From USA Today Bestselling author Donna Fletcher comes the first book in the Macinnes Sisters trilogy.
The three Macinnes sisters are well-known throughout the Highlands. Heather, the eldest, is known for her beauty and kindness. Patience, the middle sister, while attractive is known for her warrior skills. Emma, the youngest is plain-featured, her passion is knowledge. There is nothing the sisters will not do for each other and their love and loyalty is tested when Heather is abducted.
Emma must ride alone through a rainstorm to reach the MacClennan keep and fetch the mighty warrior Rogan MacClennan, Heather’s intended. Nothing must delay her. Her sister’s life depends on it. Emma is not only shocked by the warrior’s handsome features, but by his refusal to leave immediately once he learns that Heather has been abducted. His excuse is the raging storm, but Emma will not bow to the mighty warrior’s dictates. She sneaks off to return to the injured Macinnes warriors and to search for Heather.
Rogan MacClennan cannot believe the audacity of the youngest Macinnes sister to call him a coward, and then sneak off in nothing more than her nightdress. When he gets his hands on her, he intends to see her sent home to her father. Then he will rescue his intended without any interference from Emma.
Thrown together, the unlikely pair must face more trials and tribulations than they ever imagined possible. They also must face something both are trying desperately to ignore and deny... that they are falling in love.
Emma cannot betray her sister and Rogan must do his duty to his clan. They have no future together... or do they?
I struggled to finish it. Plenty of dragging parts, boring, the story’s flow was mostly tiring and I skimmed through it. You don’t want to know about the sex scenes between the 🐇mcs🐇... 🤦🏻♀️
Here's what bothered me: their insta-love. Now don't get me wrong -- I can understand insta-lust but I need more development before the lead characters are confessing their undying love for each other. But was their love believable? Unfortunately, no. All they did was spent a couple of days together alone and bam it's like they can't live without each other. I love me some highlander but this one was a miss for me.
I thought about giving this book 3 stars, but no, that would not be fair for my 3 stars books. The 3 stars status is reserved for books that I actually liked but would probably not read again.
I cannot say that about this book. I love a highland romance and have read Donna Fletcher before. They never seem to catch much of my interest so it is possible that it is a style mismatch. At any rate it is not poorly written but I have issues with the heroine character, the plot development and, as many reviewers have pointed out, their insta-love.
It is only natural that while writing a trilogy of 3 sisters, each one of them should have a distinct personality. I get that. And what is out there? A beautiful one (the oldest, Heather) for sure, a warrior princess (the middle on, Patience) of course and a plain woman (the youngest, Emma). Knowing that this trilogy has such character types for heroines, I already knew that I probably won't like the warrior princess and the plain woman. The warrior princess is....(shoulders drooping).....not my type. There is nothing I can do about it. Emma, the poor plain girl who no one wants to marry is the heroine in this book. I have to sigh 3 times before I say this: why must an able woman be ugly?
So Emma's character is an extremely smart woman. She is capable and very smart, hungry for knowledge but you know what, nobody cares. She is plain-looking. I just don't understand why her appearance has to be "magnified". Whenever the writers write a plain heroine, they must repeat 5 times that she is no beauty, oh but you know what, she is very smart (ugh it is frustrating).
So Emma's character was already not great for me, but I read on. As I said, writing isn't bad. Enters Rogan the hero, a typical highland warrior who in the beginning appeared to be pig-headed but after spending a few days with Emma, boom, he was in love (I went: whaaaaaattt?? when I read that he thought to himself how much he loved Emma). They slept naked together for a few nights and ohhhh it must be loooooovvve and ride with me because only I can protect you (by this time my eyes were rolled all the way to the back of my head). Then boom they were married because conveniently the marriage contract between Rogan and Heather was so foresightly designed that it allowed a match between Rogan and Emma (yeah right, only in a romance novel).
By 70% I have completely lost my interest in the couple. So the ugly girl got the hot guy, the end already. But no, there is still the mystery of Heather's abduction. Patience wove in and out of the story, I have no intention to read her story anyways so I skim-read whenever Patience was mentioned. Emma and Rogan are in love, let's get it over with. All plain girls, rejoice, because as long as we are smart and very capable, somewhere over the rainbow there will be a Rogan.
I think it is just my personal preference: I don't like that the girl's plain looks are repeatedly mentioned. I don't like that they fell in love prematurely. Insta-lust, I get. Insta-love, I don't. I don't like that the plot development was contrived. The story did not flow. It was forced to happen. I cannot explain it better than that.
