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Scottish Knights Trilogy #3
Highland Lover
HIGHLAND DANGER Ever inquisitive, Lady Alyson MacGillivray embarks on a sea voyage and makes a shocking The young future king of Scotland is secretly traveling on board. Yet her surprise soon turns to terror when pirates attack the ship, take the boy prince hostage, and leave Lady Alyson to drown. HIGHLAND WOLF Known to the world as the The Wolf, Captain Jake Maxwell had been commissioned by the King to follow the prince's secret transport. When he spies Alyson struggling against a violent sea, he moves swiftly to save her. Soon desire sparks between them, bringing them pleasure-powerful and deep. But the young beauty's connection to the prince's abduction puts her in danger. And if their love is to survive, Alyson and Jake must play a game of intrigue with royal-and lethal-consequences. "One of the best Scottish historical romance authors writing today."-Midwest Book Review
389 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 6, 2014
29 people are currently reading
419 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Scott
172 books381 followersAmanda Scott, USA Today Bestselling Author and winner of Romance Writers of America’s RITA/Golden Medallion (LORD ABBERLEY'S NEMESIS) and Romantic Times’ Awards for Best Regency Author and Best Sensual Regency (RAVENWOOD'S LADY), Lifetime Achievement (2007) and Best Scottish Historical (BORDER MOONLIGHT, 2008), began writing on a dare from her husband. She has sold every manuscript she has written.
Amanda is a fourth-generation Californian, who was born and raised in Salinas and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in history from Mills College in Oakland. She did graduate work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, specializing in British History, before obtaining her Master’s in History from California State University at San Jose. She now lives with her husband and son in northern California.
As a child, Amanda Scott was a model for O’Connor Moffatt in San Francisco (now Macy’s). She was also a Sputnik child, one of those selected after the satellite went up for one of California’s first programs for gifted children. She remained in that program through high school. After graduate school, she taught for the Salinas City School District for three years before marrying her husband, who was then a captain in the Air Force. They lived in Honolulu for a year, then in Papillion, Nebraska, for seven. Their son was born in Nebraska. They have lived in northern California since 1980.
Scott grew up in a family of lawyers, and is descended from a long line of them. Her father was a three-term District Attorney of Monterey County before his death in 1955 at age 36. Her grandfather was City Attorney of Salinas for 36 years after serving two terms as District Attorney, and two of her ancestors were State Supreme Court Justices (one in Missouri, the other the first Supreme Court Justice for the State of Arkansas). One brother, having carried on the Scott tradition in the Monterey County DA’s office, is now a judge. The other is an electrician in Knoxville, TN, and her sister is a teacher in the Sacramento area.
The women of Amanda Scott’s family have been no less successful than the men. Her mother was a child actress known as Baby Lowell, who performed all over the west coast and in Hollywood movies, and then was a dancer with the San Francisco Opera Ballet until her marriage. Her mother’s sister, Loretta Lowell, was also a child actress. She performed in the Our Gang comedies and in several Loretta Young movies before becoming one of the first women in the US Air Force. Scott's paternal grandmother was active in local and State politics and served as president of the California State PTA, and her maternal grandmother was a teacher (and stage mother) before working for Monterey County. The place of women in Scott’s family has always been a strong one. Though they married strong men, the women have, for generations, been well educated and encouraged to succeed at whatever they chose to do.
Amanda Scott’s first book was OMAHA CITY ARCHITECTURE, a coffee-table photo essay on the historical architecture of Omaha, written for Landmarks, Inc. under her married name as a Junior League project. Others took the photos; she did the research and wrote the text on an old Smith-Corona portable electric. She sold her first novel, THE FUGITIVE HEIRESS - likewise written on the battered Smith-Corona in 1980. Since then, she has sold many more books, but since the second one she has used a word processor and computer. Twenty-five of her novels are set in the English Regency period (1810-1820). Others are set in 15th-century England and 14th- through 18th-century Scotland, and three are contemporary romances. Many of her titles are currently available at bookstores and online.
Amanda is a fourth-generation Californian, who was born and raised in Salinas and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in history from Mills College in Oakland. She did graduate work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, specializing in British History, before obtaining her Master’s in History from California State University at San Jose. She now lives with her husband and son in northern California.
