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Highland Heather and Hearts Scottish Romance #3
The Daring Heart
"The Daring Heart" is an IPPY Bronze Medal Winner AMAZON TOP 100 BESTSELLER #1 Scottish Historical Romance Scotland, 1482 - To the scandalous Lord Julian Gray, marriage is a malady and nothing more. How can a man even court a lass longer than a fortnight when there are so many pouting lips to kiss? Roaming the courts of Europe, Julian appears to spend his time drinking wine, wagering gold, and dandling willing lasses upon his knee. But no one knows the man behind the mask. No one knows that he is Le Marin—Europe’s most daring and brazen spy. But everything changes the night he finds a dagger pressed against his ribs and an alluring hazel-eyed minx in his bed. Born into the Vindictam, the renowned Venetian family of assassins, Liselle dreams of the day she will be allowed to practice the family craft. And when she is sent to the Scottish court, her dream is finally realized. But is it an honor … or a curse? As the threat of civil war looms over Scotland, and the king's own brother conspires with the English to put himself on the Scottish throne, Julian can’t help but be distracted by the mysterious Venetian beauty and her many secrets. But will it be his undoing?
335 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 16, 2013
126 people are currently reading
468 people want to read
About the author
Carmen Caine
29 books392 followersLike many of us on this planet, Carmen Caine/Madison Adler is from another world. She spends every moment she can scribbling stories on sticky notes that her kids find posted all over the car, house, and barn.
When she is not working as a software engineer, she is busy ferrying her kids to various appointments, writing lyrics for her husband's songs, taking care of the dog Tigger and his heart condition, attempting to tame her three insane cats, scratching her three Nigerian Dwarf Goats behind the horns or coddling her flock of thirty bizarre chickens from around the world.
Please follow me on Twitter - twitter.com/CarmenRomances or visit my facebook page: facebook.com/Carmen.Caine
When she is not working as a software engineer, she is busy ferrying her kids to various appointments, writing lyrics for her husband's songs, taking care of the dog Tigger and his heart condition, attempting to tame her three insane cats, scratching her three Nigerian Dwarf Goats behind the horns or coddling her flock of thirty bizarre chickens from around the world.
Please follow me on Twitter - twitter.com/CarmenRomances or visit my facebook page: facebook.com/Carmen.Caine
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 29, 2013
This was so unusual with our female heroine born into a family of assassins who has been trained to that "trade" practically from birth. The book was filled with intrigue, mystery and twists and turns. It took me a while to get into it, but once committed, I found it enjoyable. Can't wait for the next one! ;)
May 15, 2017
I enjoyed this story in this series, too. Initially, I disliked the whole assassin idea. I felt by the end it eventually worked.
The story line is so entertaining and the characters so interesting that I can overlook certain dramatic license taken in the name of romance. 🙃
There are things that happen in each book on occasion that just suddenly "are" with no lead-in explanation.
I am sad and happy to move on to book 4--sad because this is evidently the last book in the series and happy to read Ewan's story. 😬
The story line is so entertaining and the characters so interesting that I can overlook certain dramatic license taken in the name of romance. 🙃
There are things that happen in each book on occasion that just suddenly "are" with no lead-in explanation.
I am sad and happy to move on to book 4--sad because this is evidently the last book in the series and happy to read Ewan's story. 😬
October 2, 2018
Historical romance
Full of intrigue, adventure and romance. An entertaining romp. Enjoyable historical information presented in a story format. The characters draw you in
Full of intrigue, adventure and romance. An entertaining romp. Enjoyable historical information presented in a story format. The characters draw you in
Want to read
March 3, 2022🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/3/2022)! 🎁
March 27, 2022
I loved the story, it was full of intrigue and mystery. I had to keep reading it! I loved the ending! I am going to have to read books #1 and #2!
April 19, 2018
From the previous book I was thinking Lady Nicolette would be Julian's love interest. So I came in a little leery, but Liselle was great! Spunky and perfect for Julian!
There was so much intrigue in this storyline. It makes your head spin. You don't know who to trust and who will betray those you're rooting for. But then, who should you be rooting for?
So much is going on around the romance. You really need to pay attention to everything. Inside and outside the romance. But it's all interesting. The author does a great job weaving all the intrigue, history and romance together.
The romance was kind of a slow burn. There's so much both characters have to figure out that the romance doesn't quite take center stage. But it is a very satisfying and lovely romance. Julia does it all properly. This is another clean read. No explicit sex scenes.
I can't wait for to read the next book!
There was so much intrigue in this storyline. It makes your head spin. You don't know who to trust and who will betray those you're rooting for. But then, who should you be rooting for?
So much is going on around the romance. You really need to pay attention to everything. Inside and outside the romance. But it's all interesting. The author does a great job weaving all the intrigue, history and romance together.
The romance was kind of a slow burn. There's so much both characters have to figure out that the romance doesn't quite take center stage. But it is a very satisfying and lovely romance. Julia does it all properly. This is another clean read. No explicit sex scenes.
I can't wait for to read the next book!
June 28, 2015
I was looking forward to this one, I loved Julian's character in the last book and was curious to see what kind of woman would capture his heart. A Italian (amateur) assassin wasn't quite what I had in mind, but they ended up being a good match.
It was fun getting Julian's POV and getting to know him a little better. I liked him just as much in this one as I did the last book. Liselle was also pretty likable, I didn't really buy her as an assassin
I think I was expecting a similar setting as the first two books, and while the majority of the story does take place in Scotland, I wasn't expecting so much of the story to revolve around two warring Italian mafia families. I was a little bored with all the political intrigue in this one, maybe it's just me.
Overall, I did enjoy the moments between Julian and Liselle, they made the book for me. The rest of the time I was a little bored and just waiting for them to cross paths again.
Content
Romance: Clean
Violence: Mild
Other:
Source: Amazon Kindle Unlimited
It was fun getting Julian's POV and getting to know him a little better. I liked him just as much in this one as I did the last book. Liselle was also pretty likable, I didn't really buy her as an assassin
I think I was expecting a similar setting as the first two books, and while the majority of the story does take place in Scotland, I wasn't expecting so much of the story to revolve around two warring Italian mafia families. I was a little bored with all the political intrigue in this one, maybe it's just me.
Overall, I did enjoy the moments between Julian and Liselle, they made the book for me. The rest of the time I was a little bored and just waiting for them to cross paths again.
Content
Romance: Clean
Violence: Mild
Other:
Source: Amazon Kindle Unlimited
May 11, 2013
Unusual Scottish Historical Romance with a Venetian Heroine and Venetian Assassins
This is the third in Caine’s Scottish medieval series. Set in 1482, three years after The Bedeviled Heart, the story begins in Sarlat, France where Lord Julian Gray is awakened from sleep by a knife pressed against his ribs. The young woman wielding the stiletto is Liselle, sister to Orazio di Franco and a part of the Vindictam, the renowned Venetian family of assassins. Julian, who pretends to be a profligate spending his time drinking, gambling and wenching, is really the spy Le Marin who is keeping an eye on Alexander Stewart, the Duke of Albany, who wants to take the throne from his brother James III of Scotland. Liselle, who looks forward to the day she will be given her first assassin assignment is thrilled when she is sent to the Scottish court.
The first half of the story does not take place in Scotland and so there is a different feel to this one. Half the characters are Venetian assassins and there are many Italian words interwoven into the text. At times it felt more Italian than Scottish. It is a clever tale and well written and yes, there is Scottish history woven in, too. Cameron (from The Bedeviled Heart) is very much involved in trying to hold the clans together to fight the English as Julian flits around Europe, England and finally Scotland in his attempts to thwart Albany’s plans and deal with all the Italians.
This is a good story though I did not like it as well as The Bedeviled Heart and that may be due to the heroine’s being a Venetian, and Julian’s inability to deal with her at times, and the more Italian historical feel. As with her other novels, there are no love scenes in this one but some good chemistry.
The Highland Heather and Hearts series (I recommend reading them in order as the characters pop up in each other’s stories):
The Kindling Heart (Bree & Ruan)
The Bedeviled Heart (Cameron & Kate)
The Daring Heart (Julian & Liselle)
The Bold Heart (Merry & Ewan—coming in 2014)
This is the third in Caine’s Scottish medieval series. Set in 1482, three years after The Bedeviled Heart, the story begins in Sarlat, France where Lord Julian Gray is awakened from sleep by a knife pressed against his ribs. The young woman wielding the stiletto is Liselle, sister to Orazio di Franco and a part of the Vindictam, the renowned Venetian family of assassins. Julian, who pretends to be a profligate spending his time drinking, gambling and wenching, is really the spy Le Marin who is keeping an eye on Alexander Stewart, the Duke of Albany, who wants to take the throne from his brother James III of Scotland. Liselle, who looks forward to the day she will be given her first assassin assignment is thrilled when she is sent to the Scottish court.
The first half of the story does not take place in Scotland and so there is a different feel to this one. Half the characters are Venetian assassins and there are many Italian words interwoven into the text. At times it felt more Italian than Scottish. It is a clever tale and well written and yes, there is Scottish history woven in, too. Cameron (from The Bedeviled Heart) is very much involved in trying to hold the clans together to fight the English as Julian flits around Europe, England and finally Scotland in his attempts to thwart Albany’s plans and deal with all the Italians.
This is a good story though I did not like it as well as The Bedeviled Heart and that may be due to the heroine’s being a Venetian, and Julian’s inability to deal with her at times, and the more Italian historical feel. As with her other novels, there are no love scenes in this one but some good chemistry.
The Highland Heather and Hearts series (I recommend reading them in order as the characters pop up in each other’s stories):
The Kindling Heart (Bree & Ruan)
The Bedeviled Heart (Cameron & Kate)
The Daring Heart (Julian & Liselle)
The Bold Heart (Merry & Ewan—coming in 2014)
August 9, 2015
Awesome!
This is another great read by Carmen Caine. It is about Julian Gray, whom is Cameron's closest friend (from previous book) and a wee lass named Lisille who is an assassin. This book has a lot of adventure and will also have you laughing. There is rumors of war which Julian is trying to gather information online to take back to Cameron, however he runs into a tempting and intriguing lass that has raised his interest. However, she is in search of someone that is Julians instructor and friend, and Julian is trying to keep him well hidden. Julian is one that has never wanted to settle down and have kids. He can not understand how anyone would want that life and Lisille has grown up wanting to be an assassin her whole life, therefore she could not even consider marriage. You will see how some things can change from how you use to be. There are many you will meet in this book and even a story of one who was an assassin and was suppose to kill her lover and was unable to, so she lost her own life. This truly is a great read!
This is another great read by Carmen Caine. It is about Julian Gray, whom is Cameron's closest friend (from previous book) and a wee lass named Lisille who is an assassin. This book has a lot of adventure and will also have you laughing. There is rumors of war which Julian is trying to gather information online to take back to Cameron, however he runs into a tempting and intriguing lass that has raised his interest. However, she is in search of someone that is Julians instructor and friend, and Julian is trying to keep him well hidden. Julian is one that has never wanted to settle down and have kids. He can not understand how anyone would want that life and Lisille has grown up wanting to be an assassin her whole life, therefore she could not even consider marriage. You will see how some things can change from how you use to be. There are many you will meet in this book and even a story of one who was an assassin and was suppose to kill her lover and was unable to, so she lost her own life. This truly is a great read!
July 16, 2014
I have never read a book where the female is the assassin. At first to me it was slow don't know if it is because since I read her first book of this series I couldn't put it down or that I was trying to get use to the idea of a female was an assassin. After the 3rd chapter I actually got into it and read it in 2 days. As with all of her books so far I have cried and I have laughed. It once again pulled me into the book. I love how Liselle had spunk and she wasn't going to step down to no one. I usually read books where the guys steps in and protects the ladies but it was a very refreshing story where she protected Julian. I squealed in delight when I read Pascale was getting his own story.. I can't wait.. I can't wait to read the next story of Merry...
May 20, 2015
This was just a “I'm bored entertain me” reads.
Liselle outwits Julian several times, which is satisfying, but she's just so mediocre. And I was totally not following the plot.
Julian gets repetitive as he can't resist Liselle and he's so ashamed of it.
And Liselle is thinking along the lines of how it's impossible to resist him. Blah blah blah.
This is one of those books where the heroine thinks she's an assassin but you know she never will be. I'm really not sure what the point of these books are when the author doesn't back up her wild claims.
Liselle outwits Julian several times, which is satisfying, but she's just so mediocre. And I was totally not following the plot.
Julian gets repetitive as he can't resist Liselle and he's so ashamed of it.
And Liselle is thinking along the lines of how it's impossible to resist him. Blah blah blah.
This is one of those books where the heroine thinks she's an assassin but you know she never will be. I'm really not sure what the point of these books are when the author doesn't back up her wild claims.
September 22, 2015
The spy and the would-be assassin
Lord Julian Gray (one of my favorite series characters) is much more than he appears to be. Liselle is smart and talented but untested as an assassin.
This is a great espionage story. It is exciting, confusing, multilayered, and fun to read. Julian and Liselle are easy to like.
I am reading this series one after the other and enjoying each one immensely. I encourage you to do the same.
Lord Julian Gray (one of my favorite series characters) is much more than he appears to be. Liselle is smart and talented but untested as an assassin.
This is a great espionage story. It is exciting, confusing, multilayered, and fun to read. Julian and Liselle are easy to like.
I am reading this series one after the other and enjoying each one immensely. I encourage you to do the same.
March 11, 2016
Mystery, Intrigue, Romance
This is the 3rd book I. The series The Highland Heather and Hearts Scottish Romance Series. It is every bit as captivating as books 1 and 2. Since each one is a stand alone tale, you don't have to read them in order. However doing so enriches the reading experience. Carmen Caine is a truly highly skilled at crafting tales. Against impossible odds Julian and Lisette find each other. Want to know how? Read the book!
This is the 3rd book I. The series The Highland Heather and Hearts Scottish Romance Series. It is every bit as captivating as books 1 and 2. Since each one is a stand alone tale, you don't have to read them in order. However doing so enriches the reading experience. Carmen Caine is a truly highly skilled at crafting tales. Against impossible odds Julian and Lisette find each other. Want to know how? Read the book!
May 31, 2014
This was a departure from the rest of the series. It was a lot more involved regarding court intrigue and politics and the romance felt like an add on. That said, it was interesting and I was excited to find out how it would end but the romance itself fizzled. Not my favorite but not a bad way to pass the time.
November 18, 2014
Highly engaging and by far my favorite (as is the fourth book) of this series. Carmen Caine just keeps getting better. I loved the characters of both the hero and heroin, and the character growth they develop by the end of the book. I also liked how their love grew through the story and while definitely insta like at the beginning, it took time for those feelings to turn to love.
October 17, 2016
The Daring Heart (The Highland Heather etc.)
I am quite fond of the 15th century Scotland and this story is no exception. It's about a man who is known as the best spy in Europe. He meets up with a lady who is training to be an assassin. Together they build a relationship while seeking to keep Scotland out of a war.
I am quite fond of the 15th century Scotland and this story is no exception. It's about a man who is known as the best spy in Europe. He meets up with a lady who is training to be an assassin. Together they build a relationship while seeking to keep Scotland out of a war.
April 23, 2013
Seems to me that it was the second book in the series, just reworked a bit. With that said… it was boring. The characters could possibly be interchanged, and you wouldn't know the difference. Big change from the first book in the series, for sure!
January 5, 2017
Thrilling
It was a bit scary to think of assassins but I'm glad Liselle didn't have the heart for it. But it still made her a strong woman and perfect for Julian. I was so worried about Julian getting shot with the crossbow but he had a special healer on his side.
It was a bit scary to think of assassins but I'm glad Liselle didn't have the heart for it. But it still made her a strong woman and perfect for Julian. I was so worried about Julian getting shot with the crossbow but he had a special healer on his side.
September 21, 2013
I really enjoyed this series and can't wait until the next book comes out !
December 23, 2013
The Daring Heart, good reading
Good, fun, easy reading. I would read more of the series, as I enjoyed the easy flow and characters. I missed the feel of the day,
Good, fun, easy reading. I would read more of the series, as I enjoyed the easy flow and characters. I missed the feel of the day,
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January 5, 2014The Daring heart
I normally read a book in a couple of days this one took a week and I had to force myself to read it. Too drawn out and choppy
I normally read a book in a couple of days this one took a week and I had to force myself to read it. Too drawn out and choppy
September 14, 2016
Great story! Not your typical romance! Now I need to go hunt down the rest of the series!
March 5, 2014
Great book
Great book
this was at great way to end the fourth book of this series, sorry that it ended. can're wait till she writes her next book.
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Great book
this was at great way to end the fourth book of this series, sorry that it ended. can're wait till she writes her next book.
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August 1, 2015
Good stories and tastefully done
September 15, 2016
I really like this serie !! Only the first book was hard to get into but after a few chapters it all makes sense!!!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews