The Highlander's Stolen Touch

The MacLerie Clan #5

by Terri Brisbin

Ciara Robertson has loved formidable Highlander Tavis MacLerie all her life. She watched, brokenhearted, while he married and lost another. Now, finally of marriageable age, Ciara throws her heart at his feet....

Tavis knows that innocent Ciara thinks she's in love with him - but she deserves better. Painful experience has proved that he's a far better warrior than husband, and he's determined never to marry again.

Her dreams shattered, Ciara accepts another man's hand. Ordered to take Ciara to her husband-to-be, Tavis is tormented - and tempted - every step of the way....

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Medieval, Harlequin, Scotland

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 21, 2012

About the author

Terri Brisbin is the USA TODAY Bestselling author of more than 50 historical, paranormal and fantasy romances and her books have been released in more than 20 languages and 25 countries around the world since 1998. She's been published by Berkley/Jove, Harlequin, Kensington Books, NAL/Signet, Dragonblade Publishing and Oliver Heber Books. Terri has also self-published her works and will have new books out through 2026!

When not living the glamorous life of a romance author in the southern NJ suburbs, Terri spends her time being a married mom, a grammy and a dental hygienist while plotting and planning future stories and trips to Scotland . For more info (more than you could possibly want or need to know) visit her website – www.terribrisbin.com .

Reviews

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet story, where we get lots of updates on the characters in the previous books in the series. It may be read as a stand-alone.

It tells the story of Ciara, who was adopted by the MacLerie clan when she was 5, and Tavis MacLerie, a highlander warrior and beloved member of the clan.

Ciara has always been in love with Tavis, and they were good friends even though Tavis was much older. Tavis marries another woman when Ciara is still a child. When he becomes a widower and Ciara reaches a marriageable age, she confesses her love for him, hoping he'll reach out to her. Tavis has feelings for her, but he refuses her marriage proposal. He feels guilty about his former wife's death, and he feels Ciara is above him in too many ways. Heartbroken, Ciara accepts the proposal of another man in a neighboring clan, hoping to forget Tavis. During the trip to meet her husband-to-be, Tavis and Ciara openly acknowledge their feelings.

The story was romantic and the characters were very sweet, but I found the conflict between the H & h a bit weak. Tavis' doubts seemed lame sometimes and the resolution at the end was unimpressive and too conveniant. Although I did enjoy it and it was a fast read, this was my least favorite book in the series.

[Eva García Carrión · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5
¡Lo que le ha costado al muchacho!

[Barbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is from: The Highlander's Stolen Touch (Kindle Edition)
I have been reading Terri Brisbin books for years and she never ceases to amaze me. I love The MacLerie books the first time around with Taming, Surrender and Possesses by a Highland and was so excited to hear she was doing another generation this time with the children of the original book. As I loved the original series, I see this will go in the same direction as I just loved The Highlander's Stolen Touch.

This book's heroine is about Ciara Robertson daughter step-daughter of Duncan MacLerie and daughter of Marian Robertson MacLerie from Possessed by the The Highlander. You know story about the MacLerie peacemaker and the Robertson Harlot, of course she wasn't a harlot at all for those who read the original story, Well now the daughter Ciara is of marriageable age and it is her story and the hero is Tavis MacLerie who was a little more then a boy in the original series as well, Now he too is a full a grown man and has been for some time,

The story is about so many different things as Ms. Brisbin books are so complex and touch on so many different emotions and levels of various characters it is about guilt, love, betrayal, honor, respect, letting go of the past and looking forward to the future. I really love this about Terri's book it's never a boring read I can tell you that!

Now the base story is about Ciara and how she has loved Tavis since he brought her to the keep as a child only five years old. It shows all the different phases of their relationship first as a scared young friendless child and he her protector and friend. He carves her first of many toy animals. Ciara had decided at a very young age he was the one she would marry and he would wait for her to grow up. Of course when he fell in love and married another when she was at the age of thirteen she was crushed but then when his wife suddenly died she felt she would wait until he was done grieving and would wait for however long it took. What she didn't expect was he never stopped grieving but did stop living for reasons unknown. Yet through it all he always remained her friend until she reaches marriageable age and proposes to him and he turns her down flat for so many reasons. Now she decides to moves on and marry another that will help enrich her clan as she has a very appealing dowry beside being beyond beautiful. Yes it the story with unrequited love but with a twist.

