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Highland Guard #4
Коварный искуситель
Гордая графиня Изабелла Макдуфф не побоялась бросить вызов английскому королю и противостоять собственному мужу ради свободы родной страны — и жестоко за это поплатилась. У нее отняли дочь, ее мучили, истязали и держали в нечеловеческих условиях. И теперь ее единственная надежда и спаситель — Лахлан Макруайри, вырвавший ее из когтей злодея-супруга и поклявшийся доставить ко двору Роберта Брюса, невзирая на многочисленные опасности.
Однако суровый, закаленный в боях, циничный воитель не вызывает у молодой женщины доверия. Иное дело — страсть, слишком скоро сменившая страх. Но можно ли втайне сгорать от любви к мужчине, при этом ни на миг ему не веря?..
Однако суровый, закаленный в боях, циничный воитель не вызывает у молодой женщины доверия. Иное дело — страсть, слишком скоро сменившая страх. Но можно ли втайне сгорать от любви к мужчине, при этом ни на миг ему не веря?..
384 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2023
222 people are currently reading
3175 people want to read
About the author
Monica McCarty
61 books2,965 followersWhat do you get when you mix a legal career, a baseball career, motherhood, and a love of history with a voracious reader? In my case, a Historical Romance Author.
Like most writers, I’ve always loved to read. Growing up in California there was always plenty to do outside, but all too often I could be found inside curled up with a book (or two or three). I started with the usual fare: The Little House on the Prairie series, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, Watership Down, Nancy Drew, and everything by Judy Blume. Once I cleared off my bookshelf, I started swiping books from my mom. Some, like Sidney Sheldon’s The Other Side of Midnight, probably weren’t the most appropriate choice for a pre-adolescent—although they were definitely illuminating. I can still remember the look of abject horror on my mom’s Catholic-girl-face when I asked her what a virgin was. After that rather brief conversation, she paid a little closer attention to what had disappeared off her book shelf, and steered me in the direction of Harlequin and Barbara Cartland romances. I was hooked. I quickly read through the inventory of the local library and was soon buying bags of romances at garage sales.
In high school, with the encouragement of my father (who I think was a little concerned about the steady diet of romances), I read over eighty of the Franklin Library’s One Hundred Greatest Books ever written—including Tolstoy, Confucius, Plato, and the entire works of Shakespeare. Some of them were tough going for a teenager, but the experience would prove an invaluable foundation for college. After reading War and Peace, I wasn’t easily intimidated.
For some reason Monica decided to go into writing and not fashion.
After graduation, I loaded up the VW (Jetta not Bus) and trekked down I-5 to attend the University of Southern California, majoring in Political Science and minoring in English (see why all that reading helped!). I joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and when I wasn’t studying or at football games, did my best to support the local bartending industry. Ah, the good old days.
With that kind of fun, four years of college wasn’t quite enough. So leaving Tommy Trojan behind, I traveled back up north to Palo Alto for three more years of study at Stanford Law School. Once I survived the stress of the first semester, law school proved to be one of the best times of my life—garnering me a JD, life-long friends, a husband, and an unexpectedly intimate knowledge of baseball. (See “The Baseball Odyssey” below).
Law School was also where I fell in love with Scotland. In my third year, I took a Comparative Legal History class, and wrote a paper on the Scottish Clan System and Feudalism. So I immediately dropped out of law school and went on to write Scottish Historical Romances…well no, not quite. You see, I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer. My father was a lawyer, I was a “poet” (i.e., not into math), and I love to argue. It seemed natural.
So I finished law school, got married, passed the CA bar, moved to Minnesota (with a few stops along the way), waived into the MN bar, worked as a litigator for a few satisfying years, moved back to CA, had a couple of kids, realized that a legal career and being a single parent for most of the year (due to husband's career) would be extremely difficult, and THEN decided to sit down and write.
And how did I end up writing romance? It’s not as divergent as it seems. What I loved about being a lawyer are the same things I love about being a writer—research and writing. The only thing missing is the arguing, but that’s what a husband and kids are for, right?
Like most writers, I’ve always loved to read. Growing up in California there was always plenty to do outside, but all too often I could be found inside curled up with a book (or two or three). I started with the usual fare: The Little House on the Prairie series, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, Watership Down, Nancy Drew, and everything by Judy Blume. Once I cleared off my bookshelf, I started swiping books from my mom. Some, like Sidney Sheldon’s The Other Side of Midnight, probably weren’t the most appropriate choice for a pre-adolescent—although they were definitely illuminating. I can still remember the look of abject horror on my mom’s Catholic-girl-face when I asked her what a virgin was. After that rather brief conversation, she paid a little closer attention to what had disappeared off her book shelf, and steered me in the direction of Harlequin and Barbara Cartland romances. I was hooked. I quickly read through the inventory of the local library and was soon buying bags of romances at garage sales.
In high school, with the encouragement of my father (who I think was a little concerned about the steady diet of romances), I read over eighty of the Franklin Library’s One Hundred Greatest Books ever written—including Tolstoy, Confucius, Plato, and the entire works of Shakespeare. Some of them were tough going for a teenager, but the experience would prove an invaluable foundation for college. After reading War and Peace, I wasn’t easily intimidated.
For some reason Monica decided to go into writing and not fashion.
After graduation, I loaded up the VW (Jetta not Bus) and trekked down I-5 to attend the University of Southern California, majoring in Political Science and minoring in English (see why all that reading helped!). I joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and when I wasn’t studying or at football games, did my best to support the local bartending industry. Ah, the good old days.
With that kind of fun, four years of college wasn’t quite enough. So leaving Tommy Trojan behind, I traveled back up north to Palo Alto for three more years of study at Stanford Law School. Once I survived the stress of the first semester, law school proved to be one of the best times of my life—garnering me a JD, life-long friends, a husband, and an unexpectedly intimate knowledge of baseball. (See “The Baseball Odyssey” below).
Law School was also where I fell in love with Scotland. In my third year, I took a Comparative Legal History class, and wrote a paper on the Scottish Clan System and Feudalism. So I immediately dropped out of law school and went on to write Scottish Historical Romances…well no, not quite. You see, I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer. My father was a lawyer, I was a “poet” (i.e., not into math), and I love to argue. It seemed natural.
So I finished law school, got married, passed the CA bar, moved to Minnesota (with a few stops along the way), waived into the MN bar, worked as a litigator for a few satisfying years, moved back to CA, had a couple of kids, realized that a legal career and being a single parent for most of the year (due to husband's career) would be extremely difficult, and THEN decided to sit down and write.
And how did I end up writing romance? It’s not as divergent as it seems. What I loved about being a lawyer are the same things I love about being a writer—research and writing. The only thing missing is the arguing, but that’s what a husband and kids are for, right?
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 465 reviews
August 11, 2016
Spoiler-free mini review
I'm so completely hooked on this series and McCarty's world! The Highland Guard books are a combination of every single thing I adore in historicals - beautiful settings, strong heroines and swoon-worthy heroes, heart-stopping suspense, lots of action, adventurous plots, and best of all, unforgettable romances. These books are absolutely perfect for winters and I'm enjoying every word.
Favorite passage from The Viper:
I'm so completely hooked on this series and McCarty's world! The Highland Guard books are a combination of every single thing I adore in historicals - beautiful settings, strong heroines and swoon-worthy heroes, heart-stopping suspense, lots of action, adventurous plots, and best of all, unforgettable romances. These books are absolutely perfect for winters and I'm enjoying every word.
Favorite passage from The Viper:
“You’re a hard man to love, Lachlan MacRuairi, but I do believe I’m up to the challenge.”
“We’ll probably argue.”
“Aye, it seems likely.”
“I have a bit of a temper when I get angry.”
“I’ve noticed,” she said wryly.
“I can be a mean bastard. I’ll probably say something to hurt you.”
She laughed. “Are you trying to scare me off?”
He gave her a rueful smile. “Maybe.
“Well, stop—it isn’t going to work. I’m quite aware of your faults.”
He frowned. “I didn’t say they were faults.”
May 9, 2016
Thoughts after My First Reread
I have just finished my first reread of this book. My initial rating stands. It is a 3 star read for me. I reread this book because most books I have read recently failed to capture me. I was bored flipping through the pages. The characters seemed unreal. In this hour of need, I returned to Monica McCarty, who always captures human interactions in a way that I can relate to.
I picked up The Viper today for reread, thinking maybe a reread would change my original opinion. I know this book was a lot of people's favorite in the series. I imagine it has something to do Lachlan's "bad boy" image. I did not love this book in my first read. And my second read confirms my original sentiments. But I feel that I understand better why I felt the way I did.
The Viper had everything that a book needs to be successful. A "bad boy" hero who had principles, a bold and strong heroine, rich historical background, political intrigues, impossible love. Theoretically I ought to have loved it. Monica McCarty did her usual magic. She puts her characters in the most impossible corner and allows them to break free with tender feelings and sexual tension galore. But I think one thing did not work for this reader: the characterization of Bella MacDuff.
The Viper is different than other books in the series that Bella MacDuff and Lachlan MacRuiari were both "older" than other characters in the series, especially Bella MacDuff. Lachlan was 33 and Bella was 28 when the story began. After 2 years of Bella's imprisonment, now we are looking at a 35-year-old Lachlan and a 30-year-old Bella. Being 35, Lachlan was just a tad older than most other heroes we have encountered in the series, but not much. His behaviors were, how do I put it, "fitting" for his character. He made battle/mission decisions, had a dirty mouth (what do you expect from a man named The Viper?), and was not exactly what you would call a prince on the white horse. Bella MadDuff however, was a 30 year old mother for the better half of the book. Her age puts her on a different level. She was significantly older than most heroines in the series. Not by 2, 3 years only, we are talking about by 8-10 years.
A 30 year old woman, I say. But honestly her maturity level was that of a 12 year old girl. Her 14 year old daughter Joan was more mature than her. I usually would respect the pride and determination of a woman such as Bella. But her irrationality and immaturity really diminished any heroine-like feelings she had. It was extremely difficult for me reconcile the woman Bella was with her age. I expected more from a 30 year old woman. "You should have known better, Bella MacDuff." An 18 year old girl would be excused for her immaturity. Some things only come with age. But a 30 year old woman who had been a mother for 14 years, seriously, show a little more self-constraint and discipline.
Bella did a lot of rash decisions, putting everyone and herself in danger. She was a hostage emotionally because she needed to protect her daughter. I get that. But I still found it annoying in a romance novel. This is why I prefer to not read about mothers in this genre. Their mother status almost always eclipses anything else and that really bothers me. (Incidentally Monica McCarty did MUCH BETTER with a mother heroine in her later book, The Striker, in my opinion.)
Because of Bella's immaturity, I suffered a severe case of cognitive dissonance when I read this book. For a 35 year old man and a 30 year old woman, I expected a more mature relationship. It doesn't have to be slow or less passionate. But I expected the relationship to be more.....I don't know, not quite so juvenile.
All in all, it was not a bad read. I enjoy Monica McCarty's storytelling as always. I just had a serious problem making sense of Bella MacDuff. I did not like her and therefore could not understand Lachlan's fascination about her. Because of that this book lost its allure to me. My 3 star rating was not an accident. And I stand by my original statement: 3 stars with mild disappointment.
Incidentally, the last book of the series The Ghost is coming out this month, it is the story of Joan, Bella's daughter. I am again amazed at Monica McCarty's ability to weave a compelling story. This entire series was a fantastic idea, rich in historical details and full of interwoven intricacies. The Viper is book 4, the first 1/3 of the series. But even in this book, you see the budding relationship of Joan Comyn and Alex Seton. And their story is book 12. Joan's presence is England is planted in book 4, The Viper, whereas Alex Seton's presence in England is then made possible in book 8, The Raider. This means, Monica McCarty had the stories all planned out for all her main characters when she began the series, or at least very early on. The Viper (book 4), The Raider (book 8) and The Ghost (book 12) are connected seamlessly and it all ends where it started: in The Viper, Joan met Alex Seton for the first time. And in the epilogue of the Viper, we see Joan returning to her mother at the end of the war, with Alex in tow. When book 4 was released, we didn't even know that there would be a book 8 or 12. We just knew that there were other characters and more highland guards. But not all of them got stories, poor William Gordon was killed off, for example. And this is just one of the examples of such connections in the series. Monica McCarty excels at such things, building a story over a span of a decade, across different books and yet, all blended together as if they were small pieces of a large puzzle. Bravo, Ms. McCarty!
I have said before and I will say it again: I love Monica McCarty for her storytelling skills and her way of turning historical figures into fictional characters. She has a loyal fan in me.
The Original Review
I really must first confess that I am totally obsessed with Monica McCarty's stories. I like her writing, admire her ability to weave history with fictional characters, love how intense her characters are and their relationship is, how she always manages to show the internal struggle and make it seem real and unpretentious.
However I cannot honestly say that I cared for The Viper. I think all the elements that make me love Monica McCarty's books are there for Lachlan and Bella. It is not the book, it is me. (no matter how much of a cliche it is, it is the truth.) I did not really like Bella as a character and Lachlan.....was rather unremarkable.
My biggest problem with this book, was Bella. Bella was a mother to a 11-year-old daughter when she met Lachlan. Naturally the daughter played a pivotal role in their relationship and the book. And that is exactly why I had trouble connecting with her. I am not much for children, regardless of their age, in my romances. It is especially difficult if they are children of the lead characters. It is only natural for any parents to place their children before themselves. I would not expect any less than that. And that is usually how the stories turn out. He or she would sacrifice the relationship somehow for the sake of the children. This is not something I look for so I usually stay away from books like this.
But I love Monica McCarty. So I thought ah what the heck, I will read The Viper. Maybe McCarty's storytelling could help me overcome my mother-as-heroine wariness.
Well it didn't.
