Bewitching a Highlander is an IPPY Gold winner and an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver winner for Romance ------------------------------------------------------------ Defying all for the love of a bewitching lass.
Breena MacRae, a healer from Skye with a touch of witchery in her blood, embarks on a dangerous search for her missing father. She arrives on the Isle of Coll, seat of the vile Campbells. There, she encounters the debonair future chief to the Dunbar Clan, Egan, who rescues her from a Campbell sentry.
Egan Dunbar is on Coll to keep the peace between the feuding Campbells and Dunbars. But when he catches Breena in a lie, he agrees to help her find her father to pay back an old debt and get to the bottom of the secrets she's hiding.
As their attraction for each ignites like a firestorm, Breena and Egan realize a future together could trigger deadly consequences―a clan war between the Campbells and the Dunbars. Is Egan willing to betray his clan for love, even though he knows Breena is keeping secrets from him? Can Breena trust him with her family secret and put those she loves at risk?
Roma Cordon is an IPPY Gold Winner and an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Winner in Romance. She loves stories that escape the ordinary with strong minded and amazing heroines, alongside complex, drop-dead gorgeous heroes. Plus, there must be a happy-ending, or a happy-for-now-ending.
*You can order BEWITCHING A HIGHLANDER where ever books are sold including the following: Amazon Kindle CamCatBooks Audible Apple Books
*Want to know what else Roma is working on? Check out her website www.romacordon.com You can sign up for her monthly newsletter or see her blog postings where she interviews other authors, etc.
*Say Hi to Roma on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CordonRoma (DM her for a chance to get a free copy of Bewitching A Highlander)
Bewitching A Highlander was a labor of love for me. And putting it out as my debut novel, with the help of CamCat Publishing was a dream come true. This is a Scottish historical romance with fantasy undertones. (For Outlander fans). It tells the story of healer Breena, who while searching for her father on a Scottish Isle meets Egan, a future clan chief. As he joins her on her quest, they are pulled together by a fiery attraction, but pursuing their love could mean risking everything…
If you like writers like Eliza Knight, Margaret Mallory, Hannah Howell and Mary Wine, you will love this story. While visiting the Highlands of Scotland with my husband, I listened to stories told by tour guides and shop owners and ended up delving into the Scottish/European witchcraft history 1500’s to 1700’s. I couldn’t believe there was an actual Witchcraft Act passed into law!
It was eventually repealed but imagine its social and political impact on society before this happened. And yes, there was discrimination against witches. There is social / racial discrimination in the modern world, and not too distant past, certainly. But imagine what it was like in the 1700’s for the predecessors of herbalists and people who practiced natural healing? Spiritual people with a reverence for nature who were targeted, and some burnt alive at the stake for their beliefs.
It’s from conditions such as these where the concept for my Heroine sprung. Breena is a strong and independent woman, for her time, who actively chooses never to take the easy road. And she needed an equally strong and independent Hero with a heart of gold, and thus Egan Dunbar was born. This is the story of Egan and Breena, a pair who breaches a wide social gap to come together, they battle not only the bad guys, but their own families and friends who deemed their love as forbidden. And yes, it’s a happily ever after.
It’s my hope that you will laugh, cry, scream and swoon while reading, as much as I did while writing!
I received a copy of this for free to review for Booktasters.
This was historical fiction, with romance and a touch of magic. I felt the author created an atmosphere right at the start, that continued throughout the story. I liked the characters and was interested in them. As I read, I enjoyed the connection and chemistry that developed between the two main characters, and felt those moments were written in a tasteful and appealing way. I wanted the characters to be happy, and I think other readers would want that too. I would be interested to know if there is intended to be a sequel featuring the same characters.
Thank you to Booktasters and the author for a free copy to review.
This is one of those books that is really hard to review. Because, objectively, it’s fine. The writing is readable. (I read an ARC, so can’t comment on editing.) The characters seem likeable. The world holds together, etc. For the right reader this is a guaranteed 5-star read.
But, honestly, it was just a passable read for me, for reasons that are almost completely subjective. First, I picked this up for the witchery. Fantasy romance is one of my favorite genres. But the magic part of this book—the fantasy aspect—is very light. VERY LIGHT, practically non-existent. Which makes this much more a historical romance, than a historic fantasy romance. Which is fine, obviously, just not what I was looking for.
Second, I’m just not a huge fan of narration that is full of hyperbole, especially when it’s how characters characterize the romance. By which I mean when characters spend the whole book thinking super exaggerated thoughts about the other. Each is ‘the most’ this, or ‘the only’ that, or ‘the first/last’ whatever. I think it lacks nuance and subtlety. But I know some readers love it.
Plus, I think that if you took out all the repetition and that hyperbole, you’d be forced to acknowledge that very little actually happened in the book. And the one big life threatening thing that did happen, was completely random and not particularly well stitched into the rest of the plot. Similarly, the plot twist was super obvious. I predicted it before the 100 page mark.
Lastly, as far as I can tell, this is the author’s first book. (I can’t find any others, anyhow). But I spent this whole time I read Bewitching a Highlander thinking I’d missed a first book in the series. These two characters are meant to have met before, in events that are referenced. I thought they must have been side characters in another couple’s story. (That’s 100% how it read). But then I discovered there isn’t another book and was confused.
All in all, I know this sounds like a negative review. But it just wasn’t the book for me. For those who like this particular sort of book—mildly spicy, Scottish historical romance— this will be a winner. I’m certain of it. For me, it wasn’t what I was hoping for. But I’d read another Cordan book
This was a great historical fiction romance with a dash of fantasy. I loved the descriptive writing style and Scotland setting. I immediately felt like I was in the Highlands of Scotland because of the atmosphere the author created. I loved getting to know the characters and enjoyed following their relationships.
Read if you enjoy: 🔹Family feuds 🔹Family secrets and betrayal 🔹Slow burn romance
Overall this was an enjoyable read, perfect for readers who enjoy historical fiction romances with a little action and strong characters.
I am so grateful to have received this book from the author Roma Cordon. I also wish to express my gratitude to Booktasters who gave me this opportunity!
Genre: Fiction, Historical, Romance
Plot: Breena Mac Rae is a witch by birth and a healer by profession. One day, she gets to know that her missing father is alive and embarks on a dangerous journey to Isle of Coll, which is seat of the vile and murderous Campbells. Egan Dunbar, future clan chief of the Dunbar Clan lands on the doorstep of Campbells seeking to keep peace between the Campbells and Dunbars. When Breena gets into a problem with the sentry, Egan rescues her and promises to help her in her mysterious mission. As the fiery passion builds between them, will they have a future together? With threat of war and betrayal to the clan looming on Egan’s head, will he able to trust Breena especially when she keeps secrets from him?
Review: This book transported me to old English era, and I absolutely loved it. The language used by the author felt so rich and breezy to read. The story builds slowly but feels gripping. With time period set and the description added, the story feels even more real. The way author intertwined past fictional accounts with real historical events felt so painful and hard hitting. The past events which unravel is written beautifully.
Since there are handful of characters, keeping up with story isn’t hard. All the characters, especially Breena’s and Egan’s are written well. Breena’s bond with her uncle Craig feels warm. The camaraderie between Egan and his subordinates was equally good. The fiery passion between Egan and Breena is worth reading!
The ending is beautiful and sweet. It made me smile brightly! However, I did wish that the enemy was punished better, rather than the way the person met the end. That was my only gripe!
Overall, this book is a potent potion of historical romance sprinkled with witchery magic! Please do grab this book for a breezy read!
This ticked all the appropriate boxes for a highlander historical romance but this has so much more. First Cordon's vocabulary and word usage were excellent. Now, I hate when authors throw out big words just to show off their vocabulary, not so with Cordon. Her usage was well chosen and effective. The characters had pleasant depth and the story was riveting and kept my interest very well. Excellent historical fiction.
Welcome to 1700’s Scotland. The reader is totally immersed in the setting throughout the whole book. You can practically hear the bagpipes playing. The couple, Breena and Egan were so drawn together, but knew logically they were in such different social classes. This is a slow burn that had a fantastic payoff. Historical, mystical, a mystery rolled in… it had it all and kept you turning the pages. As an Outlander fan, I couldn’t get enough! Highly recommend!
I thoroughly enjoyed this romance between Breena, a low-born healer who keeps her witchery practice secret, and Egan Dunbar, who has a duty to marry a highborn woman but falls for the spirited healer when he finds her determined to break out a prisoner from the Campbell's dungeon. Cordon skillfully relates the respect and friendship that develop between Breena and Egan on their path to falling in love and takes the reader on some wonderful adventures through the Scottish countryside. An outstanding debut. I look forward to more books from this author!
Thank you NetGalley and CamCat Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for accepting my request to read and review Bewitching a Highlander.
Don't be put off by my 3 stars that I rounded up from 2.5. I couldn't have imagined this book, and had some problems following along. This is less about fiction (which I wanted) and more about romance and Sci Fi & Fantasy equally (which I didn't want). I was ready for a good story set in the Scottish Highlands with a little romance and a potion or two. Well folks, the adult fiction is apparently a misunderstood genre by me. The romance scenes were written well, they weren't raunchy, however I was taken aback. I feel there was more fantasy than sci fi: the clans, prisons and such were not as simple as they sound.
This would make a late night TV movie that I would watch several times when it was on, and eventually figure it out. I was reminded of my love for the book -- The Hobbit, with the completely opposite feeling for LOTR. This is audience specific. So, if you love fantasy, the Scottish clans, the Highlander (Adrian Paul) this is for you.
I enjoyed the narrator, she drew me in within 30 seconds. Her diction and level of speech was perfect.
This is a solid entry in then realm of romance. Breena is a strong, determined young healer with terrible secrets in her last. Her parents were taken from her when she was 6 and she has been raised by her aunt and uncle until one day when she over hears a conversation that indicates maybe her father is not dead, but held in prison by the Campbell. She forces her uncle into a trip to the Campbell home in hopes of rescuing or at least getting closure about her father. Egan Dunbar is also headed to the residence of the Campbell, but his trip is to get recompense for his men that were unjustly slain by the Campbells. He has no love for them and doesn’t want to end his job in peace, but he has a strong sense of duty to his father as the son who will be the next head of the clan.
Egan remembers the good healer who worked on her men when he was fighting beside the MacIntyres and wants to thank her for her good work and care for his men. Egan has secrets of his own and when sparks begin to fly they both wonder if they can trust the other.
Set in the lowborn girl and highborn master, this book stays firmly in its lane, but the secrets and resolutions are well done with a few twists along the way.
Breena MacRae is a stunningly beautiful young woman. She a knowledgeable and gifted healer. And she is a witch. As the novel opens, she is traveling with her uncle to the isle of Coll, seat of the detested Clan Campbell in search of her father, who she believes to have been imprisoned by Laird Alasdair Campbell. When she arrives, she finds that the Laird is also hosting a delegation from Clan Dunbar, led by the Laird's son, Egan, who is the highlander she will bewitch. There are old mysteries to be solved, prisoners to be rescued, and obstacles to be overcome, not least the barrier between the aristocratic Egan and the lowborn witch Breena. Ms. Cordon's narrative is lively, her characters are sympathetic (except for the villains), the action sequences are exciting, and the erotic scenes actually are, well, erotic. This novel stands out in the genre of supernatural historical romance, which is the only fair way to judge it. One might wish Ms. Cordon were not so free with her adjectives, but that's a quibble. Five stars.
First of all about the cover, it was designed beautifully. Next about the plot and the storyline it was written perfectly.
Bewithching A Highlander by Roma Cordon is an amazing story. Although it was her debut novel but an excellent start. I loved everything in this novel the vocabulary, writing style, romance.
The story revolves around Breena Macrae the protagonist of the novel. She was one of the most deplorable witch. She resides with her uncle Craig and aunt Madeline.
Breena haven't seen her parents since her childhood. She believed that her parents died, until by mistake her aunt spoke about the truth that her father might be alive. At first she doesn't believe about the same. But after sometime she start finding her father.
She went for the mission to Isle of Coll, with her uncle in search of her father as she thought that he was imprisoned by Laird Alasdair Campbell. There she met with the son of Clan Dunbar, Egan Dunbar. He is a highlander to whom she can Bewitch. He knews Breena from several months ago. He met her in the battle. Will the mission be accomplished? Will she able to find her parents? Or She herself get trapped?
This book has everything in it. Readers are going to love this book.
Thank you NetGalley and CamCat Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for accepting my request to read and review this story!
Bewitching A Highlander by Roma Cordon
I enjoyed the story, it was a fun kinda historical, kinda fantasy romance set on the Scottish highlands. I think it sits more towards historical than fantasy, but there is enough there that it's worth mentioning both genres.
Light spice. The steamy scenes are well written, and not overly indulgent or raunchy. Overall, it was fun!
The story was a 3.5 star for me that i will round up to 4 for the stars. I have a love hate reaction with the narration. Loved the accent work, and I understood the narrator perfectly but I had a hard time with the pacing. I literally listened to this entire audio book at 1.5 - 1.75 speed because the low, lulling tone of voice and slow speaking speed was hard for me to pay attention to. The voice acting was good. The narrator sounded good and clear, I'm sure some listeners will love the slow speaking speed and tone but it was a struggle for me until I turned up the speed.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was refreshing to have the story play out the way it did. Usually when watching a movie or reading a book I make little guesses where things will go. However, I was pretty much wrong at every turn. While this was nice it also felt like large parts of the book played out to perfectly and easy. I do have to say 10/10 on the steamy adult moments. Not many can pull it off as well as Roma Cordon. Thank you Roma for the chance to read this book. I loved it. Here's hoping it falls into many laps.
Bewitching a Highlander is a fun, romantic adventure set in 1747, Scotland. Author Cordon does an admirable job of bringing the reader back to that perilous setting with authentic language and situations. The protagonist, Breena, is a healer, and also a witch—a fact she must keep secret for her own safety. Despite the Witchcraft Act of 1735, the fear and prejudice against witches remain. Breena's "powers" as a witch are limited to rituals in which she asks questions and attempts to divine the answers. While on a dangerous mission with her uncle, Breena meets the handsome and well-built highlander, Egan. Soon, Egan offers Breena his assistance. Their mutual attraction is powerful and immediate, but as she is a low-born healer and he a future laird, they both understand from the start that a marriage between them is out of the question. The plot is engaging and twisty and held my attention throughout. I highly recommend this book to readers of historical romance!
4.5⭐️ This was a Highlander romance that I listened to and let me tell you, Moira Quirk narrated it and she did a fabulous job. She was perfect and just right for this story. I fell in love with the story and all the characters. The chemistry was there and I enjoyed the intensity of the romance. An open door romance, not to spicy and had a little bit of mystery and battle. I recommend if you love historical romance. Thanks CamCat Books via NetGalley.
This was a good, refreshing story that had a solid plot, and solid characters. There's enough action and spice to keep the reader hooked.
Brenna is a healer. While searching for her father on a Scottish Isle, she meets Egan. Egan is a future clan chief. After he joins her on her quest, they start to develope an attraction for one another. But their being together could risk everything. I loved Breena and Egan's journey and the connection they shared. Definitely a must read.
What a wonderful story! Roma Cordon is a new author to me. I loved the characters! The story was terrific and flowed smoothly! There was a lot of historical details that I enjoyed. The narration was also very good.
I really enjoyed this book, however it did take me a minute to get into it. I'm not normally a historical romance reader but I definitely enjoyed the twists and turns.
I liked the girl's name and the setting, but it was too explicit for me. When it takes two pages to describe a kiss, when the castle is depressing, when the story seems too cliché, I did not finish.
I don't usually read romance, so this was a lovely introduction to the genre. Love the setting, and the period fiction elements. Breena as a character had just the right amount of backbone too which is fantastic to see in a story set further back in history. Definite "by the pool" read.
This was a terrific book I loved all of the characters. Especially the love story between Brenna and Egan. I hope this author writes more books like this one.
I’ve been aware of what some call ‘book boyfriends’ but now for the first time (well okay maybe not the first time) I know exactly what they mean. Egan Dunbar, future chief of the Dunbar Clan and so hot and so totally attracted to Breena MacRae, a woman with a secret that could get her and her Uncle killed.
This historical romance, which really was more historical fiction with a romance (just my opinion), was a very enjoyable read. I loved the descriptive language of the Isle of Coll, the Campbell castle and the Dunbar Castle, the dark woods and all the characters in the story. Some of Egan’s men left me wondering if there might not be more stories of Clan Dunbar in the future or maybe that’s just me daydreaming about big, strong, sword-wielding men in kilts.
This one truly was hard to put down with a solid storyline and seemingly danger at every turn. Loved it, but then I love a story with a woman who is smart, brave, independent and sticks to her plan of action, no matter how many distractions there may be wearing kilts. It’s hard to believe this was the author’s first book, amazing.
I won an ecopy of this book in a First Reads giveaway. Thank you to CamCat Publishing and especially the author, Roma Cordon.
I love Scottish romance novels, and this fit that criteria! It follows typical romance stories. It’s fun to listen to. There’s nothing really new in terms of storyline, which makes it just comfortable and relaxing to listen to.
I am really enjoying this Book. The characters are delightful and there is a strong sense of conflict. I love the mix of Witchery and Romance. I was hooked from the beginning!
This was an interesting romance with an surprising twist at the end that I did not see coming that made the HEA come together! I enjoyed the visual descriptions that helped the times and places come alive. The characters were real and had depth as they dealt with their difficult challenges. The narrator did an excellent voicing of the characters that really added to the characters and the story. I enjoyed the accents that truly helped the setting come alive.!