I will read Heather's story, which is the last. But my 3rd attempt at Donna Fletcher turned out just as unfulfilling as the last 2.
Unfortunately, there's a lot of telling going on here, and very little showing. Most experienced readers will know what this means. ___________________
The story's pretty simple: there are three sisters to the Maccines Clan, of which Heather (the pretty one) is the oldest, Patience (the warrior) is the middle child, and Emma (the healer) is the youngest and also the most plain. They're on their way to meet with Heather's betrothed, Rogan, and unite their two clans. The only problem is that along the way, Heather gets kidnapped by "ghost warriors" belonging to the legendary Dark Dragon, and of course that leaves very little hope for getting her back. Patience, having none, goes off to rescue her, leaving Emma to continue the journey alone and get Rogan's help.
Well, Emma does just that, but neither she nor Rogan ever anticipated falling in love with each other, which is complicated by the fact that Rogan technically rejected the idea of being married to Emma before, just on the basis that Heather is the pretty one and Emma is the "plain" one.
Ahem. Yeah.
Anyway, the setup's pretty good, with Emma showing a "beauty from within" type of thing, but...well, while there SHOULD be a lot of chemistry from this semi-forbidden romance playing out, unfortunately that's not the case. Instead, it's a lot of back-and-forth between the couple, and a lot of repetitive scenes that feel like they can be skimmed/skipped--i.e. Emma defying Rogan, Rogan trying to battle his lust for Emma, promising to get Heather back, messengers show up with more news, etc. It's just...bland, and the fact that it seems to repeat over and over again makes the plot seem more tedious and longer than I think was intended. Add to this the fact that we're more told than shown that Rogan and Emma love each other, without it ever being explained why or even how that happened (because, yeah, a few kinda-chemistry moments between them does not a solid relationship make).
Altogether, it just makes for a story that didn't interest me very much, beyond caring way more about what's happened to Heather with the Dark Dragon--because, yeah, that's intriguing--and feeling that Emma's story was overall lacking.
The Highlander's Stolen Heart by Donna Fletcher is a fantastic historical romance that once started you won't be able to put down. Ms. Fletcher has crafted a book that is not only well-written but also loaded with characters that are stellar. I totally love the characters in this book. Emma's father tries to marry her to Rogan, who refuses to marry the "ugly one" and is to wed her beautiful sister Heather. As the three sisters travel to Rogan's home they are set upon and Heather is stolen away. Patience is the warrior sister and gathers the men that aren't wounded and takes off after them, leaving Emma to seek help from Rogan. As Emma and Rogan search for her sisters there is plenty of drama, action, humor, sizzle and suspense to keep readers glued to this book. I loved this book from the first page till the last and look forward to reading more from Donna Fletcher in the future. The Highlander's Stolen Heart is book 1 of the Macinnes Sisters Trilogy but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger, but it does leave you wanting to read the next book...or two.
I voluntarily read a complimentary copy of this book that I received from Bookfunnel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
As always with the starting book in one of Fletcher's series, it's fantastic. Very good at setting up the plot that will now span 2 more books and even better at creating characters that I could really fall for and cheer for as well.
I will admit, it DID lacked a strong conflict to bring the book to a climax near the end but as a big fan of Fletcher's series, it's what I expected. Instead of coming to a high stakes, climatic, on the edge of your seat moment, it's more like climbing a big hill only to reach the top and see you have an even bigger hill to climb still. It leaves you with many questions, but also wanting more. I mean we know who are "villain" is and by the end of book one, we haven't really even met him yet. And I'm personally under the opinion that they might not even BE a bad guy in the end, if my hunch as to the Dark Dragon's past proves true.
What I like it that Fletcher has also left you with clear clues to the answers throughout this first book. I always love reading the early books in a Flecther series because I feel like I am picking up on little plot points that will lead to later reveals. I am left in a heavy suspense to see if they were indeed hints and my ideas are correct... or if I am just over analyzing things. This is only book one and I am pretty sure I now have to wait until book three to discover if my hunch as to who the Dark Dragon is and why he has done all this is correct.
I only hope that the next two books in this series can hold up to this first book. A bar has been set high and if book 2 can't match or exceed it and then the same for book 3, I will be very disappointed.
Heather has been taken by unknown warriors. Patience is on the trail to track down her sister. That leaves Emma to ride alone in the rainstorm to reach help from MacClenna keep, fetching the mighty warrior Rogan MacClenna, who is Heather's intended. Nothing must delay her, her sister's life depends on it. Emma is not only shocked by Rogan 's handsome features, but by his refusal to leave immediately once he learns that Heather has been abducted. Not willing to wait until Rogan is ready to search for Heather. Emma starts out on her own. She will not follow the dictates of Rogan, he has no right to dictate anything to her. He will be marring her sister Heather not her. Now Rogan has to watch out for Emma as well as search for Heather. Fates has thrown them together, now Rogan knows that Emma is strong, fearless, and very knowledgeable. He also wonders if Heather is the right sister for him.
I keep on saying that a really good book has a romantic theme, a hunk oh a Highlander and a feisty woman, so this book is sure to please. There is, however, more to offer, and that is a sinister presence within the background story, adding drama and intrigue to the tale. So, I believe you will be blown away by the plot of this book, and I look forward to the next book in the set. I voluntarily submitted this review after reading an advanced copy of this book.
Donna Fletcher has some fab HR books that I love re-reading sadly this is not one of them. The banter between the MCs at the start was enjoyable and had be smiling ready for sparks to fly but there was just something key missing and I never found myself fully sinking into the read.
More intensity was needed. I didn't find myself as absorbed as I hoped to be. Danger did not pulsate off the page and the relationship development didn't have me sighing in delight. Passion did not ripple of the page.
If I could give this 10 Stars, I would without hesitation! Rogan MacClennan and Emma Macinnes' story is such an exceptional start to Donna Fletcher's new Trilogy. Emma is the youngest of the Macinnes Sister. She is not as beautiful as her other two sisters, Patience and Heather. She feels she will never marry because she will never attract a man as her sisters do. She is on a journey with her sisters and their warriors to take Heather to wed for a clan alliance with clan MacClennan, for Heather is to marry Rogan MacClennan. She was supposed to have been the one to marry him, but they had rejected her because she was the plain one. This of course had stung her at first, but she knew because she was the plain sister, she would not wed. She was the sister that was extremely intelligent and willful in all things. Patience was a warrior herself and Heather was her older beautiful sister who had raised them after their mother's death.
Rogan was the son of the Laird of clan MacClennan, he was finally going to have to do his duty of marrying for a clan alliance and securing an heir. His father had convinced him of marrying the most beautiful of the sisters instead of the plain sister and he had agreed. When he meets the "plain" sister, he discovers she is a hellion who calls him a coward in front of his clan. The sisters, his betrothed and their warriors had been set upon and attacked by the infamous ghost warriors of the Dark Dragon. He finds out from Emma that his betrothed has been taken and that the warrior sister, Patience has gone in search of them. He intends on rescuing his betrothed, but little did he know he would have to deal with the hellion during the rescue.
Two willful and strong minded human beings will clash wits throughout, bringing on such intense passion. For Emma, this infuriating handsome warrior who is promised to her sister, will give her no peace. For Rogan, this hellion of a woman is going to drive him mad!
This story is exceptional and I highly recommend it. Mystery, Passion and Intensity run rampant through this great story.
Donna Fletcher is made of amazing! Even after more than 30 novels she proves she’s still got it. There is not one book she has written that we have not enjoyed. Thank you!
Please note: While the lovers, Rogan and Emma, find there HEA there is a narrative that will run through the remaining two novels of the trilogy. You are left hanging, but in a good way.
Of course we love to read about sisters who are close and dedicated to one another, like us! Often novels are written about brothers, it is refreshing to read a series about sisters.
The sisters all have unique personalities, but each is a likeable character. They love and appreciated each others difference and protect one another.
Rogan, is a truly honorable highlander who doesn’t give in to his passions. He does the right thing, even when it’s painful to do so.
Emma is the kind of woman any Laird would want as his wife. She’s kindhearted, loyal, and smart, which is a rare quality in a woman during that time period.
The lover’s continued bantering and sexual tension, makes for an entertaining read. You never get bored of these two clashing. Especially since they both have the same ultimate goals.
The relationship between Rogan and Emma, develops naturally. After being thrown together during distressing circumstances, they come to know one another and a friendship develops. This friendship allows them to know each others admirable qualities and they fall in love. Le sigh…
We thought we loved Cree, but Rogan stole our hearts. ❤
Ends in a cliff-hanger, have the second in the series nearby. I've put off reading it in anticipation of the third in the trilogy being released sometime next month. The wait, even though short, will be painful.
Donna Fletcher is a member of my short list of authors who cannot write fast enough for my voracious reading appetite. Her books are both appetizer and seven course meal.
How does she do it? The scenario is three sisters set out together, with warriors, to deliver the oldest, Heather, to her betrothed. On the way they are attacked and the betrothed sister is abducted. The middle sister, Patience, who is an esteemed tracker takes off after the attackers while the youngest, Emma, sets off for the destination to gather additional warriors and follow. The youngest then spends a lot of time with her sister's betrothed. This can be an awkward trope if not done well. These are not only sisters, they are loyal and exceedingly loving of each other. How does she do it? Ms. Fletcher makes it work and work well. The three sisters are separated from each other throughout the story with Emma wanting to meet up again with Patience so they can determine how best to retrieve Heather.
The cliff-hanger is the end of Emma and Rogan's story and the end of Patience and Hunter's story (though I only know that because I read them out of order). This is a good adventure with romance with a plucky heroine and a hot Scot.
Sept 2018: This is a good series with the heroines being the stars of the story. I am skimming over the sex scenes because they seem to be inserted rather than part of the flow.
Probably more like 3.5, it's hard to truly gauge. I liked it, but there were times when it seemed repetitive. It's not a bad story, just don't expect a lot of variety or wow moments is all.
These things started to become repetitive to me - 1. The missing sister plot going nowhere, the same fears and thoughts expressed over and over. While some of it is understandable, it started to get boring in the middle and end. 2. The sex scenes - honestly, I thought there were too many of them. And when they weren't actually having sex, they were talking about wanting and planning said sex. I don't mind sex in my books, but I felt some of the time given to sex could have been spent on solidifying their relationship more. Or on other plot. 3. The I-love-yous and all that. I think having them profess their love for each other and fall into married life so easily and quickly took a lot of tension away from the plot and it all started to get repetitive and boring at times. 4. They'd often do the same actions. For example, Emma leaving in the early morning, Rogan waking up alone, spending a good portion of time looking for her, etc.
I liked the book and I liked the hero, he seemed to love and care for the heroine, but the plot didn't wow me.
So you know how you start reading a book and have to go back to the title page to see if it is in fact the same author whose work you have read before. Yeah that was my experience with this book. I kept thinking is this the same author. Was I crazy to like their other work? Maybe I was having an off day on that other book. Especially since this book is newer work.
The instalove was ridiculous, maybe about 6 chapters in. The time in the cabin could have been more impactful but there was little setup or emotion. The rest of the book amounted to him constantly loosing her to the woods and her scurrying off to the woods regardless to the danger. Between those scenes they professed their love, attraction, and lust for each other. ::gag:: Oh and the heroine is ugly but slowly everyone discovers her beauty. I love an ugly duckling story but this felt lazy as hell. So much telling rather than showing.
Another pet peeve there was little to distinguish this as a highland story. It felt it could have been anywhere. A few references to plaid and warriors. Switch out plaid for pantaloons and this could have been a solider Duke, or solider third son.
It has been too long since I last read a Donna Fletcher novel!! I really, really like her writing style.
I loved Rogan - he is almost perfect and I loved how he loved Emma. I liked that the I love you came early in this book - about the 1/2 mark vs the end of the book - I liked being able to see their love grow. And even though the love between them got a bit sappy and sickly sweet - the steamy love scenes kept my nausea at bay :) - I am still fanning myself - these two are hot!
Emma was a also a great heroine (a little unbelievable that in this time period she would have the freedom she did - but it is a work of fiction) I loved how much she cared about her sisters and how much she loved Rogan. She is truly amazing and so loving that I find it hard to believe that no one wanted to wed her!
I liked the ongoing saga of Heather's abduction and can't wait for the next book due out in the fall of 2014!! I sincerely hope winter of 2015 means January and not December for the final book (fingers crossed). I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes historical highland romances!!
The Highlander's Stolen Heart by Donna Fletcher The Macinnes Sisters Trilogy Book One Emma Macinnes is the youngest, most knowledgable, and plainest sister. She has accepted that she'll never know the love of a man or have her own family. She's content helping her clan with her knowledge of plants and the land—until she gets to know her sister Heather's intended.
Rogan MacClennan gave up marrying for love like his parents did and is resigned to do his duty. When his intended is kidnapped, he can't get her younger sister to stay out of the search. Rogan is a man used to giving orders and the stubborn girl refuses to obey him. He's glad she's not the one he's marrying—or is he?