I also was not so crazy about how Bella thought the worst of Lachlan for the longest time. I mean yeah I know Lachlan was an ass and probably deserved her hostility. But seriously Bella was not exactly a loving flower in the spring to Lachlan either. She really acted kind of stupid because of her daughter, which is understandable but unattractive in my eyes. She made the choice to support Robert the Bruce, the decision put her and her daughter in danger. Yet she put herself and Lachlan and everyone else on the mission because she had to see her daughter......I mean lady, shouldn't you have thought about this before you made your decision? No one is liable to fulfill your wish. You don't want to be separated from your child, don't support the rebel king. You want to "do the right thing" then accept that you may lose your child because of that noble decision. Putting everyone else in danger because she "is a mother".......ugh it didn not sit well with me.
I digress. But I think it is evident what bothered me in this book. I did not like Bella as my heroine. That pretty up screwed up the story for me. Make her a widow, a "ruined" noble woman, make her whatever, it would have been better than a mother.
But for everything else, which I love, I give this book 3 stars with mild disappointment.
I have just finished my first reread of this book. My initial rating stands. It is a 3 star read for me. I reread this book because most books I have read recently failed to capture me. I was bored flipping through the pages. The characters seemed unreal. In this hour of need, I returned to Monica McCarty, who always captures human interactions in a way that I can relate to.
I picked up The Viper today for reread, thinking maybe a reread would change my original opinion. I know this book was a lot of people's favorite in the series. I imagine it has something to do Lachlan's "bad boy" image. I did not love this book in my first read. And my second read confirms my original sentiments. But I feel that I understand better why I felt the way I did.
The Viper had everything that a book needs to be successful. A "bad boy" hero who had principles, a bold and strong heroine, rich historical background, political intrigues, impossible love. Theoretically I ought to have loved it. Monica McCarty did her usual magic. She puts her characters in the most impossible corner and allows them to break free with tender feelings and sexual tension galore. But I think one thing did not work for this reader: the characterization of Bella MacDuff.
The Viper is different than other books in the series that Bella MacDuff and Lachlan MacRuiari were both "older" than other characters in the series, especially Bella MacDuff. Lachlan was 33 and Bella was 28 when the story began. After 2 years of Bella's imprisonment, now we are looking at a 35-year-old Lachlan and a 30-year-old Bella. Being 35, Lachlan was just a tad older than most other heroes we have encountered in the series, but not much. His behaviors were, how do I put it, "fitting" for his character. He made battle/mission decisions, had a dirty mouth (what do you expect from a man named The Viper?), and was not exactly what you would call a prince on the white horse. Bella MadDuff however, was a 30 year old mother for the better half of the book. Her age puts her on a different level. She was significantly older than most heroines in the series. Not by 2, 3 years only, we are talking about by 8-10 years.
A 30 year old woman, I say. But honestly her maturity level was that of a 12 year old girl. Her 14 year old daughter Joan was more mature than her. I usually would respect the pride and determination of a woman such as Bella. But her irrationality and immaturity really diminished any heroine-like feelings she had. It was extremely difficult for me reconcile the woman Bella was with her age. I expected more from a 30 year old woman. "You should have known better, Bella MacDuff." An 18 year old girl would be excused for her immaturity. Some things only come with age. But a 30 year old woman who had been a mother for 14 years, seriously, show a little more self-constraint and discipline.
Bella did a lot of rash decisions, putting everyone and herself in danger. She was a hostage emotionally because she needed to protect her daughter. I get that. But I still found it annoying in a romance novel. This is why I prefer to not read about mothers in this genre. Their mother status almost always eclipses anything else and that really bothers me. (Incidentally Monica McCarty did MUCH BETTER with a mother heroine in her later book, The Striker, in my opinion.)
Because of Bella's immaturity, I suffered a severe case of cognitive dissonance when I read this book. For a 35 year old man and a 30 year old woman, I expected a more mature relationship. It doesn't have to be slow or less passionate. But I expected the relationship to be more.....I don't know, not quite so juvenile.
All in all, it was not a bad read. I enjoy Monica McCarty's storytelling as always. I just had a serious problem making sense of Bella MacDuff. I did not like her and therefore could not understand Lachlan's fascination about her. Because of that this book lost its allure to me. My 3 star rating was not an accident. And I stand by my original statement: 3 stars with mild disappointment.
Incidentally, the last book of the series The Ghost is coming out this month, it is the story of Joan, Bella's daughter. I am again amazed at Monica McCarty's ability to weave a compelling story. This entire series was a fantastic idea, rich in historical details and full of interwoven intricacies. The Viper is book 4, the first 1/3 of the series. But even in this book, you see the budding relationship of Joan Comyn and Alex Seton. And their story is book 12. Joan's presence is England is planted in book 4, The Viper, whereas Alex Seton's presence in England is then made possible in book 8, The Raider. This means, Monica McCarty had the stories all planned out for all her main characters when she began the series, or at least very early on. The Viper (book 4), The Raider (book 8) and The Ghost (book 12) are connected seamlessly and it all ends where it started: in The Viper, Joan met Alex Seton for the first time. And in the epilogue of the Viper, we see Joan returning to her mother at the end of the war, with Alex in tow. When book 4 was released, we didn't even know that there would be a book 8 or 12. We just knew that there were other characters and more highland guards. But not all of them got stories, poor William Gordon was killed off, for example. And this is just one of the examples of such connections in the series. Monica McCarty excels at such things, building a story over a span of a decade, across different books and yet, all blended together as if they were small pieces of a large puzzle. Bravo, Ms. McCarty!
I have said before and I will say it again: I love Monica McCarty for her storytelling skills and her way of turning historical figures into fictional characters. She has a loyal fan in me.
The Original Review
I really must first confess that I am totally obsessed with Monica McCarty's stories. I like her writing, admire her ability to weave history with fictional characters, love how intense her characters are and their relationship is, how she always manages to show the internal struggle and make it seem real and unpretentious.
However I cannot honestly say that I cared for The Viper. I think all the elements that make me love Monica McCarty's books are there for Lachlan and Bella. It is not the book, it is me. (no matter how much of a cliche it is, it is the truth.) I did not really like Bella as a character and Lachlan.....was rather unremarkable.
My biggest problem with this book, was Bella. Bella was a mother to a 11-year-old daughter when she met Lachlan. Naturally the daughter played a pivotal role in their relationship and the book. And that is exactly why I had trouble connecting with her. I am not much for children, regardless of their age, in my romances. It is especially difficult if they are children of the lead characters. It is only natural for any parents to place their children before themselves. I would not expect any less than that. And that is usually how the stories turn out. He or she would sacrifice the relationship somehow for the sake of the children. This is not something I look for so I usually stay away from books like this.
But I love Monica McCarty. So I thought ah what the heck, I will read The Viper. Maybe McCarty's storytelling could help me overcome my mother-as-heroine wariness.
Well it didn't.
I also was not so crazy about how Bella thought the worst of Lachlan for the longest time. I mean yeah I know Lachlan was an ass and probably deserved her hostility. But seriously Bella was not exactly a loving flower in the spring to Lachlan either. She really acted kind of stupid because of her daughter, which is understandable but unattractive in my eyes. She made the choice to support Robert the Bruce, the decision put her and her daughter in danger. Yet she put herself and Lachlan and everyone else on the mission because she had to see her daughter......I mean lady, shouldn't you have thought about this before you made your decision? No one is liable to fulfill your wish. You don't want to be separated from your child, don't support the rebel king. You want to "do the right thing" then accept that you may lose your child because of that noble decision. Putting everyone else in danger because she "is a mother".......ugh it didn not sit well with me.
I digress. But I think it is evident what bothered me in this book. I did not like Bella as my heroine. That pretty up screwed up the story for me. Make her a widow, a "ruined" noble woman, make her whatever, it would have been better than a mother.
But for everything else, which I love, I give this book 3 stars with mild disappointment.
June 29, 2025
2.5 stars, rounded down because ⬇️
Minority opinion here: I was barely able to finish and was unhappy doing it.
Why?
Endless internal monologues.
Endlessly repetitive internal monologues. Lachlan was characterized as “mean” about five dozen times. Lady Bella abhorred his meanness and lack of honor—in internal monologues, of course—while depending on him to save her again and again. Bella had large breasts (mentioned three dozen times). They were apparently her defining characteristic, and Bella wished they didn’t immediately fill the eyes of men with lust, including Lachlan. But he just couldn’t help it, even when she furiously lashed out at him, proclaiming she wanted to be seen for herself, not just as a pair of breasts…while grabbing her breasts in her hands and shoving them at Lachlan to…get him to look at her instead of her breasts? I’m still scratching my head over that one.
Lachlan was, as advertised, mean. He was a mercenary, a warrior for hire. He had also been betrayed by his first wife so this was a no-woman-ever-again-type situation. The two hundred times this came up in internal monologues almost convinced me.
I did not like Lady Bella. She was shocked to be punished by the English King for the treasonous act of crowning Robert Bruce as king of an independent Scotland. Shocked, I tell you. She was also irrational, self-absorbed, and stupidly impulsive. She tended to do impulsive things that put the people around her in danger, then blamed Lachlan when things went wrong. Also, she blamed him when things went right. He rescued her from a tower prison, only to have her demand that he help her contact her daughter. He gets her to a safe location, but she asks him again to save her daughter. Then she betrays him to save her daughter. She rode this guy hard, and then sneered at him when he got fed up and asked her if she wanted marriage from him.
She also urged him to stay and fight with Robert Bruce, to risk his life for Scotland until the war ended, when all he wanted was peace and solitude. Would any woman supposedly in love with a man actually want him going into battle in 1308?
I didn’t dislike Lachlan quite as much. Apart from his well-documented meanness, the main reason I didn’t warm up to him was his weakness for Lady Bella. He really needed better taste in women.
For a story containing so many real historical figures and real historical events, the language was oddly modern.
The plot was okay, even though it circled through rescues one time too many. There was a lot more escaping and running than fights, but the fights were good enough. The spice was good.
The repetition was bad.
Minority opinion here: I was barely able to finish and was unhappy doing it.
Why?
Endless internal monologues.
Endlessly repetitive internal monologues. Lachlan was characterized as “mean” about five dozen times. Lady Bella abhorred his meanness and lack of honor—in internal monologues, of course—while depending on him to save her again and again. Bella had large breasts (mentioned three dozen times). They were apparently her defining characteristic, and Bella wished they didn’t immediately fill the eyes of men with lust, including Lachlan. But he just couldn’t help it, even when she furiously lashed out at him, proclaiming she wanted to be seen for herself, not just as a pair of breasts…while grabbing her breasts in her hands and shoving them at Lachlan to…get him to look at her instead of her breasts? I’m still scratching my head over that one.
Lachlan was, as advertised, mean. He was a mercenary, a warrior for hire. He had also been betrayed by his first wife so this was a no-woman-ever-again-type situation. The two hundred times this came up in internal monologues almost convinced me.
I did not like Lady Bella. She was shocked to be punished by the English King for the treasonous act of crowning Robert Bruce as king of an independent Scotland. Shocked, I tell you. She was also irrational, self-absorbed, and stupidly impulsive. She tended to do impulsive things that put the people around her in danger, then blamed Lachlan when things went wrong. Also, she blamed him when things went right. He rescued her from a tower prison, only to have her demand that he help her contact her daughter. He gets her to a safe location, but she asks him again to save her daughter. Then she betrays him to save her daughter. She rode this guy hard, and then sneered at him when he got fed up and asked her if she wanted marriage from him.
She also urged him to stay and fight with Robert Bruce, to risk his life for Scotland until the war ended, when all he wanted was peace and solitude. Would any woman supposedly in love with a man actually want him going into battle in 1308?
I didn’t dislike Lachlan quite as much. Apart from his well-documented meanness, the main reason I didn’t warm up to him was his weakness for Lady Bella. He really needed better taste in women.
For a story containing so many real historical figures and real historical events, the language was oddly modern.
The plot was okay, even though it circled through rescues one time too many. There was a lot more escaping and running than fights, but the fights were good enough. The spice was good.
The repetition was bad.
October 29, 2011
Very good. Wow, once again the author has written a story where the H/h are up against the most impossible odds.
Viper and Isabella are both tortured souls, so if you like the tortured soul trope you'll get double your pleasure with this story. Times were very hard in those days, war or not. But fighting enemies and being captured means making impossible decisions that risks your life and others.
Isabella is a true character in history who crowned Robert Bruce, making him King of Scotland and a greater foe to the English King Edward. In this embellished telling she is a mother of an 11 y/o daughter who she was forced to abandon, then later captured by the English. Isabella's quest for freedom and to reunite with her daughter is the cornerstone of this story. Lachlan/Viper (also an embellished true character in history) never forgets her, and finally wins her freedom by helping her escape. But Viper does not trust Isabella, despite his intense attraction to her. His first wife betrayed him and nearly cost him his life, and then lost her own life as a result of her actions.
While this may not be my favorite story in the series, it was still a great read. In places I thought their lusting for each other was ill timed considering their initial anger with each other and their tortured state. And Isabella bordered on the TSTL a few times, although for quite understandable reasons. On the plus side, I have to say that the steamy scenes were excellent. I loved how they flowed within the story and were not just intermission breaks that could be skimmed over. Hot! I'm now looking forward to Saints story!! This is one of my favorite series.
Viper and Isabella are both tortured souls, so if you like the tortured soul trope you'll get double your pleasure with this story. Times were very hard in those days, war or not. But fighting enemies and being captured means making impossible decisions that risks your life and others.
Isabella is a true character in history who crowned Robert Bruce, making him King of Scotland and a greater foe to the English King Edward. In this embellished telling she is a mother of an 11 y/o daughter who she was forced to abandon, then later captured by the English. Isabella's quest for freedom and to reunite with her daughter is the cornerstone of this story. Lachlan/Viper (also an embellished true character in history) never forgets her, and finally wins her freedom by helping her escape. But Viper does not trust Isabella, despite his intense attraction to her. His first wife betrayed him and nearly cost him his life, and then lost her own life as a result of her actions.