Another marriage is arranged when Tavis let me say "wakes up and smells the coffee", but it's too late or is it? You will have to read this exciting romantic story and find out and yes you will have a reunion with all The MacLeries we know and love from previous books. I recommend you read them if you haven't but you can read the story alone without reading the parents stories as well. I enjoy family reunions myself so I was thrilled to read this book and as always I loved it too! I look forward to future MacLerie books as I they are always a fabulous enjoyable read!

Jersey Queen did it again! I definitely recommend The Highlander's Stolen Touch!!! :)

[Fernanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

:)
esta foi uma historia meio lenta, aquele chove nao molha dos personagens principais deu um bocadinho nos nervos.
lá mais para o fim ja adquiriu mais acção, dando um impulso interessante ate ao final.

Ciara e Tavis sao o par romantico da historia, mas apesar de se conhecerem desde muito novos (ela ainda criança) a situação nunca se desenrolou. O parecer e o dever eram as pedras basilares de toda a sua contenção.

Apesar de tudo, lá encontram a coragem derradeira de assumir e construir um futuro. O que é razoavelmente tocando.
Vale a pena por ser medieval e nos dar uma visão (meio simplista é facto) do que eram aqueles tempos. :)

[Triinu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tutvustuse leiab blogist https://triinuraamatud.wordpress.com/...

[Deanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book!!!! The best one so far I have read from Ms.Brisbin.


This is Ciara's story.
Ciara is the step daughter of Duncan Mclerie and daughter to Marian Robertson .
who is madly inlove with her childhood hero Tavis ...


So far this the most well written by Terri Brissbin!!!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this Highland historical, found it very moving and didn't want to put it down. I found the planning of the arranged marriages storyline quite refreshing and look forward to reading more from Terri Brisbin.

[Lily Herondale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muy lento el desarrollo de la trama, me desespero mucho, lo termine porque no me gusta dejar inconclusos los libros. YA para finalizar mejoro un poco, se me hizo todo muy repetitivo, diálogos aburridos, estresantes.
El final fue lo que lo salvo.

[Isabel Almeida (Os Livros Nossos) · Rating 4 out of 5]

uma história deliciosamente romântica, com uma heroína que desafia os estereótipos da condição feminina na Escócia Medieval, e um herói forte, que tenta combater culpas do passado.

Em breve, crítica completa no blog Os Livros Nossos

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

was really good

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad the series went back to the 1300s. The last book was set in the 1800s so I didn’t get to see all the characters that I’ve grown to love. Now it is back in the 1300s but the children of the leading characters from book one, two and three are grown up or growing up.

This book is about Ciara, daughter of Duncan and Marion from the third book in the series. Ciara was five in that book. Now she is an adult. She is well educated and has been training with Duncan, her step-father to negotiate contracts with him for the clan and her parents are looking for a betrothal for her that will be good for the clan. Ciara has already turned down two offers because she has always been in love with Tavis, one of the guardsmen for Clan MacLerie.

Tavis was between a boy and an adult when he met Ciara. He had gone with Duncan to negotiate a contract between the Robertson clan and his clan when Duncan was forced into a handfested marriage with Ciara’s mother, Marion. On the ride back home, Tavis made wooden animals for Ciara to play with and befriended her. Since then he has always been her friend.

Tavis was married and in love but his wife died while she was pregnant. He blames himself for some reason and has decided to never marry again. A few years after her death, Ciara came to him and proposed marriage. He turned her down because of his love and guilt for his wife and at that time, he still thought of Ciara as a young girl.

Ciara was humiliated after Tavis turned her down but decided that maybe he was right and she was holding onto a childish infatuation so she accepted the next betrothal. It’s been a year since her proposal to Tavis. She has to travel to Perthshire which is about a week’s ride from her home in Lairig Dubh in the Highlands of Scotland to meet her betrothed, James Murray whose family needs the money from her dowry because they have fallen on hard times. If she agrees to the betrothal they will then travel back home so they can marry in Lairig Dubh.
Tavis has started to notice Ciara as an adult now. At first, he was not going to with Ciara as one of her guardsmen but then he changed his mind at the last moment to keep her safe. On the ride there, he realizes he has feelings for her but he still can’t get over what happened with the death of his wife so he doesn’t act on his feelings.

