachlan family curse the instant she becomes his wife.
A generations-old curse, an honorable chieftain, a clever beauty--it's the perfect recipe for a spirited Highland Romance.
"Miriam Minger is a 50-carat jewel!" - Affaire de Coeur
Fearsome Scots laird Gabriel MacLachlan must take a bride, but not just any bride. Magdalene, his liege lord's younger sister is known to be as bonny as any Highland lass but as mad as a loon. Mad Maggie, they call her-and Gabriel has no choice. Not if he wants to put food in his clansmen's bellies, clothes on their backs, and repair the crumbling castle he calls home. A fat dowry in exchange for a madwoman, whose life will be in danger from the MacLachlan family curse the instant she becomes his wife.
A generations-old curse, an honorable chieftain, a clever beauty--it's the perfect recipe for a spirited Highland Romance.
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 19, 2021
1052 people are currently reading
888 people want to read
About the author
Miriam Minger
66 books229 followersMiriam Minger is the bestselling author of sweet to sensual historical romances that sweep you from Viking times to Regency England to the American West. Miriam is also the author of contemporary romance, romantic suspense, inspirational romance, and children's books. She is the winner of several Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards--including Best Medieval Historical Romance of the Year for The Pagan's Prize--and a two-time RITA Award Finalist for The Brigand Bride and Captive Rose.
Miriam Minger says: It's been a wonderful experience to have all my novels published as eBooks, but the greatest thrill for me as a writer is when readers take the time to let me know they enjoyed my stories...
"I have read hundreds if not thousands of books in my lifetime and not once have I ever been moved to comment on one until now. This is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read. I laughed. I cried. I remained at the edge of my seat devouring every single word you wove with this incredible story. I just wanted to let you know how deeply this story moved me and to thank you for creating it."
Wow. This one left me speechless, and thankful. I had done my job, which is to make you feel like you've dropped feet first into a world that captures your imagination and emotions so vividly you might be living and breathing the story. And that's one of the purest joys of reading, isn't it? I know it is for me, and it is my hope to continue to write books that make you live and breathe the adventure, laugh and cry, and that touch your heart.
I'd love for you to visit my website where you can sign up for my newsletter and read more about my books: www.miriamminger.com.
Miriam Minger says: It's been a wonderful experience to have all my novels published as eBooks, but the greatest thrill for me as a writer is when readers take the time to let me know they enjoyed my stories...
"I have read hundreds if not thousands of books in my lifetime and not once have I ever been moved to comment on one until now. This is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read. I laughed. I cried. I remained at the edge of my seat devouring every single word you wove with this incredible story. I just wanted to let you know how deeply this story moved me and to thank you for creating it."
Wow. This one left me speechless, and thankful. I had done my job, which is to make you feel like you've dropped feet first into a world that captures your imagination and emotions so vividly you might be living and breathing the story. And that's one of the purest joys of reading, isn't it? I know it is for me, and it is my hope to continue to write books that make you live and breathe the adventure, laugh and cry, and that touch your heart.
I'd love for you to visit my website where you can sign up for my newsletter and read more about my books: www.miriamminger.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
June 18, 2024
2 🙄🙄⭐️s
The splendour of repetition!!
The splendour of repetition!!
December 13, 2021
I was excited to try out a new historical romance and this one was just okay. Maggie pretends to be mad because her sister was married off to an awful and abusive husband who killed her. Maggie doesn't ever want to marry, so she's been living in a convent. She's married off to a laird, though, so that her bride price can be used to help rebuild their village. Gabriel knows there's more to Maggie than there seems and he's determined to figure out what it was. I liked this book, but I didn't love how long Maggie pretended to be mad while she was around Gabriel. She actually hurt people and there wasn't much of a development between Gabriel and Maggie other than a physical one because they barely even talked to each other for most of the book. I did like how the ending moved towards a bigger plot between the clans, but this ended up being an average read for me.
June 21, 2021
Mad Maggie was a hoot
I didn't think I would like a story about a woman faking madness but this was sweet and I really ended up enjoying it. I liked that the fake madness didn't last u until the end of the book and that Gabriel fell in love with her even when he wondered if she was really crazy. The book also includes Robert the Bruce and even though this is not a non-fiction novel, my thoughts at the end were me wondering what happened to those who were loyal to him after he was murdered but then that bummed me out so I admonished myself and just accepted the lovely happily ever after that was. Can't read to read the next one.
I didn't think I would like a story about a woman faking madness but this was sweet and I really ended up enjoying it. I liked that the fake madness didn't last u until the end of the book and that Gabriel fell in love with her even when he wondered if she was really crazy. The book also includes Robert the Bruce and even though this is not a non-fiction novel, my thoughts at the end were me wondering what happened to those who were loyal to him after he was murdered but then that bummed me out so I admonished myself and just accepted the lovely happily ever after that was. Can't read to read the next one.
May 17, 2024
I last read a Miriam Minger book years ago, I think I should have left her in my bodice clutching past. That is all.
February 11, 2021
I usually like this author bc I can expect a good, easy read. I had trouble with this one.
The heroine fakes being crazy bc her sister's husband beat her sister to death and at 12yrs old she didn't want that fate. She is sent to a convent but years later her brother marries her by proxy for his own gain.
Gabriel was the typical great hero. He marries the "mad Maggie " to feed his clan. He is so understanding with her. I loved him.
The problem I had was she kept the mad act going for more than half the book. It got childish and extremely annoying. I almost gave up. Then I reached the second half and found it enjoyable. So this book was a toss up for me.
The heroine fakes being crazy bc her sister's husband beat her sister to death and at 12yrs old she didn't want that fate. She is sent to a convent but years later her brother marries her by proxy for his own gain.
Gabriel was the typical great hero. He marries the "mad Maggie " to feed his clan. He is so understanding with her. I loved him.
The problem I had was she kept the mad act going for more than half the book. It got childish and extremely annoying. I almost gave up. Then I reached the second half and found it enjoyable. So this book was a toss up for me.
January 31, 2021
Man, this was rough. The writing's not bad, but the characters are plot are just...
Kind of spoilery below, I guess. Although, really, there aren't any big surprises, so I'm not giving anything important away.
The story begins with Gabriel, who is suckered into marrying his overlord's "mad" sister because he needs money. He recently took over his clan from his dead brother, who spent all the clan's money on himself, and everyone is starving and all the buildings need fixed. Maggie, the "lunatic" sister, is living in a convent, where she was placed four years ago after apparently going crazy when her sister was killed by her abusive husband.
However, Maggie is not actually the lunatic everyone thinks she is. Her mother went mad after her sister's death, and Maggie just copied her behavior because.....
To get away from her brother, to save herself from ever getting married, to get away from all men in general because they're scary? All of the above? It's really not super clear what her actual motivation is.
Anyway, Gabriel shows up to fetch her, and she acts like a total jerk because she wants to stay at the convent. For some reason, all the nuns seem to like her there, but I still can't figure out why. They're constantly saying how sweet and docile she can be, but we only ever see her playing naked in the convent fountain and pulling in sisters that try to get her out and then sending them on a chase through the place when they try to get clothes on her. She just seems super selfish and annoying to me.
So, on the way back to Gabriel's clan, Maggie keeps up with her crazy act and tries to run away the first time they stop for the night. Gabriel decides that they'll just keep going then, so they don't risk losing her. And this is important because Maggie loses her shoes while running away and blames Gabriel for her feet getting cut up every time they stop to eat or relieve themselves on the way home, and he apparently holds her too tight on the ride, and she gets bruises or something. She never actually tells Gabriel about any of the pain or whatever that she's in, but she believes him not being a freaking PSYCHIC and knowing exactly how every part of her body is feeling at every moment proves that he is an absolute brute like her sister's husband was.
Of course, as soon as the healer mentions her feet and bruises back at the keep, Gabriel's immediately contrite and apologizes and takes care of her. For a moment, she thinks she's misjudged him...but then she goes back to acting like the childish, self-absorbed little jerk that she is and continues her charade to get away from this "awful" man.
Gabriel brings Maggie down to a meal with the two nieces he is raising - two nieces that want to make a family with her and are already calling her mom, but she's too ridiculously selfish to give up her act for. Worried that Gabriel might be noticing that she's not actually crazy, she starts howling and throwing food on herself. Gabriel gets angry at himself for thinking he could help Maggie not be crazy and having his nieces witness this, and Maggie believes this anger NOT EVEN DIRECTED AT HER is proof again that he's a horrible, violent man.
At this point, Gabriel kind of gives up and leaves Maggie alone for a week. Then, one day, the healer randomly comes to see him and tell him that Maggie is such a sweet girl, and that she's not really mad. Number one, not one single thing has yet to happen in this entire book to show that Maggie has a single sweet bone in her body. Number two, the healer's diagnosis is based entirely on his opinion that her eyes don't look crazy.
Apparently, that's enough for Gabriel, and he immediately starts talking about how happy he is he'll get to bang this woman - who hasn't said more than a few words to him in over a week and who up until 30 seconds ago he believed had the intelligence of his four year old niece.
He decides not to confront her about her deception because he believes she's faking it all because of what happened to her sister, and instead he takes her around the village so that she can see that he's a good guy and that he's using her dowry to help his people. He hopes she'll want to come clean when she trusts him.
And it almost works. She finally realizes that he's a nice guy (Seriously, why didn't he explain why he married her that first day?), and she feels so bad about assuming he was a villain that she faints. And for some reason, Gabriel thinks that she's faking it so that she can still appear mad. Why on earth does he think fainting is on the same level as howling and running around naked and rubbing soup on one's head? I have no idea. It's absolutely ridiculous.
Anyway, Mr. Brilliant here decides that the best way to determine if she's faking the faint is to throw her in the ice cold loch.
Of course, now Maggie thinks she was wrong about thinking that she was wrong about him. She's all shivery and they worry she'll die of cold, so of course they have to do the good 'ole "get naked and warm you up with my body thing".
But it's all good. The next morning Gabriel cries because he's so happy Maggie has recovered, and Maggie realizes that no man that cries can be evil. So now she's in love with him, which is a relief because the night before Gabriel realized he was in love with her; even though, THEY HAVEN'T HAD A SINGLE CONVERSATION YET!
Then we wrap up with these two crazy lovebirds getting together, saving the King of Scotland, and solving the "curse" that was causing all the MacLachlan wives to die.
I'm really not sure what else to say. Everything that happens in here is just bonkers. The writing is solid, so if the characters had actually behaved in a way that made logical sense or had had any kind of actual relationship building, or if there had been some kind of exciting storyline, this might have been enjoyable. As is, it just feels messy.
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December 12, 2025DNF @3:31
I just finished a Maya Banks contemporary and felt like re-reading one of her highlander books (Never Seduce a Scot) but since I was too busy to read today, I settled for an audiobook with a similar plot.
───〃˗ˋ The plot and my opinion ˊ˗
The hero, inheriting a broke baronetcy, appeals to his liege lord, the Earl of something (I was a bit skeptical with this since it was the English system and I don't think highland clans worked that way, but I'm too lazy to google it).
The Earl of something says he'll give him money in the form of a dowry. Hero is to marry the earl's mad sister. The earl, who's cartoonishly evil, wants the hero's alliance because he plans to be king of Scotland by defeating Robert The Bruce (again, I feel like this makes no sense. The Bruce won the throne not only by 'defeating' The Comyn but by playing the English side too. He only kept it (some say) because Edward II died and Edward III was a dud. Why would this rando become king by killing The Bruce, who's yet to kill The Comyn and really claim the throne???? The Bruce spent like 80% of his life fighting to get to and then stay on the freaking throne. You'd need more than the hero's allegiance to take it and keep it. Okay, historical rant over.)
Hero accepts.
The heroine, as you might guess, is not mad. She's been pretending ever since his beloved sister died at the hands of a cruel husband. By playing mad, she believes she'll avoid marriage and keep living in the convent forever.
When she's married by proxy and the hero comes to collect her, she decides to make his life miserable so he'll bring her back. Her reasons? Because all men are cruel.
Already I felt that reason was flimsy since she herself admits her father wasn't so. But what kept me rolling my eyes and slowly making me dislike the heroine more and more was
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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I just finished a Maya Banks contemporary and felt like re-reading one of her highlander books (Never Seduce a Scot) but since I was too busy to read today, I settled for an audiobook with a similar plot.
───〃˗ˋ The plot and my opinion ˊ˗
The hero, inheriting a broke baronetcy, appeals to his liege lord, the Earl of something (I was a bit skeptical with this since it was the English system and I don't think highland clans worked that way, but I'm too lazy to google it).
The Earl of something says he'll give him money in the form of a dowry. Hero is to marry the earl's mad sister. The earl, who's cartoonishly evil, wants the hero's alliance because he plans to be king of Scotland by defeating Robert The Bruce (again, I feel like this makes no sense. The Bruce won the throne not only by 'defeating' The Comyn but by playing the English side too. He only kept it (some say) because Edward II died and Edward III was a dud. Why would this rando become king by killing The Bruce, who's yet to kill The Comyn and really claim the throne???? The Bruce spent like 80% of his life fighting to get to and then stay on the freaking throne. You'd need more than the hero's allegiance to take it and keep it. Okay, historical rant over.)
Hero accepts.
The heroine, as you might guess, is not mad. She's been pretending ever since his beloved sister died at the hands of a cruel husband. By playing mad, she believes she'll avoid marriage and keep living in the convent forever.
When she's married by proxy and the hero comes to collect her, she decides to make his life miserable so he'll bring her back. Her reasons? Because all men are cruel.
Already I felt that reason was flimsy since she herself admits her father wasn't so. But what kept me rolling my eyes and slowly making me dislike the heroine more and more was
・
・
・
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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January 16, 2021
I have always been fascinated by stories that take place in the past, in a time that is known, and yet hides so many secrets. And it is no secret that among my favorite stories are those that include sexy highlanders. Powerful warriors, whose honor and beliefs are reminiscent of true values and heart-warming romanticism.
My Highland Warrior is a story about such a man. Gabriel, after the unfortunate death of his older brother, becomes the Laird of a clan that is slowly drowning in the problems caused by reckless management and distribution of goods. Neither his will, nor his honor, nor the strength of his body is sufficient to provide all the necessary living conditions for those innocent people who are under his protection. No matter how hard he tries, he has no choice but to accept the outrageous conditions imposed on him. Yes, the price is too high to pay ... but there is no other choice. For all his people, for the smile on the faces of the children, for food in their bellies, he is cornered, without a way out. Married to a woman who hasn’t got her wits together. Beautiful like no other, a divine creature, but daft..... But is everything as it seems? What will happen when her eyes slowly begin to reveal truths that bring unprecedented relief but also unparalleled danger?
Miriam Minger has created a story that may not be historically accurate, but it is quite interesting and offers a new look at the past. A story that gives an overview of a society where women were just ordinary pawns without the right to will and opinion. Left to themselves and their resourcefulness to avoid the shackles imposed on them by the men who are responsible for their decisions and their lives. Magdalene is a character who captivates with her inventiveness. A girl, broken by pain after the tragic death of her sister and forced to an unthinkable solution to avoid a similar fate. Quite imaginative and cunning, she almost succeeds in her plan. But sometimes even the best plans have flaws. Gabriel, disgusted by what he is forced to do, tries to alleviate the situation. A noble and loyal, but above all an honorable man who is not afraid to look the truth for what it is. Their journey abounds with a range of interesting and funny situations that will make you laugh, but also quite romantic and tender moments that will soften your heart. The overall plot as well as the flow of the story are quite solid. Slightly stretched beginning and parts that are inclined towards ridiculousness, but overall, quite an interesting story that will keep your attention until the very end.
If you, too, want to immerse yourself in a world full of humor and romance, a little bit of mystery, and inevitable battles, then definitely check out this book. A story that with its imagination will make you enjoy to the end.
My Highland Warrior is a story about such a man. Gabriel, after the unfortunate death of his older brother, becomes the Laird of a clan that is slowly drowning in the problems caused by reckless management and distribution of goods. Neither his will, nor his honor, nor the strength of his body is sufficient to provide all the necessary living conditions for those innocent people who are under his protection. No matter how hard he tries, he has no choice but to accept the outrageous conditions imposed on him. Yes, the price is too high to pay ... but there is no other choice. For all his people, for the smile on the faces of the children, for food in their bellies, he is cornered, without a way out. Married to a woman who hasn’t got her wits together. Beautiful like no other, a divine creature, but daft..... But is everything as it seems? What will happen when her eyes slowly begin to reveal truths that bring unprecedented relief but also unparalleled danger?
Miriam Minger has created a story that may not be historically accurate, but it is quite interesting and offers a new look at the past. A story that gives an overview of a society where women were just ordinary pawns without the right to will and opinion. Left to themselves and their resourcefulness to avoid the shackles imposed on them by the men who are responsible for their decisions and their lives. Magdalene is a character who captivates with her inventiveness. A girl, broken by pain after the tragic death of her sister and forced to an unthinkable solution to avoid a similar fate. Quite imaginative and cunning, she almost succeeds in her plan. But sometimes even the best plans have flaws. Gabriel, disgusted by what he is forced to do, tries to alleviate the situation. A noble and loyal, but above all an honorable man who is not afraid to look the truth for what it is. Their journey abounds with a range of interesting and funny situations that will make you laugh, but also quite romantic and tender moments that will soften your heart. The overall plot as well as the flow of the story are quite solid. Slightly stretched beginning and parts that are inclined towards ridiculousness, but overall, quite an interesting story that will keep your attention until the very end.
If you, too, want to immerse yourself in a world full of humor and romance, a little bit of mystery, and inevitable battles, then definitely check out this book. A story that with its imagination will make you enjoy to the end.
January 23, 2025
Not even going to bother with a proper review.
All i will say is there’s a good reason this one was free on Apple Books….
All i will say is there’s a good reason this one was free on Apple Books….
January 18, 2021
A quick historical romance, My Highland Warrior focuses on Gabriel and Magdalene whose unwanted marriage becomes the best decision of their lives. An arrangement between Magdalene’s brother and Gabriel pulls Magdalene from her perfectly happy existence at a convent. Feigning to be insane to escape the brutalities she thinks will occur if she marries, Magdalene determines to do all that she can to escape her marriage to Gabriel. But the more she gets to know the kind, honorable, and trust-worthy laird, the more she realizes that his love might be worth the risk.
With a power-hungry brother, a generations-old curse, and a large number of people depending on them, this couple has many obstacles in their way. Luckily for Magdalen, whose fake insanity is physically and emotionally taxing on all those involved, Gabriel is a patient man. He’s also quite observant and sees through Magdalene’s act. I liked his character and felt he was developed well.
Magdalene jumps to a lot of conclusions and acts impulsively, and I was sometimes frustrated by her violent and disrespectful behavior. Though she did certain things to convince people of her madness, her amplified actions were, at times, inexplicable and mean-spirited. That being said, I think Magdalene has spent so much of her life under the thumb of unconscionable men that she just longs for safety. Once she finds that, she changes and shows her true self.
The romance is slow-building, though the connection between Gabriel and Magdalene is obvious from the start. Gabriel and Magdalene have great chemistry once they put down their defenses, and their union is sweet and a little spicy!
I also like the secondary characters, especially Gabriel’s nieces and closest friends. The girls were sweet with an exuberance that lightened the tone of the story. Gabriel’s friends were fierce and funny, as well as loyal and honorable, and I’m curious to learn more about them in future books. I’d like to learn more about Magdalene’s sister-in-law too. She definitely has a story to tell, and I’d love to see her find love after the terrible relationship she had with Magdalene’s brother.
Overall, this is a quick and entertaining read that will appeal to lovers of historical romance. Thanks so much to Netgalley, the author, and Oliver Heber Books for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
With a power-hungry brother, a generations-old curse, and a large number of people depending on them, this couple has many obstacles in their way. Luckily for Magdalen, whose fake insanity is physically and emotionally taxing on all those involved, Gabriel is a patient man. He’s also quite observant and sees through Magdalene’s act. I liked his character and felt he was developed well.
Magdalene jumps to a lot of conclusions and acts impulsively, and I was sometimes frustrated by her violent and disrespectful behavior. Though she did certain things to convince people of her madness, her amplified actions were, at times, inexplicable and mean-spirited. That being said, I think Magdalene has spent so much of her life under the thumb of unconscionable men that she just longs for safety. Once she finds that, she changes and shows her true self.
The romance is slow-building, though the connection between Gabriel and Magdalene is obvious from the start. Gabriel and Magdalene have great chemistry once they put down their defenses, and their union is sweet and a little spicy!
I also like the secondary characters, especially Gabriel’s nieces and closest friends. The girls were sweet with an exuberance that lightened the tone of the story. Gabriel’s friends were fierce and funny, as well as loyal and honorable, and I’m curious to learn more about them in future books. I’d like to learn more about Magdalene’s sister-in-law too. She definitely has a story to tell, and I’d love to see her find love after the terrible relationship she had with Magdalene’s brother.
Overall, this is a quick and entertaining read that will appeal to lovers of historical romance. Thanks so much to Netgalley, the author, and Oliver Heber Books for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
January 24, 2021
Scotland 1307
A handsome highland warrior and an eighteen year old childlike bride create this memorable tale from the wonderful imagination of storyteller Miriam Minger! If you have never read any of her books, or if you have read every one, you are in for a treat!
New highland Laird, Gabriel (yes one of my favorite names and he is now my favorite Laird!), is forced to marry for money due to the terrible state his brother had left the estate in upon his death. He agreed to marry "Crazy Mary or Magdalene" as everyone called her due to her dowry.
Magdalene had done everything she could to act "crazy" since the death of her sister, and then mother, who had gone mad from grief. She knew her brother would try to pawn her off on someone like the brute that he had married her sister to.
Laugh out loud moments, heartfelt sighs and a delightful adventure awaits you as Gabriel and Magdalene find their way to a happy ever after. Be sure not to miss it! Cannot wait for more!
A handsome highland warrior and an eighteen year old childlike bride create this memorable tale from the wonderful imagination of storyteller Miriam Minger! If you have never read any of her books, or if you have read every one, you are in for a treat!
New highland Laird, Gabriel (yes one of my favorite names and he is now my favorite Laird!), is forced to marry for money due to the terrible state his brother had left the estate in upon his death. He agreed to marry "Crazy Mary or Magdalene" as everyone called her due to her dowry.
Magdalene had done everything she could to act "crazy" since the death of her sister, and then mother, who had gone mad from grief. She knew her brother would try to pawn her off on someone like the brute that he had married her sister to.
Laugh out loud moments, heartfelt sighs and a delightful adventure awaits you as Gabriel and Magdalene find their way to a happy ever after. Be sure not to miss it! Cannot wait for more!
May 28, 2022
Oh, Mad Maggie, what a refreshing heroine you make! If the start of this story doesn't grab your attention, then nothing will! lol I absolutely loved this book and didn't want to put it down until I was finished.
When Gabriel is pretty much forced to marry his liege's "mad" sister, little does he realize the upheaval his life will now experience. It doesn't take long, though, until he discovers the truth about Maggie and he can't help but fall in love with her. As for Maggie, she expected Gabriel to be brutal like her brother but soon realizes that he's more hero than villain.
With a few twists and turns and even an appearance by the great Robert the Bruce, this story is filled with action, danger, humour and heated passions.
When Gabriel is pretty much forced to marry his liege's "mad" sister, little does he realize the upheaval his life will now experience. It doesn't take long, though, until he discovers the truth about Maggie and he can't help but fall in love with her. As for Maggie, she expected Gabriel to be brutal like her brother but soon realizes that he's more hero than villain.
With a few twists and turns and even an appearance by the great Robert the Bruce, this story is filled with action, danger, humour and heated passions.
January 7, 2021
I just finished reading My Highland Warrior by Miriam Minger and it is a book that I’m going to remember fondly for a long time. It’s not often a book can make me uncontrollably "laugh like a lunatic" but I found myself doing just that! Thank god no one was around to hear me! It was a really funny story but it was also very heartfelt and serious at times. It was a great combination and amazingly done. I loved the writing, storyline and characters. It is a very well rounded book that keeps the reader interested. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It’s one that I’ll eventually have to buy a copy in paperback just so I can have a physical copy as well. Highly recommend!! 5 stars!
September 19, 2021
Awful! A complete waste of yime! This is nothing but both characters thinking about the mundane things that literally just happened, and that we the reader literally just read, in pages and pages of monotonous and tedious detail.
Like the last scene I read at 40% before giving up- when the H comes to the h's room to get her to eat, finds her wrestling with her maids, traps her with his knees touching hers to make sure she didn't try to run, gets her to eat soup and bread with her and gets her to get dressed yo go for a ride on a horse.
We are then made to re-read that whole mundane scene again, in pages long detail, as the heroine sits on the horse and thinks back about the scene we literally just read - about how he found her wrestling with the maids, got her to eat soup and bread with him, touched his knees to hers to make certain she didn't run, got her to dress etc...
It's incredibly boring amd irritating to have to re-read everything. Literally Every Thing! Every mundane, unimportant, boring scene, is repeated in the H's inner thoughts and then in the h's inmer thoughts, and repeated by them again, over and over.
From the first page, the H and the h both think about how her brother tricked him into marrying her, how she danced in the fountain, tried to escape on his horse, fought him in the forest, and all the way through to the scene where I gave up. They both think about those scenes at least four times each.
That meant reading those handful of scenes at least nine times! Once when the scene happened, then the at least four times the H thinks back about them, then the at least four times the h thinks about them! And that happens with every single scene.
I just couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand to read and re-read and re-read, and re-read, the H and the h thinking about scenes the reader had only just read in full, forcing the reader to re-read them over and over and over and over again! Awful! And if I had to read that she was a "poor wee lass" or "Och", one more time I would have screamed. The author needs to learn a new word apart from "sweet" to describe the H and h.
In fact, just don't read this. It is a complete waste of a reader's time. Nothing but constant repeating of what were already seriously mundane, unimportant and boring scenes the first time we read them happening. Really awful repetition.
Like the last scene I read at 40% before giving up- when the H comes to the h's room to get her to eat, finds her wrestling with her maids, traps her with his knees touching hers to make sure she didn't try to run, gets her to eat soup and bread with her and gets her to get dressed yo go for a ride on a horse.
We are then made to re-read that whole mundane scene again, in pages long detail, as the heroine sits on the horse and thinks back about the scene we literally just read - about how he found her wrestling with the maids, got her to eat soup and bread with him, touched his knees to hers to make certain she didn't run, got her to dress etc...
It's incredibly boring amd irritating to have to re-read everything. Literally Every Thing! Every mundane, unimportant, boring scene, is repeated in the H's inner thoughts and then in the h's inmer thoughts, and repeated by them again, over and over.
From the first page, the H and the h both think about how her brother tricked him into marrying her, how she danced in the fountain, tried to escape on his horse, fought him in the forest, and all the way through to the scene where I gave up. They both think about those scenes at least four times each.
That meant reading those handful of scenes at least nine times! Once when the scene happened, then the at least four times the H thinks back about them, then the at least four times the h thinks about them! And that happens with every single scene.
I just couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand to read and re-read and re-read, and re-read, the H and the h thinking about scenes the reader had only just read in full, forcing the reader to re-read them over and over and over and over again! Awful! And if I had to read that she was a "poor wee lass" or "Och", one more time I would have screamed. The author needs to learn a new word apart from "sweet" to describe the H and h.
In fact, just don't read this. It is a complete waste of a reader's time. Nothing but constant repeating of what were already seriously mundane, unimportant and boring scenes the first time we read them happening. Really awful repetition.
January 12, 2021
My Highland Warrior is the first book in the Warriors of the Highlands series by Miriam Minger. I enjoy reading firsts in series when they are as good as this one because then I know I have many more hours of great reading to come as the series continues.
This book was memorable and unique mainly because of its main female character, Magdalene MacDougal, AKA Mad Maggie. After her sister's death and her mother's grief turning into lunacy before her own death, Maggie is left under the control of her horrible brother. She knew he would want to wed her to somebody for alliance rather than somebody she could love so she decided to act the lunatic. Her brother has no time for her and knowing he couldn't marry her off sent her to live in a convent. There she continued her charade and it's the antics that she got up to which made me laugh so much and which made this book memorable. One of the first scenes in the book with Maggie in has her running around the convent in the nude and frolicking in the fountain splashing water at the frazzled nuns.
That is how the hero of the story laird Gabriel MacLachlan first sees her. He is at the convent to fetch Maggie because she is his bride. Her brother used Gabriel's desperate need of money to help save his people from starvation to persuade him to marry his mad sister. That marriage would guarantee that he would have Gabriel's allegiance when it came to fighting Robert the Bruce. He had no qualms about marrying her off despite her state of mind. Gabriel wasn't happy about marrying a lunatic woman, but he had no choice. Just as she had no choice in it. All she could hope for was that if she continued to act mad he wouldn't want to consummate the marriage, plus he would send her back to the convent. The things she did to prove her lunacy were fabulously funny and I am laughing just thinking about them.
Of course, the story wasn't all laughs, Gabriel was soon to realise that perhaps Maggie wasn't as mad as she made out, and when he is proven right he doesn't have to stop the feelings of lust that he feels towards her. Feelings which are absolutely mutual. The passion between them is perfect and makes for many a steamy scene. More serious aspects of the story come when Maggie's brother calls upon him to take up arms in his plight to overthrow Robert the Bruce, and when he finds out truths about his new brother-in-law. But I don't want to say anymore, spoilers and all that.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am definitely going to read the series as it is released.
This book was memorable and unique mainly because of its main female character, Magdalene MacDougal, AKA Mad Maggie. After her sister's death and her mother's grief turning into lunacy before her own death, Maggie is left under the control of her horrible brother. She knew he would want to wed her to somebody for alliance rather than somebody she could love so she decided to act the lunatic. Her brother has no time for her and knowing he couldn't marry her off sent her to live in a convent. There she continued her charade and it's the antics that she got up to which made me laugh so much and which made this book memorable. One of the first scenes in the book with Maggie in has her running around the convent in the nude and frolicking in the fountain splashing water at the frazzled nuns.
That is how the hero of the story laird Gabriel MacLachlan first sees her. He is at the convent to fetch Maggie because she is his bride. Her brother used Gabriel's desperate need of money to help save his people from starvation to persuade him to marry his mad sister. That marriage would guarantee that he would have Gabriel's allegiance when it came to fighting Robert the Bruce. He had no qualms about marrying her off despite her state of mind. Gabriel wasn't happy about marrying a lunatic woman, but he had no choice. Just as she had no choice in it. All she could hope for was that if she continued to act mad he wouldn't want to consummate the marriage, plus he would send her back to the convent. The things she did to prove her lunacy were fabulously funny and I am laughing just thinking about them.
Of course, the story wasn't all laughs, Gabriel was soon to realise that perhaps Maggie wasn't as mad as she made out, and when he is proven right he doesn't have to stop the feelings of lust that he feels towards her. Feelings which are absolutely mutual. The passion between them is perfect and makes for many a steamy scene. More serious aspects of the story come when Maggie's brother calls upon him to take up arms in his plight to overthrow Robert the Bruce, and when he finds out truths about his new brother-in-law. But I don't want to say anymore, spoilers and all that.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am definitely going to read the series as it is released.
February 19, 2022
You have a fearsome Scottish warrior Laird asking for coin from his overlord to be able to feed his people and repair his run down, newly inherited castle. The one catch, is his overlord requires he marry the overlords mad sister and they must live as a married couple, together while repairing his castle. Maggie wasn’t really mad, only using that as a defense to shield her from the wrath of men like her brother, her sister’s husband, and the like. It’s set in the early reign of “The Bruce” as Scotland’s king. This is an enjoyable story with action, numerous dialogue, deception and betrayal. It should hold your attention until the end. It isn’t a terribly long read, maybe 5-6 hours I guess. 😊
February 18, 2025
Барон Гейбриъл МакЛаклън и лейди Магдалийн МакДугъл/ Маги
📣🚨🛑РЕВЮ СЪДЪРЖАЩО СПОЙЛЕРИ🛑🚨📣
Гейбриъл е втори син, който наследява леърдският пост на клана МакЛаклън, след като брат му Малкълм умира при инцидент падайки от кон и счувайки врата си. Малкълм обаче не е бил много усърден леърд и клана му гладува, докато той е харчел парите си за удобства, мебели и декорации. Сега осъзнавайки, че хазната е празна, защитните стени се рушат, а народа гладува, Гейбриъл няма друг избор освен да помоли леърда на клана МакДугъл за пари, тъй като той е феодалният му владетел. Шоръс МакДугъл обаче е зъл мъж, желаещ да стане крал на Шотландия и отричащ Робърт Брус като свой крал, и в амбицията си да събере достатъчно голяма армия, Шоръс е решил да подчини на волята си колкото се може повече леърди. Той решава да даде на Гейбриъл тъй нужните му пари, но във вид на зестра, принуждавайки Гейбриъл да се ожени за сестрата на Шоръс, които всички наричат Лудата Маги.
Магдалийн вече четири години се преструва на луда. След като омъжват сестра й за жесток леърд, който в грубостта си я убива, майката на Маги полудява от мъка. Скоро след смъртта на майка й, баща й също умира и на чело на клана МакДугъл застава жестпкия й брат. Боейки се, че съдбата й може да е същата като тази на сестра й, омъжена на сила за ужасен мъж, Маги започва да имитира държанието на майка си, преструвайки се на напълно луда. Шоръс я изпраща в манастир и Маги вярва, че ще изживее остатъка от живота си там, докато един ден не пристига грамаден страховит воин, който е неин съпруг и смята да я отведе в дома си. Магдалийн ще направи всичко, за да го убеди, че е истински луда с надеждата той да я върне в манастира.
В началото Маги игрсеше ролята на луда много убедително. От това подскача гола във фонтана в манастира, до виене, налудничев смях и заливане с храна, биене и бягане, Маги беше убедена, че Гейбриъл е зъл тиранин и искаше да се отърве от него. Той се опитваше да се държи добре с нея, но тя напълно го побъркваше, и все пак, нещо в нейната лудост не му се виждаше правилно.
Вярно е, че на моменти Гейбриъл беше леко нелогичен и прибъразн, но Маги направо танцуваше по нервите му. Иначе много харесах племенничките на Гейбриъл, две момиченца на 4 и 6 години, които в началото толкова сладко наричаха Маги Мамо и Гейбриъл Татко, докато скапанта им бавачка не ги накара да спрат.
В тази книга има една феноменална сцена, която изсушах няколко пъти.
До тук книгата би следвало да свърши, обаче има още един час от аудио книгата и не сме разбрали какво се случва със семейното проклятие и защо бабата, майката и снахата на Гейбриъл са умрели при странни инциденти.
Хубава книга, лека, забавна, но признавам на моменти преструвките на Магдалийн ми идваха в повече и просто я чаках да му каже истината. Сега двамата братя Кембъл получиха от краля титли и имения. Да видим и техните книги. Следва Камерън Кембъл, който след смъртта на брата на Маги получи от краля имението и земите на МакДугъл.
📣🚨🛑РЕВЮ СЪДЪРЖАЩО СПОЙЛЕРИ🛑🚨📣
Гейбриъл е втори син, който наследява леърдският пост на клана МакЛаклън, след като брат му Малкълм умира при инцидент падайки от кон и счувайки врата си. Малкълм обаче не е бил много усърден леърд и клана му гладува, докато той е харчел парите си за удобства, мебели и декорации. Сега осъзнавайки, че хазната е празна, защитните стени се рушат, а народа гладува, Гейбриъл няма друг избор освен да помоли леърда на клана МакДугъл за пари, тъй като той е феодалният му владетел. Шоръс МакДугъл обаче е зъл мъж, желаещ да стане крал на Шотландия и отричащ Робърт Брус като свой крал, и в амбицията си да събере достатъчно голяма армия, Шоръс е решил да подчини на волята си колкото се може повече леърди. Той решава да даде на Гейбриъл тъй нужните му пари, но във вид на зестра, принуждавайки Гейбриъл да се ожени за сестрата на Шоръс, които всички наричат Лудата Маги.
Магдалийн вече четири години се преструва на луда. След като омъжват сестра й за жесток леърд, който в грубостта си я убива, майката на Маги полудява от мъка. Скоро след смъртта на майка й, баща й също умира и на чело на клана МакДугъл застава жестпкия й брат. Боейки се, че съдбата й може да е същата като тази на сестра й, омъжена на сила за ужасен мъж, Маги започва да имитира държанието на майка си, преструвайки се на напълно луда. Шоръс я изпраща в манастир и Маги вярва, че ще изживее остатъка от живота си там, докато един ден не пристига грамаден страховит воин, който е неин съпруг и смята да я отведе в дома си. Магдалийн ще направи всичко, за да го убеди, че е истински луда с надеждата той да я върне в манастира.
В началото Маги игрсеше ролята на луда много убедително. От това подскача гола във фонтана в манастира, до виене, налудничев смях и заливане с храна, биене и бягане, Маги беше убедена, че Гейбриъл е зъл тиранин и искаше да се отърве от него. Той се опитваше да се държи добре с нея, но тя напълно го побъркваше, и все пак, нещо в нейната лудост не му се виждаше правилно.
Вярно е, че на моменти Гейбриъл беше леко нелогичен и прибъразн, но Маги направо танцуваше по нервите му. Иначе много харесах племенничките на Гейбриъл, две момиченца на 4 и 6 години, които в началото толкова сладко наричаха Маги Мамо и Гейбриъл Татко, докато скапанта им бавачка не ги накара да спрат.
В тази книга има една феноменална сцена, която изсушах няколко пъти.
До тук книгата би следвало да свърши, обаче има още един час от аудио книгата и не сме разбрали какво се случва със семейното проклятие и защо бабата, майката и снахата на Гейбриъл са умрели при странни инциденти.
Хубава книга, лека, забавна, но признавам на моменти преструвките на Магдалийн ми идваха в повече и просто я чаках да му каже истината. Сега двамата братя Кембъл получиха от краля титли и имения. Да видим и техните книги. Следва Камерън Кембъл, който след смъртта на брата на Маги получи от краля имението и земите на МакДугъл.
January 7, 2021
Mainly this is a quick read and a sweet story, but I have some big issues with some of the characters’ reasoning and motivation. The heroine honestly borders on TSTL (too stupid to live) with her confusing reasoning on why she acts mad. She doesn’t know the hero at all and he treats her kindly and her conclusion? He must be evil, so let’s act crazy!The main villain is also mainly evil for evil’s sake without clear reasoning on his actions, especially when it came to the hero’s brother. The hero’s nieces are adorable though. If you like a quick read and don’t want to look very deeply into the characters, then this one is for you!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 12, 2023
I just love this writer's books of highland warriors, ladies whose love is hard fought for and won!
The H was forced into what turned out to be the best thing in his life and the h seemed a little immature until I found out why she did what she felt was the only way out. And TWO villains!
Yes I enjoyed this book.
The H was forced into what turned out to be the best thing in his life and the h seemed a little immature until I found out why she did what she felt was the only way out. And TWO villains!
Yes I enjoyed this book.
April 14, 2022
Love me some highland warriors!!
June 12, 2023
I was pleasantly surprised by this free (!) download. This story has madness, murder, mayhem, a curse, plus love and passion. I definitely like it enough to read more by this author and the stories of the other warriors in this series.
September 26, 2022
Gabriel & Magdalene. After her sister is married to a cruel laird and dies within 6 mo, her mother goes insane with grief. Seeing everyone's reaction, she decides to mimics her mother and act insane. Her father ships her off to a convent and she's known as Mad Maggie. After his brother dies, Gabriel takes over the position as Laird to his family's lands. He finds that his brother was a spendthrift and they are in dire financial need. His people are starving and the keep is in major disrepair (but his brother had a really nice bed imported from France). Without another choice, he visits his overlord Seoras who agrees to give him the gold he needs to fix everything but in the form of a dowry (he has to marry his sister Mad Maggie). With not other choice he agrees and is married by proxy to a nun standing in for Maggie. After he goes to the convent to collect his bride and finds her running around naked and jumping in a fountain. Her various antics were hilarious! But he manages to collect her and they return to his keep (granted she tries a couple of times to escape him but fails). She almost blows her cover when she meets his 2 nieces (orphaned after the death of his brother and SIL) and they ask to call her mama but she holds steady. He tries to be patient with her antics but loses it after she decides to dump food and drink down her dress (like a lunatic) and he jails her away in her room. After his temper has cooled and realizing he's been an ass, he tries to make amends. She maintains her rouse because she believes him to be like her brother and the man that killed her sister, even after learning that he had given her his room while he stays in a closet, he is father to his nieces, and doesn't force consummation of their marriage. He finds out from his healer that she isn't insane but is acting confirming his suspicions (how she comforted his youngest niece during a storm and other times when she gets angry and doesn't look insane). He decides not to call her out but instead wants to win her trust. He takes her to tour the keep and while visiting the village she realizes that he married her for her dowry and to save his people. He is loved by his people. She becomes overwhelmed and faints. Thinking she's faking he tosses her in the freezing loch but quickly realizes she wasn't faking and jumps in to rescue her. His cousin was fishing nearby and had jumped in when he saw Maggie sinking and rescues them both (he almost drowns looking for her). They go back to the keep where she is catatonic and freezing. He uses his body heat to warm her and while she struggles initially she snuggles into him and decides that she will tell him that she's not crazy the next morning. She wakes but he has rushed off the keep (he sees her in the window) when a messenger tells him that Robert the Bruce, current King of Scotland and enemy to Seoras was seen crossing his lands heading towards Seoras' keep. He returns to his keep and receives a messenger summoning him and Maggie to Seoras' keep to celebrate their nuptials with a feast and entertainment. He goes to Maggie and she shows that she isn't crazy and they end up consummating their marriage before setting out the next morning for her brother's keep. They arrive as his keep to see villagers hanging from trees (they were believed to be not loyal to Seoras so he killed them) and other heads on spikes leading up to the keep. So a nice warm welcome. She is told to continue acting crazy to protect her. Gabriel is summoned to meet with Seoras and Seoras' wife Cora (a Campbell who hates her husband because he's a cruel garbage person but he won't hurt her out of fear of an uprising of Campbells against him) tells Maggie that she already knows she isn't crazy but also tells her that her husband had one of his henchmen stage Gabriel's brother death. He was murdered because Seoras considered him a weak baron and with their financial issues he could get loyalty from Gabriel when he took over as baron (Gabriel was also a great warrior). She sneaks off to meet up with Gabriel where she tells him about his brother's murder. At their celebration dinner, there is an unease amongst the barons in attendance (many didn't like Seoras). For their entertainment, Seoras is going to have a lovely execution of some of the prisoners taken during the recent attack on one of their villages. Maggie recognizes one of the prisoners as their king (she met him when he saved her convent that was under attack). She's loyal to King Robert and so is Gabriel and many of the other barons in the room. Seoras has Gabriel come stand closer to watch the execution but he ends up beheading Seoras and his henchman that killed his brother. Gabriel and his captains help free the prisoners and protect their king. The king's men show up to save him but would've been late had Gabriel and his men not protected the King. As a reward for their loyalty, Gabriel is given the title of Earl (many steps up from baron). Cameron Campbell (one of his captains) is given Seoras' lands as new baron. His brother Connal is told he will be rewarded later (book 3). They return home, make love and he decides he's going to return her to the convent. There is a curse on his family where the brides die unexpectedly. His grandmother broke her neck falling down stairs, his mother drown in the loch, and his sister in law burned to death when her dress caught fire in the kitchen. Not wanting anything to happen to Maggie he is going to send her away. Devastated about being sent away, she heads to the top of the keep and even though she terrified of heights she goes to show him that there is no curse otherwise she would plummet to her death. She is leaving the roof when the longtime nursemaid tells her that she loved Gabriel's grandfather but he married someone else. So she decided to kill all of the women that married into his family. So there was no curse only a BSC nursemaid. They fight and Maggie manages to push her over and she dies. I really liked this book. The story kept me engaged even though their love that built while she's "crazy" is a little farfetched. The love scenes were good, not super steamy but overall it was really enjoyable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2021
What a outstanding story! The opening scenes will catch your attention and it will not let you go till the very end of the book. I fell in love with Magdalene, Mad Maggie, from the start. She made me laugh so hard and what a wonderful surprise she is. Laird Gabriel needs money to save his clan and the only way to do that is marry a lunatic and she must live with him in his castle. From the first time Gabriel saw Magdalene he was captivated by her beautiful but will he be able to come to terms with her being mad? When Gabriel is ordered by his overlord for him and Magdalene to journey to his castle Gabriel soon realizes a treacherous web of death, deception, a curse, murder and secrets are about to unfold. My Highland Warrior unforgettable romance that brims with tension-building twists, characters that come off the pages and pull you into their tale, a strong plot that is well written, with great emotion and dialogue! Miriam Minger's My Highland Warrior will remain in your heart long after the last page is turned. Look forward to reading Cameron's story!
November 24, 2023
Legit can't understand how this gets a 4.24 rating. Perhaps the worst historical romance I have ever read. Ridiculous premise where she feigns insanity for a very unclear reason for years. Though apparently, despite method acting this for nearly half a decade she still has trouble keeping up the ruse when she's married to the laird who can see in her eyes some moments of lucidity? Somehow that means he falls instantly in love with her even though she's been beyond destructive...I mean come on. Bloody and cruel storylines about her brother was unnecessary and just gross. Also completely unrealistic. Bad writing, bad premise, no good character or relationship development between the mains... Just awful.
January 20, 2021
Book: My Highland Warrior
By Miriam Minger
Series: Warriors of the Highlands, Book #1
Publisher: Oliver-Heber Books
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Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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MacLachlan Castle
Argyllshire, Scotland 1307
After his brother’s death Laird Gabriel MacLachlan becomes Laird. Due to his brother’s previous bad decisions and over spending his clan is suffering greatly. This means not to mention for nourishment in their stomachs and clothing on their backs. Gabriel is not only responsible for his clan but his brothers children who are now orphaned and look to him as their father. Their mother died previously due to the MacLachlan curse, the main reason he never wanted to marry no matter if the woman was sane or insane!
Now his clan in extreme and dire straits and Gabriel has to take the least desirable woman as his bride by proxy. It is his liege lords youngest sister who is an absolute lunatic and completely insane! Her name is Magdalene MacDougall known as Mad Maggie, yet if his clan is to survive he has no choice, but to marry a crazy, insane, lunatic! As he has to take theses desperate measures to save his people! The MacLachlan castle is falling apart and they are starving so this is the only way to obtain a wealthy dowry if his clan is to survive and put food on the table and live in comfort again. Yet this also puts this innocent lassie’s life is danger as a generations old curse will be in effect the moment they enter in holy matrimony!
The truth surrounding Magdalene, after her sister passed away and her mother’s sanity is in a deep decline with her overwhelming sadness before she also dies. This makes he her cruel black hearted brother her guardian who could care less of making her a love match. Something she had always wanted so she makes everyone think like her mother she is insane too. She is a great actress as she even dances nude at the convent she resides at the prove she is crazy as a loon! This is how Laird Gabrielle MacLachlan first meets his bride: dancing in a fountain, dancing in a fountain and laughing hilariously! He now knew he was in deep trouble no matter how fat her dowry was!
Magdalene MacDougall’s brother the Earl wants to have Gabriel MacLachlan in his pocket especially against Robert the Bruce and his elite soldiers! So to help his clan who is suffering this evil Earl takes full advantage and cares not about using his own sister to get what he wants! He even calls her a pest and claims a lunatic will breed the same as any other wench! It is no wonder that Magdalene used this desperate attempt she was insane to be undesirable in the marriage mart. Of course all her brother is attempting is to use everyone for his own gains again. He only wants Gabrielle to battle against the true and new King of Scotland and his elite group of soldiers.
Soon Gabrielle begins to see through his wife’s mask and starts feeling of desire. Of course Magdalene is having feelings as well though she tries to deny it. Plus there is this wee curse that has been in Gabrielle’s family for generations and his cruel brother-in-law. As Magdalene’s life is in comp!lete danger will her husband safe her or will it be another loss in his unfortunate life. Read and find out if these two get a happily ever after!
Miriam Minger pens another amazing book from start to finish with some true iconic historical icons in history! I honestly had been waiting for this book to release for months! As soon as I heard Ms. Minger was doing a three book deal of Warriors of the Highlands I could not wait for the release. Plus I was not disappointed as this book was everything I was hoping for and even more! I loved it so much and now can’t wait for “My Highland Protector” and “My Highland Captor” that are coming out later this year!
I absolutely loved that my Scottish hero Robert the Bruce was in this book! I love when historical romance blend true history and a fictional romance, plus this story was so unique and rather hilarious in a lot of the heroine’s antics. I read this in one sitting as I honestly could not put it down! A definitely page turning romantic adventure that readers will absolutely love. The hero was definitely swoon worthy in every way that counted especially in honor, protection and love. The setting, dialogue, plotting and characters were all absolutely brilliant and definitely the type of novel that Scottish historical readers absolutely love. I can’t recommend this book enough as I absolutely loved it!
Warriors of the Highlands by Miriam Minger
1)My Highland Warrior - TBR - 1/19/2021
2)My Highland Protector -TBR - 5/25/2021
3)My Highland Captor - TBR - 11/30/2021
Disclaimer: I received an advance reader’s copy from Oliver-Heber Books I voluntarily agreed to do an honest, fair review and blog through Booksprout. All thoughts, ideas and words are my own.
Buy Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Highland-Warri...
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/my-h...
https://books.google.com/books/about/...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-h...
https://books.apple.com/us/book/my-hi...
By Miriam Minger
Series: Warriors of the Highlands, Book #1
Publisher: Oliver-Heber Books
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Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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MacLachlan Castle
Argyllshire, Scotland 1307
After his brother’s death Laird Gabriel MacLachlan becomes Laird. Due to his brother’s previous bad decisions and over spending his clan is suffering greatly. This means not to mention for nourishment in their stomachs and clothing on their backs. Gabriel is not only responsible for his clan but his brothers children who are now orphaned and look to him as their father. Their mother died previously due to the MacLachlan curse, the main reason he never wanted to marry no matter if the woman was sane or insane!
Now his clan in extreme and dire straits and Gabriel has to take the least desirable woman as his bride by proxy. It is his liege lords youngest sister who is an absolute lunatic and completely insane! Her name is Magdalene MacDougall known as Mad Maggie, yet if his clan is to survive he has no choice, but to marry a crazy, insane, lunatic! As he has to take theses desperate measures to save his people! The MacLachlan castle is falling apart and they are starving so this is the only way to obtain a wealthy dowry if his clan is to survive and put food on the table and live in comfort again. Yet this also puts this innocent lassie’s life is danger as a generations old curse will be in effect the moment they enter in holy matrimony!
The truth surrounding Magdalene, after her sister passed away and her mother’s sanity is in a deep decline with her overwhelming sadness before she also dies. This makes he her cruel black hearted brother her guardian who could care less of making her a love match. Something she had always wanted so she makes everyone think like her mother she is insane too. She is a great actress as she even dances nude at the convent she resides at the prove she is crazy as a loon! This is how Laird Gabrielle MacLachlan first meets his bride: dancing in a fountain, dancing in a fountain and laughing hilariously! He now knew he was in deep trouble no matter how fat her dowry was!
Magdalene MacDougall’s brother the Earl wants to have Gabriel MacLachlan in his pocket especially against Robert the Bruce and his elite soldiers! So to help his clan who is suffering this evil Earl takes full advantage and cares not about using his own sister to get what he wants! He even calls her a pest and claims a lunatic will breed the same as any other wench! It is no wonder that Magdalene used this desperate attempt she was insane to be undesirable in the marriage mart. Of course all her brother is attempting is to use everyone for his own gains again. He only wants Gabrielle to battle against the true and new King of Scotland and his elite group of soldiers.
Soon Gabrielle begins to see through his wife’s mask and starts feeling of desire. Of course Magdalene is having feelings as well though she tries to deny it. Plus there is this wee curse that has been in Gabrielle’s family for generations and his cruel brother-in-law. As Magdalene’s life is in comp!lete danger will her husband safe her or will it be another loss in his unfortunate life. Read and find out if these two get a happily ever after!
Miriam Minger pens another amazing book from start to finish with some true iconic historical icons in history! I honestly had been waiting for this book to release for months! As soon as I heard Ms. Minger was doing a three book deal of Warriors of the Highlands I could not wait for the release. Plus I was not disappointed as this book was everything I was hoping for and even more! I loved it so much and now can’t wait for “My Highland Protector” and “My Highland Captor” that are coming out later this year!
I absolutely loved that my Scottish hero Robert the Bruce was in this book! I love when historical romance blend true history and a fictional romance, plus this story was so unique and rather hilarious in a lot of the heroine’s antics. I read this in one sitting as I honestly could not put it down! A definitely page turning romantic adventure that readers will absolutely love. The hero was definitely swoon worthy in every way that counted especially in honor, protection and love. The setting, dialogue, plotting and characters were all absolutely brilliant and definitely the type of novel that Scottish historical readers absolutely love. I can’t recommend this book enough as I absolutely loved it!
Warriors of the Highlands by Miriam Minger
1)My Highland Warrior - TBR - 1/19/2021
2)My Highland Protector -TBR - 5/25/2021
3)My Highland Captor - TBR - 11/30/2021
Disclaimer: I received an advance reader’s copy from Oliver-Heber Books I voluntarily agreed to do an honest, fair review and blog through Booksprout. All thoughts, ideas and words are my own.
Buy Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Highland-Warri...
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/my-h...
https://books.google.com/books/about/...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-h...
https://books.apple.com/us/book/my-hi...
January 26, 2021
This book kept me on the edge and I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. The portrayal of the main female character was great and so out of the ordinary. Very much recommend this book!
November 13, 2023
I got this kindle for free through the Fussy Librarian. I had zero expectations going into it and felt myself go on the wild ride that was the ups and downs that is this book. I have read very little historical fiction and figured why not. I'm not sure if historical fiction is not for me or if it's simply this read that isn't for me.
the premise
Instead of falling into the typical romantic tropes, this main character, Maggie, acts like she is a mentally impaired "lunatic" to avoid marriage after her sister was married off to an awful and abusive man who everyone describes as a 'brute.' Instead of the solitude of a convent where everyone thinks she is crazy, her brute of a brother marries her off to a laird (personal who owns a large estate) who is in need of some money and accepts Maggie's dowry in exchange for being married to a woman he believes is crazy. The laird, Gabriel, has a sneaking suspicion that Maggie is more than meets the eye...
the relationship
This relationship bothered me a fair amount. Gabriel is attracted to Maggie off the bat, seeing as he meets her nakedly running around the convent. The weird bit for me? The amount of times that Maggie is described as childlike. While the book does clarify that Maggie is 18, it never really puts an age on Gabriel and it just makes me a little weary about a man who is only marrying a woman for the financial game and the fact that she's childlike. Maggie, on the other hand, finds Gabriel attractive but is scared of him as he is such a strong man and he has the potential to hurt her. In fact, he accidentally hurts her on multiple occasions, something is very sorry for but still does. Again, just small red flags for me.
While I understand there were accents involved, they were too much for me and made reading incredibly difficult.
the series
I don't think I would read another book of the Warriors of the Highlands series as it was simply hard to read. I was not pulled in enough to care about this relationship, the people in it, or how this world progresses. Thank you, but I think I should start paying for books again...
the premise
Instead of falling into the typical romantic tropes, this main character, Maggie, acts like she is a mentally impaired "lunatic" to avoid marriage after her sister was married off to an awful and abusive man who everyone describes as a 'brute.' Instead of the solitude of a convent where everyone thinks she is crazy, her brute of a brother marries her off to a laird (personal who owns a large estate) who is in need of some money and accepts Maggie's dowry in exchange for being married to a woman he believes is crazy. The laird, Gabriel, has a sneaking suspicion that Maggie is more than meets the eye...
the relationship
This relationship bothered me a fair amount. Gabriel is attracted to Maggie off the bat, seeing as he meets her nakedly running around the convent. The weird bit for me? The amount of times that Maggie is described as childlike. While the book does clarify that Maggie is 18, it never really puts an age on Gabriel and it just makes me a little weary about a man who is only marrying a woman for the financial game and the fact that she's childlike. Maggie, on the other hand, finds Gabriel attractive but is scared of him as he is such a strong man and he has the potential to hurt her. In fact, he accidentally hurts her on multiple occasions, something is very sorry for but still does. Again, just small red flags for me.
Magdalene looked so beautiful at that moment in her childlike despair that he felt his breath snag in his throat.At the end of the day, their relationship was ok. I just felt like it came from a place of attraction over the actual connection. While Gabriel was sweet and made sure she ate, their intimacy progressed rather quickly for me and I think it could have used a lot more development. I think they had 2-3 actual conversations in the book, which felt very little time to allow the reader to get to know them, let alone get to know each other.
She gasped when he swept her up to carry her, his voice barely above a whisper in her ear. “I thought I said docile—” “Oh, aye, forgive me, husband. Next time I’ll spit more gently.” He gave no answer to her returned whisper, but squeezed her as if he wanted to shake her.The prose
While I understand there were accents involved, they were too much for me and made reading incredibly difficult.
the series
I don't think I would read another book of the Warriors of the Highlands series as it was simply hard to read. I was not pulled in enough to care about this relationship, the people in it, or how this world progresses. Thank you, but I think I should start paying for books again...
January 12, 2021
Review for Miriam Minger’s My Highland Warrior part one of Warriors of The Highlands
Read Jan 10
There is a prologue for this book which finds some of the characters waiting in a chapel for a wedding but Laird Gabriel MacLachlan’s bride has as a proxy Nun Sister Theresa who continues to say “poor wee lass”. I was hooked by the second page of chapter one’s description of a water nymph chasing a butterfly into a fountain with all her clothes removed. The “poor wee lass “ is very quick on her feet but not fast enough to out run her new husband Gabriel who has come to collect her at the convent on his way home.
Magdalene MacDougall is a fabulous character pretending be a lunatic to escape her horrible brother and his treacherous plans of marriage for her. Maggie is very smart and is not afraid to fight for what she wants.She watched her sister, in a terrible marriage, die after 6 months and also her mother decline into lunacy and eventual death after the death of her sister. So Mad Maggie pretends to be a lunatic and has convinced everyone for the past four years in order to escape the same fate.
The plot is easy to follow with a couple of unexpected twists. Maggie has to share a horse with her husband and almost escapes at the beginning of their journey when she takes off on his horse demonstrating she is an expert horsewoman.
Gabriel is on his guard after that and has a suspicion Maggie is sane.
Once back at his crumbling castle, Gabriel gives his room to Maggie but Maggie is not swayed from her role as a lunatic. We see who Gabriel really is, an honourable, caring man who cares for those under his charge.
The roleplaying of Maggie is quite authentic and Gabriel’s reaction to Maggie confuses her. She does not know about the curse for the Brides of MacLachlans. Whether they like it or not, they are attracted to each other.
The dialogue and speech patterns appear mostly authentic not having lived in that time period but I have been to the highlands and have heard some of these same words.
I think what I liked second to the romance between Maggie and Gabriel was the description of the setting. One could easily visualize the trip on the road home, the arrival at the castle and later in Gabriel’s room. As well as Maggie’s interactions with her servants and the children’s nanny.
I was so immersed in the story, I read it in one afternoon and evening. I could not put it down until I knew what happened. This is the first book I have read by Miriam Minger, it will not be the last.
Read Jan 10
There is a prologue for this book which finds some of the characters waiting in a chapel for a wedding but Laird Gabriel MacLachlan’s bride has as a proxy Nun Sister Theresa who continues to say “poor wee lass”. I was hooked by the second page of chapter one’s description of a water nymph chasing a butterfly into a fountain with all her clothes removed. The “poor wee lass “ is very quick on her feet but not fast enough to out run her new husband Gabriel who has come to collect her at the convent on his way home.
Magdalene MacDougall is a fabulous character pretending be a lunatic to escape her horrible brother and his treacherous plans of marriage for her. Maggie is very smart and is not afraid to fight for what she wants.She watched her sister, in a terrible marriage, die after 6 months and also her mother decline into lunacy and eventual death after the death of her sister. So Mad Maggie pretends to be a lunatic and has convinced everyone for the past four years in order to escape the same fate.
The plot is easy to follow with a couple of unexpected twists. Maggie has to share a horse with her husband and almost escapes at the beginning of their journey when she takes off on his horse demonstrating she is an expert horsewoman.
Gabriel is on his guard after that and has a suspicion Maggie is sane.
Once back at his crumbling castle, Gabriel gives his room to Maggie but Maggie is not swayed from her role as a lunatic. We see who Gabriel really is, an honourable, caring man who cares for those under his charge.
The roleplaying of Maggie is quite authentic and Gabriel’s reaction to Maggie confuses her. She does not know about the curse for the Brides of MacLachlans. Whether they like it or not, they are attracted to each other.
The dialogue and speech patterns appear mostly authentic not having lived in that time period but I have been to the highlands and have heard some of these same words.
I think what I liked second to the romance between Maggie and Gabriel was the description of the setting. One could easily visualize the trip on the road home, the arrival at the castle and later in Gabriel’s room. As well as Maggie’s interactions with her servants and the children’s nanny.
I was so immersed in the story, I read it in one afternoon and evening. I could not put it down until I knew what happened. This is the first book I have read by Miriam Minger, it will not be the last.
April 5, 2023
A Scottish historical romance finds a subordinate laird in a bind. His brother was a spendthrift, and died in an accident, leaving him to inherit a run down castle, his people starved and in need of something besides rags for clothes, even the livestock suffering. He is in need of finaincial help to feed and clothe his people, see to improving their prosperity, and do some much needed repairs.
Maggie's older sister, Debora, was forced to wed a brute of a man and was dead within 6 months. Her mother went mad from grief and died young; her father withdrew from everything. He too died, and her brother, who was as unlike her parents as day and night, took over the estate, and Maggie knew she'd be a pawn to his ambition to rule Scotland. And she went mad herself. Disgusted, her brother put her into a convent.
Now, as his subordinate comes to beg a loan so his people can be fed, clothed, and prosper, big Brother drives a hard bargain: the loan will be in the form of a dowry, once he weds Mad Maggie, by proxy, then takes her into the castle. He is loathe to do so, because of a curse that has killed his grandmother and 2 other of the women of the household.
Maggie leads him and his retinue a merry chase when he comes to collect her at the convent. But as they're thrown together, the laird sees sparks of intelligence, and wonders: is she truly mad? His nieces, now his daughters by adoption, take to her like a fish to water, unafraid even when she acts out.
The dialog in the book is fairly standard fare, the sex scenes are limited, unforced, and within marriage with 2 consenting adults. The problem I had is, I have lived in Scotland before, and there is much more to sounding like a Scosman using the vernacular than simply saying "tae" for "to." Also, it is a fairly formulaic format, the main difference being Maggie's madness. The development goes from slow to jumping ahead, the pacing uneven. I will say I was impressed by the author knowing the difference, in spelling and usage, between "aught" and "ought."
The story is sweet, though, and an enjoyable enough light read that took me less than an hour to finish (of course, I read very fast, so your time may be longer). A quick romp through the era of the Scottish war for independence against Edward I of England, known for his brutality and sense of English superiority over all other nations.
Maggie's older sister, Debora, was forced to wed a brute of a man and was dead within 6 months. Her mother went mad from grief and died young; her father withdrew from everything. He too died, and her brother, who was as unlike her parents as day and night, took over the estate, and Maggie knew she'd be a pawn to his ambition to rule Scotland. And she went mad herself. Disgusted, her brother put her into a convent.
Now, as his subordinate comes to beg a loan so his people can be fed, clothed, and prosper, big Brother drives a hard bargain: the loan will be in the form of a dowry, once he weds Mad Maggie, by proxy, then takes her into the castle. He is loathe to do so, because of a curse that has killed his grandmother and 2 other of the women of the household.
Maggie leads him and his retinue a merry chase when he comes to collect her at the convent. But as they're thrown together, the laird sees sparks of intelligence, and wonders: is she truly mad? His nieces, now his daughters by adoption, take to her like a fish to water, unafraid even when she acts out.
The dialog in the book is fairly standard fare, the sex scenes are limited, unforced, and within marriage with 2 consenting adults. The problem I had is, I have lived in Scotland before, and there is much more to sounding like a Scosman using the vernacular than simply saying "tae" for "to." Also, it is a fairly formulaic format, the main difference being Maggie's madness. The development goes from slow to jumping ahead, the pacing uneven. I will say I was impressed by the author knowing the difference, in spelling and usage, between "aught" and "ought."
The story is sweet, though, and an enjoyable enough light read that took me less than an hour to finish (of course, I read very fast, so your time may be longer). A quick romp through the era of the Scottish war for independence against Edward I of England, known for his brutality and sense of English superiority over all other nations.
January 30, 2021
A lovely highland romance. Miriam Minger is a good writer and I really like her books. This is set in medieval Scotland.
Gabriel MacLachlan is the fearsome and beloved leader of his people recently inheriting the title from his late spendthrift brother who has emptied the coffers. Swallowing his pride, he asks for promised gold for his past services from his overlord, who agrees, only if he marries his crazy sister, Mad Maggie.
Magdalene is a beautiful innocent who has been feigning lunacy to escape the tragic fate that befell her beloved older sister. She is 18 and has lived the past four years in a convent. She does behave at time impulsively and stubborn but knowing her background, it didn’t come across as too irritating.
Gabriel is kind to her, but she wants nothing more than to escape his home and return to the peace and shelter of the convent. He has no choice but to keep her at his crumbling castle as that was the deal he made with her awful brother.
This book is fast paced and well written. Maggie played the lunatic with as much accuracy as she could remember from her memories of her mother who too went mad. Gabriel tried his best to be patient but would get frustrated. However, nothing was dragged out. We don’t get days of her cackling in front of the servants or dropping her food on her lap.
There’s also the other issue of imminent war- with Robert the Bruce staking his claim on the throne and Gabriel’s brother in law wanting it for himself.
The romance between the two was sweet and slowly developed. They are both immediately attracted to one another, but Maggie’s fears and her pretense keeps them both from considering too much on it. But once they get past those issues, their love is intense and binding.
The end was action packed. The secondary characters, the nieces, the captains, the servants, all came together to make this novel an entertaining read. Its part of a series though easily read as a standalone and I’m curious now to find out if there will be any story about the Campbell brothers and even Cora.
**I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley for an honest and fair review. **
Gabriel MacLachlan is the fearsome and beloved leader of his people recently inheriting the title from his late spendthrift brother who has emptied the coffers. Swallowing his pride, he asks for promised gold for his past services from his overlord, who agrees, only if he marries his crazy sister, Mad Maggie.
Magdalene is a beautiful innocent who has been feigning lunacy to escape the tragic fate that befell her beloved older sister. She is 18 and has lived the past four years in a convent. She does behave at time impulsively and stubborn but knowing her background, it didn’t come across as too irritating.
Gabriel is kind to her, but she wants nothing more than to escape his home and return to the peace and shelter of the convent. He has no choice but to keep her at his crumbling castle as that was the deal he made with her awful brother.
This book is fast paced and well written. Maggie played the lunatic with as much accuracy as she could remember from her memories of her mother who too went mad. Gabriel tried his best to be patient but would get frustrated. However, nothing was dragged out. We don’t get days of her cackling in front of the servants or dropping her food on her lap.
There’s also the other issue of imminent war- with Robert the Bruce staking his claim on the throne and Gabriel’s brother in law wanting it for himself.
The romance between the two was sweet and slowly developed. They are both immediately attracted to one another, but Maggie’s fears and her pretense keeps them both from considering too much on it. But once they get past those issues, their love is intense and binding.
The end was action packed. The secondary characters, the nieces, the captains, the servants, all came together to make this novel an entertaining read. Its part of a series though easily read as a standalone and I’m curious now to find out if there will be any story about the Campbell brothers and even Cora.
**I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley for an honest and fair review. **
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