While this may not be my favorite story in the series, it was still a great read. In places I thought their lusting for each other was ill timed considering their initial anger with each other and their tortured state. And Isabella bordered on the TSTL a few times, although for quite understandable reasons. On the plus side, I have to say that the steamy scenes were excellent. I loved how they flowed within the story and were not just intermission breaks that could be skimmed over. Hot! I'm now looking forward to Saints story!! This is one of my favorite series.
October 21, 2011
http://www.demonloversbooksandmore.co...
This story begins with our heroine Lady Isabella MacDuff being led into a cage-a cage suspended above the courtyard at Berwick Castle. We see her strength of body, mind and spirit tested, as Bella has finally realized what crowning the Bruce king has cost her. The biggest price? She’s lost her daughter. They had to leave 12 year old Joan behind with her father, which wasn’t an awful fate for the girl since her father loved her, but imagine a loving mother being forced to leave her daughter behind.
I feel that the hardest part about this book was the emotional torment of Bella. Not only did she leave her daughter behind, but Bella was captured, imprisoned, hung suspended from a cage for almost 2 years, she then was forced time and time again to make decisions no mother should have to make. The welfare of her daughter over her own, of course, but the costs were high. Her jailor/tormentor used her daughter as a reason to keep Bella in line. “We will let you write to her, if you...” or “if you escape, we will hurt your daughter...”
Lachlan and Bella’s paths were constantly intertwined, as the two of them spent a lot of time together. He rescued her from her prison, but would she ever allow him close? It seemed that having been an object of lust her entire life, Bella wanted just one man to look at her without that gleam in his eye. But for some reason, when Lachlan looked at her with desire in his eyes, it didn’t bother her as much.
I will definitely say that this is a very emotionally draining book. But Bella has become one of my favorite heroines of all time. She survived so much, she did so much, and she never came off as a perfect heroine, she was flawed, and she was so strong. Not just due to Ms. McCarty’s incredible writing, but this woman was real, her imprisonment in the cage was real. My favorite thing about these books is the vast amount of truth and history woven into the story. I suggest reading the author’s note at the end.
I really like that by the end, Bella was able to see that her husband was not as cruel as she’d originally thought him, that he deserved her pity more than anything, and she was able to let go of many hard feelings (oh don’t get me wrong, the man was an ass, but it was nice to see a heroine look back and see that several things could have been handled differently and maybe her marriage wouldn’t have been as awful as it had been). That’s one of the reasons I love to read Ms. McCarty’s work- she never takes the easy way out. Her characters have to work for their happy ending.
The only thing I missed was seeing the Guard act together more. But I think Lachlan needed to realize that even though he always says he works best alone, that he’s come to depend on the other members of the Guard. And dare I say it, he kind of likes them. There is a scene at the end where he realizes just how much the Guard means to him, and he to them.
My favorite quote from this book was actually at the end. It shows everything from Bella’s spirit, to how not everyone gets the pretty Happy Ever After. Sometimes it’s more bittersweet than that, and you have to work for what you want. I loved that.
“I know you were hoping for a different ending,” Lachlan said quietly.
This war had taken so much from her. But Bella refused to let it cost her her daughter. “It’s not the end, it’s only the beginning.”
With Lachlan by her side, she would fight to the end.
This story begins with our heroine Lady Isabella MacDuff being led into a cage-a cage suspended above the courtyard at Berwick Castle. We see her strength of body, mind and spirit tested, as Bella has finally realized what crowning the Bruce king has cost her. The biggest price? She’s lost her daughter. They had to leave 12 year old Joan behind with her father, which wasn’t an awful fate for the girl since her father loved her, but imagine a loving mother being forced to leave her daughter behind.
I feel that the hardest part about this book was the emotional torment of Bella. Not only did she leave her daughter behind, but Bella was captured, imprisoned, hung suspended from a cage for almost 2 years, she then was forced time and time again to make decisions no mother should have to make. The welfare of her daughter over her own, of course, but the costs were high. Her jailor/tormentor used her daughter as a reason to keep Bella in line. “We will let you write to her, if you...” or “if you escape, we will hurt your daughter...”
Lachlan and Bella’s paths were constantly intertwined, as the two of them spent a lot of time together. He rescued her from her prison, but would she ever allow him close? It seemed that having been an object of lust her entire life, Bella wanted just one man to look at her without that gleam in his eye. But for some reason, when Lachlan looked at her with desire in his eyes, it didn’t bother her as much.
I will definitely say that this is a very emotionally draining book. But Bella has become one of my favorite heroines of all time. She survived so much, she did so much, and she never came off as a perfect heroine, she was flawed, and she was so strong. Not just due to Ms. McCarty’s incredible writing, but this woman was real, her imprisonment in the cage was real. My favorite thing about these books is the vast amount of truth and history woven into the story. I suggest reading the author’s note at the end.
I really like that by the end, Bella was able to see that her husband was not as cruel as she’d originally thought him, that he deserved her pity more than anything, and she was able to let go of many hard feelings (oh don’t get me wrong, the man was an ass, but it was nice to see a heroine look back and see that several things could have been handled differently and maybe her marriage wouldn’t have been as awful as it had been). That’s one of the reasons I love to read Ms. McCarty’s work- she never takes the easy way out. Her characters have to work for their happy ending.
The only thing I missed was seeing the Guard act together more. But I think Lachlan needed to realize that even though he always says he works best alone, that he’s come to depend on the other members of the Guard. And dare I say it, he kind of likes them. There is a scene at the end where he realizes just how much the Guard means to him, and he to them.
My favorite quote from this book was actually at the end. It shows everything from Bella’s spirit, to how not everyone gets the pretty Happy Ever After. Sometimes it’s more bittersweet than that, and you have to work for what you want. I loved that.
“I know you were hoping for a different ending,” Lachlan said quietly.
This war had taken so much from her. But Bella refused to let it cost her her daughter. “It’s not the end, it’s only the beginning.”
With Lachlan by her side, she would fight to the end.
November 17, 2021
Edit to add steam stats 11/17/21:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes
Initial review 2/23/20:
Safety warning:
This is book 4 in the highland guard. I think this book would be okay as a standalone, but I do recommend reading at least The Chief (book 1) because it sets up the whole highland guard, the members, and their purpose. Then I also recommend you read book 2, The Hawk, because it's still my favorite, it's soooooo good, and I believe the heroes are cousins from that book and this book. And then read book 3 because it's good too lol. Yeah just read in order.
I really enjoyed this book. I think it's my second favorite of the series so far. I still think the Hawk beats it out but just by a tad. I love McCarty. I love her mix of action, history, tension, and melting kiss and sex scenes. This story spans 3 years or so, but doesn't feel like it has a long division of the characters.
I think you would like this story if you like
big, lethal, green eyed highlanders
second chance romance (both hero and heroine have bad marriages in their past)
lots of action and sexual tension
aren't opposed to reading about torture and death. It's here, and makes the story feel so real
'older' characters – Bella is around 30 and Lachlan is mid 30's
Basically if you've read McCarty, you kind of know what you are going to get. I love her as an author.
Lachlan is a bad boy mercenary. He has a reputation that he would sell his mother if he could make coin and happily turn his back on her suffering. It's all a mirage people, and I just adored Lachlan and felt his pain and reasoning for the life he has chosen.
Bella has been suffering in a horrible marriage with her daughter Joan being her only bright spot. She knows where she stands in this war between England and Scotland and does what she feels is right, crowning Robert the Bruce, thus making herself a traitor to the crown. I also recommend you read up the real history on Isabella MacDuff. It's just fascinating.
I don't usually love characters that have a past marriage, but I really enjoyed this story. I remember reading The Chief and loving it so much and I heard it was the best in the series. Then I read The Hawk and I loved it even more. They are all so good. I have been spacing them out and I think I'm going to keep doing that. Because I'm picky. And I go through streaks where I don't like anything. But I know I can come back to McCarty. And I'm going to be so sad when I get through all her books haha.
I give 5 stars
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes
Initial review 2/23/20:
Safety warning:
This is book 4 in the highland guard. I think this book would be okay as a standalone, but I do recommend reading at least The Chief (book 1) because it sets up the whole highland guard, the members, and their purpose. Then I also recommend you read book 2, The Hawk, because it's still my favorite, it's soooooo good, and I believe the heroes are cousins from that book and this book. And then read book 3 because it's good too lol. Yeah just read in order.
I really enjoyed this book. I think it's my second favorite of the series so far. I still think the Hawk beats it out but just by a tad. I love McCarty. I love her mix of action, history, tension, and melting kiss and sex scenes. This story spans 3 years or so, but doesn't feel like it has a long division of the characters.
I think you would like this story if you like
big, lethal, green eyed highlanders
second chance romance (both hero and heroine have bad marriages in their past)
lots of action and sexual tension
aren't opposed to reading about torture and death. It's here, and makes the story feel so real
'older' characters – Bella is around 30 and Lachlan is mid 30's
Basically if you've read McCarty, you kind of know what you are going to get. I love her as an author.
Lachlan is a bad boy mercenary. He has a reputation that he would sell his mother if he could make coin and happily turn his back on her suffering. It's all a mirage people, and I just adored Lachlan and felt his pain and reasoning for the life he has chosen.
Bella has been suffering in a horrible marriage with her daughter Joan being her only bright spot. She knows where she stands in this war between England and Scotland and does what she feels is right, crowning Robert the Bruce, thus making herself a traitor to the crown. I also recommend you read up the real history on Isabella MacDuff. It's just fascinating.
I don't usually love characters that have a past marriage, but I really enjoyed this story. I remember reading The Chief and loving it so much and I heard it was the best in the series. Then I read The Hawk and I loved it even more. They are all so good. I have been spacing them out and I think I'm going to keep doing that. Because I'm picky. And I go through streaks where I don't like anything. But I know I can come back to McCarty. And I'm going to be so sad when I get through all her books haha.
I give 5 stars
November 2, 2011
Story Rating 5 stars
Character Rating 5 stars
Romance Rating 5 stars
Heat Level 3.5 stars
Overall Rating 5 stars
Monica McCarty does it again. I just finished this book and I have chill's all over. This story was a very emotional one that had me shedding tears often through out the story. What amazed me most is that Monica wove this story around actual people and actual history. Oh I'm sure this book is not for everyone but it was just right for me.
I very much look forwards to the next book in the Highland Guard series, The Saint to be released 3/27/2012
Character Rating 5 stars
Romance Rating 5 stars
Heat Level 3.5 stars
Overall Rating 5 stars
Monica McCarty does it again. I just finished this book and I have chill's all over. This story was a very emotional one that had me shedding tears often through out the story. What amazed me most is that Monica wove this story around actual people and actual history. Oh I'm sure this book is not for everyone but it was just right for me.
I very much look forwards to the next book in the Highland Guard series, The Saint to be released 3/27/2012
October 9, 2025
I have read this book many times. I absolutely love it. The H is the epitome of bad boy, and the h has lots of spirit and is pretty great too! If your needing a good alpha male with a happy ending hurry and read this one! Excellent plot 8(1-10) steaminess 8(1-10)
October 28, 2011
I very much enjoyed this and I think I may well have read it (perhaps devoured is a better word) much too fast.
I'd been looking forward to the story since the little teasers in The Ranger about Lachlan's feelings about Bella's fate. We start the story with Bella facing her punishment - incarceration in a very exposed cage atop a turret in a Scottish castle. I actually felt physically appalled by this because it is based in truth. This actually happened and I have lived in Scotland and it is cold and it rains a lot - it must have been an intolerable ordeal.
I'm not sure of the fate of the actual Isabella McDuff but, of course, Monica McCarty gives us the HEA that she deserves.
Enter stage right - Lachlan - a dour and humourless Highland Warrior. He's not big into trust having been betrayed by his first wife and, both he and Bella, spend a great deal of the novel denying their feelings toward each other to themselves due to their previous experiences.
The story revolves around Bella's attempts to evade her captors and to reunite with her daughter after several years helped all the way by Lachlan who tells himself he is doing this to ease his conscience as he feels responsible for her fate. The story gallops along with several twists until we reach our ultimate HEA.
Thoroughly enjoyable and engrossing.
I have to say I have a hard time remembering who each of the Highland Guard is - I can remember the ones who have already had a book but I forget who the rest are and confuse them all the time. I guess this will become clearer as the books are released.
I'd been looking forward to the story since the little teasers in The Ranger about Lachlan's feelings about Bella's fate. We start the story with Bella facing her punishment - incarceration in a very exposed cage atop a turret in a Scottish castle. I actually felt physically appalled by this because it is based in truth. This actually happened and I have lived in Scotland and it is cold and it rains a lot - it must have been an intolerable ordeal.
I'm not sure of the fate of the actual Isabella McDuff but, of course, Monica McCarty gives us the HEA that she deserves.
Enter stage right - Lachlan - a dour and humourless Highland Warrior. He's not big into trust having been betrayed by his first wife and, both he and Bella, spend a great deal of the novel denying their feelings toward each other to themselves due to their previous experiences.
The story revolves around Bella's attempts to evade her captors and to reunite with her daughter after several years helped all the way by Lachlan who tells himself he is doing this to ease his conscience as he feels responsible for her fate. The story gallops along with several twists until we reach our ultimate HEA.
Thoroughly enjoyable and engrossing.
I have to say I have a hard time remembering who each of the Highland Guard is - I can remember the ones who have already had a book but I forget who the rest are and confuse them all the time. I guess this will become clearer as the books are released.
