Kept By The Highlander: Mountain Men of Scotland

by Opal Nicks

She came for a story.
What she found was a man worth breaking the rules for.

He’s got more money than God.
More secrets than anyone knows.
And no intention of falling in love.After a career-shattering misstep, UK journalist Daphne Clarke has one chance to restore her a no-holds-barred feature on elusive tech billionaire Greyson Thorne. His company’s stock is slipping. His board is panicking. And a PR profile crafted in the Highlands, away from flashing cameras, is their idea of image rehab.

But when Daphne arrives at the castle estate in Kilbrae, Scotland, she doesn’t find a media-trained CEO ready for redemption. She finds a reclusive, infuriatingly attractive Highland exile … who wants nothing to do with her.
Greyson agreed to the interview on paper. In person, he’s all cold shoulders, slow-burning glances, and rules about what she can’t ask.

Until he let's something slip..
Until the questions get personal.
Until the fire in the hearth starts matching the heat between them.
She’s chasing the truth.
He’s hiding from it.
But one weekend might change everything … if they’re willing to risk the story for something real.

Welcome to the wild heart of the Highlands, where the mountains are steep, the fields green, the air is sharp, and the men? Unapologetically rugged.In the Mountain Men of Scotland series, each story delivers a swoon-worthy instalove romance featuring fiercely protective heroes rooted in the land and the bold women who claim their hearts. From crofters, mountain guides, and whisky distillers, these Highland men don’t just live off the grid, they write their own rules. When fate throws unexpected love their way, they’ll fight to keep it, no matter the cost.

Steeped in centuries of history and whispered folklore, this land carries a quiet kind of magic .... one that stirs the soul, ignites the senses, and makes falling in love feel inevitable. Steamy, emotional, and set against the misty, windswept beauty of Scotland, each book in this series is a standalone romance packed with heat, heart, and happily ever afters that are as satisfying as a warm fire on a stormy night.

Are you ready for wit, wisdom, and just the right amount of scandalous charm to invade your next reading experience? Let’s keep the magic of romance flowing with cakes, kilts, and kisses.

Genres: Enemies To Lovers, Forced Proximity

113 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 12, 2025

About the author

Opal’s steamy stories frequently feature independent, strong-willed females who find themselves surprisingly swept away by alpha males who pursue them with vigor and passion. Ultimately, they can’t resist the sweet satisfaction and protection these men offer. Who could?

On Writing
Opal doesn’t like being restricted to what form her stories take. She breaks rules and bends things a bit to keep the tale the way the characters want it told.

In her writing, Opal Nicks explores many different facets of relationships. She hopes to captivate you with the nuances of love. Whether through a budding early relationship or a tension-filled reunion, she gracefully conveys the power and complexity of love-speak.

Her characters often possess an unbridled energy that gives them strength to take risks and traverse peril—all for love.

Reviews

[Korkoi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giving Him the Life He Never Expected -
Daphne was only supposed to write an article about Greyson to satisfy his board members and hopefully save her job. Greyson on the other hand really liked his life of seclusion and wasn’t happy with having to spend time with Daphne. However, Greyson soon realised that Daphne wasn’t going to let him get away with anything, so he acquiescence and worked with her.

Even though Greyson tried to keep Daphne at arms length, he realised that his attraction for her had grown, so he decided to take a chance to see if she would reciprocate. The longing looks and tension filled moments led to Greyson and Daphne getting closer and crossing the boundaries of their professional relationship. Unfortunately, Greyson was really upset with Daphne after she revealed she had gone snooping where she shouldn’t have been and discovered something that could change his life.

Luckily, Greyson’s anger dissipated once he saw what Daphne had found, as it gave him the opportunity to resolve a long held problem that had plagued him for years. Greyson and Daphne not only get to finally acknowledge their feelings for each other and a happily ever after, but he got to discover a family he never knew existed and an abundance of love he didn’t know he craved.

This is a highly enjoyable romance story filled with suspense and thrilling moments from the beginning all the way through to the end. The story took me on a reading journey filled drama, shocking revelations, wonderful family unions and an amazing ending to an unexpected connection. This is a book that you won’t be able to put down once you start reading. I highly recommend this book to any avid romance reader.

I received a free review copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[kymagirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fortress of secrets, a love that defies every wall.

Daphne comes to the Scottish Highlands to save her career by unmasking reclusive billionaire Greyson, who walked away from his empire. Greyson meets her with cold precision, rules like iron, and eyes that see too much. She refuses to bend, matching his control with determination and wit.

Daphne digs into the castle’s shadows, finding more than curated records and polished legends. She stumbles into hidden worlds, secret passageways, and truths that could change everything. Each step pulls her closer to Greyson, forcing him to face the past he’s tried to bury.

Nights shift from sharp words to moments that spark with tension and heat. A forbidden swim, a secret grotto, a locked door that dares her to enter. They balance on the edge between power and surrender until passion tears down every wall he's built. ‍

Greyson must decide if he can claim his past and a future with Daphne at his side. Daphne must choose whether to chase the story she came for or the love she never saw coming.

Daphne grows from a cautious journalist desperate to rebuild her career into a woman who trusts her instincts and her heart. Greyson shifts from a guarded recluse into someone who finally allows himself to be seen. Their relationship transforms from a battle of wills into a bond built on honesty, desire, and the choice to step into each other’s worlds fully.

A steamy, forbidden, enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine, reclusive billionaire romance set in a remote Scottish Highland castle, filled with forced proximity, gothic atmosphere, secrets, and magnetic passion. It explores power and control, identity and belonging, secrecy and truth, vulnerability and trust, love and redemption, duty and desire, and family. Strong BATB vibes. It’s about hidden pasts, choosing vulnerability over control, and a love that begins in secrecy but grows once it’s brought into the open.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Words cannot describe this story. It is full of mixed emotions, love, secrets, unknown identity, trust, and power and control. Daphne’s assignment is to write about a redemption story; to put a face to a wounded company that will bring it back into the limelight. She is determined to save her reputation but write the story her way. When she arrives at Highland castle, she finds reclusive, handsome Greyson Thorne. He wants nothing to do with her and sets rules to the interview. It becomes a game of who can outwit the other and claim victory? But as they move through these changing rules, the attraction between them becomes stronger and stronger. When Greyson lets something slip, Daphne finds the truth he has been hiding from. Will she tell him what she found and risk everything between them? The story held me captive in the way the author brought me into the story and had me feeling every emotion Greyson and Daphne were experiencing. Highly recommend.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lynn61 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Journalist and the Highlander

“For the first time in my career, I’m not sure if I’ve come here to write a story … or to survive one.”

Had me from the first sentence!! Full of rich descriptions and a drop-your-jaw twist!! Daphne, a journalist who is fighting to get her reputation back is hired to write a story on Greyson, an eccentric billionaire who just wants to be left alone in his Scottish castle. He is surly a hard nut to crack-but oh so worth the effort (especially in a hot tub😉). Loved the bonus chapters and the glimpses of what their future holds.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Callie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daphne is one step from being a disgraced journalist and is on her last chance to show that she can do it. She is in Scotland traveling in the Highlands to Kilbrae from Manhattan, NY.
Kept by the Highlander is part of the Mountain Men of Scotland series and is a great read. The storyline is phenomenal and the characters are deeply layered and real, this makes for an interesting and captivating story. This is a spicy read, not quite a novel length read, but definitely a full story, a five-star read. Grab this and enjoy.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the dynamics between Greysin and Daphne. They were both determined to outmanuver the other, thinking they had the upper hand. I think in the interpersonal context, Greyson had the edge, but Daphne managed to find a chink in his impenetrable armor. Really, Greyson's backstory was heartbreaking, and they both deserved an amazing HEA with all the extravagance. Money can account for many things, but family, affection, acceptance, warmth and love are not among them. Would she see the man behind the controlled, precise, demanding facade? Or would he simply be a rich, reclusive, entitled recalcitrant hiding from the world? Better yet, you be the judge.

I voluntarily reviewed a gift copy of this book. Happy Reading Y'all 📚

[laura.lovesreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daphne and Greyson are creating a truly captivating story filled with suspense, twists and turns, drama, connection, chemistry and love.

Once you start you won’t put it down! Give it a go, you won’t be disappointed!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it from the beginning, A engaging story and characters that are perfect together. I loved the Men of Scotland. I love losing myself in the story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Curvy Girl Book Nerd (Jen S) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept By The Highlander is
Book 6 of the Mountain Men of Scotland series. It's a short and steamy, enemies-to-loversish, grumpy-sunshine, girl gets her Scottish billionaire romance. Daphne is a sassy journalist trying to redeem her career. Greyson is a hunky, grumpy billionaire with some secrets. She is sent to do a story on him but needs to decide if she will choose love or career? Can she have both? This was an emotional read filled with love, laughs, mystery, drama and secrets. The chemistry was hot and we got a great HEA. I loved it but what a roller-coaster ride!

[Opal Nicks]

Every story in the Mountain Men of Scotland series has its own flavor, and this one gave me the chance to blend two of my favorite things: the solitude of the Highlands and the intensity of a billionaire grump in hiding.

Greyson Thorne came to me as a man who had everything and yet nothing. This included power, money, a castle retreat, but no trust in the world around him. Daphne Clarke was his opposite: a journalist whose job is to dig deep, peel back layers, and shine a light where people least want it. Throwing them together in the same Highland estate was irresistible.

What I love about this story is how it balances image versus reality. Greyson is convinced that all the world will ever see is the scandal. Daphne arrives determined to capture a headline. But what unfolds is far more intimate than either bargained for. It served as a reminder that sometimes the hardest person to tell the truth to is yourself.

This book is about two guarded people finding out what happens when you stop hiding, stop performing, and dare to be seen. It’s grumpy/sunshine, it’s forced proximity, and it’s a little bit of voyeurism set against Scottish stone walls and winter firelight.

Most of all, it’s a reminder that love doesn’t care about your reputation, your stock price, or your carefully laid plans. Love will show up at your door, demand you listen, and refuse to leave quietly.

I hope you feel the sparks, the tension, and the soft unraveling of two hearts learning that sometimes being “kept” isn’t about possession ... it’s about finally being safe enough to stay.

Happy reading,

Opal

[Lisa Bing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an engaging finale for the series and I have to say that these two well deserved a happy ending. Greyson's backstory is heartbreaking and he's now a recluse. Daphne, a reporter, is there to do a redemption story but he has so many rules for her... These two find they have a hot chemistry and, as they spend more time together, that connection gets stronger. It was fun to see them trying to outwit each other ;) With drama, secrets, a ton of emotions, suspense, trust, a huge shock and spicy romance, I really enjoyed the reading ride that got them their HEA. I loved the bonus chapters to really let us see what their future looks like. So good and I'm looking forward to what's next by this author :D

[Anngela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daphne a down on her luck reporter after a source lied and ruined her reputation is assigned to write an article about the elusive Greyson Thorne. He’s locked himself away in a castle where she’s to stay for a week to get the article. She wasn’t expecting what she found. She realized that you should never judge a book by its cover or by gossip. Greyson had also done his research on Daphne not to let her get more from him that he wanted her too. But Greyson didn’t expect her to be the enigma she was. They both pull each other’s buttons. How will they survive the week keeping each other at arms length. Will the subject become more than words on a page.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[LA FITCH · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is a perfect addition to the Highlander, Men of Scotland, series. Daphne is assigned to write about Greyson who has become reclusive in his castle near Killbrae. Their unfolding story shows not everything is as it seems. You really have to read this book and don't forget the bonus epilogue.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this addition to the series of these Highlander men. Daphne is trying to salvage her career, while Greyson is hiding from everything. Liked how so much was given in such a short read, loved how these characters pushed each others buttons trying to out smart the other. Great HEA as they both are well deserved.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ineta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe it is the final book in this amazing series - Mountain Men of Scotland. And it is different and it captivates all your senses and you even breeze somehow more silent.
Daphne came for a story, redemption. She wanted her career back. But magnetism between them played cards differently. And she stepped into different story.
Amazingly perfect short read to enjoy.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

With her journalist career in tatters Daphne is sent to Ireland to interview Billionaire Greyson. What ends up happening as two strong willed people battle for control they both lose that control to each other and she helps him discover something very meaningful to him.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cynthia Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 6 of Mountain Men of Scotland story of Daphne and Greyson. Wow that was incredible and powerful page turner that will have you wanting more of these two and their romantic story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novella. It fits really well in the series. It has all the things you could want in a romance, plus surprises.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.