What a great story. As Rogan gets to know Emma, he sees more in her than he first noticed. Too late as he refused to marry 'the plain sister' and the contract is for the oldest, prettiest sister. Rogan and Emma's story is told in this book but the search for Heather continues in the next book; Highlander's Rebellious Love and Heather's story is book three; Highlander: The Dark Dragon. **Sexual content http://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/...
I don't know how she does it. BUT she just created another series I am just going to love. If I could give her 6/7/8 stars I would. I waited to read this book because I knew it would go to fast for me and I would be stuck waiting for the next one. Tis cool I will do what I always do with her books, read them again and again till the next one comes out.
I loved the story line. Mystery, Kidnapping, Fighting, and in the mix a man and a woman fall in love. This plain woman, no one see's as anything but ordinary, and this big highlander who is possessive, protective and loving find out what it is like to love.
Like most of her books, once I start I cannot stop reading them. I get so caught up in the book that I jjust want to read til the end. I tried to set the book down. I didn't want to get to the end knowing there was another book not to far off to read.
She did not leave me hanging so I wouldn't get closier of the H/H in this book. I know there is a mystery to solve and will be in the next two books. I cannot wait to read them.
This was a great Highland Romance. Rogan MacClennan is a fierce and mighty Highlander warrior who is betrothed to marry the oldest and prettiest of the Macinnes sisters, Heather. When she is kidnapped he finds himself in the company of her younger and much plainer sister Emma, a sister who at one time had been offered to him as a bride and he had refused. They both find them selves thrown together in a quest to find and rescue Heather. The story really becomes interesting then as Rogan realizes he made a big mistake by refusing Emma, and the chemistry and love between them both really shines. I liked Rogan very much, for a fierce warrior he did have a softer side. Emma was very feisty, loyal and strong, I'd want her on my side, she was great. I enjoyed this first book in the Macinnes Sisters Trilogy very much and can not wait to read Patience's story next, and I hope there is more about the Dark Dragon in the future.
I really love all of Donna Fletcher's books about highlanders and Scotland and this one is no exception.
This one is Emma and Rogan's story. Emma's sister, Heather, is intended for Rogan because she is the "beautiful" sister. None of the men around Emma give her a second glance because she is the "plain" one. After events happen which cause Rogan and Emma to spend some time together, Rogan sees Emma's beauty and intelligence and wants her for himself. The reason I love this story is because Rogan and Emma find themselves in love early on in this story which for me is a nice change from the books where the H&H fight their attraction until almost the end of the book.
I can't wait until the next sister's book. Great read!
The desperation to read the next installment of this trilogy is real right now. That frustrating last page where the author hasn't even reveal why did the Dark Dragon steal Heather away and what will happen to Heather is giving me the urge to shout intelligible nonsense to anyone who happens to cross paths with me right in this moment. Props to Donna Fletcher for coming up with this trilogy. I am now praying for the last two books in this trilogy to be released as soon as possible.
One thing that disturbs me about this book is that, it seems like every problem that had arisen between Rogan and Emma ended with Emma asking him to make love to her. Curb that desire a bit why dont you? That kinda turned me off.
The character, Emma, is priceless! Hers is a wonderful story, woven like a tapestry. Scotland, romance, clashing personalities and intriguing plot twists. I very much enjoyed this story and am very thankful I have the next two books in the series that I will be able to read, one right after the other. Stubborn, hardheaded and opinionated, the characters are mixed with a touch of honesty, loyalty, and love. I would easily recommend to my friends, but I would also let them know that they would want to be able to buy or borrow books 2 & 3.
There were several things I loved about this book. I loved the independence of Emma and how smart and strong she is. Rogan is a strong, loving warrior. The adventures and love between the two are great. Toward the end of the book there was a lot of repetition and the love scenes got a little unrealistic. I will have to read the next book to see what happens with Emma's sister, Patience.
I liked this story because I liked the characters. What actually happens in the story is very short and simple but the author fills it out with putting us in the characters minds to hear their thoughts about each other over and over again. So, I skipped many paragraphs and pages to get back to the story. But I liked the story - what there was of it.
I have read a lot of Donna's books and love them. This one started out good then the middle dragged. Very repetitive every 3 pages they were having sex again. It got boring. I am hoping Patience book will be better. Sorry I hate to give bad reviews
Love to see a heroine who is not made out to be the ultimate beauty. Strong and smart enough to stand on her own and the man realizes what she is. Great writing can't wait to read the next.
This was an okay book but the ending left things hanging. I detest endings that leave things hanging like a marketing ploy to get you to buy the next book in the series.