June 22, 2013
Lachlan “Viper” MacRuairi is barely tolerated by his fellow members of the Highland Guard because of his seeming indifference to anything but money for his service. However, they highly respect his warrior skills, his snakelike stealth and ability to get in and out of situations. He's extremely handsome but his sneer, surly personality and reputation keep most at a distance. When he's assigned to get Bella MacDuff to Robert Bruce's coronation, it ends up being a life changing event for both of them.
I knew Lachlan's backstory would provide more context for this complex character and knew the rumors about him were probably distorted. Though not as earth shattering as I would have expected, his story did explain him well enough and I loved his relationship with Bella. She, by the way, was a perfect match for the difficult Lachlan, even though she had a few questionable moments in the story. Her sacrifice, both for Robert Bruce and her daughter, was heroic but painful and her ultimate punishment was heartbreaking.
This was an exciting, gritty and complicated story. Lachlan's not easy with anyone and his relationship with Bella was well played. The scene in the cottage was gut wrenching, so well written I experienced the emotions of both of them vicariously and it was a pivotal moment for them. The historical context continues to set this series apart from other highlander historical romances and my hope is we get at least a story for each member of the Highland Guard. This one is special.
I knew Lachlan's backstory would provide more context for this complex character and knew the rumors about him were probably distorted. Though not as earth shattering as I would have expected, his story did explain him well enough and I loved his relationship with Bella. She, by the way, was a perfect match for the difficult Lachlan, even though she had a few questionable moments in the story. Her sacrifice, both for Robert Bruce and her daughter, was heroic but painful and her ultimate punishment was heartbreaking.
This was an exciting, gritty and complicated story. Lachlan's not easy with anyone and his relationship with Bella was well played. The scene in the cottage was gut wrenching, so well written I experienced the emotions of both of them vicariously and it was a pivotal moment for them. The historical context continues to set this series apart from other highlander historical romances and my hope is we get at least a story for each member of the Highland Guard. This one is special.
October 29, 2016
Una muy buena entrega éste cuarto libro de la Guardia de los Highlanders. De nuevo Monica McCarty me sorprende con lo buena escritora e investigadora que es (me leo siempre y sin falta sus notas de autora, me chiflan).
En éste cuarto libro toca la historia de Lachlan, el miembro de la Guardia más vil, "malvado" y malhablado, tiene una fama atroz, se dice que mató a su esposa, y todo ello lo acompaña con una lengua viperina. En contraposición tenemos a Bella, condesa de Buchan, que como supimos en el primer libro, abandonó a su esposo, aliado con los ingleses, para coronar a Robert Bruce como rey de Escocia. Si algo lamenta Bella de la decisión que tomó fue dejar atrás a su hija, durante todo el libro estará presente ése estigma, y no descansará hasta tenerla de vuelta.
Pero nada en éste libro es fácil, es una de las historias más duras que he leído de Monica McCarty, y eso es mucho decir de una escritora que retrata fielmente la historia con toda la crueldad que realmente existió. Ambos protagonistas son personajes, que por un motivo u otro, son perseguidos por los ingleses, y dicha historia, tanto la de trasfondo como la romántica, se convertirá en una vertiginosa huida que no conocerá descanso. En éste sentido es una novela muy movida, con mucha aventura, y en la que están ocurriendo cosas continuamente, pero a pesar de ello no he podido dejar de notar que algunas partes me aburrían, como también (para mi gusto) demasiada escena encamada, normalmente Monica McCarty no abusa de dichas escenas, pero hacia el final de la novela se me hacía un poquito pesada.
Ambos personajes me han gustado, sobre todo Lachlan. Es de esos chicos malos, torturados, taaaaaaan reiterativos en romántica, pero que nunca decepcionan. De esos que sólo necesitan un empuje para enamorarse y volver a ser persona. Bella me ha gustado lo justo, reconozco que más de una vez me ha crispado con sus acciones, que sí, puedes entenderlas, pero se pasa medio libro metiéndose ella sola en peligro sin tener en cuenta las vidas de terceros, ése tipo de actitudes egoístas no me gustan, aunque se justifiquen por un noble motivo, pero si te dicen que estés quietecita, por algo es.
En resumen, me ha gustado mucho, y estoy deseando el libro de Santo, que es el siguiente. Y del cuál, creo que sé por dónde van los tiros tras haber leído cosas de él en éste libro.
En éste cuarto libro toca la historia de Lachlan, el miembro de la Guardia más vil, "malvado" y malhablado, tiene una fama atroz, se dice que mató a su esposa, y todo ello lo acompaña con una lengua viperina. En contraposición tenemos a Bella, condesa de Buchan, que como supimos en el primer libro, abandonó a su esposo, aliado con los ingleses, para coronar a Robert Bruce como rey de Escocia. Si algo lamenta Bella de la decisión que tomó fue dejar atrás a su hija, durante todo el libro estará presente ése estigma, y no descansará hasta tenerla de vuelta.
Pero nada en éste libro es fácil, es una de las historias más duras que he leído de Monica McCarty, y eso es mucho decir de una escritora que retrata fielmente la historia con toda la crueldad que realmente existió. Ambos protagonistas son personajes, que por un motivo u otro, son perseguidos por los ingleses, y dicha historia, tanto la de trasfondo como la romántica, se convertirá en una vertiginosa huida que no conocerá descanso. En éste sentido es una novela muy movida, con mucha aventura, y en la que están ocurriendo cosas continuamente, pero a pesar de ello no he podido dejar de notar que algunas partes me aburrían, como también (para mi gusto) demasiada escena encamada, normalmente Monica McCarty no abusa de dichas escenas, pero hacia el final de la novela se me hacía un poquito pesada.
Ambos personajes me han gustado, sobre todo Lachlan. Es de esos chicos malos, torturados, taaaaaaan reiterativos en romántica, pero que nunca decepcionan. De esos que sólo necesitan un empuje para enamorarse y volver a ser persona. Bella me ha gustado lo justo, reconozco que más de una vez me ha crispado con sus acciones, que sí, puedes entenderlas, pero se pasa medio libro metiéndose ella sola en peligro sin tener en cuenta las vidas de terceros, ése tipo de actitudes egoístas no me gustan, aunque se justifiquen por un noble motivo, pero si te dicen que estés quietecita, por algo es.
En resumen, me ha gustado mucho, y estoy deseando el libro de Santo, que es el siguiente. Y del cuál, creo que sé por dónde van los tiros tras haber leído cosas de él en éste libro.
July 3, 2018
Sınav sonrası tembellikten yeni yeni kurtulurken sonunda okumaya ve dolayısıyla hayata dönmeye başladım. Ve tabii ki dönüşüm böyle bir güzellikle olsun istedim. Sonuçta burada Monica’dan ve bu muhteşem İskoç Alayı’ndan bahsediyorum.
İSKOÇ YANİ ANLAYIN SİZ
Kitap yine ve yine harikaydı çünkü Monica’nın gerçeği alıp araya kendi masallarını karıştırdığını bilerek okumak apayrı bir keyif veriyor. Kadının yazma yeteneğinden, dibimin düşe düşe bir hâl olduğu savaşçılarından falan bahsetmeme gerek olduğunu bile düşünmüyorum.
MacRuairi okuduğum diğer İskoç Alayı üyeleri gibi İskoçluğunun hakkını veren bir cengaverdi. Bilirsiniz, İskoçluk mühim bir mevzu sabaha kadar sizlerle İskoçları konuşabilirim. 😏 Sonlara gelene kadar yüreciğimden kopardığım beş yıldızı buraya yapıştırmayı düşünüyordum ama sonunda kavuştukları, birbirlerine açıldıkları anda yok ben suçluyum, yok ben hatalıyım diye Türk filmine bağladılar. Dedim bir durun fgkcdfhgjhfg
Ama güzeldi.
Kendime geldiğimi iliklerime kadar hissettiğim bir historical romance oldu. Her Monica romanı gibi tavsiyemdir ancak bundan sonrasında çevirinin olmayışı beni üzüyor. Historicalları TR okumayı seviyorum ama yapacak bir şey yok, seriye devam etmek her şeyden önemli.
Tabii bu demek değil ki sınavdan önce yaptığım gibi hunharca İskoçlarımı okuyacağım. O sınavdan önceki kriz anında yaptığım bir hareketti. İskoç istifçiliğine devam edeceğim hiç değilse kalitesine güvendiğim yazarları. Çünkü bir Kübra sözü der ki“ZOR GÜNLER İÇİN YASTIK ALTINDA HEP BİR İSKOÇ ROMANI BULUNMALI!”
İSKOÇ YANİ ANLAYIN SİZ
Kitap yine ve yine harikaydı çünkü Monica’nın gerçeği alıp araya kendi masallarını karıştırdığını bilerek okumak apayrı bir keyif veriyor. Kadının yazma yeteneğinden, dibimin düşe düşe bir hâl olduğu savaşçılarından falan bahsetmeme gerek olduğunu bile düşünmüyorum.
MacRuairi okuduğum diğer İskoç Alayı üyeleri gibi İskoçluğunun hakkını veren bir cengaverdi. Bilirsiniz, İskoçluk mühim bir mevzu sabaha kadar sizlerle İskoçları konuşabilirim. 😏 Sonlara gelene kadar yüreciğimden kopardığım beş yıldızı buraya yapıştırmayı düşünüyordum ama sonunda kavuştukları, birbirlerine açıldıkları anda yok ben suçluyum, yok ben hatalıyım diye Türk filmine bağladılar. Dedim bir durun fgkcdfhgjhfg
Ama güzeldi.
Kendime geldiğimi iliklerime kadar hissettiğim bir historical romance oldu. Her Monica romanı gibi tavsiyemdir ancak bundan sonrasında çevirinin olmayışı beni üzüyor. Historicalları TR okumayı seviyorum ama yapacak bir şey yok, seriye devam etmek her şeyden önemli.
Tabii bu demek değil ki sınavdan önce yaptığım gibi hunharca İskoçlarımı okuyacağım. O sınavdan önceki kriz anında yaptığım bir hareketti. İskoç istifçiliğine devam edeceğim hiç değilse kalitesine güvendiğim yazarları. Çünkü bir Kübra sözü der ki“ZOR GÜNLER İÇİN YASTIK ALTINDA HEP BİR İSKOÇ ROMANI BULUNMALI!”
August 27, 2012
Monica McCarty is one of my favorite romance writers and I always know when I pick up one of her books that I'll feel better when I'm finished.
I love this scene. I laughed hysterically as I read Viper hit Chief :D
"Damn it, Viper," a familiar voice said from above.
"What the hell did you hit him with?"Lachlan's stomach pitched forward. Ah hell.
"Hawk?"His cousin's grinning face peered down at him. He winked.
"At your service."Lachlan started over toward the body moaning on the ground.
"Who did I hit?"
"Chief."
He groaned, realizing the leader of the Highland Guard was sitting with his helmed head between his hands. From the dent on the nasal guard and the blood running down his nose, it looked like the small piece of metal between his eyes had saved him from much worse injury."
I loved this story and will miss it. This is the best Highland Guards epilogue I've ever read. Looking forward to read The Saint.
I love this scene. I laughed hysterically as I read Viper hit Chief :D
"Damn it, Viper," a familiar voice said from above.
"What the hell did you hit him with?"Lachlan's stomach pitched forward. Ah hell.
"Hawk?"His cousin's grinning face peered down at him. He winked.
"At your service."Lachlan started over toward the body moaning on the ground.
"Who did I hit?"
"Chief."
He groaned, realizing the leader of the Highland Guard was sitting with his helmed head between his hands. From the dent on the nasal guard and the blood running down his nose, it looked like the small piece of metal between his eyes had saved him from much worse injury."
I loved this story and will miss it. This is the best Highland Guards epilogue I've ever read. Looking forward to read The Saint.
November 18, 2015
ay como me ha gustado!
June 28, 2013
The book that I've been anticipating for the entire series! Both Lachlan and Bella are such larger-than-life characters, Bella's fierce courage and Lachlan's bad boy and IDGAF persona; now that their story comes to fruition, it makes quite the tale.
The Viper opens with Bella McDuff heroically walking to her imprisonment, to be hung in an iron cage from the highest tower of Berwick Castle. She dared to defy her husband and King Edward by crowning Robert Bruce, a historic privilege granted only to her family,and one of the ways to legitimize Scotland's kings. The price of this act has been her being branded as a rebel, separation from her daughter and a harsh imprisonment.
“Let her be closely confined in an abode of stone and iron made in the shape of a cross, and let her be hung up out of doors in the open air at Berwick, that both in life and after her death, she may be a spectacle and eternal reproach to travellers.”
Spoken by King Edward of England in regards to our Isabel MacDuff
Exiled in the enemy's stronghold, she survives her ordeal by sheer pride and mental fortitude. With everything taken away from her she soldiers on, hoping to be reunited with her daughter once again. Bella was imprisoned for four years before being rescued by the same man who put her there- Lachlan MacRuari.
Lachlan, nicknamed Viper for his talents of evading capture and striking swiftly and lethal, has always been the outsider in the close knit group of the Highland Guard. Unlike the fierce loyalty towards their cause of his comrades, Lachlan's sword arm is loyal to his purse.
As much as they wish to avoid each other, Lachlan and Isabella's fates keep getting entangled- and with each encounter, their attraction intensifies. In the turbulent times leading to Bruce cementing his kingship, both must face their own demons. Being betrayed by the one he trusted, Lachlan has vowed never to form ties again. Bella, knowing only harshness and brutality by the hands of her husband, must risk putting her life in the hands of a man with no loyalties.
The series keeps getting better and better as it progresses. It was a heart-stopping ride- a truly courageous heroine, an enigmatic hero, the beautiful and harsh setting of medieval Scotland; I literally lived their story through this book.
The Viper opens with Bella McDuff heroically walking to her imprisonment, to be hung in an iron cage from the highest tower of Berwick Castle. She dared to defy her husband and King Edward by crowning Robert Bruce, a historic privilege granted only to her family,and one of the ways to legitimize Scotland's kings. The price of this act has been her being branded as a rebel, separation from her daughter and a harsh imprisonment.
