Passion

Highland Brides of Skye #1

by Tarah Scott, April Holthaus

Highland Brides of Skye Mini-series Over the years, many lasses have found refuge in the Scottish Highland’s Glenwood Abbey. But for three young ladies, sanctuary becomes servitude, with master puppeteer Malcom Donald using them in his plan to rule the Isle of Skye. Passion When a return trip home from a clan meeting ends in a bloodbath, Laird Caeleb MacLeod begins his search for the clansman who betrayed them. Little does he know he need look no further than his bed. As the housekeeper for Laird Caeleb MacLeod, Gwendolyn is in a position to learn many things important to her master, Malcom Donald, captain to the Donald laird. Now she must choose between destroying the man she loves and saving the sister being held hostage by Malcolm.

56 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 4, 2018

Reviews

[Space Cowgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

True Love💕 Conquers All

ADULT Highland Romance💕 Novella

This is a short and sweet Highland Romance💞 and Spy Novella.
Gwen💃 is the spy in Caleb's castle🏰. She is acting as a servant but she is the daughter of the Black Douglas, a feared laird. She spies because her young sister is being held captive by her trainer, Malcolm, an agent of the Donald.

She falls in 💘love with Caleb🐺🍆⛲🔪, and sends back intelligence to her trainer, but then she warns Caleb🐺🍆⛲ of impending attacks with letters. She just wants her sister back!
This is a very short book.

ARC Received from Booksprout🌱
I also got this ebook with KU.

[Lori D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isle of Skye, Scotland 1321
A story of secrets, betrayal, love and many more.. Laird Caelab MacLeod wanted to know who had sent the note, warning them of an attack. Many men had been killed that day and he wanted them caught. To know what was going to happen meant they were privy to the enemy and thus could betray them.
Gwendolyn is the housekeeper for the Laird and hears many things. She has to or her sister will be killed..
Such a great short story that will pull you in quickly.. cannot wait to read the other two...

[Jamie Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Action Driven but Too Much Left to Tell

There are quite often a couple of problems with short novellas like these. One is that authors can tend to do an information dump to bring a reader up to speed for the short read. Another is that an author tries to shoehorn too big of a story into the shorter format. Luckily, this book doesn't have any problem with the first potential issue; we are thrown into the action and learn more of the backstory as the plot moves along. I do think, however, that this book does suffer from the second problem. When I read the book’s description, I was curious about how the authors were going to fit all of that into this book. The results are hit-and-miss. The book is very action-driven, but when the book ended, I felt like it was only just starting to get more involved and interesting; I also felt like key parts of the story were left out. As such, it felt unsatisfying when I finished it. The writing is actually pretty well done throughout. But I just think there was too much story for this short format, and the most satisfying plot structure—with a clear beginning, middle, and end—wasn't wholly there.

I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

ONE FABULOUS ADVENTURE!!!
Fudge nuggets! This dynamic duo nailed this bad boy and kept me on a razors edge from start to finish. A spinning vortex of inadvertent happenstance and surprising mishaps catapults your swirling emotions into play fluidly. One turbulent storyline and gripping plot catapults this bad boy to a whole new level. Mastering the ups and downs, weaving a cocoon so intricately and tight, drawing you deeper into this tangled web until everything else ceases to exist. Jumping hoops, hurdling trials and tribulations that tests our characters in ways they never saw coming. All the deceit, intrigue, betrayal, danger, suspense and speculation along with all the drama, tension, turmoil and distress set the tone for this nail-biting delight. The chemistry is intense, white hot and explosive. The characters are authentic and realistic with depth and qualities that make it easy to relate. The personalities are well matched and blended together smoothly. The scenes are so graphically detailed it paints an incredible backdrop that feels as though you're right there with them. Fantastic job guys, thanks for sharing this little gem with us.

[Shayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick reading tale of spying and love in the ancient Highlands of Scotland, off the Isle of Skye. Gwen wanting to protect her sister was a loving reason for her spying on Laird McLeod. But she falls in love with him, gives Malcolm false information and then runs away when caught. He sends his men to find her and when he does he questions the baby sister, releases the spy and asks her to marry him.

I wanted more conflict, more drama and suspense. But for starting the book while I was in the waiting room at the doctor's office, the brevity of this story allowed me to finish it and read half the next in the time it took my overscheduled practitioner to see me.

So if you want short historical romance this is your book. If you want something full of mystery, angst and suspense building nnnn grab something else and save this for that time you're waiting on somebody and want to read a quick story.

[Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes, I have my doubts when reading such short stories. At least, I am more exigent and always comparing length against the overall story. I was very pleased to see that “Passion” is well balanced when it comes to this. We have action and characters that are well created.

The reader is pushed directly into the story, in the middle of a battle. We don’t need character descriptions, we feel the strength and the power they emanate. Laird Caeleb MacLeod is leading his men with strength and determination. His weakness? Probably his heart through his love for Gwendolyn. We have betrayal, we have doubts and a very strong woman who is a spy!

I won’t get into the plot very much, as you’ll have to discover it line by line. I am sorry that we did not get to see the conclusion to the war between the clans, but I think it is included in another book by Tarah Scott. For now, 4 stars for book 1 in this series.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book one was so good!
Tarah Scott and April Holthaus have teamed up to write not one but three stories dealing with the highlands. This first book is set in Scotland in the 1300s and like all good books about the clans we have a conflict between them. Now this is not just a love story oh no this one has a clan has a traitor in their midst. Now the author did not make this a sweet love story either there is a really big twist in it. Caeleb and Gwen have serious issues to deal with and they were grand characters. This quick read is so full and engaging I am looking forward to reading the next two books. I highly recommend this gem. I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.

[Viper Spaulding · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this short but intense romance!

Gwen's sister is held hostage, and the ransom is that she spy on the MacLeod clan. Caeleb only knows Gwen as the kitchen maid who stole his heart but refuses to marry him. Amid betrayal, surprise battles, and orchestrated chaos, Caeleb and Gwen have to navigate all the secrets and loyalties to find the truth and their HEA.

This is a very short story, but it packs in a lot of action and character development. It was a great start to the series, and I'm looking forward to reading the remaining books. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gwen is forced to spy on the man she loves for The Donald Clan after Malcolm Donald kidnapped her little sister and is holding her forcing Gwen to spy for him. Caleb McLeod is the Laird of the McLeod clan and in love with Gwen. But when he finds out she has betrayed him he is not sure what to believe anymore. How could he be so blind and not know it was the woman he loved who had betrayed his Clan and cost the life of so many of his men. This is a really great story and look forward to more of The Highland Brides of Skye.

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

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is intriguing and dramatic. Laird Caeleb has been trying to get Gwen to marry him for a long time, but she keeps refusing him. Gwen has been at the castle spying for Malcolm, but now he is finally ready to let her go free. Gwen planned to leave Caeleb, but ended up doing it sooner than she planned, because she was caught talking to Malcolm. Gwen is a very strong, conflicted and protective lady who just wants to do what she can to protect the people she loves. Caeleb is a caring, determined and naive man trying his best to be a laird when he never expected to be one.

[Christine Woinich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick story. I enjoyed Gwen and Caeleb. He wanted to marry Gwen, but her secrets kept her from agreeing. Her situation put her in the middle of her love and her sister. Caeleb knew in his heart that she was not dishonest or a true traitor, but he did have his doubts. They made a wonderful couple and had a strong love. I would have loved a little more detail in the story.

I listened to this on Spotify, and George Ellington did a wonderful job of the narration. He was very good with the different voices and enhanced the story.

This is my unsolicited review.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this bool and this author it was awesome and kept me reading well into the night. The characters and story grabbed me form the beginning. I loved Caeleb and Gwendolyn they went well together and I enjoyed watching them. I'ts a short fast paced read that you don't want to miss and a must read for any fan.

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

[Heather W · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great start to a new series...

Passion is the first book in the Highland Brides of Skye series. I really enjoyed reading this historical romance that takes place in the Isle of Skye, Scotland in the year 1321. This short story is well written and has complex characters living in a time of clans fighting each other. There is suspense, deceit, spies, and romance.

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

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gwendolyn wants to save her sister from Malcolm so she has to spy on Laird Caeleb MacLeod. Caeleb knows there is a spy in his household but he never that it would be the woman he has fallen in love with and refuses to marry him. Can they rescue her sister and will they have a future together?

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

[5 Kindles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a connection of Gwen and Jacob the Laird as she carried out her mission to Malcolm Donald and his manipulation of her. We glimpsed her mention briefly in both Deception and Redemption. The relationship between Gwen and Jacob made for an exciting story

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

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book in the Highland Brides of Skye series a well written start to this series. A short mini- series story. This is Laird Caeleb MacLeod and Gwendolyn his housekeepers story. I want to read the rest of the books in this series. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is torn when she starts to fall in love with the man she is spying on to save her sister. How is she going to live with herself if she loses her sister? What about the man she loves? How is she going to save them both? Can she? See if she can

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

[Justen Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this story and how it incorporates the next book so you want to continually read the entire series.

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

[Ann L · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book in this series for Highland Brides of Skye, it is a quick read so just right with a cuppa or whatever, its action packed with spies, betrayal and all the shenanigans Ms Scott is famous for.

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

[Ana * · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know cliche, but I loved the passion in this book. You can feel the passion the author poured out into these characters and this story. I really enjoyed this book.

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

[Am Goff · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can Gwendolyn choose between love of her sister and love of the laird? There are turns and twists in this highland story, but the passion will have you on the edge of your seat till the HEA.

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

[Tayra Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great story. I thought the story was very well written and flowed well. The story kept me glued to the pages to see how everything would turn out. I loved the characters and had this read in one sitting. I would highly recommend this read.

[BookLover1990]

WOW. I loved this book. The storyline was unique, fun, at times thoughtful and mostly just plain sizzling. I loved the fact our characters were strong and vibrant.

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