When they reach the Murray’s home in Perthshire, James kisses her when he walked her to her room. She liked it and told her best friend Elizabeth who had come along as her companion that it was “nice” but that was all. After the kiss, Ciara realized that she has left her shawl in the great hall so she went to go get it but before reaching her destination, she overheard a conversation between James and his father. James told his father that he had kissed her and it was lack-luster for the daughter of the Robertson Harlot and then went on to say terrible things about her mother like how she was caught in bed with a few noblemen but nobody knows who the real father is but at least, Ciara has a nobleman for a father. They also said that they didn’t care if Ciara was a virgin or not because they need her dowry.

The truth of Ciara’s parentage was told in the 3rd book of the series. Her mother, Marian Robertson, was helping her brother’s wife in childbirth while her brother Iain was sexually entertaining some men in another part of the castle. He had only married because it was his duty. When his wife failed to have a child, she agreed to let Iain bring other men to their bed so when she got pregnant, she didn’t know whose child it was. That night, Marian was trying to get Iain to come help or get the midwife but he was too busy. Her father finally came and when he saw what Iain was doing, he figured out that the baby was probably not Iain’s. The father threatened to kill the baby if it was a boy. Iain’s wife was Marian’s best friend and before she died, she begged Marian to take care of her baby. Marian’s father had to protect Iain from scandal because he was his heir so he poured wine all over Marian and stripped her and let the clansmen beat her and shave her head. Then she was banished from clan lands. The baby was snuck out of the castle and went with Marian. After her father died, Iain let her come back and live in the village with Ciara as long as she dyed her hair and went under the guise of being a widow named Mara. But nobody but Marian, Iain and her father knew any of this. When Marion married Duncan she told him the truth but they never let Ciara know any of it.
After hearing James and his father’s conversation, she ran to Tavis to ask him what he knew. He told her that he had heard of her mother being the Robertson Harlot but when her mother and Duncan moved to Lairig Dubh, Connor and Duncan forbid anyone to ever speak of it again. Then Tavis kissed Ciara which showed her that he did have feelings for her but he told her she needed to marry James because it was right for the clan since they need access to the ports in Perthshire and the Murrays could give them that. Also, Tavis said Connor and her father would never agree to them being married and he still wasn’t over the guilt of what he did to his wife. He thought he was the cause.

Ciara agreed to the betrothal after James apologized for talking about her mother. On the ride back to Lairig Dubh, her friend Elizabeth and James seemed to have gotten close to each other but Ciara didn’t really notice since she was wrapped up in her own misery.

When they arrived in Lairig Dubh, James seemed to be distant and even asked her if she knew any way out of the betrothal. Elizabeth caught James and Ciara kissing and gave James a dirty look. James had only kissed Ciara to see if he felt anything. He didn’t.

Without giving up the ending, I can’t say much more but I think you get the gist of it.

I think the next books will be about the other children of the couples in books one, two and three; Connor and Jocelyn, Rurik and Margriet and Duncan and Marion.

www.paranormalromanceslut.com

[Tina Svatba · Rating 5 out of 5]

The highlander stolen touch

I absolutely loved this book in the series I’ve read the books up to this one in order and I must say I couldn’t lay them down they was awesome books too but this one , this one brought tears in my eyes they was so much emotions laid out in this book and so far this one is my favorite one out of the series I have only ready maybe 3-4 books in my life that has brought tears of joy and happiness from just reading a story so far and I must say Terri Brisbin has done a excellent job with this series and with especially this book , you are a talented writer if you can make at lest one of your readers feel the emotion in the book and bring tears to their eyes , a must read series, now on to the next book I can’t wait !!!!

[Anastazja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Should have been half the length. The story has every trope but gave nothing- the MC annoys me, she’s so intelligent but she’s still 18 and they made the love interest feel really old. I don’t mean older but he felt old.
There was a lot that wasn’t needed but the one thing I did want was to know what happened with Elizabeth and the former betrothed. I wanted to see Elizabeth’s and Ciara children playing together not her pregnant with her PTSD husband watching her like a hawk.
And when did he have time to whittle a whole house of furniture????

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice reading, reminding a bit of the Outlander atmosphere which was really nice. That Tavis was really charming! However, the ending was a bit too predictable to be surprising.
Still nice though!

[Clare · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it. I get bored very quickly. Think I made it to them starting their journey and fell asleep. Sorry.

[Edwina Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book. I enjoyed it so much. It does have sex scenes in it. It is a romance.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Ciara had known Tavis since she was a child and had loved him the whole time. When she was a child he had been kind to her and as she got older they became friends. Tavis fell in love and married another woman who later died. He swore then that he would never marry again. Ciara went to him and told him of her feelings but he told her they weren't possible between them. She needed to marry so she accepted another man. Tavis was assigned to lead the men taking her and a friend to visit the other man and his family. On that trip he finally started to see her as a grown woman and to realize his feelings for her. They arrived at the Murray's home, spent some time there where Ciara began to get to know James. On the way back home Ciara realized her love had matured, but now she was committed to James. I really liked both Tavis and Ciara. Ciara's love for Tavis had been real for all those years, though it had changed from an innocent friend-like love to a true love. When her love was rejected by Tavis she finally gave up and decided to try to find love elsewhere. She consented to the match with James that would benefit her clan. On the trip to his home she started to see changes in the way that Tavis looked at her, but he would do nothing about it. Her time getting to know James made her realize that while she might be content with him she would never love him. Tavis was wonderful too. He had sworn never to marry again because he felt responsible for his wife's death. He had always kept up his friendship with Ciara, even when he withdrew from other people. The trip to James's home made him realize that his feelings for Ciara had changed, but he felt that she was far above him and therefore out of his reach. She was wealthy and educated where he was not. It was hard for him to see her with James, but he knew it had to be. The more time they spent together on their travels the stronger their feelings grew. By the time they got home for the wedding, Ciara was ready to experience the kind of love Tavis could give her, and begged him for the experience before she entered a loveless marriage. I knew they would end up together, but how it happened was terrific. I could see the result coming, but I really enjoyed the method. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the MacLerie clan.

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ciara Robertson was adopted into the MacLerie clan when her mother married the Peacemaker, Duncan. She's loved Tavis MacLerie since she was a child and had to watch as he married and as his wife died. At 18, knowing her parents would begin seeking a husband for her, she laid her heart on the line and asked Tavis to marry her. He brutally shut her down, straining their long-held friendship. Years later, she has finally accepted a suit from James Murray, and as Tavis escorts her to her new husband-to-be, his eyes are suddenly opened to how much he loves Ciara. But now it's too late. Not that he'd be a good husband to her anyway, given his guilt over his wife's death. Ciara herself is willing to accept duty and a contented marriage over the passionate love and happiness she knows she'd find with Tavis. But will one night together change his mind?

This author likes to heap on different kinds of angst. Here we have duty vs. love (and the parents siding with each) and a hero whose stubborn guilt keeps him from following his heart. Ciara was a fine heroine, but I quickly became frustrated with her easy acceptance of duty and how quickly she was willing to give up on Tavis and try to enjoy her marriage. It too often felt like she was just ready to move on. Tavis for his part was rather wishy washy with his feelings, but he at least had guilt to excuse his actions as well as his honor. Their love was extremely angsty - especially since they waited until the last damned minute to finally choose love but the people who frustrate me the most are the damn parents in this series. I'm sick of them playing chess with their kids futures. I get it, that's what parents did back then, but I'm falling out of love with characters I once fell in love with. I hated that Duncan was trying to talk Tavis out of giving up everything to be with Ciara, especially when he knew that Ciara loved Duncan.

My only other question here was, How old was Tavis? I think Ciara was 20, and it sounded like Tavis was in his late teens when Ciara was 5, so I'm thinking Tavis has to be at least 33 or older...