“Let her be closely confined in an abode of stone and iron made in the shape of a cross, and let her be hung up out of doors in the open air at Berwick, that both in life and after her death, she may be a spectacle and eternal reproach to travellers.”
Spoken by King Edward of England in regards to our Isabel MacDuff
Exiled in the enemy's stronghold, she survives her ordeal by sheer pride and mental fortitude. With everything taken away from her she soldiers on, hoping to be reunited with her daughter once again. Bella was imprisoned for four years before being rescued by the same man who put her there- Lachlan MacRuari.
Lachlan, nicknamed Viper for his talents of evading capture and striking swiftly and lethal, has always been the outsider in the close knit group of the Highland Guard. Unlike the fierce loyalty towards their cause of his comrades, Lachlan's sword arm is loyal to his purse.
As much as they wish to avoid each other, Lachlan and Isabella's fates keep getting entangled- and with each encounter, their attraction intensifies. In the turbulent times leading to Bruce cementing his kingship, both must face their own demons. Being betrayed by the one he trusted, Lachlan has vowed never to form ties again. Bella, knowing only harshness and brutality by the hands of her husband, must risk putting her life in the hands of a man with no loyalties.
The series keeps getting better and better as it progresses. It was a heart-stopping ride- a truly courageous heroine, an enigmatic hero, the beautiful and harsh setting of medieval Scotland; I literally lived their story through this book.
April 26, 2012
I love the way that Monica McCarty uses real people and events and then creates a new world to throw them into. This entire Highland Guard series has been amazing. It reminds me a bit of Virginia Henley, in the fact that the author stays as true to history as she can while writing fictional historical romance.
Lachlan is the bad boy of the Highland Guard, the one who just doesn't seem to give a damn about anyone but himself. We've met him in previous books, namely The Chief, as he and Tor seem to butt heads continually. What people don't know is that his true goal in joining the elite group is to pay back the families that lost loved ones during his clan's darker days. He was betrayed by his wife and mistrusted by his family. In order to move on from his past, he signs for three years with Bruce and the guard.
One of his first tasks is to free Lady Bella MacDuff and bring her safely to the coronation of Robert the Bruce. The MacDuffs have crowned centuries of Scottish kings, and this particular coronation falls to Bella. Despite her husband's loyalties and the separation from her daughter, Bella feels bound to do her duty and take her place in history. Naturally, England's King Edward is incensed. This one act sets off a chain of horrific events, one that leads to Bella's imprisonment in a hanging cage as punishment for her treason against England, a country not even her own.
This story is intense. Neither Bella nor Viper want to want the other. But Viper can't leave Bella to the fate that she chose. He is chivalrous in the extreme, and surprised not only himself and Bella, but the other guard members (whom we see lots of, yay!) when he risks all to free Bella and begins to lose his heart to the tiny, fearless woman.
While the romance is, of course, one of the main aspects of the storyline, there is so much more to this book, and all of MM's books. It is rich in Scottish history, primarily in the time of Robert Bruce. Because come on, that is such a romantic time period!
This was a fabulous Highlander romance. I'll continue to snatch up everything by this author and encourage anyone who reads historical romance to read this author. She is absolutely a go-to author for a guaranteed good read.
Lachlan is the bad boy of the Highland Guard, the one who just doesn't seem to give a damn about anyone but himself. We've met him in previous books, namely The Chief, as he and Tor seem to butt heads continually. What people don't know is that his true goal in joining the elite group is to pay back the families that lost loved ones during his clan's darker days. He was betrayed by his wife and mistrusted by his family. In order to move on from his past, he signs for three years with Bruce and the guard.
One of his first tasks is to free Lady Bella MacDuff and bring her safely to the coronation of Robert the Bruce. The MacDuffs have crowned centuries of Scottish kings, and this particular coronation falls to Bella. Despite her husband's loyalties and the separation from her daughter, Bella feels bound to do her duty and take her place in history. Naturally, England's King Edward is incensed. This one act sets off a chain of horrific events, one that leads to Bella's imprisonment in a hanging cage as punishment for her treason against England, a country not even her own.
This story is intense. Neither Bella nor Viper want to want the other. But Viper can't leave Bella to the fate that she chose. He is chivalrous in the extreme, and surprised not only himself and Bella, but the other guard members (whom we see lots of, yay!) when he risks all to free Bella and begins to lose his heart to the tiny, fearless woman.
While the romance is, of course, one of the main aspects of the storyline, there is so much more to this book, and all of MM's books. It is rich in Scottish history, primarily in the time of Robert Bruce. Because come on, that is such a romantic time period!
This was a fabulous Highlander romance. I'll continue to snatch up everything by this author and encourage anyone who reads historical romance to read this author. She is absolutely a go-to author for a guaranteed good read.
February 6, 2017
Monica McCarty'nin kitaplarını gerçekten çok seviyorum. Hem anlatımı çok güzel oluyor, hem de kurgunun arkası tamamen boş değil. İnanılmaz değerli araştırmalar yapıyor, bazı gerçekleri ele alıyor, bazı gerçek kişileri alıyor, onları birleştiriyor, değiştiriyor, olmasını istediği geçmişi yazıyor.
Bu serisini de çok seviyorum. Evet, bu kitap ilk üçü kadar akıcı bir harekete sahip değildi bence. Biraz daha durgun gibiydi, hem de olan onca olaya rağmen!! Ama historical kitapların arasında elmas gibi parlar. Kendi serisi içinde kıyaslarsam 4 yıldız verirdim, ama bütün tür içinde kıyaslayınca 5 yıldız verdim.
Monica'yla ilgili sevdiğim bir diğer şeyse "yazar notu." Gerçekten çok kıymetli ve ilgi çeken bilgiler veriyor orada. Yazdığı karakterlerin ya da kitapta geçen bazı olayların, savaşların gerçekte nasıl olduğunu anlatıyor. Tarihi bilgiler veriyor, onları bile merakla okutturuyor.
Bu kitapta yine meşhur "İSKOÇ MUHAFIZ ALAYINDAN" özel bir muhafızımız var... Engerek MacRuairi ve Robert Bruce'a taç taktığı için cezalandırılarak bir kuledeki kafese kapatılan, mahkum edilen Kontes Isabella'nın hikayesi var. Bella ardında kalan kızını kurtarmak istiyor, Lachan MacRuairi de Bruce'a karşı görevini yerine getirmek, bununla işini bitirmek ve huzur bulmak istiyor. Ama kader bu iki kişiyi karşılaştırıyor :))
Bu serisini de çok seviyorum. Evet, bu kitap ilk üçü kadar akıcı bir harekete sahip değildi bence. Biraz daha durgun gibiydi, hem de olan onca olaya rağmen!! Ama historical kitapların arasında elmas gibi parlar. Kendi serisi içinde kıyaslarsam 4 yıldız verirdim, ama bütün tür içinde kıyaslayınca 5 yıldız verdim.
Monica'yla ilgili sevdiğim bir diğer şeyse "yazar notu." Gerçekten çok kıymetli ve ilgi çeken bilgiler veriyor orada. Yazdığı karakterlerin ya da kitapta geçen bazı olayların, savaşların gerçekte nasıl olduğunu anlatıyor. Tarihi bilgiler veriyor, onları bile merakla okutturuyor.
Bu kitapta yine meşhur "İSKOÇ MUHAFIZ ALAYINDAN" özel bir muhafızımız var... Engerek MacRuairi ve Robert Bruce'a taç taktığı için cezalandırılarak bir kuledeki kafese kapatılan, mahkum edilen Kontes Isabella'nın hikayesi var. Bella ardında kalan kızını kurtarmak istiyor, Lachan MacRuairi de Bruce'a karşı görevini yerine getirmek, bununla işini bitirmek ve huzur bulmak istiyor. Ama kader bu iki kişiyi karşılaştırıyor :))
October 21, 2011
My Synopsis:
Lachlan MacRuairi has been fighting for the last two years to get back to Isabella "Bella" MacDuff. Bella and the family and friends of Robert the Bruce were captured during a mission that Lachlan was in charge of. He was assigned to guide them to safety by Robert the Bruce. After their capture the English kept them prisoner for the last two years. Lachlan has blamed himself for failing to protect Bella and the rest of the group. Bella and Bruce's younger sister have been punished the most severely by the English. Both have been imprisoned in a cage above two separate English strongholds.
For the last two years, Bella has cursed the sword for hire and scourge of the sea pirate, Lachlan. She trusted Lachlan and thought that he might have come to care for her. Bella has believed for the last two years that Lachlan betrayed them leading to their capture. She has kept her sanity and composure these last years with the thought that one day she and her daughter Joan will reunite. Bella has been fighting her way back to her daughter ever since she made the decision to help Robert the Bruce in his campaign to be the King of Scotland. The MacDuff family holds the hereditary right to enthrone Scotland's kings. When Bella made the decision to crown Bruce as King in the years before her capture, she knew that she was risking everything to do what she felt was right. She believes that Bruce was Scotland's best chance to help gain freedom from English rule.
From the moment Lachlan first laid eyes on Bella he experiences emotions that he tries to explain away as lust. Bella was married so neither acted on the undeniable pull between them. It’s been driving him crazy to know that Bella has been kept prisoner in such a horrific way. He and his fellow Highland Guards attempted a rescue mission previously without success but now he knows this time he'll do whatever to set her free.
Second time is the charm and Lachlan successfully rescues Bella. The pull between them is still strong and this time there is no husband to come between them. However, Bella has reservations and doesn't trust Lachlan, but she knows he is her best hope in helping her reunite with her daughter. Still, Lachlan is fighting the attraction and trying to maintain distance between them. But neither can fight what has been simmering for years. Will the bad boy of the Highland Guard and the heroine of Scotland risk it all for love?
My Thoughts:
It's safe to say that the majority of Monica McCarty's fans have been anticipating Lachlan MacRuairi's story since The Chief. Lachlan's character literally jumped off the pages since book one with his villainous persona and ‘I don't give a shit about anyone else’ swagger. He was a mystery, and I for one wanted to find out what the heck makes this man tick. I was nervous about reading this book since I had built it up so much in my head. I was afraid that I would be left wanting but have no FEAR folks...Monica stepped right up and freaking knocked a home run for me. This book delivered and delivered and blew past my expectations.
Lachlan is not liked much but is respected for his skills within the Highland Guard group. His ‘I don’t give a shit attitude’ tends to rub people the wrong way. Readers finally learn the secrets of this man and oh what a heartbreaking past he has. Monica stayed true to the character of Lachlan in this story. Lachlan doesn’t apologize for who he is. You can either take him or leave him. But, the man that readers have been lead to believe has no morals or worries for others is so much more of a kind hearted man than I ever expected. I loved watching Lachlan fight the connection between Bella and himself. Bella’s stubbornness, pride and fighting spirit drives him crazy but these were also the reasons that made Lachlan want her more. I laughed every time Lachlan found himself worrying about her when he’s doesn’t give a fig about anyone else or when he realizes with just a touch of her hand on his arm can suddenly calm him and keep him from being an ass (or arse as like Lachlan likes to say..lol). I couldn’t help falling in love with this sexy gruff and brooding kilted man right along with Bella.
And wow what an amazing heroine Bella is. I knew that it would take a very special lady to worm her way into Lachlan’s heart. Boy did Monica give us a heroine for the ages. Bella is based off of a true Scotland heroine. Her fate in real life is vague. The real Bella was captured and imprisoned but no other accounts in history were recorded for her after the English moved her from the cage. So this is a great retelling of history and a much more fitting ending for Bella that Monica created in The Viper. Bella is a fierce lady. She defies England and her marriage to do what she feels is right. It takes some big balls to do that and survive all that she had to in this book. I related to her character very much when it came to the storyline surrounding her daughter. My heart broke for her and then it cheered for her.
And OMG do these two sizzle either in verbal battle against one another or in the loving. There were many poignant and beautiful moments between them. I loved watching them slowly open their hearts to each other and fall in love. It was also wonderful to be back in Scotland in the thick of things with these Highland Guards. I enjoyed getting to know some of the Guards that do not have a book yet. Gordon is one that I am definitely interested in. His character and interaction with Lachlan provided some of the lighter moments in this book. I love how the Guards like to needle and pick on each other. It was great seeing how far they have come and how effortlessly it has become for these men who are not clansman to work so wonderfully together. The epilogue that Monica added was a wonderful surprise and I’m pretty sure we’ll be seeing more of Joan and a certain Guard. :)
From the first chapter and until the very last pages including the author’s note, I was hooked. I read it in one night and the no sleep look the next day was well worth it. Monica continues to amaze me with her storytelling enriched with real life historical figures and events and blends them seamlessly with the fictional romance all in her head. I highly recommend this book and this series for fans of highlander stories. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Lachlan MacRuairi has been fighting for the last two years to get back to Isabella "Bella" MacDuff. Bella and the family and friends of Robert the Bruce were captured during a mission that Lachlan was in charge of. He was assigned to guide them to safety by Robert the Bruce. After their capture the English kept them prisoner for the last two years. Lachlan has blamed himself for failing to protect Bella and the rest of the group. Bella and Bruce's younger sister have been punished the most severely by the English. Both have been imprisoned in a cage above two separate English strongholds.
For the last two years, Bella has cursed the sword for hire and scourge of the sea pirate, Lachlan. She trusted Lachlan and thought that he might have come to care for her. Bella has believed for the last two years that Lachlan betrayed them leading to their capture. She has kept her sanity and composure these last years with the thought that one day she and her daughter Joan will reunite. Bella has been fighting her way back to her daughter ever since she made the decision to help Robert the Bruce in his campaign to be the King of Scotland. The MacDuff family holds the hereditary right to enthrone Scotland's kings. When Bella made the decision to crown Bruce as King in the years before her capture, she knew that she was risking everything to do what she felt was right. She believes that Bruce was Scotland's best chance to help gain freedom from English rule.