As a child, Amanda Scott was a model for O’Connor Moffatt in San Francisco (now Macy’s). She was also a Sputnik child, one of those selected after the satellite went up for one of California’s first programs for gifted children. She remained in that program through high school. After graduate school, she taught for the Salinas City School District for three years before marrying her husband, who was then a captain in the Air Force. They lived in Honolulu for a year, then in Papillion, Nebraska, for seven. Their son was born in Nebraska. They have lived in northern California since 1980.
Scott grew up in a family of lawyers, and is descended from a long line of them. Her father was a three-term District Attorney of Monterey County before his death in 1955 at age 36. Her grandfather was City Attorney of Salinas for 36 years after serving two terms as District Attorney, and two of her ancestors were State Supreme Court Justices (one in Missouri, the other the first Supreme Court Justice for the State of Arkansas). One brother, having carried on the Scott tradition in the Monterey County DA’s office, is now a judge. The other is an electrician in Knoxville, TN, and her sister is a teacher in the Sacramento area.
The women of Amanda Scott’s family have been no less successful than the men. Her mother was a child actress known as Baby Lowell, who performed all over the west coast and in Hollywood movies, and then was a dancer with the San Francisco Opera Ballet until her marriage. Her mother’s sister, Loretta Lowell, was also a child actress. She performed in the Our Gang comedies and in several Loretta Young movies before becoming one of the first women in the US Air Force. Scott's paternal grandmother was active in local and State politics and served as president of the California State PTA, and her maternal grandmother was a teacher (and stage mother) before working for Monterey County. The place of women in Scott’s family has always been a strong one. Though they married strong men, the women have, for generations, been well educated and encouraged to succeed at whatever they chose to do.
Amanda Scott’s first book was OMAHA CITY ARCHITECTURE, a coffee-table photo essay on the historical architecture of Omaha, written for Landmarks, Inc. under her married name as a Junior League project. Others took the photos; she did the research and wrote the text on an old Smith-Corona portable electric. She sold her first novel, THE FUGITIVE HEIRESS - likewise written on the battered Smith-Corona in 1980. Since then, she has sold many more books, but since the second one she has used a word processor and computer. Twenty-five of her novels are set in the English Regency period (1810-1820). Others are set in 15th-century England and 14th- through 18th-century Scotland, and three are contemporary romances. Many of her titles are currently available at bookstores and online.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 16, 2017
Hayatımda okuduğum en sıkıcı seriler arasına girdi.Ne gerek var bu derece siyaset yazmaya.Bittiği için çok mutluyum.
January 12, 2019
Ik heb de Nederlands talige uitgave gelezen : Samen ten strijde - Candlelight Historische roman 1144 .
Ook dit 3e deel leest weer meer als een avonturen roman met een beetje romantiek erbij . Veel reviewers van de Engels talige uitgaven van deze serie hebben moeite met het geschreven schotse accent in de dialogen maar dat is bij de vertaling bij al de 3 boeken in het Nederlands volledig afwezig en dat leest misschien inderdaad wel zo prettig .
This 3th book in the series once again reads more like an adventure novel with a little bit of romance . A lot of reviewers complain about the scottisch brogue in this series but it's not there in the Dutch translations .
Ook dit 3e deel leest weer meer als een avonturen roman met een beetje romantiek erbij . Veel reviewers van de Engels talige uitgaven van deze serie hebben moeite met het geschreven schotse accent in de dialogen maar dat is bij de vertaling bij al de 3 boeken in het Nederlands volledig afwezig en dat leest misschien inderdaad wel zo prettig .
This 3th book in the series once again reads more like an adventure novel with a little bit of romance . A lot of reviewers complain about the scottisch brogue in this series but it's not there in the Dutch translations .
October 11, 2017
2,5 başlarda iyiydi ama yarıdan sonra konu tökezlemeye başladı .
January 4, 2022
Çok İskoç romanı okudum. Bu kadar kötüsünü görmemiştim.
May 1, 2012
Wickedly Bookish Reviews
http://wickedlybookish.blogspot.com/
When Alyson accompanies her new husband Niall Clyne during his voyage she discovers one of the young passengers is the heir to the Scottish throne. Along the coast of England they are quickly overtaken by pirates, the heir is kidnapped, and Alyson is left for dead on the sinking ship by her negligent husband. Enter Jake Maxwell, Scottish knight of the realm and captain of the Sea Wolf. Will rescuing Alyson lead to an epic romance or epic trouble?
After being thoroughly impressed with the previous book in this trilogy Highland Hero, I was looking forward to continuing the story Scott set before her readers and get to know our Highland Wolf, Jake Maxwell better. All I can say is that what I got in comparison to what I had previously read was a bit of a disappointment. For a book titled Highland Lover there was very little loving going on. The majority of the book is bogged down with details concerning Jamie's kidnapping, the journey to St. Andrews, and the legal ramifications of Alyson's marriage making the overall feel of the book come off dry and drudging. We gets hints throughout the book that Alyson and Jake have a thing for each other, but not much happens until the last quarter of the book. This final installment in the trilogy is still well written, but lacks the captivating spark of the previous book. I kept putting this one down and moving on to a different book. I read chapters in between large sections of other novels in hopes I would finally get into it, but it never really happened.
For some reason, in the previous book, the Scottish colloquialisms were charming, but in this book they became cumbersome, slowing down the read substantially. Especially when the group sets foot in the English tavern and decides they need to imitate the speech of the locals. Dear lord! I was struggling to get through the dialogue portions at this point and was grateful when a large portion of narration came along. Don't get me wrong, I love me a sexy Scottish accent, but it was just not happening here.
Besides the dryness of the story and lack of any actual "lovers" until near the end, the main plot revolving around the Scottish throne is never resolved. When the story comes to a close, Jamie is still in English hands and Albany appears to be on his way to claiming Scotland for his own. It was almost like Jake and Alyson got their happy ending so *shrugs* oh well! I'm hoping that Scott did this because she is planning on continuing the development of Jamie's plight in another set of novels, and this may very well be, but it still felt unpleasantly abrupt. Needless to say this is my least favorite installment in the series, but Scott has not lost me yet. I look forward to future Highland romance novels from her matching up to the potential I observed in Highland Hero.
http://wickedlybookish.blogspot.com/
When Alyson accompanies her new husband Niall Clyne during his voyage she discovers one of the young passengers is the heir to the Scottish throne. Along the coast of England they are quickly overtaken by pirates, the heir is kidnapped, and Alyson is left for dead on the sinking ship by her negligent husband. Enter Jake Maxwell, Scottish knight of the realm and captain of the Sea Wolf. Will rescuing Alyson lead to an epic romance or epic trouble?
After being thoroughly impressed with the previous book in this trilogy Highland Hero, I was looking forward to continuing the story Scott set before her readers and get to know our Highland Wolf, Jake Maxwell better. All I can say is that what I got in comparison to what I had previously read was a bit of a disappointment. For a book titled Highland Lover there was very little loving going on. The majority of the book is bogged down with details concerning Jamie's kidnapping, the journey to St. Andrews, and the legal ramifications of Alyson's marriage making the overall feel of the book come off dry and drudging. We gets hints throughout the book that Alyson and Jake have a thing for each other, but not much happens until the last quarter of the book. This final installment in the trilogy is still well written, but lacks the captivating spark of the previous book. I kept putting this one down and moving on to a different book. I read chapters in between large sections of other novels in hopes I would finally get into it, but it never really happened.
For some reason, in the previous book, the Scottish colloquialisms were charming, but in this book they became cumbersome, slowing down the read substantially. Especially when the group sets foot in the English tavern and decides they need to imitate the speech of the locals. Dear lord! I was struggling to get through the dialogue portions at this point and was grateful when a large portion of narration came along. Don't get me wrong, I love me a sexy Scottish accent, but it was just not happening here.
Besides the dryness of the story and lack of any actual "lovers" until near the end, the main plot revolving around the Scottish throne is never resolved. When the story comes to a close, Jamie is still in English hands and Albany appears to be on his way to claiming Scotland for his own. It was almost like Jake and Alyson got their happy ending so *shrugs* oh well! I'm hoping that Scott did this because she is planning on continuing the development of Jamie's plight in another set of novels, and this may very well be, but it still felt unpleasantly abrupt. Needless to say this is my least favorite installment in the series, but Scott has not lost me yet. I look forward to future Highland romance novels from her matching up to the potential I observed in Highland Hero.
March 20, 2012
Is it possible I can see more than what is in front of me?
Lady Alyson MacGillivray never expected a quiet sea cruise with her husband to go so terribly wrong. Alyson thought to capture time with the man she knew but never got to know even after they married. She did not expect him to be part of a plot that involved the kidnapping of a future king either, but there it was and now she was drowning, literally. The very last thing Alyson thought would happen was for the ship to be overtaken by pirates and she being saved by a man she wished was her husband.
Sir Jacob Maxwell was the Captain of the Sea Wolf a ship assigned to stop what had already happened. The objective for Jake now is to take Alyson and the young man now under her protection to safety and obtain help to take the pirates down and rescue the captured heir to the throne. Jake wants to believe that Alyson’s husband is not coming back because these thoughts he is having are not proper or something he should allow himself to have. Alyson is so tempting with her innocent ways and kind nature. There are so many evils lurking around them that the last thing Jake should want is to steal a kiss from Alyson but that is all he is thinking about.
The more time passes the more it appears her husband was considered collateral damage and perished at sea. Alyson believes she should be mourning his loss but all she is doing is craving Jake’s touch. Jake gets his forces in line with taking care of what has created this evil deed and return the rightful heir to his home. Trying to figure out who may be the traitor among them is Jake’s mission but his obsession is Alyson.
Amanda Scott has taken her readers on a wonderful, suspenseful, and romantic ride with this series. Ms. Scott knows how to build up the story to the point where the reader must know how it ends and won’t stop reading until they do. The ability to draw a reader in and keep them in the moment is the defining line between good and great, Amanda Scott is amazing.
Lady Alyson MacGillivray never expected a quiet sea cruise with her husband to go so terribly wrong. Alyson thought to capture time with the man she knew but never got to know even after they married. She did not expect him to be part of a plot that involved the kidnapping of a future king either, but there it was and now she was drowning, literally. The very last thing Alyson thought would happen was for the ship to be overtaken by pirates and she being saved by a man she wished was her husband.
Sir Jacob Maxwell was the Captain of the Sea Wolf a ship assigned to stop what had already happened. The objective for Jake now is to take Alyson and the young man now under her protection to safety and obtain help to take the pirates down and rescue the captured heir to the throne. Jake wants to believe that Alyson’s husband is not coming back because these thoughts he is having are not proper or something he should allow himself to have. Alyson is so tempting with her innocent ways and kind nature. There are so many evils lurking around them that the last thing Jake should want is to steal a kiss from Alyson but that is all he is thinking about.
The more time passes the more it appears her husband was considered collateral damage and perished at sea. Alyson believes she should be mourning his loss but all she is doing is craving Jake’s touch. Jake gets his forces in line with taking care of what has created this evil deed and return the rightful heir to his home. Trying to figure out who may be the traitor among them is Jake’s mission but his obsession is Alyson.
Amanda Scott has taken her readers on a wonderful, suspenseful, and romantic ride with this series. Ms. Scott knows how to build up the story to the point where the reader must know how it ends and won’t stop reading until they do. The ability to draw a reader in and keep them in the moment is the defining line between good and great, Amanda Scott is amazing.
November 24, 2018
This is the first book I have read by this author. The novel opened strong with the encounter with pirates, but I felt less engaged as I turned each page. I was particularly challenged with the author’s attempt to mimic the different accents, words and speech patterns. There was a glossary if terms at the front of the novel- but is was woefully inadequate. The overall plot was interesting, but I felt there was too much “detail “ (history, political agendas, inferences to other characters not in the novel, nautical terms etc) and not enough focus on Jacob and Alyson. It seemed that their relationship was brief, fleeting and not really the focus of the book. I also found the concept of “second sight” really appealing, but the way it was used/described was confusing most of the time. There was a lot of suspense around the captured young Jamie Stewart and his underhanded power hungry uncle, the Duke of Albany. However, I was quite disappointed that there was not more of an “ending/epilogue” to tie up those plot lines. The author’s note at the end did help minimally, but not within the context of the story. I realize that this is the third book in the Scottish Knights Series, so perhaps this novel is not meant to be read on its own.
March 17, 2019
Favorite
This is my favorite of this series. Amanda Scott is one of my favorite authors and I love how she includes history in her books
This is my favorite of this series. Amanda Scott is one of my favorite authors and I love how she includes history in her books
September 25, 2020
Almost no sex, but a lot of action! Attacked by pirates, sexual tension, a sullied reputation, a hasty marriage, saving the king! Enjoyable, but not much of a bodice-ripper.
