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Murray Family #5
Highland Knight
When Cameron MacAlpin learns the identity of the golden beauty tossed before him as a debt payment, he can’t believe his fortune! For cat-eyed Avery Murray is the perfect weapon to use against Payton Murray—Avery’s brother—who dishonored Cameron’s own sister. Yet his plan to deliver the same insult and avenge his clan is thwarted by spirited Avery herself, who tempts him to forget everything but the passion coursing through his blood. Still, a knight of the Highlands owes his allegiance to his clan before all else—even his heart.
Avery is outraged at her captor’s accusations against her brother. Though he makes no secret he intends to use her to avenge his sister’s lost honor, he adds to her fury by vowing to take her by seduction not force. Worse, she knows deep inside that this virile knight stirs her as no other man ever has...
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 2001
179 people are currently reading
2279 people want to read
About the author
Hannah Howell
117 books2,644 followersHannah Dustin Howell is a best-selling American author of over 40 historical romance novels. Many of her novels are set in medieval Scotland. She also writes under the names Sarah Dustin, Sandra Dustin, and Anna Jennet (see below).
She has also used the following pseudonyms:
Anna Jennet, Sarah Dustin and Sandra Dustin
She has also used the following pseudonyms:
Anna Jennet, Sarah Dustin and Sandra Dustin
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
March 9, 2012
Normally, with a story that appeals this much to the emotions, and have a ripping good adventure (running away from bad guys, at least through the first half of the book) I'd have to give it at least 4 stars. Few books get me so caught up that I stay up all night to finish.
But this one lost AT LEAST a star because I thoroughly disliked the hero for a good part of the book, and it darned near lost another star because the logic behind both main characters' choices through much of the book just kept losing me.
Avery Murray is visiting her family in France when she's captured by mercenaries who are affiliated with the horrible Deveaux. She and her younger sister Gillyanne are given to Cameron MacAlpin, another mercenary, in payment of a gaming debt. He's celibate, having sworn off women after a string of beyotches convinced him (cliche alert) that All Women Are Evil. But then he learns that Avery is Payton Murray's sister. He's heard from home that his younger sister Katherine claims she was raped by Payton and is now with child, so Cameron decides an eye for an eye. What better vengeance than to dishonor Payton's sister and send her home, publicly shamed and unmarriageable? Right there, Howell lost any chance of making the hero sympathetic, at least for me. I hate Bob, so I'm going to take Bob's innocent little sister and destroy her life. That'll make it all better.
And if he does this, he can force Payton to the altar, right? This MIGHT make sense if he then approaches Payton and says something like this: "You've dishonored my sister and I've done the same with yours; I'll restore your sister's honor through marriage if you'll do the same for mine." But Cameron is determined that, because All Women Are Evil, he's never going to marry. So exactly HOW does he plan to force Payton to the altar? "I want you, my sister's rapist, to marry her, so I'm going to treat your sister who is completely innocent like a whore until you do--and then I'll send your sis home, possibly pregnant and thoroughly shamed?" Great incentive!
Even after people in his camp point out how rotten this plan is, Cameron keeps insisting on it "out of honor." What kind of honor destroys an innocent to avenge himself against someone else? Worse, as things go along, Cameron begins to doubt his sister's story and STILL insists on following through with his plan. Oh, he does lighten up and decide not to PUBLICLY shame Avery (swell), though I'm not sure how that works when he keeps boffing her and knows he could leave her pregnant before he's done with her, and when he knows that sooner or later it'll get out that she spent a lot of nights in his tent and later at his keep. To his credit he does at least choose not to rape her. Instead he just keeps sneaking up on her while she's sleeping and molests her until she awakes all hot and bothered, and then waits for her to finally say yes. Even after he is indebted to her for some acts of heroism that save people he cares for, he still insists on carrying out this Brilliant Plan.
And then there's Avery. She gets the screaming thigh sweats for Cameron right away, and decides he's Her Man and they are Meant To Be, well before there is one reason to think he's the least bit better than the evil Deveaux. She can't seem to quit drooling all over him, so she decides to go ahead and give him her chastity. Because then she can tell her family she gave it up willingly and they won't feel wronged or honorbound to help her, right? Because if she's shamed by her own choice....OK, I'm still not clear how that makes any difference. When Cameron begins to realize his sister might be lying about the rape, he jumps to the assumption that she was seduced, and he STILL wants to feud with Payton unless the man will marry the girl. So how is it different if Avery was seduced?
And even worse, the little doormat UNDERSTANDS Cameron's decision to ruin her because any man would do the same. Really? Any honorable man would take an innocent girl and ruin her chances at a normal life with kids, because her brother MIGHT have slept with his sister. Any honorable man would then send her away and forget about her, knowing that he might have left her with child, knowing that innocent children, too, would face the consequences of these actions? I can see Avery understanding a man's need to avenge the honor of his sister, but understanding his choice to destroy an innocent? Avery comes off as a complete doormat in this.
Howell has a way of creating heroines who are the epitome of Unconditional Love. They will get stomped on, spat on, scraped off a man's shoe and dumped in the midden heap, and keep going back for more because they reckon that if True Love is ever going to bloom, they have to suck it up and keep fighting for what they want. In some ways that's really courageous. But the martyrdom thing palls. And always, always, after the guy has pretty much crapped all over the heroine, when the time for denouement comes, when the author has skillfully made you weep through several Kleenexes for the unfairness and hurtfulness of it all, when the guy finally pulls his head out of his arse and goes after the heroine to make things right, after he KNOWS he has amends to make and that the gal's heart has been shredded to a scrap by him, he still lacks the huevos to say the three little words that could reassure her that finally, all that sacrifice has been repaid and her love is returned. He knows he was wrong. He knows he needs to make things right, and he still won't spit it out until she does it first. That doesn't make him more likeable to me.
So yeah, emotionally riveting story, but it was riveting in part because I honestly kept hoping that SOMEONE in the story would realize how wrong it all was and start trying to make it right. I really hoped to see the heroine finally decide she'd had enough and either get in his face or walk away. I wanted to see the hero go after her, not because he can't live without her (that's still all about him), but because he finally wants what's best for her. I wanted to see him lose her and have to fight like hell to win her back. I felt the heroine deserved that. So while I was as engaged as I've been in awhile, the denouement was not as satisfying as I'd hoped.
But this one lost AT LEAST a star because I thoroughly disliked the hero for a good part of the book, and it darned near lost another star because the logic behind both main characters' choices through much of the book just kept losing me.
Avery Murray is visiting her family in France when she's captured by mercenaries who are affiliated with the horrible Deveaux. She and her younger sister Gillyanne are given to Cameron MacAlpin, another mercenary, in payment of a gaming debt. He's celibate, having sworn off women after a string of beyotches convinced him (cliche alert) that All Women Are Evil. But then he learns that Avery is Payton Murray's sister. He's heard from home that his younger sister Katherine claims she was raped by Payton and is now with child, so Cameron decides an eye for an eye. What better vengeance than to dishonor Payton's sister and send her home, publicly shamed and unmarriageable? Right there, Howell lost any chance of making the hero sympathetic, at least for me. I hate Bob, so I'm going to take Bob's innocent little sister and destroy her life. That'll make it all better.
And if he does this, he can force Payton to the altar, right? This MIGHT make sense if he then approaches Payton and says something like this: "You've dishonored my sister and I've done the same with yours; I'll restore your sister's honor through marriage if you'll do the same for mine." But Cameron is determined that, because All Women Are Evil, he's never going to marry. So exactly HOW does he plan to force Payton to the altar? "I want you, my sister's rapist, to marry her, so I'm going to treat your sister who is completely innocent like a whore until you do--and then I'll send your sis home, possibly pregnant and thoroughly shamed?" Great incentive!
Even after people in his camp point out how rotten this plan is, Cameron keeps insisting on it "out of honor." What kind of honor destroys an innocent to avenge himself against someone else? Worse, as things go along, Cameron begins to doubt his sister's story and STILL insists on following through with his plan. Oh, he does lighten up and decide not to PUBLICLY shame Avery (swell), though I'm not sure how that works when he keeps boffing her and knows he could leave her pregnant before he's done with her, and when he knows that sooner or later it'll get out that she spent a lot of nights in his tent and later at his keep. To his credit he does at least choose not to rape her. Instead he just keeps sneaking up on her while she's sleeping and molests her until she awakes all hot and bothered, and then waits for her to finally say yes. Even after he is indebted to her for some acts of heroism that save people he cares for, he still insists on carrying out this Brilliant Plan.
And then there's Avery. She gets the screaming thigh sweats for Cameron right away, and decides he's Her Man and they are Meant To Be, well before there is one reason to think he's the least bit better than the evil Deveaux. She can't seem to quit drooling all over him, so she decides to go ahead and give him her chastity. Because then she can tell her family she gave it up willingly and they won't feel wronged or honorbound to help her, right? Because if she's shamed by her own choice....OK, I'm still not clear how that makes any difference. When Cameron begins to realize his sister might be lying about the rape, he jumps to the assumption that she was seduced, and he STILL wants to feud with Payton unless the man will marry the girl. So how is it different if Avery was seduced?
And even worse, the little doormat UNDERSTANDS Cameron's decision to ruin her because any man would do the same. Really? Any honorable man would take an innocent girl and ruin her chances at a normal life with kids, because her brother MIGHT have slept with his sister. Any honorable man would then send her away and forget about her, knowing that he might have left her with child, knowing that innocent children, too, would face the consequences of these actions? I can see Avery understanding a man's need to avenge the honor of his sister, but understanding his choice to destroy an innocent? Avery comes off as a complete doormat in this.
Howell has a way of creating heroines who are the epitome of Unconditional Love. They will get stomped on, spat on, scraped off a man's shoe and dumped in the midden heap, and keep going back for more because they reckon that if True Love is ever going to bloom, they have to suck it up and keep fighting for what they want. In some ways that's really courageous. But the martyrdom thing palls. And always, always, after the guy has pretty much crapped all over the heroine, when the time for denouement comes, when the author has skillfully made you weep through several Kleenexes for the unfairness and hurtfulness of it all, when the guy finally pulls his head out of his arse and goes after the heroine to make things right, after he KNOWS he has amends to make and that the gal's heart has been shredded to a scrap by him, he still lacks the huevos to say the three little words that could reassure her that finally, all that sacrifice has been repaid and her love is returned. He knows he was wrong. He knows he needs to make things right, and he still won't spit it out until she does it first. That doesn't make him more likeable to me.
So yeah, emotionally riveting story, but it was riveting in part because I honestly kept hoping that SOMEONE in the story would realize how wrong it all was and start trying to make it right. I really hoped to see the heroine finally decide she'd had enough and either get in his face or walk away. I wanted to see the hero go after her, not because he can't live without her (that's still all about him), but because he finally wants what's best for her. I wanted to see him lose her and have to fight like hell to win her back. I felt the heroine deserved that. So while I was as engaged as I've been in awhile, the denouement was not as satisfying as I'd hoped.
August 30, 2013
"She promised herself, however, that, if she and Cameron ended up together, she would teach him that explanations and apologies would not really hurt and left no scars. Women who did not get them from the men in their life, however, did." loc.2860
Author: Hannah Howell
First published: 2001 (originally titled Highland Ring)
Length: 4768 locations
Setting: Scotland, 1458. France and Scottish Highlands.
Sex: frequent but not always explicit. Questionable consent since she is his "captive" and there is no intention of marriage. Threatened rape of 13yo secondary character.
Series: Book 5 of Howell's Highland series (starts two years after "Highland Vow")
Another book where he intends to use her and set her aside. This time, Cameron was intending to rape her as he believed his sister was raped - ultimately Avery turns the tables and seduces him to remove the sting of conquest. Of course, he doesn't realise the error of his ways until it is almost too late...
"Yet despite all they had shared, he did not even seem to be considering any way of getting the husband he felt his sister needed and keeping his lover by his side." loc.2914
It's a love me / leave me relationship. Cameron wants her but believes he can't have her - of course, neither can anyone else. He deliberately ruins her and then casts her aside. She goes willingly on the ride because she lurves him.
It makes sense. It works with the character motivations, their strengths and social norms. BUT...
There's a distinct lack of grovel.
Avery needed grovel.
Cameron didn't provide it.
It places all her strength and determination under question.
So I am disappointed.
Murray Family:
Three brothers – the patriarchs of the Murray Family
Book 1 Highland Promise - Lord Balfour Murray, laird of Donncoill and Maldie Kirkcaldy
Book 2 Highland Honor - Nigel Murray and Gisele Deveau
Book 3 Highland Destiny - Eric Murray and Bethia Drummond
The daughters
Book 4 Highland Vow - Elspeth Murray and Corac Armstrong (Balfour+Maldie's daughter)
Book 5 Highland Knight - Avery Murray and Cameron MacAlpin (Nigel+Giselle's daughter)
Book 6 Highland Bride - Gillyanne Murray + Conor MacEnroy (Eric+Bethia's daughter)
References:
Author's website: http://hannahhowell.com/
(ISBN 9780759259591)
-CR-
Author: Hannah Howell
First published: 2001 (originally titled Highland Ring)
Length: 4768 locations
Setting: Scotland, 1458. France and Scottish Highlands.
Sex: frequent but not always explicit. Questionable consent since she is his "captive" and there is no intention of marriage. Threatened rape of 13yo secondary character.
Series: Book 5 of Howell's Highland series (starts two years after "Highland Vow")
Another book where he intends to use her and set her aside. This time, Cameron was intending to rape her as he believed his sister was raped - ultimately Avery turns the tables and seduces him to remove the sting of conquest. Of course, he doesn't realise the error of his ways until it is almost too late...
"Yet despite all they had shared, he did not even seem to be considering any way of getting the husband he felt his sister needed and keeping his lover by his side." loc.2914
It's a love me / leave me relationship. Cameron wants her but believes he can't have her - of course, neither can anyone else. He deliberately ruins her and then casts her aside. She goes willingly on the ride because she lurves him.
It makes sense. It works with the character motivations, their strengths and social norms. BUT...
There's a distinct lack of grovel.
Avery needed grovel.
Cameron didn't provide it.
It places all her strength and determination under question.
So I am disappointed.
Murray Family:
Three brothers – the patriarchs of the Murray Family
Book 1 Highland Promise - Lord Balfour Murray, laird of Donncoill and Maldie Kirkcaldy
Book 2 Highland Honor - Nigel Murray and Gisele Deveau
Book 3 Highland Destiny - Eric Murray and Bethia Drummond
The daughters
Book 4 Highland Vow - Elspeth Murray and Corac Armstrong (Balfour+Maldie's daughter)
Book 5 Highland Knight - Avery Murray and Cameron MacAlpin (Nigel+Giselle's daughter)
Book 6 Highland Bride - Gillyanne Murray + Conor MacEnroy (Eric+Bethia's daughter)
References:
Author's website: http://hannahhowell.com/
(ISBN 9780759259591)
-CR-
May 20, 2013
Didn't really like the Hero.... Heroine started off great but then she too wussed out..
November 2, 2018
3.5 stars.
Another rather enjoyable Highlander romance from Hannah Howell. These Murray lasses are not your typical historical heroines. They take charge of their destiny in no uncertain way. Maybe not historically accurate, but I like it. Some LOL moments with the blackberry jam and I really enjoy the precocious Gillyanne.
Personality-wise, the H/h in this are very similar to the H/h in the previous books and I'm starting to see a certain similarity in the theme. I'm thinking it might be wise to switch to something else before coming back to this series again.
Another rather enjoyable Highlander romance from Hannah Howell. These Murray lasses are not your typical historical heroines. They take charge of their destiny in no uncertain way. Maybe not historically accurate, but I like it. Some LOL moments with the blackberry jam and I really enjoy the precocious Gillyanne.
Personality-wise, the H/h in this are very similar to the H/h in the previous books and I'm starting to see a certain similarity in the theme. I'm thinking it might be wise to switch to something else before coming back to this series again.
January 20, 2020
Meh... this was my least favorite of the 3 series Murray Daughters (books 4,5 &6)
Cameron and Avery
C believes Patton (A’s bro) raped his sister so he wants revenge. He accepts Avery as debt payment (she’s been kidnapped with Gilly) at first he plans to seduce and deflower her as payback for what P did to his horrible sister Katherine. Later after he starts to have feelings for her and he’s had sex with her; he decides he will use the cousins as ransom to force P to marry.
Couple things didn’t work for me. Avery was such a wuss, she didn’t stick up for herself or demand him to respect her. I couldn’t buy into C and how he justified doing to A.. seducing, deflowering and leaving unwed, when the entire book is how that wasn’t ok to do to Katherine.
I found both H & h complete duds. Gilly was one of the reasons I kept reading. At least she added some depth and personality. There should have been a total cat fight once they came face to face with Katherine, but nope A was all nice and prevented Gilly from going after her.
I think K could have added some much needed drama to the boring plot, but she was hardly in the book. I also thought he should have groveled, not tricked and drugged her... just saying
Cameron and Avery
C believes Patton (A’s bro) raped his sister so he wants revenge. He accepts Avery as debt payment (she’s been kidnapped with Gilly) at first he plans to seduce and deflower her as payback for what P did to his horrible sister Katherine. Later after he starts to have feelings for her and he’s had sex with her; he decides he will use the cousins as ransom to force P to marry.
Couple things didn’t work for me. Avery was such a wuss, she didn’t stick up for herself or demand him to respect her. I couldn’t buy into C and how he justified doing to A.. seducing, deflowering and leaving unwed, when the entire book is how that wasn’t ok to do to Katherine.
I found both H & h complete duds. Gilly was one of the reasons I kept reading. At least she added some depth and personality. There should have been a total cat fight once they came face to face with Katherine, but nope A was all nice and prevented Gilly from going after her.
I think K could have added some much needed drama to the boring plot, but she was hardly in the book. I also thought he should have groveled, not tricked and drugged her... just saying
June 6, 2015
The hero is a complete and utter fool and the heroine lacks anything resembling logic . So far, I'm not impressed by this author. Unfortunately, I have two more books of hers to read. I doubt they'll make me want to read more. There are so many Highlander books that are better than this.
June 21, 2016
This book was really offensive with the way it handles the issue of rape allegations. People automatically assuming a woman is lying about being raped because the alleged rapist is good looking is abhorrent. The main character guy gets the female character drunk without her knowing so she would be "senseless" and marry him. His explanation: "We needed you amiable." Worse, it was her brother's idea. The really dumb thing is that if he'd just talked to her directly, she would have agreed to marry him. He was just avoiding an argument.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2022
I went through the first 30 pages and I got disappointed. First, he treats her like a thing (he even threw her to the floor and stood on her). Second, out of nowhere and after all he did to her she started to be attracted to him??? I mean, where is the time to know each other, the romance, the self respect.I like strong, willful characters. I know it has a high rating but it didn't work for me. I wasted money on this one because I'm definitely NOT going to finish it...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2011
This reads as if it were written by an author who has a computer program which switches English words, such as father, with who knows what language that says fither. Howell only has about 10 - 15 of these words, but manages to use them all on every page. Very distracting.
November 25, 2019
4.5 stars!!! I needed more of seeing Alan with Cameron or even a little of seeing him with Avery. Otherwise why make him a part of the book at all?
November 3, 2024
Wow, the Murray Daughters trilogy is absolutely disgusting. Second book in a row that rounded off the romantic plot with a forced marriage where the heroine was deliberately made senseless and inebriated during the wedding. Fucking vile.
The events of this book only makes sense if you buy into the assumption that women are the property of their male relatives. If that property is damaged by other men, you as a man are entitled to damage his property as revenge. Damage means rape, by the way. Yeah.
The underlying messages of this book are that if a woman is wronged by a man and has legitimate reasons to be angry at him, who cares. Just drug her or knock her out to bypass her consent (Yes, both of those really happen in this book!)
Also, we have the simultaneous and contrary ideas that women lie about rape, but also, they actually are raped constantly as part of blood-feuds between men. Women are a tool of collateral damage that you can use to get revenge on other men. If you rape a guy's sister, you've 'cucked' him, and damaged his pride somehow, and this demands revenge through raping one of his female relatives. This thought process is not at all uncommon in real life, it's alive and well in many cultures, but this book isn't self aware about it, and that's the problem.
The entire premise of this book hinges on a rape that supposedly was committed by Payton, Avery's brother, against Lady Katherine, Cameron's little sister. Avery is completely convinced that it's IMPOSSIBLE that Payton could have raped her, and can I say...? Fuck her for immediately siding with her brother without even knowing the details. Avery is intimately aware of how the men of her society behave. There are almost TWENTY rapes and attempted rapes that have happened within the last 4 books, against every single female lead and many side characters. Rape was a fact of life that Avery would have been aware of in a historical sense, and even in the TEXT of these books. Men of all classes could essentially get away with raping anyone who was below them socially or who wasn't part of their village. Avery remains steadfastly convinced that Lady Katherine is lying, because Payton would NEVER hurt a woman. After all, he's a good brother! He's nice to women in his own family! Painfully naive. Just because a man doesn't rape women in his own community, doesn't mean that he doesn't feel free to do so with women of an out-group or enemy family. There's a reason wartime rapes are so common.
The way Cameron responds to these allegations is to kidnap Payton's sister, Avery. He plans to rape her in order to humiliate Payton the way Cameron was humiliated (as if rape is a crime against a woman's male family members, or a case of property damage.) He's planning to hold Avery hostage until Payton marries Lady Katherine. Cameron's logic is: 'He raped my sister, so I will force him to ''''do right''' by my sister.' Even from the start, his plan makes no sense. If he believed it was rape, why on EARTH would he be now trying to arrange a marriage between his sister and the man who raped her? Is this the Old Testament? What are we TALKING about here! What a fucking monster!
Anyway, yeah, that's actually the romantic plot of this book. Cameron, a self-proclaimed woman-hater, kidnaps Avery to sexually soil her as a means to 'humiliate' Payton. Despite this disgusting plan, Avery falls for Cameron for some reason that is never fucking explained. She starts this book fucking CHAINED to Cameron's bedpost, and by Chapter 4, Avery is so horny for Cameron that she's not even mad she's being held prisoner anymore, literally says so word for word.
The point of these books is escapism and eroticism, and I don't find anything erotic about an openly misogynist male lead. He's literally a MGTOW who has sworn off sleeping with women because he doesn't trust them, and uses this as an excuse to abuse Avery. SOMEHOW, despite this, Avery is the one trying to convince Cameron that she's not bad, she's not like all those other whores. The sinister underlying ideology presented in this book is that Men hating Women is somehow a 'rational' assessment of women's behavior. A guy being cheated on once means they're objectively correct to forever view all women as lying whores. However, Women hating Men for the constant sexual violence perpetrated against them?... (reminder, almost 20 rapes in the books to this point) Women hating Men is somehow emotional, bitter, and irrational. Because a man being cheated on is magnitudes worse than a woman being raped, for some reason.
Avery has had multiple family members who have been raped, including her mother, Giselle, who was beaten and raped by her first husband, and has now been kidnapped by rapist-Cameron, but Cameron NEVER has to prove to her that he isn't like other men. It is AVERY who has to prove to CAMERON that SHE is trust-worthy. SHE has to prove her virtue and worth to her abuser. Cameron never has to prove that he's not like the other men in this book, and freely treats Avery like dogshit for the whole story. The entire book is an endless violation of her rights. If anyone should be proving himself, it's Cameron. There's actually a part where she's kidnapped by Charles DeVeaux (AGAIN, for the purpose of revenge-rape!) and she's chained to the bed just like she was by Cameron at the start of the story... but this is different, because Cameron is hot! That's literally the only difference between them.
So lets talk about the Charles DeVeaux kidnap for a minute, because it reveals a lot about how the men in these books think. Charles is going to rape Avery, again, as revenge for what 'The Murray Men' did to the DeVeaux back in Book 2 when helping Giselle escape from her rapist husband's family. (Just a reminder, that guy beat and raped Giselle routinely and was found dead, so everyone accused her of killing him.) Charles DeVeaux is now going to rape Avery as revenge against her father and uncles. Cameron decides to step in and save her (Even though he had exactly the same motives, he's been planning to rape her as a tool of revenge against Payton), but his motive for rescuing her is interesting. By this point, Cameron and Avery have started sleeping together, and Cameron's only textual reason for stopping Avery's rape is because he thinks it will make her not want to have sex with HIM anymore. He sees her as an object that only HE is entitled to make use of. Not because rape is a depraved violation in itself, but because it will personally interfere in his sex life. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you!
The casual violence against women and the flippant violation of their autonomy sprinkled throughout this book was honestly disgusting. The narrative kept acting like 13 year old Gillyann was sassy and spoiled, there are multiple instances where Cameron fantasizes about spanking her or slapping her in the face to shut her up, and this psychotically violent urge was played off as funny. What the FUCK? And then we have the way this story deals with Avery having autonomy when it comes to her own body and life. More than once, when the male characters don't want to 'deal with' Avery being ANGRY that her consent is being violated, they simply incapacitate her so that she can't protest. Knock her out so they can violate her wishes.
Halfway through the book, after the aforementioned kidnapping by DeVeaux, Avery is pissed and wants to go slit DeVeaux's throat before they leave, and rather than letting her make that decision or... I don't know, talking to her, Cameron gets Leargan to PUNCH AVERY IN THE FACE to knock her out. The narrative doesn't dwell on this chilling act of abuse and acts like they had no choice but to punch her lights out. We couldn't LET her kill her rapist, after all! ....... I need to remind you what this story is about. Cameron is trying to take Avery's virginity as revenge for his sister's rape, everything in this story revolves around this struggle, but Avery herself isn't allowed to avenge her own rape and she has to be physically prevented from doing so by being punched in the face. These are the 'good guys' by the way.
This is what I'm talking about. Women are property in this book. MEN are allowed to take revenge for rapes by raping other women. Women are not allowed to punish the men who rape them. And that's because rape isn't viewed as a crime against a woman in this book, because a woman isn't really human in these stories. Rape is actually a crime of theft against the woman's male relatives, this is why only men have the right to avenge rape, by committing yet another rape. That's the only ideology that makes any of this make sense, and it's a disgusting outlook. It's fucking putrid and this author should be ashamed.
The second half of the book isn't any better, because it's about 'women lie about rape constantly!'
Lady Katherine lied about being raped by Payton, and Cameron is struggling to accept this. He's starting to doubt that Payton really did it, because, well... he's hot! Hot men never rape, right? Because they don't NEED to! This just reveals such a fundamental misunderstanding of what rape is. It's not just about being horny, it's a desire for power, domination, and humiliation.... and this author KNOWS this, because that's what all the rapes committed in these books are about. Domination of their victim, and humiliation of other men. Another reason Cameron thinks Payton can't be a rapist is because, well, his sisters love him! They wouldn't love him if he was a mean rapist!... This is almost too stupid to dignify with a response. Plenty of rapists have family members who deny everything and provide cover for their domestic abuse.