From the moment Lachlan first laid eyes on Bella he experiences emotions that he tries to explain away as lust. Bella was married so neither acted on the undeniable pull between them. It’s been driving him crazy to know that Bella has been kept prisoner in such a horrific way. He and his fellow Highland Guards attempted a rescue mission previously without success but now he knows this time he'll do whatever to set her free.
Second time is the charm and Lachlan successfully rescues Bella. The pull between them is still strong and this time there is no husband to come between them. However, Bella has reservations and doesn't trust Lachlan, but she knows he is her best hope in helping her reunite with her daughter. Still, Lachlan is fighting the attraction and trying to maintain distance between them. But neither can fight what has been simmering for years. Will the bad boy of the Highland Guard and the heroine of Scotland risk it all for love?
My Thoughts:
It's safe to say that the majority of Monica McCarty's fans have been anticipating Lachlan MacRuairi's story since The Chief. Lachlan's character literally jumped off the pages since book one with his villainous persona and ‘I don't give a shit about anyone else’ swagger. He was a mystery, and I for one wanted to find out what the heck makes this man tick. I was nervous about reading this book since I had built it up so much in my head. I was afraid that I would be left wanting but have no FEAR folks...Monica stepped right up and freaking knocked a home run for me. This book delivered and delivered and blew past my expectations.
Lachlan is not liked much but is respected for his skills within the Highland Guard group. His ‘I don’t give a shit attitude’ tends to rub people the wrong way. Readers finally learn the secrets of this man and oh what a heartbreaking past he has. Monica stayed true to the character of Lachlan in this story. Lachlan doesn’t apologize for who he is. You can either take him or leave him. But, the man that readers have been lead to believe has no morals or worries for others is so much more of a kind hearted man than I ever expected. I loved watching Lachlan fight the connection between Bella and himself. Bella’s stubbornness, pride and fighting spirit drives him crazy but these were also the reasons that made Lachlan want her more. I laughed every time Lachlan found himself worrying about her when he’s doesn’t give a fig about anyone else or when he realizes with just a touch of her hand on his arm can suddenly calm him and keep him from being an ass (or arse as like Lachlan likes to say..lol). I couldn’t help falling in love with this sexy gruff and brooding kilted man right along with Bella.
And wow what an amazing heroine Bella is. I knew that it would take a very special lady to worm her way into Lachlan’s heart. Boy did Monica give us a heroine for the ages. Bella is based off of a true Scotland heroine. Her fate in real life is vague. The real Bella was captured and imprisoned but no other accounts in history were recorded for her after the English moved her from the cage. So this is a great retelling of history and a much more fitting ending for Bella that Monica created in The Viper. Bella is a fierce lady. She defies England and her marriage to do what she feels is right. It takes some big balls to do that and survive all that she had to in this book. I related to her character very much when it came to the storyline surrounding her daughter. My heart broke for her and then it cheered for her.
And OMG do these two sizzle either in verbal battle against one another or in the loving. There were many poignant and beautiful moments between them. I loved watching them slowly open their hearts to each other and fall in love. It was also wonderful to be back in Scotland in the thick of things with these Highland Guards. I enjoyed getting to know some of the Guards that do not have a book yet. Gordon is one that I am definitely interested in. His character and interaction with Lachlan provided some of the lighter moments in this book. I love how the Guards like to needle and pick on each other. It was great seeing how far they have come and how effortlessly it has become for these men who are not clansman to work so wonderfully together. The epilogue that Monica added was a wonderful surprise and I’m pretty sure we’ll be seeing more of Joan and a certain Guard. :)
From the first chapter and until the very last pages including the author’s note, I was hooked. I read it in one night and the no sleep look the next day was well worth it. Monica continues to amaze me with her storytelling enriched with real life historical figures and events and blends them seamlessly with the fictional romance all in her head. I highly recommend this book and this series for fans of highlander stories. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
December 17, 2015
3.5 stars
While slow to finish I enjoyed this book. Wasn't a fav but great story. But there were things that kept standing out for me. Glaringly.
It’s safe to say that there is a repetitive pattern that McCarty likes to use throughout most of her books. I generally don’t like books that are clone copy of each other in plot and action and dialogue only difference being the characters (with seemingly similar characteristics). I’ve noticed this after reading a few of her books and have given her a pass but now while reading this series it’s really starting to wear thin and just become plain predictable and stale. Unless something changes through this series it will lose steam fast. I usually fall for the love story or heroes she writes cause they are melt-worthy but in this I had to fight to stay interested.
The repetitive dialogue is what stands out the most and makes me wish she would do something different. While I adore her attention to detail and historical facts and descriptions there’s only so much of that that can interest me. The maidenly gasps and ‘g-d how she wants him!’ and the constant back and forth torture wheel of ‘does he or doesn’t he? How could she have thought differently?!' repetitive inner dialogues just started to grate my nerves. I’ve seen it every one of her books but in this it made me cringe and I found it annoying rather then interesting. I don’t know maybe it was the wrong time to read it but I did go into this in the mood for some highlander love and adventure and no one does it better then MM in my opinion. She gives you the whole package and then some. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve glossed over and given her a free pass for the predictable sometimes cheesey dialogue because her characters have so much heart and are real and the story and time settings are wonderful. But here I just didn’t feel much for the pairing. Lauchlan interested me from the beginning with his cold disposition and Viper nick name. Bella was a rootable heroine, I liked her enough but the plot in this and overall story was just boring and didn’t grab me. Which really says something considering the major trials the pair goes through throughout this book, Bella in particular. I kept trying to get into the story and the pairing and their angst but I just got….nothing from it, which sucks. :(
If I had a penny for everytime I read this line: ‘She thought what they had was special’ in this story I would be rich. Enough! Quite with the unnecessary repetitive dialogue. The thing that seriously drove me nuts and this is a major habit McCarty, is the heroine’s penchant for contradictory somewhat wishy washy thought process in regards to the hero. He’s a brigade one minute, thoughtless and cold hearted who she wants to be rid of, but wait no, he cares for her …praises! On second thought, she’s better off without him. She’s just a obligation to him, he doesn’t care for her at all. Hopes and dreams crushed. This continuous back and forth endless inner dialogue with the constant yes! NO! can get really tiring and damn annoying. It just drags the story out. It kept going on and on and on. It’s like pulling teeth and I know why McCarty does it, it’s for dramatic angst and tension but really once it goes on for pages the same thing over and over again to the point where you aren’t SURE how the heroine really feels about the hero cause she sounds so damn confused and contradicts herself every other minute with all the back and forth then it just takes away from actually enjoying the story. It just gets really boring and really predictable real fast. I’ve had this issue before with running into the same argument or dialogue where the h/hr get into it about their feelings or not trusting the other, they kiss or make up everything is settled then a few chapters later are confronted again with SAME questions acting oblivious like they have no clue how the other feels or this conversation was never brought up before. Huh? It’s not only repetitive but confusing. It’s a total déjà vu ‘didn’t we just go through this 10 pages back?’ moment for me. And it happened more than once in here.
I think I get the picture McCarty. Please for the love of g-d move on. Spare your readers and your characters the continuous torture.
If it wasn’t for the surprisingly sweet and charming epilogue at the end I would have given up all together. I really wanted to enjoy this as much as I did some of her other work but it just wasn’t grabbing me. And I’m really hoping that teaser at the end was more of a hint and not my wishful thinking to a possible future pairing?? I really hope so. The first encounter or I should say 'meeting' of this character with a certain guard was really telling and stood out to me. I hope McCarty takes it somewhere. *fingers crossed*
While slow to finish I enjoyed this book. Wasn't a fav but great story. But there were things that kept standing out for me. Glaringly.
It’s safe to say that there is a repetitive pattern that McCarty likes to use throughout most of her books. I generally don’t like books that are clone copy of each other in plot and action and dialogue only difference being the characters (with seemingly similar characteristics). I’ve noticed this after reading a few of her books and have given her a pass but now while reading this series it’s really starting to wear thin and just become plain predictable and stale. Unless something changes through this series it will lose steam fast. I usually fall for the love story or heroes she writes cause they are melt-worthy but in this I had to fight to stay interested.
The repetitive dialogue is what stands out the most and makes me wish she would do something different. While I adore her attention to detail and historical facts and descriptions there’s only so much of that that can interest me. The maidenly gasps and ‘g-d how she wants him!’ and the constant back and forth torture wheel of ‘does he or doesn’t he? How could she have thought differently?!' repetitive inner dialogues just started to grate my nerves. I’ve seen it every one of her books but in this it made me cringe and I found it annoying rather then interesting. I don’t know maybe it was the wrong time to read it but I did go into this in the mood for some highlander love and adventure and no one does it better then MM in my opinion. She gives you the whole package and then some. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve glossed over and given her a free pass for the predictable sometimes cheesey dialogue because her characters have so much heart and are real and the story and time settings are wonderful. But here I just didn’t feel much for the pairing. Lauchlan interested me from the beginning with his cold disposition and Viper nick name. Bella was a rootable heroine, I liked her enough but the plot in this and overall story was just boring and didn’t grab me. Which really says something considering the major trials the pair goes through throughout this book, Bella in particular. I kept trying to get into the story and the pairing and their angst but I just got….nothing from it, which sucks. :(
If I had a penny for everytime I read this line: ‘She thought what they had was special’ in this story I would be rich. Enough! Quite with the unnecessary repetitive dialogue. The thing that seriously drove me nuts and this is a major habit McCarty, is the heroine’s penchant for contradictory somewhat wishy washy thought process in regards to the hero. He’s a brigade one minute, thoughtless and cold hearted who she wants to be rid of, but wait no, he cares for her …praises! On second thought, she’s better off without him. She’s just a obligation to him, he doesn’t care for her at all. Hopes and dreams crushed. This continuous back and forth endless inner dialogue with the constant yes! NO! can get really tiring and damn annoying. It just drags the story out. It kept going on and on and on. It’s like pulling teeth and I know why McCarty does it, it’s for dramatic angst and tension but really once it goes on for pages the same thing over and over again to the point where you aren’t SURE how the heroine really feels about the hero cause she sounds so damn confused and contradicts herself every other minute with all the back and forth then it just takes away from actually enjoying the story. It just gets really boring and really predictable real fast. I’ve had this issue before with running into the same argument or dialogue where the h/hr get into it about their feelings or not trusting the other, they kiss or make up everything is settled then a few chapters later are confronted again with SAME questions acting oblivious like they have no clue how the other feels or this conversation was never brought up before. Huh? It’s not only repetitive but confusing. It’s a total déjà vu ‘didn’t we just go through this 10 pages back?’ moment for me. And it happened more than once in here.
I think I get the picture McCarty. Please for the love of g-d move on. Spare your readers and your characters the continuous torture.
If it wasn’t for the surprisingly sweet and charming epilogue at the end I would have given up all together. I really wanted to enjoy this as much as I did some of her other work but it just wasn’t grabbing me. And I’m really hoping that teaser at the end was more of a hint and not my wishful thinking to a possible future pairing?? I really hope so. The first encounter or I should say 'meeting' of this character with a certain guard was really telling and stood out to me. I hope McCarty takes it somewhere. *fingers crossed*
December 23, 2014
Wow! The Viper by Monica McCarty is definitely the highlight of her Highlander special ops series so far. To recap - Robert the Bruce, war against King Edward, discord amongst Scottish nobles, indepences and LACHLAN MACRUARI. UNF.
There were many things I enjoyed about this book and the author's foreshadowing in the previous instalments certainly paid off. Certain bits and pieces of the story were already hinted at, such as the unsuccessful rescue attempt and Lachlan's growing frustration with his failure in rescuing Isabella MacDuff, the noblewoman who had defied her husband and crowed Robert the Bruce King of Scotland.. all those bits and pieces really fell into place. I love it when paying attention pays off!
Isabella is a fantastic and self-aware character and I really admired her inner strength. At first I thought she was the usual buxom heroine with generous curves in the right places (tm) but the way that the author used Bella's knowledge of the effects of her body on others was superb. Her self-awareness was a nice change from the usual innocent female lead and her struggle to be seen as more than her body were compelling. The setdown she gave Lachlan at the lake was magnificent (to paraphrase - "just because I look like a whore does not mean I *am* one") and it really added to the tension between the two characters.
Lachlan and Bella's relationship is not an easy one and it was a pleasure to see their connection intensify over the years. Both of them are hurt and tortured souls in their own way and yet being together brings out the best of both. Oh yeah and the sexual tension, PWOAH. The plot was very dense and very gripping and I could hardly put the book down. I enjoyed the snark and banter in The Hawk a lot and it was certainly the most entertaining read out of the series - however, The Viper just packed the best emotional punch. The stakes are much higher and now with an established Highlander force, the author is able to play more with the characters. I think I'll take a bit of a break before the next book in the series because The Viper was just so good and I don't want it to impact my enjoyment of the next instalment.
There were many things I enjoyed about this book and the author's foreshadowing in the previous instalments certainly paid off. Certain bits and pieces of the story were already hinted at, such as the unsuccessful rescue attempt and Lachlan's growing frustration with his failure in rescuing Isabella MacDuff, the noblewoman who had defied her husband and crowed Robert the Bruce King of Scotland.. all those bits and pieces really fell into place. I love it when paying attention pays off!
Isabella is a fantastic and self-aware character and I really admired her inner strength. At first I thought she was the usual buxom heroine with generous curves in the right places (tm) but the way that the author used Bella's knowledge of the effects of her body on others was superb. Her self-awareness was a nice change from the usual innocent female lead and her struggle to be seen as more than her body were compelling. The setdown she gave Lachlan at the lake was magnificent (to paraphrase - "just because I look like a whore does not mean I *am* one") and it really added to the tension between the two characters.
