The illegitimate daughter of Scotland's king, Robert the Bruce, Anne awaits her betrothal as a ward of the Forrests of Rancoff Castle. Then Tor Henneson storms the gates of the keep, a towering giant full of hell and fury. The powerful Viking warrior has come to demand his due from the father who abandoned him, yet it is feisty Anne who will confront his deepest desires with her own. In doing so, she will be forced to make a harrowing choice between duty...and a love that is destiny.
Raised in the bare northern borderlands of his mother's Viking people, Tor Henneson wants coin, not comfort, from the father who denied him. As the days turn to weeks, however, he finds himself less willing to deny his Highlander heritage...the father he vows to hate...and the remarkable woman he cannot resist. Even as he defiantly claims Anne as his own, dark intrigue and deadly treachery draw him into a bitter, dangerous fight to save his birthright and the woman he loves.
There wasn’t much I enjoyed about this story. If anything, I guess I’d say that I liked the way both Elen and Munro handled the news that Munro had a surprise adult bastard son who he fathered when he was 16 and traveling far from home for battle. I think they both kind of crushed it in the parenting department, but ironically, this was not their story. The main characters are Anne (bastard daughter of King Robert the Bruce) and Tor (bastard son of Munro).
The romance between Anne and Tor is based on instant chemistry. Tor has a giant chip on his shoulder because he grew up believing his father knew about him but abandoned him. This was never true, but he stays unpleasantly angry for most of the book anyway. In my opinion, this kind of bitter/angry character only works in romances if their character is thoroughly flushed out with other positive attributes so we have a reason to believe someone might fall for them. We really didn’t get that here. The only thing Anne and Tor seem to have in common is their bastard status.
What really ruined the story for me was the murderer plot line. I just could not believe that these amazing trackers could not find 2 people who were hiding in their own property. These are 2 crazy people with zero special skills. Which means that these trained trackers are a bunch of idiots. That was super frustrating, and it was made worse by the fact that the reader knows who the murderers are the whole time because they are POV characters. The author dragged out this plot line to the point that her own “good guys” looked like imbeciles. And then the conclusion for the murderers is utterly unsatisfying because the good guys were not responsible for the conclusion.
There is one more book in this trilogy but I’m going to skip it. This book was a big disappointment for me and I have no interest in continuing.
Tor Henneson's mother was dying and she made him promise to find his father a Scottish Lord. When Tor finds his father Munro Forrest of Rancoff's castle he is made to wait hours before his father lets him come in to talk and it takes a long time for them to finally talk. Munro says he never knew of Tor. Tor is angry because his mother told Tor she sent Munro word of him and was always ignored. Telling Tor when he was growing up his father didn't want him. Tor also meets Anne, the bastard daughter of Robert the Bruce, who is under Munro;s guardianship. This story has intrigue of all kinds besides 2 out of wedlock people there is gory mutilation of livestock and men. Someone is full of hate for Munro and his wife Elen. Anne and Tor are drawn together but she is to be married off to someone of her father's choosing. This was a really good book I enjoyed it and recommend it.
Anne de bruc bastard daughter to king Robert meet bastard son to her guardian... Tor a half Norse and Scots travels to his father he never knew home in Scotland. These two who are so alike and have a lot in common fall in love.
Such a great story strong funny independent women who love their husband even if one cant past one on some days . This book and it characters came to life never once has a book draw me in and none have brought tears to my eyes. This was my first novel by this author i do truly recommend this book.
I received a copy of this book from eBook Discovery in exchange for my honest review.
To fulfill his mother's dying wish, Tor Henneson, grieving son and powerful Viking warrior arrives at Rancoff Castle, angry and embittered, to confront the father he has never known, demand his birthright in coin and return to his Norwegian home. But Anne de Bruce, illegitimate daughter of Robert the Bruce and ward of Tor's father, captures his heart right from the start. As Tor comes to his father's lands and clan, can it be that he was wrong? That his father didn't knowingly abandon him and that he really is a good man? Is it possible that there is a future for him in Scotland? But how can he remain there, fighting the powerful attraction that he shares with Anne, knowing that she is a king's daughter and meant for someone other than a baron's bastard?
This book offers more than just a forbidden love affair. It delves into the complicated and awkward introduction of an adult, illegitimate son into an established and loving marriage and family, as well as the unresolved feelings of an illegitimate, royal daughter toward her father, sent to live in a happy home for her protection, but who still craves attention from her sire. There is also a compelling murder mystery Tor and his father must solve when first animals, then people are found senselessly mutilated on clan lands. This is a wonderful, fast-paced read that fans of historical fiction will thoroughly enjoy either as a stand-alone novel or as a sequel to Highland Lady.
Two illegitimate children, now adult, meet and the stars align…or so it seems to Tor and Anna – although – with her the daughter of a king and him the by-blow of the king’s friend she is being protected by is there a possibility for them to find happiness in spite of certain expectations? Perhaps…
When Tor arrives at his father’s castle he is an angry man with years of neglect fueling his fury. Anne is also angry having spent years without ever seeing her father. They have chemistry from the beginning then develop rapport as they spend time together. Add in a few social events, some fires, great supporting characters, unspeakable evil preying on humans and animals, doses of daily life and misunderstandings and the story grows and becomes very entertaining. I enjoyed the characters and the story and only wish the evils perpetrated could have been avoided – but in life – evil does happen and so to in this book.
Thank you to eBook Discovery for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Another delightful Medieval romance by this author and a sequel to Highland Lady. The hero, Tor (a Viking), the bastard son of Munro from the previous story, hastens upon his mother’s death to go from Finland to Scotland to meet his father for the first time. In the meanwhile, Munro and Elen have been caring for Anne, the bastard daughter of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, a close friend of Munro. When Tor and Anne meet at the castle of Munro and Elen they have much in common and the attraction between them is instant and explosive. Tor finds some difficulty in warming to his father and learning the ways of the Scots but Anne befriends him and he soon feels “at home” amongst the Scots and with Munro’s family. But the mysterious evil-doer from the previous story is growing bold and more dangerous in this sequel and threatens the entire clan of Munro, including Tor, his brothers and Anne. A wonderfully exciting, romantic tale and a fitting end to the Munro Forrest saga.
I received a copy of Highland Lord from eBook Discovery in return for my honest review. I absolutely adored this story. I fell a little bit in love with Tor straight away. What's not to love about a strapping blond man with blue eyes? His bitterness towards his family is not endearing, though it is understandable, however he showed his true worth as his hurt healed, and his loyalty to both his stepbrothers was wonderful. As for Anne, well I wanted to be her with her beautiful hair and her calm approach to life, though she too had issues to deal with. Watching these two grow together felt like a privilege. The setting for this story, near Aberdeen in the Scottish highlands, is one of the loveliest places I have ever seen and so that too made this story appealing. I think though that it was the story itself, with glimpses of medieval castle life, the threat of danger throughout and the way that this bound the main characters together that made this an unputdownable read for me.
Vikings and highlanders in one amazing story that I hated to see end! The male hero, Tor, is one of the most well written characters I've ever read in any historical romance. That's saying a lot, when you consider that I've been reading romance, historical and otherwise, for over 30 years. Some of my favorite authors of historical romance include Lisa Kleypas, Hannah Howell, Mary Balogh, Kathleen Woodiwiss and now Colleen French. This is just my second novel by Ms. French; my first read by her was the first novel in this series and I'm so glad that like that book, this book was given to me by Ebook Discovery in exchange for my honest review. The Highland Lord grabs your attention from the beginning and engages all your emotions with extraodinary characters, and imagery that. puts you right there in the moment You will cry, you will laugh, and you will never forget Tor and Anne.
Another fabulous book by Colleen French. Whilst this novel can be read as a standalone, Elen and Munro Forrest are major characters in the book and you will get more enjoyment if you have read their story (Highland Lady) first. Tor and Anne are both the illegitimate offspring of powerful and influential men but neither have known their fathers and both have felt the stigma of being born a bastard. This formed a bond between them which allied with an instant attraction on the first meeting sets the tone for the novel.
I really enjoyed this book, and recommend it highly. I'm off to read Highland Bride now!
I received this book from eBook Discovery in exchange for an honest review.
Anne de bruc bastard daughter to king Robert meet bastard son to her guardian... Tor a half Norse and Scots travels to his father he never knew home in Scotland. These two who are so alike and have a lot in common fall in love.
Such a great story strong funny independent women who love their husband even if one cant past one on some days . This book and it characters came to life never once has a book draw me in and none have brought tears to my eyes. This was my first novel by this author i do truly recommend this book.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is a romantic, funny, entertaining, sad, and engrossing story with characters you come to love. It's well written, it very nicely continues the storyline started in the first book, but has it's own storyline also and can be read by itself. I loved it and can't wait to read the next book.
Okay, so I am not happy about Olaf's demise. Tor and Anne are good for each other on so many levels. Elen and Monroe are still a delight and have an easy candor with each other.