Well, that's Cameron. Avery sucks too. She is FUCKING weird. We get off-handed comments about how she practiced kissing with her male cousins, she puts on Cameron's little sisters negligee to wear while she has sex with Cameron (ew, ew, ew, wtf), and she also goes through the book assuming that all she needs to do to make a man fall in love is to make him nut. Yet again another 'well-born' virgin who has premarital sex with a random. She's also yet another heroine who is playing into this author's complex about small boobs being virtuous and pure tradfem goddesses, while big-boob women are evil whores. Fucking weird.
This is also yet another book in this series where a random child is added in because the author wants the heroine to play at being a mother to show off her tradfem virtues, but not actually have given birth herself yet. Allen was such an unnecessary part of this book and only serves to make Cameron look even worse. He didn't stick around to see if his flings resulted in any children. He had no care about whether or not he left behind any bastards, but for some reason, the woman who birthed his child is a bitch and a whore for not keeping Allen. No irony detected when the first thing Cameron thinks upon finding out he has a son is "If she thinks she can force me to marry her because of the child -- I'd never marry that whore".... Yeah. That's why she didn't keep the baby. Because she knew you were worthless and didn't care about if she got pregnant anyway. Cameron, you're an evil cunt and I want you to know that.
This is the paradox of these books. We want the male leads to be heroic and kind and gentlemanly to all ladies and treat them with respect and honor, but to women they don't see as 'ladies?' To women they deem 'whores' or to anyone they see as their social inferior? They can treat them like dogshit. Cameron is a fucking worm who lived a life of impregnating random women without a care, didn't give a shit about any potential bastard kids he was producing, and he even says outright that he wouldn't have married the mother anyway if she hadn't been hanged, and only cares about the kid because it's a boy. But the mother is the one who's evil. Not him.
It isn't just the disgusting content, but the prose of this book, I have an issue with. These stories have gotten really lazy at this point. The female character, Avery, is described with word-for-word the exact same descriptors as the other 4 books preceding this one. It's literally almost copy-pasted, she just has a different hair color. 'Gentle curve of her hips, tiny breasts, slender, tiny and almost child-like, heart-shaped face, wide eyes with thick dark lashes', are all repeated descriptors from multiple other female leads. There's a ton of telling and no showing in the earlier chapters of the book to make it seem like time is passing faster than it is. It's just fucking lazy.
The end of the book is the kicker. If all that wasn't bad enough, the romantic plot ends with Avery's entire family conspiring to force her into a surprise marriage. Rather than talking to her about it and letting her decide, they respect her feelings so little that they don't care if she has legitimate reasons to refuse. This isn't considered a kidnapping, because her brother is the one planning it. It's not a violation of her rights; this is an agreement between her brother, her parents, and Cameron, the groom. There's no need to ask Avery what she thinks. She isn't a human, remember? She's property of her male relatives so it's okay that they're doing all this in secret and planning a forced marriage without even informing her. Hannah didn't have to do this, by the way! She didn't have to end the story this way and she knows it!
There are pages of conversation between Payton and Cameron where Cameron is all 'I don't want to force her into something she doesn't want,' and Payton is all, 'Well, she loves you, that's why she had sex with you!' .... Okay, so why does all of this need to be kept secret? It's never explained why this wedding has to be kept secret from Avery or why she has to be tricked into it, other than they know she won't want to. Also, if Cameron really cared about not forcing her, you know what's a really easy way to find out if she wants this marriage? Tell her what's happening!
That's how this book ends. Avery's brother, both parents, and Anne, her friend, basically everyone Avery trusted, works together to betray her trust. They respect her feelings so little that rather than tell her Cameron wants to marry her and let her feel feelings and think thoughts, they drug her and take her to the church. They get her so inebriated that she's stumbling around, can't stand up, and can't protest at the wedding. A total and unbelievable betrayal by everyone she loves. Utterly disgusting. Avery's wishes, autonomy, and consent aren't important. Only Cameron's desires matter. When he didn't want Avery, that was how things were. When he wants Avery, that's how things are. Avery's wishes are immaterial.
After waking up and realizing she's been tricked, Cameron silences Avery with sex, and that's how the book ends. With the male lead fucking the heroine into submission after getting her intoxicated and forcing her into marriage. Fucking vile.
Fuck this, what a disgusting ending. Overriding the female leads protests by incapacitating her? Absolutely unnecessary and disgusting.
P.S., this book was obsessed with food sex, and I mean obsessed. There's a subplot about people stealing jam and honey from the kitchen because now everyone wants to have food sex. Totally discordant with the subject matter. Then again, this book didn't take it's dark subject matter seriously at all.
The events of this book only makes sense if you buy into the assumption that women are the property of their male relatives. If that property is damaged by other men, you as a man are entitled to damage his property as revenge. Damage means rape, by the way. Yeah.
The underlying messages of this book are that if a woman is wronged by a man and has legitimate reasons to be angry at him, who cares. Just drug her or knock her out to bypass her consent (Yes, both of those really happen in this book!)
Also, we have the simultaneous and contrary ideas that women lie about rape, but also, they actually are raped constantly as part of blood-feuds between men. Women are a tool of collateral damage that you can use to get revenge on other men. If you rape a guy's sister, you've 'cucked' him, and damaged his pride somehow, and this demands revenge through raping one of his female relatives. This thought process is not at all uncommon in real life, it's alive and well in many cultures, but this book isn't self aware about it, and that's the problem.
The entire premise of this book hinges on a rape that supposedly was committed by Payton, Avery's brother, against Lady Katherine, Cameron's little sister. Avery is completely convinced that it's IMPOSSIBLE that Payton could have raped her, and can I say...? Fuck her for immediately siding with her brother without even knowing the details. Avery is intimately aware of how the men of her society behave. There are almost TWENTY rapes and attempted rapes that have happened within the last 4 books, against every single female lead and many side characters. Rape was a fact of life that Avery would have been aware of in a historical sense, and even in the TEXT of these books. Men of all classes could essentially get away with raping anyone who was below them socially or who wasn't part of their village. Avery remains steadfastly convinced that Lady Katherine is lying, because Payton would NEVER hurt a woman. After all, he's a good brother! He's nice to women in his own family! Painfully naive. Just because a man doesn't rape women in his own community, doesn't mean that he doesn't feel free to do so with women of an out-group or enemy family. There's a reason wartime rapes are so common.
The way Cameron responds to these allegations is to kidnap Payton's sister, Avery. He plans to rape her in order to humiliate Payton the way Cameron was humiliated (as if rape is a crime against a woman's male family members, or a case of property damage.) He's planning to hold Avery hostage until Payton marries Lady Katherine. Cameron's logic is: 'He raped my sister, so I will force him to ''''do right''' by my sister.' Even from the start, his plan makes no sense. If he believed it was rape, why on EARTH would he be now trying to arrange a marriage between his sister and the man who raped her? Is this the Old Testament? What are we TALKING about here! What a fucking monster!
Anyway, yeah, that's actually the romantic plot of this book. Cameron, a self-proclaimed woman-hater, kidnaps Avery to sexually soil her as a means to 'humiliate' Payton. Despite this disgusting plan, Avery falls for Cameron for some reason that is never fucking explained. She starts this book fucking CHAINED to Cameron's bedpost, and by Chapter 4, Avery is so horny for Cameron that she's not even mad she's being held prisoner anymore, literally says so word for word.
The point of these books is escapism and eroticism, and I don't find anything erotic about an openly misogynist male lead. He's literally a MGTOW who has sworn off sleeping with women because he doesn't trust them, and uses this as an excuse to abuse Avery. SOMEHOW, despite this, Avery is the one trying to convince Cameron that she's not bad, she's not like all those other whores. The sinister underlying ideology presented in this book is that Men hating Women is somehow a 'rational' assessment of women's behavior. A guy being cheated on once means they're objectively correct to forever view all women as lying whores. However, Women hating Men for the constant sexual violence perpetrated against them?... (reminder, almost 20 rapes in the books to this point) Women hating Men is somehow emotional, bitter, and irrational. Because a man being cheated on is magnitudes worse than a woman being raped, for some reason.
Avery has had multiple family members who have been raped, including her mother, Giselle, who was beaten and raped by her first husband, and has now been kidnapped by rapist-Cameron, but Cameron NEVER has to prove to her that he isn't like other men. It is AVERY who has to prove to CAMERON that SHE is trust-worthy. SHE has to prove her virtue and worth to her abuser. Cameron never has to prove that he's not like the other men in this book, and freely treats Avery like dogshit for the whole story. The entire book is an endless violation of her rights. If anyone should be proving himself, it's Cameron. There's actually a part where she's kidnapped by Charles DeVeaux (AGAIN, for the purpose of revenge-rape!) and she's chained to the bed just like she was by Cameron at the start of the story... but this is different, because Cameron is hot! That's literally the only difference between them.
So lets talk about the Charles DeVeaux kidnap for a minute, because it reveals a lot about how the men in these books think. Charles is going to rape Avery, again, as revenge for what 'The Murray Men' did to the DeVeaux back in Book 2 when helping Giselle escape from her rapist husband's family. (Just a reminder, that guy beat and raped Giselle routinely and was found dead, so everyone accused her of killing him.) Charles DeVeaux is now going to rape Avery as revenge against her father and uncles. Cameron decides to step in and save her (Even though he had exactly the same motives, he's been planning to rape her as a tool of revenge against Payton), but his motive for rescuing her is interesting. By this point, Cameron and Avery have started sleeping together, and Cameron's only textual reason for stopping Avery's rape is because he thinks it will make her not want to have sex with HIM anymore. He sees her as an object that only HE is entitled to make use of. Not because rape is a depraved violation in itself, but because it will personally interfere in his sex life. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you!
The casual violence against women and the flippant violation of their autonomy sprinkled throughout this book was honestly disgusting. The narrative kept acting like 13 year old Gillyann was sassy and spoiled, there are multiple instances where Cameron fantasizes about spanking her or slapping her in the face to shut her up, and this psychotically violent urge was played off as funny. What the FUCK? And then we have the way this story deals with Avery having autonomy when it comes to her own body and life. More than once, when the male characters don't want to 'deal with' Avery being ANGRY that her consent is being violated, they simply incapacitate her so that she can't protest. Knock her out so they can violate her wishes.
Halfway through the book, after the aforementioned kidnapping by DeVeaux, Avery is pissed and wants to go slit DeVeaux's throat before they leave, and rather than letting her make that decision or... I don't know, talking to her, Cameron gets Leargan to PUNCH AVERY IN THE FACE to knock her out. The narrative doesn't dwell on this chilling act of abuse and acts like they had no choice but to punch her lights out. We couldn't LET her kill her rapist, after all! ....... I need to remind you what this story is about. Cameron is trying to take Avery's virginity as revenge for his sister's rape, everything in this story revolves around this struggle, but Avery herself isn't allowed to avenge her own rape and she has to be physically prevented from doing so by being punched in the face. These are the 'good guys' by the way.
This is what I'm talking about. Women are property in this book. MEN are allowed to take revenge for rapes by raping other women. Women are not allowed to punish the men who rape them. And that's because rape isn't viewed as a crime against a woman in this book, because a woman isn't really human in these stories. Rape is actually a crime of theft against the woman's male relatives, this is why only men have the right to avenge rape, by committing yet another rape. That's the only ideology that makes any of this make sense, and it's a disgusting outlook. It's fucking putrid and this author should be ashamed.
The second half of the book isn't any better, because it's about 'women lie about rape constantly!'
Lady Katherine lied about being raped by Payton, and Cameron is struggling to accept this. He's starting to doubt that Payton really did it, because, well... he's hot! Hot men never rape, right? Because they don't NEED to! This just reveals such a fundamental misunderstanding of what rape is. It's not just about being horny, it's a desire for power, domination, and humiliation.... and this author KNOWS this, because that's what all the rapes committed in these books are about. Domination of their victim, and humiliation of other men. Another reason Cameron thinks Payton can't be a rapist is because, well, his sisters love him! They wouldn't love him if he was a mean rapist!... This is almost too stupid to dignify with a response. Plenty of rapists have family members who deny everything and provide cover for their domestic abuse.
Well, that's Cameron. Avery sucks too. She is FUCKING weird. We get off-handed comments about how she practiced kissing with her male cousins, she puts on Cameron's little sisters negligee to wear while she has sex with Cameron (ew, ew, ew, wtf), and she also goes through the book assuming that all she needs to do to make a man fall in love is to make him nut. Yet again another 'well-born' virgin who has premarital sex with a random. She's also yet another heroine who is playing into this author's complex about small boobs being virtuous and pure tradfem goddesses, while big-boob women are evil whores. Fucking weird.
This is also yet another book in this series where a random child is added in because the author wants the heroine to play at being a mother to show off her tradfem virtues, but not actually have given birth herself yet. Allen was such an unnecessary part of this book and only serves to make Cameron look even worse. He didn't stick around to see if his flings resulted in any children. He had no care about whether or not he left behind any bastards, but for some reason, the woman who birthed his child is a bitch and a whore for not keeping Allen. No irony detected when the first thing Cameron thinks upon finding out he has a son is "If she thinks she can force me to marry her because of the child -- I'd never marry that whore".... Yeah. That's why she didn't keep the baby. Because she knew you were worthless and didn't care about if she got pregnant anyway. Cameron, you're an evil cunt and I want you to know that.
This is the paradox of these books. We want the male leads to be heroic and kind and gentlemanly to all ladies and treat them with respect and honor, but to women they don't see as 'ladies?' To women they deem 'whores' or to anyone they see as their social inferior? They can treat them like dogshit. Cameron is a fucking worm who lived a life of impregnating random women without a care, didn't give a shit about any potential bastard kids he was producing, and he even says outright that he wouldn't have married the mother anyway if she hadn't been hanged, and only cares about the kid because it's a boy. But the mother is the one who's evil. Not him.
It isn't just the disgusting content, but the prose of this book, I have an issue with. These stories have gotten really lazy at this point. The female character, Avery, is described with word-for-word the exact same descriptors as the other 4 books preceding this one. It's literally almost copy-pasted, she just has a different hair color. 'Gentle curve of her hips, tiny breasts, slender, tiny and almost child-like, heart-shaped face, wide eyes with thick dark lashes', are all repeated descriptors from multiple other female leads. There's a ton of telling and no showing in the earlier chapters of the book to make it seem like time is passing faster than it is. It's just fucking lazy.
The end of the book is the kicker. If all that wasn't bad enough, the romantic plot ends with Avery's entire family conspiring to force her into a surprise marriage. Rather than talking to her about it and letting her decide, they respect her feelings so little that they don't care if she has legitimate reasons to refuse. This isn't considered a kidnapping, because her brother is the one planning it. It's not a violation of her rights; this is an agreement between her brother, her parents, and Cameron, the groom. There's no need to ask Avery what she thinks. She isn't a human, remember? She's property of her male relatives so it's okay that they're doing all this in secret and planning a forced marriage without even informing her. Hannah didn't have to do this, by the way! She didn't have to end the story this way and she knows it!
There are pages of conversation between Payton and Cameron where Cameron is all 'I don't want to force her into something she doesn't want,' and Payton is all, 'Well, she loves you, that's why she had sex with you!' .... Okay, so why does all of this need to be kept secret? It's never explained why this wedding has to be kept secret from Avery or why she has to be tricked into it, other than they know she won't want to. Also, if Cameron really cared about not forcing her, you know what's a really easy way to find out if she wants this marriage? Tell her what's happening!
That's how this book ends. Avery's brother, both parents, and Anne, her friend, basically everyone Avery trusted, works together to betray her trust. They respect her feelings so little that rather than tell her Cameron wants to marry her and let her feel feelings and think thoughts, they drug her and take her to the church. They get her so inebriated that she's stumbling around, can't stand up, and can't protest at the wedding. A total and unbelievable betrayal by everyone she loves. Utterly disgusting. Avery's wishes, autonomy, and consent aren't important. Only Cameron's desires matter. When he didn't want Avery, that was how things were. When he wants Avery, that's how things are. Avery's wishes are immaterial.
After waking up and realizing she's been tricked, Cameron silences Avery with sex, and that's how the book ends. With the male lead fucking the heroine into submission after getting her intoxicated and forcing her into marriage. Fucking vile.
Fuck this, what a disgusting ending. Overriding the female leads protests by incapacitating her? Absolutely unnecessary and disgusting.
P.S., this book was obsessed with food sex, and I mean obsessed. There's a subplot about people stealing jam and honey from the kitchen because now everyone wants to have food sex. Totally discordant with the subject matter. Then again, this book didn't take it's dark subject matter seriously at all.
July 2, 2021
Ейвъри Мъри и Камерън Макалпин
Книжката беше наистина чудесна. 5***** от мен.
Камерън Макалпин, леърд на клана Макалпин напуска дома си, и заминава да се бие във Франция, след като научава, че любовницата му е споделяла прелестите си с много мъже и никога не е смятала да му бъде вярна. Отвратен от това предателство, той прекарва 3 години във въздържание, отбягвайки всяка жена, която му се изпречи на пътят. До деня в който, след като отказва да се включи в отмъстителна лична битка на Девоу, мъжа, който го е наел, Камерън решава, че е бил достатъчно дълго далеч от дома и е време той и мъжете му да се приберат. Точно когато се подготвя да замине, един мъж от хората на Девоу, който му дължи голяма сума след хазартна игра, за да изплати дълга си, води при Камерън млада жена и още едно много по-младо момиче. Оказва се, че жената е Ейвъри Мъри, сестра на сър Пейтън Мъри, за който е получил вест, че е изнасилил сестра му, оставяйки я бременна. Сега съдбата предоставя на Камерън оръжието с което да спаси репутацията на сестра си и да принуди Пейтън да се ожени за нея. Той ще използва братовчедката на Пейтън Джилиан за разменна монета, а за отмъщение, смята да направи сестрата на Пейтън, Ейвъри, своя любовница и да я върне опозорена на семейството й.
Ейвъри Мъри е дъщеря на Найджъл и Жизел Мъри от
. Заедно с 13 годишната си братовчедка Джилън, дъщеря на Ерик и Бетия Мъри, Ейвъри отива на гости на семейство Лусет, Френските роднини на майка й. Старата вражда обаче, между фамилиите Лусет и Девоу, възникнала преди много години, когато майка й е била принудена да се омъжи за един Девоу и след това несправедливо обвинена в убийството на съпруга й, все още не е потушена и Девоу напада Лусет, избивайки голяма част от семейството и пленявайки Ейвъри и Джилиан, без дори да подозират, кои са те в действителност. Оказвайки се в ръцете на красивия леърд, Ейвъри знае, че брат й Пейтън не е способен да извърши всичко, за което го обвиняват и е готова да се бори, за да докаже невинността му.
Скоро обаче страстта между Ейвъри и Камерън се оказва по-силна от първоначалните им намерения и сега Ейвъри е готова да рискува всичко, за да спечели сърцето на тъмният рицар, който иска да принуди брат й да се омъжи за лъжливата му сестра. Пътувайки през цяла Франция, двамата трябва да се справят не само с противоречивите си чувства, но и с наемниците на Девоу, които осъзнали, коя в действителност е Ейвъри, сега смятат да си я върнат, както и парите, които са дали на Камерън за трите години в които им е служил.
Книжката беше наистина интересна и супер динамична. А Ейвъри беше толкова бойна мадама, че не е истина. Още в началото се сби с Камерън и докато той гледаше да не я нарани, тя го тръшна на пода, започвайки да блъска главата му в земята. След това нарита още един от мъжете му. По-нататък когато с Джилиан решиха да избягат, ритна Камерън в лицето трупясвайки го. Силна, умна и изобретателна героиня, която не пропускаше да клъвне главния герой и да го държи на нокти през половината от времето. С винаги подготвен саркастичен отговор или едва прикрита обида, тя беше страхотна героиня. Камерън от своя страна, в началото бе доста заблуден, наранен от преживените предстелства и факта, че отново и отново научваше, че е бил лъган, той се стараеше да направи това, което е нужно без да се вслушва в собствените си чувства и желания. Винаги подхождаше с едно на ум към Ейвъри, а тя винаги успяваше да го изненада. Ако на някой му се чете нещо забавно и динамично, горещо препоръчвам тази книга.
Книжката беше наистина чудесна. 5***** от мен.
Камерън Макалпин, леърд на клана Макалпин напуска дома си, и заминава да се бие във Франция, след като научава, че любовницата му е споделяла прелестите си с много мъже и никога не е смятала да му бъде вярна. Отвратен от това предателство, той прекарва 3 години във въздържание, отбягвайки всяка жена, която му се изпречи на пътят. До деня в който, след като отказва да се включи в отмъстителна лична битка на Девоу, мъжа, който го е наел, Камерън решава, че е бил достатъчно дълго далеч от дома и е време той и мъжете му да се приберат. Точно когато се подготвя да замине, един мъж от хората на Девоу, който му дължи голяма сума след хазартна игра, за да изплати дълга си, води при Камерън млада жена и още едно много по-младо момиче. Оказва се, че жената е Ейвъри Мъри, сестра на сър Пейтън Мъри, за който е получил вест, че е изнасилил сестра му, оставяйки я бременна. Сега съдбата предоставя на Камерън оръжието с което да спаси репутацията на сестра си и да принуди Пейтън да се ожени за нея. Той ще използва братовчедката на Пейтън Джилиан за разменна монета, а за отмъщение, смята да направи сестрата на Пейтън, Ейвъри, своя любовница и да я върне опозорена на семейството й.
Ейвъри Мъри е дъщеря на Найджъл и Жизел Мъри от
. Заедно с 13 годишната си братовчедка Джилън, дъщеря на Ерик и Бетия Мъри, Ейвъри отива на гости на семейство Лусет, Френските роднини на майка й. Старата вражда обаче, между фамилиите Лусет и Девоу, възникнала преди много години, когато майка й е била принудена да се омъжи за един Девоу и след това несправедливо обвинена в убийството на съпруга й, все още не е потушена и Девоу напада Лусет, избивайки голяма част от семейството и пленявайки Ейвъри и Джилиан, без дори да подозират, кои са те в действителност. Оказвайки се в ръцете на красивия леърд, Ейвъри знае, че брат й Пейтън не е способен да извърши всичко, за което го обвиняват и е готова да се бори, за да докаже невинността му.Скоро обаче страстта между Ейвъри и Камерън се оказва по-силна от първоначалните им намерения и сега Ейвъри е готова да рискува всичко, за да спечели сърцето на тъмният рицар, който иска да принуди брат й да се омъжи за лъжливата му сестра. Пътувайки през цяла Франция, двамата трябва да се справят не само с противоречивите си чувства, но и с наемниците на Девоу, които осъзнали, коя в действителност е Ейвъри, сега смятат да си я върнат, както и парите, които са дали на Камерън за трите години в които им е служил.
Книжката беше наистина интересна и супер динамична. А Ейвъри беше толкова бойна мадама, че не е истина. Още в началото се сби с Камерън и докато той гледаше да не я нарани, тя го тръшна на пода, започвайки да блъска главата му в земята. След това нарита още един от мъжете му. По-нататък когато с Джилиан решиха да избягат, ритна Камерън в лицето трупясвайки го. Силна, умна и изобретателна героиня, която не пропускаше да клъвне главния герой и да го държи на нокти през половината от времето. С винаги подготвен саркастичен отговор или едва прикрита обида, тя беше страхотна героиня. Камерън от своя страна, в началото бе доста заблуден, наранен от преживените предстелства и факта, че отново и отново научваше, че е бил лъган, той се стараеше да направи това, което е нужно без да се вслушва в собствените си чувства и желания. Винаги подхождаше с едно на ум към Ейвъри, а тя винаги успяваше да го изненада. Ако на някой му се чете нещо забавно и динамично, горещо препоръчвам тази книга.
March 1, 2020
Hannah Howell as always writes a delightful boom with this one. It will keep you up late into the night with a romance that takes time to develop over time. The MCs are delightful & always leaving you wanting more.
July 17, 2022
This was absurdly bad.
I picked this book up for free off the giveaway rack outside my library, which is good because it wasn't worth money. I figured since it said "New York Times Bestselling Author" on the cover, it couldn't be too bad. Lol!
The writing itself was mediocre but not that bad for the formula Scottish romance genre. The problem was the plot. It had more holes than a colander. Every plan the characters committed to made no logical sense, was absurdly unworkable even in the planning stage, and there were a dozen simple ways to actually accomplish the goal. But the author and characters went to absurd lengths to ignore them all. It was ridiculous.
But the biggest thing is that while I don't expect formula romances to have the level of historical detail and accuracy of the 2,000 lb gorilla writers like Diana Gabaldon and Jean M Auel, I do expect at least a passing knowledge of the basics of society for the time period. The whole book was hung on the premise that the Hero believed that the heroine's brother had gotten his sister pregnant and was endeavoring to get the rake to marry her. But in all the wacky hijinks, the author actually managed to completely ignore the fact that highborn ladies who lost their virginity before wedlock were ruined if they didn't turn up quickly with a husband.
Sounds like I contradicted myself, right? Nope. All the pressure to marry was because of the baby needing a "name" to make him legitimate. And after the H/h became sexually involved (which was widely known), and the Hero didn't intend to marry the heroine, all the potential risk that was given was that she might live her life with a broken heart because she had allowed him to go so far that now her heart was wrapped up in it. What???
NO MENTION of the fact that she was ruined. That she would never ever be able to make a decent marriage after that. That her family reputation would be damaged. That she would have to spend the rest of her life living on the charity of her family if she didn't want to die in poverty. Nope. Broken heart. That was the big scary risk.
The author essentially took modern day culture, dressed them up in period costumes, plunked them on horses, and hit "Find and replace" on her word processor to change all the instances of the "man" to "mon" and hit publish.
I'm just going to go put it back on the free shelf outside the library because I'd feel bad giving it to Goodwill and having somebody pay 49 cents for it.
I picked this book up for free off the giveaway rack outside my library, which is good because it wasn't worth money. I figured since it said "New York Times Bestselling Author" on the cover, it couldn't be too bad. Lol!
The writing itself was mediocre but not that bad for the formula Scottish romance genre. The problem was the plot. It had more holes than a colander. Every plan the characters committed to made no logical sense, was absurdly unworkable even in the planning stage, and there were a dozen simple ways to actually accomplish the goal. But the author and characters went to absurd lengths to ignore them all. It was ridiculous.