Lachlan and Bella's relationship is not an easy one and it was a pleasure to see their connection intensify over the years. Both of them are hurt and tortured souls in their own way and yet being together brings out the best of both. Oh yeah and the sexual tension, PWOAH. The plot was very dense and very gripping and I could hardly put the book down. I enjoyed the snark and banter in The Hawk a lot and it was certainly the most entertaining read out of the series - however, The Viper just packed the best emotional punch. The stakes are much higher and now with an established Highlander force, the author is able to play more with the characters. I think I'll take a bit of a break before the next book in the series because The Viper was just so good and I don't want it to impact my enjoyment of the next instalment.
October 22, 2022
2.5 stars. This book felt very repetitive to me. Both Lachlan and Bella were grumps who weren't willing to compromise for their mission. I appreciated the fight for Lachlan's mission but I couldn't get over how dumb Bella was being about getting her daughter back. She kept making such dumb decisions to try and get her back. Just drove me crazy! Lachlan and Bella would get close or have their guards drop and then something would happen and they'd be right back to snapping at each other. I wasn't rooting for this couple in the way most romances have me rooting for them. I just wanted some character development from Bella and it wasn't there. Sex scenes were good and there were multiple throughout but not enough to save this book for me.
July 12, 2019
Isabella MacDuff and Lachlan MacRuairi...wow, what a pair they make.
When the story starts, Isabella is being marched into a cage at Berwick Castle to hang on public display. She's being made an example of not to go against King Edward of England. She was betrayed by Lachlan MacRuairi for crowning Robert Bruce as the King of Scotland. England and Scotland are at war and Edward is trying to destroy the Scots and what Bella did was treason. She was a traitor and she was going to pay for it with public humiliation instead of death.
She's lost everything; her brute of a husband, her home, her lands, and most importantly, her daughter. She blames Lachlan for that, too. Everything is his fault. When he returns two years later, along with a couple of other members of the Highland Guard, to break her out of prison, she's reluctant to trust him, but has no choice.
Lachlan was infatuated with her when he first met her before she went to prison. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and he wanted her in the worst way. But he'd been betrayed by his now-dead wife and he didn't trust any woman and took out his frustrations on Bella with quick, mean wit. He was condescending, aloof, and put on like he didn't care about anything other than getting money and land for his services to Bruce. Rescuing her was his last mission with the Highland Guard and he was determined to see it done, just like he did with every mission. After it was done, his service to Bruce was up and he was going to get paid and leave.
Both of these characters are complex. Lachlan is a mixed bag of brains, brawn, and greed. He doesn't trust anybody and swears he has no friends or anyone to care about him. He didn't care. He was better off on his own...or so he thought. But was he really that way or was it a facade to hide his aching heart, his need to love and be loved? Isn't that what we all want? But things aren't always as they seem, especially with him.
Bella was determined to get her daughter back and was so focused on it that she dragged Lachlan into some dangerous situations. It bordered on selfishness on her part. But I think any good mother would want to be reunited with her child no matter how precarious it was to get to her. She wasn't irrational necessarily, but she was determined to a fault, even knowing Joan was okay and was in no danger.
They were uneasy around each other; didn't want to trust each other, so to watch them work together and fall in love was rewarding. There were a lot of feel good moments, steamy scenes, a few laughs, and even a few times when I got choked up. I loved them apart and I loved them together. They went through some real tough times to get where they were and I wasn't sure they were going to get their happily ever after. I wasn't sure until the end of the book.
There's a ton of action in the story and if you've read The Chief, you'll see how and why Lachlan was called The Viper. At one point, he told Bella he wasn't a magician. I beg to differ. He was so clever and able to get out of the worst of trouble while leaving it in his wake. He lived up to his war name.
I was hooked at the first page and the pace didn't let up for a second. It was fast, exciting, and had me turning pages and wanting everybody to leave me alone until I was done. I'd give it more stars if I could.
The Saint is next and I can't wait to read it.
When the story starts, Isabella is being marched into a cage at Berwick Castle to hang on public display. She's being made an example of not to go against King Edward of England. She was betrayed by Lachlan MacRuairi for crowning Robert Bruce as the King of Scotland. England and Scotland are at war and Edward is trying to destroy the Scots and what Bella did was treason. She was a traitor and she was going to pay for it with public humiliation instead of death.
She's lost everything; her brute of a husband, her home, her lands, and most importantly, her daughter. She blames Lachlan for that, too. Everything is his fault. When he returns two years later, along with a couple of other members of the Highland Guard, to break her out of prison, she's reluctant to trust him, but has no choice.
Lachlan was infatuated with her when he first met her before she went to prison. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and he wanted her in the worst way. But he'd been betrayed by his now-dead wife and he didn't trust any woman and took out his frustrations on Bella with quick, mean wit. He was condescending, aloof, and put on like he didn't care about anything other than getting money and land for his services to Bruce. Rescuing her was his last mission with the Highland Guard and he was determined to see it done, just like he did with every mission. After it was done, his service to Bruce was up and he was going to get paid and leave.
Both of these characters are complex. Lachlan is a mixed bag of brains, brawn, and greed. He doesn't trust anybody and swears he has no friends or anyone to care about him. He didn't care. He was better off on his own...or so he thought. But was he really that way or was it a facade to hide his aching heart, his need to love and be loved? Isn't that what we all want? But things aren't always as they seem, especially with him.
Bella was determined to get her daughter back and was so focused on it that she dragged Lachlan into some dangerous situations. It bordered on selfishness on her part. But I think any good mother would want to be reunited with her child no matter how precarious it was to get to her. She wasn't irrational necessarily, but she was determined to a fault, even knowing Joan was okay and was in no danger.
They were uneasy around each other; didn't want to trust each other, so to watch them work together and fall in love was rewarding. There were a lot of feel good moments, steamy scenes, a few laughs, and even a few times when I got choked up. I loved them apart and I loved them together. They went through some real tough times to get where they were and I wasn't sure they were going to get their happily ever after. I wasn't sure until the end of the book.
There's a ton of action in the story and if you've read The Chief, you'll see how and why Lachlan was called The Viper. At one point, he told Bella he wasn't a magician. I beg to differ. He was so clever and able to get out of the worst of trouble while leaving it in his wake. He lived up to his war name.
I was hooked at the first page and the pace didn't let up for a second. It was fast, exciting, and had me turning pages and wanting everybody to leave me alone until I was done. I'd give it more stars if I could.
The Saint is next and I can't wait to read it.
December 14, 2014
I just finished reading this book and it was just magic. I give five stars VERY sparingly, but I thought this one deserved it as I couldn't put it down; it had a totally amazing H and h, the story was fascinating and moved along at warp speed, I had that pain in the chest thing happening so many times in this book, and cried numerous times both in commiseration with the characters and in happiness. On top of that it had a totally awesome epilogue, one of the best I've ever read.
This series is all the more fascinating and wonderful as the author has gone to a lot of trouble ... a lot of trouble ... to research this period and events in time and has based her heros and heroines on real characters, real situations, and skewed them to fit so you actually feel like, yeah, this could have been how it happened. I love books where you feel like you're actually there, the descriptions make you feel the surroundings, the cold, the pain, suffering, despair of the characters and so when you get some happiness you feel like you are going to burst.
What this poor heroine went through from her early teens on to the events in this book. You couldn't help but want so much for a happy ending for her. The hero and heroine were just so perfect for each other and it was one of these books where I was DESPERATE for them to be together, they deserved happiness so much, and I totally got them as a couple - they were meant for each other.
I'm adoring this series, and that was one great book. I was so in need of it as it seems to be getting harder and harder to find books that make you feel so much. I understand that this may be because I've read a lot of books and so my standards go up all the time. Books I found amazing four years ago may not even rate much with me now, so it makes this book all the more special that I can say without reservation it deserves one of my not-much-given five star ratings.
This series is all the more fascinating and wonderful as the author has gone to a lot of trouble ... a lot of trouble ... to research this period and events in time and has based her heros and heroines on real characters, real situations, and skewed them to fit so you actually feel like, yeah, this could have been how it happened. I love books where you feel like you're actually there, the descriptions make you feel the surroundings, the cold, the pain, suffering, despair of the characters and so when you get some happiness you feel like you are going to burst.
What this poor heroine went through from her early teens on to the events in this book. You couldn't help but want so much for a happy ending for her. The hero and heroine were just so perfect for each other and it was one of these books where I was DESPERATE for them to be together, they deserved happiness so much, and I totally got them as a couple - they were meant for each other.
I'm adoring this series, and that was one great book. I was so in need of it as it seems to be getting harder and harder to find books that make you feel so much. I understand that this may be because I've read a lot of books and so my standards go up all the time. Books I found amazing four years ago may not even rate much with me now, so it makes this book all the more special that I can say without reservation it deserves one of my not-much-given five star ratings.
May 21, 2013
This was a great book, I really enjoyed it! A lot of people said this was one of the best books in the series. I don't really have a favourite in this series so far but that doesn't mean I'm not enjoying reading this series.
The hero and heroine were great. Lachlan is so misunderstood. He's considered a snake with no morals who would do anything for money. But it's so not true and that become blatantly clear over the course of this book. He's actually really thoughtful and it warmed my heart at a lot of the things he did for Bella and even for his men.
I liked Bella as well. She's an incredibly strong character and she's a survivor. I felt sorry for her in the way that all men objectify and see her as nothing more than a pretty face with a hot body. It was getting ridiculous at times how many male characters in this all seemed to paint her as some sort of goddess of sex or something.
Sometimes it gets tiring when the hero and heroine spend a lot of the book denying their feelings for one another. But at least they managed to work things out sooner than the Arthur and Anna did in the last book.
There was a lot of chopping and changing in regards to the time in this series. There was a lot of flash forwards and then flashbacks. Quite a long time passed over this book.
I missed the camaraderie in this because Viper is considered to be a snake. But it was nice to slowly finally make Lachlan see that these men in the Highland Guard are friends, whether they know it or not.
The epilogue though... I'm wondering who Joan ended up with. The identity of the guy was deliberately left out but I have a feeling I know who it is and I'm hoping I'm right. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
However much I'm enjoying this series, I think I'll put this series aside. I want to read a series that I can't get enough of.
The hero and heroine were great. Lachlan is so misunderstood. He's considered a snake with no morals who would do anything for money. But it's so not true and that become blatantly clear over the course of this book. He's actually really thoughtful and it warmed my heart at a lot of the things he did for Bella and even for his men.
I liked Bella as well. She's an incredibly strong character and she's a survivor. I felt sorry for her in the way that all men objectify and see her as nothing more than a pretty face with a hot body. It was getting ridiculous at times how many male characters in this all seemed to paint her as some sort of goddess of sex or something.
Sometimes it gets tiring when the hero and heroine spend a lot of the book denying their feelings for one another. But at least they managed to work things out sooner than the Arthur and Anna did in the last book.
There was a lot of chopping and changing in regards to the time in this series. There was a lot of flash forwards and then flashbacks. Quite a long time passed over this book.
I missed the camaraderie in this because Viper is considered to be a snake. But it was nice to slowly finally make Lachlan see that these men in the Highland Guard are friends, whether they know it or not.
The epilogue though... I'm wondering who Joan ended up with. The identity of the guy was deliberately left out but I have a feeling I know who it is and I'm hoping I'm right. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
However much I'm enjoying this series, I think I'll put this series aside. I want to read a series that I can't get enough of.
May 14, 2023
4'5⭐
Cuarta entrega de la saga "La Guardia de los Highlanders".
Esta es la historia de Víbora, Lachlan McRuari, considerado el villano y traicionero del grupo, y de Isabella McDuff, un condesa orgullosa con altos ideales.
Me ha gustado mucho la historia, la he disfrutado como las anteriores. Pero no sé qué me pasa que ninguna me ha gustado tanto como me gustó el primer libro. Quizás fue porque era el primero que leía de la autora y me sorprendió, no lo sé, no consigo entenderlo. Pero tampoco es algo que me frustre.
Me encantan los personajes que construye la autora y como se va desarrollando su relación. En todos sus libros los protagonistas sienten una gran atracción desde el primer momento que se ven, que no es lo mismo que enamorarse, ojo cuidado. Y es algo que me gusta mucho porque me cuesta creer en el amor a primera vista, soy muy escéptica en eso 😅.
Por desgracia solo queda dos libros más traducidas de esta saga, pero parece que Selecta los está reeditando o yo que se. Si terminan traduciendo toda la saga sería un plus enorme, ya que son doce libros.
Como disfruto de vez en cuando una buena historia de amor con su dosis de sexo y sensualidad... 🙃
Cuarta entrega de la saga "La Guardia de los Highlanders".
Esta es la historia de Víbora, Lachlan McRuari, considerado el villano y traicionero del grupo, y de Isabella McDuff, un condesa orgullosa con altos ideales.
Me ha gustado mucho la historia, la he disfrutado como las anteriores. Pero no sé qué me pasa que ninguna me ha gustado tanto como me gustó el primer libro. Quizás fue porque era el primero que leía de la autora y me sorprendió, no lo sé, no consigo entenderlo. Pero tampoco es algo que me frustre.
Me encantan los personajes que construye la autora y como se va desarrollando su relación. En todos sus libros los protagonistas sienten una gran atracción desde el primer momento que se ven, que no es lo mismo que enamorarse, ojo cuidado. Y es algo que me gusta mucho porque me cuesta creer en el amor a primera vista, soy muy escéptica en eso 😅.
Por desgracia solo queda dos libros más traducidas de esta saga, pero parece que Selecta los está reeditando o yo que se. Si terminan traduciendo toda la saga sería un plus enorme, ya que son doce libros.
Como disfruto de vez en cuando una buena historia de amor con su dosis de sexo y sensualidad... 🙃
February 26, 2012
Again I loved this book! Lachlan “Viper” MacRuairi is a tortured warrior soul, named specifically for his snake like personality. He doesn’t have friends and is only loyal to himself. Bella MacDuff is a passionate and devoted woman who stands up for what she believes in. Bella was imprisoned for crowning Robert Bruce the King of Scotland and betraying Britain’s King. Upon capture Bella was put in a steel cage and hung from a tower to be made and example of what happens when he is betrayed. Lachlan feels responsible for her capture and is on a mission to rescue Bella and return her safely to Bruce.
You can’t go wrong with a highlander. The story has been building for a while now and I’m happy to say that Vipers story did not disappoint. I gave it an A- only because of the strange time gap at the end. You will know what I’m talking about when you read it. Overall the story is excellent, sex is definitely good and I can’t wait for The Saint to come out.
www.NaughtyBookSnitch.com
You can’t go wrong with a highlander. The story has been building for a while now and I’m happy to say that Vipers story did not disappoint. I gave it an A- only because of the strange time gap at the end. You will know what I’m talking about when you read it. Overall the story is excellent, sex is definitely good and I can’t wait for The Saint to come out.
www.NaughtyBookSnitch.com
July 1, 2013
I LOVED this book! My favorite in the series so far. I was so looking forward to reading Lachlan's story and was not disappointed. We have a gorgeous warrior rebel, the bad-boy of the Highland Guard, falling in love with a wonderfully strong heroine. I loved Bella, how she goes to hell and back and comes out stronger and a better person at the end. Lachlan is amazing throughout the book, even when he's trying to convince her (and himself) that he's a Viper. I was very anxious to see these two together and get their HEA after everything they go through, and the author did not disappoint. Wonderful ending!
January 27, 2020
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Plot/Storyline: 📖 📖 📖 📖 📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
Romance: 💞 💞 💞 💞 💞
Emotional Depth: 💔 💔 💔 💔 💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡️ ⚡️ ⚡️ ⚡️ ⚡️
Sensuality: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
Sex Scene Length: 🍆 🍆 🍆 🍆 🍆
This book was fucking incredible. It deserves swear words far more creative than I can come up with to demonstrate how amazing it was. I read The Hawk by Monica McCarty last February, and I loved it so much that I think it ruind a year of reading for me. Well, I might just be in for another ruined year, because somehow, I loved The Viper more.
I keep almost writing "the thing I love about Monica McCarty the most is..." but then I can't pick just one thing. She does so many things so damn well. Her stories are epic. Her characters, brilliant. The emotions will tear your guts out and make your heart feel like it's exploding. And her intertwining of history adds a vividness and realism that I don't find very often.
And it's that history, in particular, that sets this Highland Guard novel apart from the others I have read so far. They are all rich with it, but this story’s heroine was a hero. A martyr. One whose name lives on in history after more than seven hundred years. I knew a bit of the history before reading this. If you don't, I would highly recommend reading about Isabella MacDuff before picking up this book. As I read it, I couldn't help but wonder how does one portray a woman who sacrificed what she did, who suffered the way she did, and do it well? Could a fictional version of her come across as bold and brave as the stories of her throughout history?
For me, the answer is yes. From the first, I could tell that Bella MacDuff was strong, possessed of an inner fortitude that could rival any of McCarty's Highland Guard leads. She's both formidable and forbidding. In different ways than a warrior, of course, but nevertheless unwaivering in her beliefs, in her values, and in her unrelenting drive to fight for what she believes in. She sacrifices nearly everything; her daughter and her freedom foremost amongst them. And because of this, she suffers. She suffers so deeply that what she goes through would destroy most people.
Yet, though practically made of steel, Bella is not a hard woman. She is soft and sweet and trusting. And she is probably the only woman who could have breached the defenses of the hardened Lachlan MacRuairi.
Lachlan has suffered too. But where the cruelties that Bella experienced were public, Lachlan bore his alone, in secret, in a world of darkness that he constructed carefully around himself. He's one of my favorite kinds of heroes. Tough. Sardonic. Icy. Seemingly devoid of emotions. But underneath it all lies tenderness to match the depths of an ocean. He'd just been betrayed so many times, and in the most vile of ways, that there had been no choice for him but to become the cold, calculating man he is when he meets Bella MacDuff.
I love the balance of these two characters. They are so alike and yet, so completely different from one another. Both had shared similar fates in their pasts. Betrayal. Heartache. Loss. Imprisonment and torture. Experiences that happened to them separately, but that bound them together in understanding. At the same time, where Bella seeks to share her strength with those around her, Lachlan hoards his to himself, as if he needs the stores for what he believes will be his inevitable internal destruction. Where Bella can't help but trust and believe in the goodness of others, Lachlan trusts no one and believes everyone is capable of betrayal.
And where Bella would never give up on him, Lachlan is nearly a lost cause, because he has absolutely no faith in himself. Bella sees Lachlans brutality and what, at times, seemed like unmercilous cruelty. But even then, at her core, Bella never loses faith in him. It was that relentlessness that I mentioned earlier that brought them together, because even though Lachlan was the warrior, there was no fight that Bella wouldn't fight. Nothing that would scare her away from a mission. And damn, Lachlan couldn't scare her away, no matter how hard he tried.
The journey these two take together is on the scale of epic. It's rare in a romance novel where you feel that the hero and heroine truly get to know each other. Their relationship spans more than three years. And they are repeatedly thrust together, then torn apart again and again. Battered and broken by others and each other alike. And each time coming back together to moments where they learn more and understand more, until there was no denying what had grown between them over all those years.
It's telling that during much of the time that Lachlan was committed to Bruce he was wrapped up with Bella. It was as if the world was yelling at them that they were each others missions. It was all about them. That all the suffering and loss, all the hurt and lonliness, their journey...it was all to bring them together. To give them what they needed. To put them where they belonged. Because there was not another sole on Earth who could ever have been right for either of them.
And it was so satisfying when they finally come together. Let me tell you, the sex, the steam, the tension...god damn, it was so hot. So, so hot. Lachlans need was palpable. I love when a man can barely get a reign on his desires and, christ, if Lachlan didn't lose it a few times. I was not disappointed. One love scene has taken it's place amongst my favorites. It was everything: erotic and sensual and emotional and tender and angry and loving, all at the same time. It was fire.
And so, I left this book with that feeling that an angst-ridden, gut wrenching read leaves me with. On the verge of tears, overwrought, heart both aching and full, and even a little breathless. God, I loved it!
Plot/Storyline: 📖 📖 📖 📖 📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋
Romance: 💞 💞 💞 💞 💞
Emotional Depth: 💔 💔 💔 💔 💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡️ ⚡️ ⚡️ ⚡️ ⚡️
Sensuality: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
Sex Scene Length: 🍆 🍆 🍆 🍆 🍆
This book was fucking incredible. It deserves swear words far more creative than I can come up with to demonstrate how amazing it was. I read The Hawk by Monica McCarty last February, and I loved it so much that I think it ruind a year of reading for me. Well, I might just be in for another ruined year, because somehow, I loved The Viper more.
I keep almost writing "the thing I love about Monica McCarty the most is..." but then I can't pick just one thing. She does so many things so damn well. Her stories are epic. Her characters, brilliant. The emotions will tear your guts out and make your heart feel like it's exploding. And her intertwining of history adds a vividness and realism that I don't find very often.
And it's that history, in particular, that sets this Highland Guard novel apart from the others I have read so far. They are all rich with it, but this story’s heroine was a hero. A martyr. One whose name lives on in history after more than seven hundred years. I knew a bit of the history before reading this. If you don't, I would highly recommend reading about Isabella MacDuff before picking up this book. As I read it, I couldn't help but wonder how does one portray a woman who sacrificed what she did, who suffered the way she did, and do it well? Could a fictional version of her come across as bold and brave as the stories of her throughout history?
For me, the answer is yes. From the first, I could tell that Bella MacDuff was strong, possessed of an inner fortitude that could rival any of McCarty's Highland Guard leads. She's both formidable and forbidding. In different ways than a warrior, of course, but nevertheless unwaivering in her beliefs, in her values, and in her unrelenting drive to fight for what she believes in. She sacrifices nearly everything; her daughter and her freedom foremost amongst them. And because of this, she suffers. She suffers so deeply that what she goes through would destroy most people.
Yet, though practically made of steel, Bella is not a hard woman. She is soft and sweet and trusting. And she is probably the only woman who could have breached the defenses of the hardened Lachlan MacRuairi.
Lachlan has suffered too. But where the cruelties that Bella experienced were public, Lachlan bore his alone, in secret, in a world of darkness that he constructed carefully around himself. He's one of my favorite kinds of heroes. Tough. Sardonic. Icy. Seemingly devoid of emotions. But underneath it all lies tenderness to match the depths of an ocean. He'd just been betrayed so many times, and in the most vile of ways, that there had been no choice for him but to become the cold, calculating man he is when he meets Bella MacDuff.
I love the balance of these two characters. They are so alike and yet, so completely different from one another. Both had shared similar fates in their pasts. Betrayal. Heartache. Loss. Imprisonment and torture. Experiences that happened to them separately, but that bound them together in understanding. At the same time, where Bella seeks to share her strength with those around her, Lachlan hoards his to himself, as if he needs the stores for what he believes will be his inevitable internal destruction. Where Bella can't help but trust and believe in the goodness of others, Lachlan trusts no one and believes everyone is capable of betrayal.
And where Bella would never give up on him, Lachlan is nearly a lost cause, because he has absolutely no faith in himself. Bella sees Lachlans brutality and what, at times, seemed like unmercilous cruelty. But even then, at her core, Bella never loses faith in him. It was that relentlessness that I mentioned earlier that brought them together, because even though Lachlan was the warrior, there was no fight that Bella wouldn't fight. Nothing that would scare her away from a mission. And damn, Lachlan couldn't scare her away, no matter how hard he tried.
The journey these two take together is on the scale of epic. It's rare in a romance novel where you feel that the hero and heroine truly get to know each other. Their relationship spans more than three years. And they are repeatedly thrust together, then torn apart again and again. Battered and broken by others and each other alike. And each time coming back together to moments where they learn more and understand more, until there was no denying what had grown between them over all those years.
It's telling that during much of the time that Lachlan was committed to Bruce he was wrapped up with Bella. It was as if the world was yelling at them that they were each others missions. It was all about them. That all the suffering and loss, all the hurt and lonliness, their journey...it was all to bring them together. To give them what they needed. To put them where they belonged. Because there was not another sole on Earth who could ever have been right for either of them.
And it was so satisfying when they finally come together. Let me tell you, the sex, the steam, the tension...god damn, it was so hot. So, so hot. Lachlans need was palpable. I love when a man can barely get a reign on his desires and, christ, if Lachlan didn't lose it a few times. I was not disappointed. One love scene has taken it's place amongst my favorites. It was everything: erotic and sensual and emotional and tender and angry and loving, all at the same time. It was fire.
And so, I left this book with that feeling that an angst-ridden, gut wrenching read leaves me with. On the verge of tears, overwrought, heart both aching and full, and even a little breathless. God, I loved it!
November 2, 2011
The Viper is definitely one of my favorite historical romance books. The story was full of intrigue, betrayal, and lots of steamy scenes.
The Viper tells the story of Isbella MacDuff and Lachlan MacRuairi, aka Viper. The beginning of the story is from Bella's point of view in captivity, but then takes us back to when Lachlan and Bella first meet and he's come to take her to Scone to crown Robert Bruce. Bella is forced to leave her daughter behind which tears her apart. She hates Lachlan for it but can do nothing. Then there's that instant attraction that both of them try to deny, but of course can't. Bella doesn't trust Lachlan especially since his reputation is pretty bad and he was rumored to have killed his wife. But as they spend more time together she begins to think that there may be more to Lachlan than meets the eye. After crowning Bruce Lachlan is tasked with escorting the ladies north, and after the ladies' capture, the story jumps back to the present.
Bella and Lachlan's relationship was very well written. Bella never backed down from him, which I admired. She was a strong and courageous heroine that would have done anything to get her daughter back. Lachlan, I absolutely loved. His past story was heart breaking and full of betrayals. But his character was wonderful. He's the ultimate male hero. I loved watching the two of them fall in love, especially Lachlan. He went from a distant, cold man, to a loving, sweet, and caring one. This was a wonderfully written story with a bit of history in it to make it really interesting. I was really looking forward to Lachlan's story was not disappointed at all. I especially loved the epilogue. I think it was really sweet and I greatly enjoyed it. I am anxiously waiting for The Saint to come out next year.
The Viper tells the story of Isbella MacDuff and Lachlan MacRuairi, aka Viper. The beginning of the story is from Bella's point of view in captivity, but then takes us back to when Lachlan and Bella first meet and he's come to take her to Scone to crown Robert Bruce. Bella is forced to leave her daughter behind which tears her apart. She hates Lachlan for it but can do nothing. Then there's that instant attraction that both of them try to deny, but of course can't. Bella doesn't trust Lachlan especially since his reputation is pretty bad and he was rumored to have killed his wife. But as they spend more time together she begins to think that there may be more to Lachlan than meets the eye. After crowning Bruce Lachlan is tasked with escorting the ladies north, and after the ladies' capture, the story jumps back to the present.
Bella and Lachlan's relationship was very well written. Bella never backed down from him, which I admired. She was a strong and courageous heroine that would have done anything to get her daughter back. Lachlan, I absolutely loved. His past story was heart breaking and full of betrayals. But his character was wonderful. He's the ultimate male hero. I loved watching the two of them fall in love, especially Lachlan. He went from a distant, cold man, to a loving, sweet, and caring one. This was a wonderfully written story with a bit of history in it to make it really interesting. I was really looking forward to Lachlan's story was not disappointed at all. I especially loved the epilogue. I think it was really sweet and I greatly enjoyed it. I am anxiously waiting for The Saint to come out next year.
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