[Letture Sale e Pepe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mi è stato consigliato di leggere questo libro, un romanzo rosa, ambientato in Scozia, luogo da me più volte visitato e amato. I protagonisti mi hanno incuriosito praticamente subito: Lui, Tavis, è un guerriero di un clan, tipico maschio tutto ormoni e muscoli, ma dal cuore fragile e le emozioni instabili, lei, Ciara (ndt: si legge Kira) una ragazza dal passato un po’ incerto, bella, vivace, intelligente e colta cosa rara per le donne che in quell’epoca venivano “addestrate ” solo a far da mogli e da madri. Lei era una donna con buone dosi di testosterone nel DNA.  Innamorata fin da bambina di Tavis.
Leggendo questo libro di 400 pagine di sentimenti negati e ormoni impazziti , si scorrono un po’ una serie di emozioni e di legami : l amore materno, un patrigno  affettuoso, il legame di una forte amicizia , la fedeltà e il rispetto. Insomma ci sono gli aspetti principali che caratterizzano il percorso di una vita. All’inizio l’ho trovato lento, ma poi ha preso il via ed è stato praticamente impossibile chiuderlo e non proseguire tutto d’un fiato .Un pò prevedibile fin dalle prime pagine ci regala comunque qualche colpo di scena .Ho trovato leggermente irritante il modo in cui Tavis chiama la protagonista, “piccola”, non so spiegare ma lo trovavo irritante e distante dal linguaggio dell’epoca .
Mi sarebbe panciuto che ci fosse stata qualche descrizione dei luoghi dove si svolge la storia. Ho provato, leggendolo, una serie di sentimenti contrastanti: dalla voglia di prendere a sberle lui, all’emozione nell’immaginarlo  con il kilt e le gambe muscolose al vento. Un po’ delusa sul finale, dove non si parla più della migliore amica di Ciara, Elisabeth, la quale fa una caduta di stile nel corso della storia e poi sparisce. Mi sarebbe piaciuto leggere cosa le fosse accaduto poi.
 
Sensualità: 3

[Al'abordage Delaculture]

L’avis de Chica :
Deuxième livre de cette collection que je dévore ce mois-ci et c’est de nouveau un coup de cœur ! De la magie à l’état pur, saupoudrée de sensualité, d’humour, de tendresse et d’amour.
Retour dans nos Highlands adorées pour ce premier tome de L’honneur du clan mais qui est en fait une suite d’une autre série de Terri Brisbin et plus particulièrement du tome 3 : Noces Scandaleuses. Je ne le savais pas du tout et je l’ai réalisé en débutant ma lecture puisque Ciara dont il est question ici est en réalité la petite fille de 5 ans de Marian, héroïne de ce précédent livre. Une merveilleuse surprise donc puisque j’avais énormément apprécié Noces Scandaleuses – que dis-je j’en suis totalement fan, je l’ai relu au moins 3 fois depuis !!! C’est ce livre qui m’avait fait notamment découvrir et adorer cette auteure donc vous imaginez ma joie d’en découvrir, complètement par hasard, la suite !
Terri Brisbin est toujours aussi magistrale dans la gestion de ses romances historiques...

La suite de sa chronique par ici : http://alabordagedelaculture.wordpres...

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 5 in Terri Brisbin's MacLerie series, The Higlander's Stolen Touch, was as engaging and well developed as it's predecessors. The two main characters, Ciara and Tavis were introduced in earlier works and their struggle to accept their love was a highly enjoyable reading experience. Full of honor and struggling passions this series continues on with another successful story to capture the readers imagination.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably more like 3.5 stars. I really like author Terri Brisbin and am always excited when she has a new book out. I also find the Harlequin Historicals a nice, easy and always enjoyable read. I didn't realise that The Highlander's Stolen Touch had a connection to some of Terri's previous books, the MacLerie series which I had read some of quite some time ago.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm generally stingy with five-star reviews, but I loved this romance novel! Both main characters are truly appealing, and the story moves along at a nice clip. Brisbin generally writes intelligently, and I found the book difficult to put down. The book is as formulaic as any romance novel and I'm not quite sure why it stood out to me as an excellent one, but I couldn't put it down!

[Angela Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certain things about this book drove me nuts, especially the overuse of the word "Mayhap" & "Twas" It reminded me of Robin Hood Men in Tights and how Maid Marion spoke in that movie. The story was okay, but nothing memorable.

[Jordan Michaels · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I really liked this book there was just too much yo-yoing going on for my liking. Is she over him? Is she not? Can she move on? Can she not? Does he want her? Does he not? Then out of the blue her intended runs off with her best friend? Um...nah. I will not be reading this again.

[Mymyworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bonne histoire mais pas exceptionnelle non plus. Un héros un peu fade à mon goût comparé à la demoiselle et son tempérament!

Ma chronique ici : http://songedunenuitdete.com/2014/09/...

[Ingrid Hahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet. I'm new to the series, so I didn't know some of the characters as well as those who've read more of Terri Brisbin. Enjoyable (if a tiny bit slow in places) and definitely makes me want to read more of her books.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: The MacLerie Clan
Category: Historical Romance

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book but not great. Rather dull compared to the other books in the series. I did like the characters, just not an exciting story.