But the biggest thing is that while I don't expect formula romances to have the level of historical detail and accuracy of the 2,000 lb gorilla writers like Diana Gabaldon and Jean M Auel, I do expect at least a passing knowledge of the basics of society for the time period. The whole book was hung on the premise that the Hero believed that the heroine's brother had gotten his sister pregnant and was endeavoring to get the rake to marry her. But in all the wacky hijinks, the author actually managed to completely ignore the fact that highborn ladies who lost their virginity before wedlock were ruined if they didn't turn up quickly with a husband.
Sounds like I contradicted myself, right? Nope. All the pressure to marry was because of the baby needing a "name" to make him legitimate. And after the H/h became sexually involved (which was widely known), and the Hero didn't intend to marry the heroine, all the potential risk that was given was that she might live her life with a broken heart because she had allowed him to go so far that now her heart was wrapped up in it. What???
NO MENTION of the fact that she was ruined. That she would never ever be able to make a decent marriage after that. That her family reputation would be damaged. That she would have to spend the rest of her life living on the charity of her family if she didn't want to die in poverty. Nope. Broken heart. That was the big scary risk.
The author essentially took modern day culture, dressed them up in period costumes, plunked them on horses, and hit "Find and replace" on her word processor to change all the instances of the "man" to "mon" and hit publish.
I'm just going to go put it back on the free shelf outside the library because I'd feel bad giving it to Goodwill and having somebody pay 49 cents for it.
March 25, 2015
Let me start by saying I love Hanna Howell's books. This one though was a bit of a let down. Avery, who is the herion, falls in love with a foolish man who doesn't want to love again. This a plot used many times by HH and normally it doesn't bother me as I fall for both H/h by than but the plot for this story just didn't work for me. Cameron our thick headed male lead has decided he doesn't want any kind of womanly distractions and after 3 years of holding fast to that cannot understand his pull towards Avery.
Avery Murray( cousin of Gillyianne from Highland Bride,one of my favorites) finds her and Gilly held capture by Cameron who has decided to use her to get her brother Peyton to marry his sister Katherine. The story goes that he supposedly raped her. The problem I had was he planned on seducing Avery as peyton did Katherine. He shared nothing with Katherine except blood. He was bound by honor to makePeyton marry Katherine. That being said he in no way felt if he dishonoured Avery he too should marry her. That was the beginning of my problems I had but than was how he kept treating Avery throughout he would have sex time and time again with her and still treat her as a whore.
I think my true problem was with Avery herself because she tried so desperately to make Cameron fall in love with her and his response was you ken what it was when you went to bed with me. She excepted that a woman who outsmarted him more than once allowed him to degrade her. The story with Katherine was so drawn out that on Avery and Camerons final night I wanted to read Avery stand up for herself instead we read this steamy love scene that meant nothing as we knew how it would end. I would have liked to skip through a lot of this drug out plot and would have liked to read more of there married life together. She should have took some lessons from her 13 year old cousin now there was a woman after my own heart. I will still read a Howell book but this one was just a bump in the road for me.
Avery Murray( cousin of Gillyianne from Highland Bride,one of my favorites) finds her and Gilly held capture by Cameron who has decided to use her to get her brother Peyton to marry his sister Katherine. The story goes that he supposedly raped her. The problem I had was he planned on seducing Avery as peyton did Katherine. He shared nothing with Katherine except blood. He was bound by honor to makePeyton marry Katherine. That being said he in no way felt if he dishonoured Avery he too should marry her. That was the beginning of my problems I had but than was how he kept treating Avery throughout he would have sex time and time again with her and still treat her as a whore.
I think my true problem was with Avery herself because she tried so desperately to make Cameron fall in love with her and his response was you ken what it was when you went to bed with me. She excepted that a woman who outsmarted him more than once allowed him to degrade her. The story with Katherine was so drawn out that on Avery and Camerons final night I wanted to read Avery stand up for herself instead we read this steamy love scene that meant nothing as we knew how it would end. I would have liked to skip through a lot of this drug out plot and would have liked to read more of there married life together. She should have took some lessons from her 13 year old cousin now there was a woman after my own heart. I will still read a Howell book but this one was just a bump in the road for me.
March 21, 2014
Avery Murray and her cousin Gillyanne are taken captive and given to Cameron MacAlpin as payment. When Cameron discovers who Avery is, he finds the perfect tool for revenge has landed in his lap. His sister Katherine claims Avery's brother raped her and got her pregnant. Avery strongly believes Katherine is lying and intends to prove it. Cameron intends to seduce Avery and use her for revenge and trade her for her brother. As the couple journeys from France back to Scotland while being chased by horrendous and ruthless enemy, Avery manages to seduce Cameron hoping to take the sting away from the revenge. I really like the story idea but I was disappointed. I felt that Avery gave in too easily. I mean if a man was going to take my chastity and then cast me aside in the name of revenge I wouldn't think myself in love with the man and decide to seduce him. She knew what he was planning but she barely showed any resistance. I also found Cameron to be a bit annoying, even when he saw how spoiled and mean his sister was he kept ignoring the obvious. I would have liked to see Avery as a stronger character especially how it was boasted that the Murray lasses were so brave, fearless and strong.
November 29, 2014
Just gave this 3 stars. It's my 4th Murray story, the first of the next generation. Avery is the daughter of Nigel & Giselle Murray from Highland Honor. It's probably just as good as the others in the series but I am just getting weary of the thick-headed men, who don't get a clue until the last few pages. Laird Cameron McAlpin is a lot like Laird Balfour Murray of Highland Destiny, eldest of Murray brothers - brooding, dour - they need to lighten up. But perhaps a lot of men really are like this - afraid to confront their emotions; but still seems illogical at times. The rest of the cast are likable: the two Murray cousins Avery & Giselle keep things lively, as does the too-bonny-for-his-own-good Payton who has women throwing themselves at him.
January 4, 2010
Avery and her cousin Gillyanne are captured in a raid and deposited at the feet of Cameron MacAlpin, who sees this as a way to avenge his sister who claims to have been raped and impregnated by Avery's brother. But as he continues his plan to seduce her, he doesn't count on falling in love.
This was another good installment of the Murray series, and it never gets uncomfortable or humiliating as sometimes the captor/captive stories can be. Avery and Gillyanne are fun heroines and I love how they alternately vex and charm the MacAlpins. Cameron is a broody hero that is very dense, but it could definitely be worse.
This was another good installment of the Murray series, and it never gets uncomfortable or humiliating as sometimes the captor/captive stories can be. Avery and Gillyanne are fun heroines and I love how they alternately vex and charm the MacAlpins. Cameron is a broody hero that is very dense, but it could definitely be worse.
November 29, 2011
What a wonderful read. I Love when it is based and where it is based.
The Charters were wonderful. Avery is the payment for a debt and her cousin as well. Cameron MacAlpin is the one the debt is owed. He is not sure what to do with the young woman at his feet. Soon after he finds out who she is; He might know then ~wink~ not going to tell you. That would not leave you anything to read.
I recommend this book that is for sure. I love how Hannah Howell writes this story!!
I love Highland books there is just something so romantic and mysteries about that time and place. And you know the man in kilts help too.
Happy Reading Everyone!
The Charters were wonderful. Avery is the payment for a debt and her cousin as well. Cameron MacAlpin is the one the debt is owed. He is not sure what to do with the young woman at his feet. Soon after he finds out who she is; He might know then ~wink~ not going to tell you. That would not leave you anything to read.
I recommend this book that is for sure. I love how Hannah Howell writes this story!!
I love Highland books there is just something so romantic and mysteries about that time and place. And you know the man in kilts help too.
Happy Reading Everyone!
February 14, 2010
about the romance of a young woman and a knight from the highlands of scotland
March 14, 2016
Well I just finish re-reading this book. It was as great as the first time. It had me laughing with such great characters. Love the Murray's. Can't wait to finish this part of the series.
May 25, 2016
Another great story.
July 14, 2022
Mixed feelings here... The storyline was great, Howell never disappoints with some good intrigue, twists, turns, and romance. BUT. The main characters were STUPID!
I really enjoyed Cameron and Avery both, UNTIL, they started having an affair... Avery "fell" for him, for no good reason, and there were even many reasons for why she should NOT fall for him. He threatens her, threatens her brother, and is just another in a long line of general idiots and "bad guys" that wouldn't know their own feelings if they kicked them in the groin. So she didn't even know him before claiming to be "in love" with him. It was nothing but LUST!
As for Cameron, he is your typical alpha male, spurned by womankind, who quickly throws his self-imposed celibacy out the window the minute Avery shows interest in him. When you throw a man and woman together in close quarters, they're going to get lusty, and that's all it was between them. There were also many other ways he could have went about handling the situation regarding his sister without using Avery as leverage against Peyton. So it was just an excuse. It didn't have to be pressure on their relationship.
The pair's "finer feelings" weren't even really discussed in detail until the ending chapter, so there was nothing else going on besides lots of kinky sex, which was just boring, because they were like dogs in heat.
I admire Howell's sense of humor that was included in some parts (including the bits about everyone using their favorite condiments for "love play", as the French lady called it). She also did a fine job tying in wee Alan's father into the story... I won't spoil that part :)
A good book with bad/malformed characters. I liked Leargan and Gillyanne more than I liked Cameron. And when Avery was leaving to go home, I much preferred the kiss Leargan gave her to ALL the times she kissed Cameron. Just saying!
I really enjoyed Cameron and Avery both, UNTIL, they started having an affair... Avery "fell" for him, for no good reason, and there were even many reasons for why she should NOT fall for him. He threatens her, threatens her brother, and is just another in a long line of general idiots and "bad guys" that wouldn't know their own feelings if they kicked them in the groin. So she didn't even know him before claiming to be "in love" with him. It was nothing but LUST!
As for Cameron, he is your typical alpha male, spurned by womankind, who quickly throws his self-imposed celibacy out the window the minute Avery shows interest in him. When you throw a man and woman together in close quarters, they're going to get lusty, and that's all it was between them. There were also many other ways he could have went about handling the situation regarding his sister without using Avery as leverage against Peyton. So it was just an excuse. It didn't have to be pressure on their relationship.
The pair's "finer feelings" weren't even really discussed in detail until the ending chapter, so there was nothing else going on besides lots of kinky sex, which was just boring, because they were like dogs in heat.
I admire Howell's sense of humor that was included in some parts (including the bits about everyone using their favorite condiments for "love play", as the French lady called it). She also did a fine job tying in wee Alan's father into the story... I won't spoil that part :)
A good book with bad/malformed characters. I liked Leargan and Gillyanne more than I liked Cameron. And when Avery was leaving to go home, I much preferred the kiss Leargan gave her to ALL the times she kissed Cameron. Just saying!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2021
As per usual with this series, the plot is driven forward entirely by the stupidity of at least one primary character. In this book, Cameron believes his lying scheming sister that she was raped and wants her rapist to be forced to marry her - because women who have been raped want to marry their rapists? That’s the message we are supposed to believe here, as well as believing that Cameron would want that for his sister so badly that he would be willing to commit crimes himself.
Cameron then kidnaps the man’s sister in order to force him into the marriage. But his plans go awry when he falls for the kidnapped sister. This is the actual love story in the book.
An additional point of contention for me is that the sister, Avery, was in France (where the kidnapping took place) at all. Avery’s mother Gisele was hunted through France for over a year because she had been the enemy of a brutal and powerful French family (previous book titled Highland Honor). I found it very difficult to believe that Gisele would send any of her children to France while that family was still in power. It made no sense at all.
I often enjoy the secondary characters in these books more than the primary storylines, and that was true with this book as well. I also like the Scottish clans. Unfortunately, I never enjoy the convoluted and unbelievable plots.
Cameron then kidnaps the man’s sister in order to force him into the marriage. But his plans go awry when he falls for the kidnapped sister. This is the actual love story in the book.
An additional point of contention for me is that the sister, Avery, was in France (where the kidnapping took place) at all. Avery’s mother Gisele was hunted through France for over a year because she had been the enemy of a brutal and powerful French family (previous book titled Highland Honor). I found it very difficult to believe that Gisele would send any of her children to France while that family was still in power. It made no sense at all.
I often enjoy the secondary characters in these books more than the primary storylines, and that was true with this book as well. I also like the Scottish clans. Unfortunately, I never enjoy the convoluted and unbelievable plots.
August 24, 2019
Kind of redundant
I did but the whole series, and I'm afraid that they are going to be like the others, different names, maybe starting out with traveling to France to Scotland. This was different enough, but the "Murray lasses" have the same M.O. They are small, or "wee", and have something that they can do that no one else can i.e. Sense danger before it happens etc. But as this started off in France saved the two Murray girls and safely got them home, as a couple twists in it I have it 4 stars. I did jump head and read Highland BRIDE which I gladly give this 5 stars. It never (maybe at the end) went to the country castle it was set in town with a spitfire of a girl with a hilarious, again tiny lady, but I usually do not laugh out loud and Highland BRIDE did that for me. So thumbs up for it. Wow two reviews together, I 👍 that. Happy Reading, Donna
I did but the whole series, and I'm afraid that they are going to be like the others, different names, maybe starting out with traveling to France to Scotland. This was different enough, but the "Murray lasses" have the same M.O. They are small, or "wee", and have something that they can do that no one else can i.e. Sense danger before it happens etc. But as this started off in France saved the two Murray girls and safely got them home, as a couple twists in it I have it 4 stars. I did jump head and read Highland BRIDE which I gladly give this 5 stars. It never (maybe at the end) went to the country castle it was set in town with a spitfire of a girl with a hilarious, again tiny lady, but I usually do not laugh out loud and Highland BRIDE did that for me. So thumbs up for it. Wow two reviews together, I 👍 that. Happy Reading, Donna
October 3, 2019
New favorite author
Loving to read I am always looking for a good read. Well, I found a good read here . The story of Cameron and Avery is one that will take you on a journey of not only love but humor and a lot of wanting to "kick " the hero in his "arse". Avery and her cousin, Gillyanne, were likeable heroines. They have a family that loves large. So, when Avery 's brother, Payton, is unjustly accused of a crime, these two are quick to find what really happened. In the meantime Cameron takes advantage of Avery and basically goes on with his stupid plans of which you need to read to find out what it was. Fortunately, between Avery, Gillyanne, Payton and their friends they uncover the truth of things. Cameron comes to his senses and marries the love of his life.
Loving to read I am always looking for a good read. Well, I found a good read here . The story of Cameron and Avery is one that will take you on a journey of not only love but humor and a lot of wanting to "kick " the hero in his "arse". Avery and her cousin, Gillyanne, were likeable heroines. They have a family that loves large. So, when Avery 's brother, Payton, is unjustly accused of a crime, these two are quick to find what really happened. In the meantime Cameron takes advantage of Avery and basically goes on with his stupid plans of which you need to read to find out what it was. Fortunately, between Avery, Gillyanne, Payton and their friends they uncover the truth of things. Cameron comes to his senses and marries the love of his life.
August 27, 2019
**won in a Goodreads giveaway**
Bartered to repay a debt Avery Murray is at the mercy of the man who now holds her captive. Once Cameron MacAlpin finds out that Avery is none other than the sister of the man who is accused of dishonoring Cameron's sister he comes up with a plan to use Avery to get his revenge. He decides that seduction is the best way to get that revenge. However he doesn't plan on one thing, the willfulness and vibrancy of Avery captures him. Avery cannot deny how Cameron makes her feel, although she is treated very well she is still a captive and tries to fight Cameron at every turn...but even she can't deny the feelings Cameron evokes.
Hannah Howell is one of my favorite historical romance authors. She never disappoints with her stories.
Bartered to repay a debt Avery Murray is at the mercy of the man who now holds her captive. Once Cameron MacAlpin finds out that Avery is none other than the sister of the man who is accused of dishonoring Cameron's sister he comes up with a plan to use Avery to get his revenge. He decides that seduction is the best way to get that revenge. However he doesn't plan on one thing, the willfulness and vibrancy of Avery captures him. Avery cannot deny how Cameron makes her feel, although she is treated very well she is still a captive and tries to fight Cameron at every turn...but even she can't deny the feelings Cameron evokes.
Hannah Howell is one of my favorite historical romance authors. She never disappoints with her stories.
September 15, 2019
This is an on going story of the Murray family. Cameron is a knight for hire in France when right before he leaves he is given a Highland lass as payment of a loss bet by another. Avery is that lass and her cousin Gillyanne is with her. They were were captured at their cousins keep when a raiding was done. He had just received word that a Payton Murray had raped his sister. When he finds out Avery is his sister he plans the man's down fall by doing the same to his sister. But not all works out that way for him. Their odd courtship is not without others wanting the woman in this story. He must protect her from the man who he worked for and seduce her at the same time. As with the first four books I have read it in the past and still enjoyed it here.
February 3, 2019
I just love these 15th century Highland books, and Hannah Howell does them so well. This was a familiar story of a heroine captured by the hero and falls in love with him. Hero is a total fool. Story is that heroine's brother raped (?) hero's sister. So hero holds heroine hostage until her brother does the right thing for hero's sister, who is a total bitch. And in this mix is Gillyanne, who is heroine's 13 year old cousin and if this was a movie she would steal the show. As it was, she stole everyone's heart including mine. Can't wait for the next Murray book.
February 23, 2018
Hannah Howell delivers every time! Her books are always page turners and definitely a great read. I have read many of her books several times and they never get old. I would definitely recommend any one of her books.
Hannah Howell delivers every time! Her books are always page turners and definitely a great read. I have read many of her books several times and they never get old. I would definitely recommend any one of her books.
Hannah Howell delivers every time! Her books are always page turners and definitely a great read. I have read many of her books several times and they never get old. I would definitely recommend any one of her books.
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