August 12, 2012
Actual rating 2.5
This was a slight disappointment. The same issues I had with the last book were there: the jarring way of writing the Scottish dialogue and the less than scorching love scenes. But the things that I really liked about the last book were also there: nice, endearing characters, a hero that's not got a head full of rocks and a female with a bit of backbone. It really would be impossible to dislike either main character as "nice" as they were. If that also makes them a little dull, it's an unfortunate side-effect.
The dialogue problem is mainly the overuse of really unusual interjections such as "sithee", "prithee" or "in troth" at the beginning of almost every sentence. Now, I've read a lot of Scottish romances by this point, and every author has had their own unique twist on how they like to convey the dialogue and dialect, with varying degrees of efficacy, but none have annoyed me as much as this version. I'm happy with just swapping "you" for "ye" and "didn't" for "didna". The rest of it I can interpret myself and have the accent be as minimal or as strong as I like. Unfortunately, with the amount of affectations Scott puts on her dialogue sections, it's more like I have to translate each passage than read it. And I'm a Brit, I dread to think how much harder it would be for American readers who don't hear Scottish speech nearly as much as I do.
“By my throth, lass, I can tell you that I want you... more, I think, than I have ever wanted anything in my life.”
So at this point it's about equal with the last book in terms of positives and negatives, so why did it lose a star? Well, it was a couple of things, all of which are a bit spoilery. Click below if you want to read them.
Spoiler:
I don't think I'll pick up the next one as there are ones I enjoy much more, but if you don't think the language thing or the lack of excitement will bother you, do pick up the book as the characters are very charming and likeable.
2.5 Stars ★★
Review Copy: Received from the publisher for an honest review
This was a slight disappointment. The same issues I had with the last book were there: the jarring way of writing the Scottish dialogue and the less than scorching love scenes. But the things that I really liked about the last book were also there: nice, endearing characters, a hero that's not got a head full of rocks and a female with a bit of backbone. It really would be impossible to dislike either main character as "nice" as they were. If that also makes them a little dull, it's an unfortunate side-effect.
The dialogue problem is mainly the overuse of really unusual interjections such as "sithee", "prithee" or "in troth" at the beginning of almost every sentence. Now, I've read a lot of Scottish romances by this point, and every author has had their own unique twist on how they like to convey the dialogue and dialect, with varying degrees of efficacy, but none have annoyed me as much as this version. I'm happy with just swapping "you" for "ye" and "didn't" for "didna". The rest of it I can interpret myself and have the accent be as minimal or as strong as I like. Unfortunately, with the amount of affectations Scott puts on her dialogue sections, it's more like I have to translate each passage than read it. And I'm a Brit, I dread to think how much harder it would be for American readers who don't hear Scottish speech nearly as much as I do.
“By my throth, lass, I can tell you that I want you... more, I think, than I have ever wanted anything in my life.”
So at this point it's about equal with the last book in terms of positives and negatives, so why did it lose a star? Well, it was a couple of things, all of which are a bit spoilery. Click below if you want to read them.
Spoiler:
I don't think I'll pick up the next one as there are ones I enjoy much more, but if you don't think the language thing or the lack of excitement will bother you, do pick up the book as the characters are very charming and likeable.
2.5 Stars ★★
Review Copy: Received from the publisher for an honest review
February 10, 2012
2.5/5.0
So much writing, so little said.
For a complete review, visit Affaire de Coeur magazine, April 2012 issue.
So much writing, so little said.
For a complete review, visit Affaire de Coeur magazine, April 2012 issue.
April 1, 2012
For a terrific swashbuckling tale rife with history and passion, this is the book for you!
May 24, 2012
Another amazing read by Amanda Scott, couldnt put it down once I started. finished in 24hrs last weekend.
Read
July 9, 2013Not for me. I found what I read mildly interesting but the cincher to put it aside was trying to get through the written dialect. Too time consuming and confusing.
May 19, 2014
Boring. Nothing much happened.
October 21, 2016
Love the trilogy! I love how it ties into Kings of Storms. When Sir Jacob Maxwell, "Jake" was younger and he rescued Albany!
October 19, 2013
So boring...didn't grab my attention at all.
January 23, 2014
Just could not get into this one. I read it and found it to be a chore and pushed though.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews