Angel of Skye

MacPherson Clan #1

by May McGoldrick

USA Today Bestselling AuthorWinner of the Holt Medallion for Best Historical RomanceFrom the wild shores of the Scotland's Western Isles to the bloody fields of France to the glittering courts of Europe, the Macpherson Trilogy follows a family's fight for Scottish independence against the Tudor king, Henry VIII.

Nothing could hide her passion...Fiona does not remember the years before she came to the priory on the Isle of Skye. Only the gentle Prioress knows the truth about the spirited, red-haired lass's true birth. So it is in a simple cowl and peasant's dress that she emerges from the island's mists and faces the famed warrior chief of the Highlands, Alec Macpherson.

Or stop his love... Alec has served King James with his sword. Now he would give his very soul to protect this beautiful girl from the intrigue that swirls around her. But Fiona wants his heart as well, and willingly he gives it...even as the king's opponents are pushing her toward a deadly trap. For hidden in Fiona's memory is the face of her mother's killer and a secret that could topple the throne. And it will take Alec's Highland strengths pitted against a foe's cruel ambitions to prove, through blood and battle, which will reign--an army's might or the powerful passions of two lovers...

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical, Scotland, Medieval, Audiobook

402 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 1996

About the author

May McGoldrick, Nik James, and Jan Coffey are pen names for USA Today bestselling authors Nikoo Kafi and Jim McGoldrick. Together, they have crafted over fifty fast-paced, conflict-filled historical, contemporary, and Western novels, and two works of nonfiction.

Nikoo’s education and training was in engineering. She worked in robotics and submarine shipbuilding. Before earning a PhD in sixteenth-century Scottish and English literature, Jim pursued a hundred and one jobs, including a decade in submarine construction.

Storytellers at heart, Nikoo and Jim were always searching for careers that gave them time for both family and writing. Then, after thirteen years of marriage, they recognized each other’s creative strengths. Nikoo is all about characters and feeling. Jim is about action and sense of place. Their first attempt in writing fiction together produced their award-winning novel, The Thistle and the Rose. Since then, their stories have touched the hearts and minds of millions of readers all over the world. Their work has been translated into over a dozen languages and counting.

Nikoo and Jim are four-time Rita Finalists and the winners of numerous awards for their writing, including the Daphne DeMaurier Award for Excellence, the Romantic Times Magazine Reviewers’ Choice Award, three NJRW Golden Leaf Awards, two Holt Medallions, and the Connecticut Press Club Award for Best Fiction.

The authors make their home in California.

Here is a complete catalogue of May McGoldrick, Nik James and Jan Coffey’s work, in chronological order.
Each book stands on its own.

MAY McGOLDRICK

Macpherson Clan Series
The Thistle and the Rose
A Midsummer Wedding (novella)
Angel of Skye
Heart of Gold
Beauty of the Mist

The Intended
Flame
Tess and the Highlander
The Dreamer (Highland Treasure)
The Enchantress (Highland Treasure)
The Firebrand (Highland Treasure)

Much Ado About Highlanders (Scottish Relic)
Taming the Highlander (Scottish Relic)
Tempest in the Highlands (Scottish Relic)

Arsenic and Old Armor
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Pennington Family Series
The Promise
The Rebel
Borrowed Dreams
Captured Dreams
Dreams of Destiny
Romancing the Scot
It Happened in the Highlands
Sweet Home Highland Christmas (novella)
Sleepless in Scotland
Dearest Millie (novella)
How to Ditch a Duke (novella)
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Royal Highlander Series
Highland Crown
Highland Jewel
Highland Sword
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A Prince in the Pantry (novella)
Ghost of the Thames
---

Made in Heaven
Thanksgiving in Connecticut (novella)

NIK JAMES
The Winter Road (novella)
High Country Justice
Bullets and Silver
Silver Trail Christmas

JAN COFFEY
Trust Me Once
Twice Burned
Triple Threat
Fourth Victim
Five in a Row
Silent Waters
Cross Wired
The Janus Effect
The Puppet Master
Blind Eye
Road Kill
Mercy (novella)
Tropical Kiss
Aquarian
When the Mirror Cracks

NONFICTION

Marriage of Minds: Collaborative Fiction Writing
Step Write Up: Writing Exercises for 21st Century

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Reviews

[Zoe]

read 15% so no rating. I am bored already. the "witty", "devil may care", heroines and I don't get alone.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a "good enough" story I suppose. It was a little better than so many of the silly, stereotypical highlander romances out there, but it still fell into the pit of "Argh, typical!" too many times.

The most typical were the characters. Fiona was beautiful and feisty, and Alec was of course an alpha, brawny, and handsome hero. The story was a tiny bit better than par overall, but with this author team I was hoping for something so much more.

I'll give the next book in the series a shot. But if it's not much better, I'll move on to something else.

Previously > OK, gave up on a medieval book and starting on this one, which is just beyond the middle ages... we'll see. It is by the author(s) of one of my favs though: Borrowed Dreams.

[A Klue · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, I enjoy this author's writing style. My only complaint is towards the end I felt it was overly long, which surprised me because I stayed engaged until the part where the heroine was to be taken to the king's court. I think it is likely due to inevitable, unresolved issues still needed to be addressed about the time I felt the story should have ended.

The hero's lying, cheating, manipulative, power/hungry ex-fiance, Kathyrn, who was referred to often and whose existence had not been revealed to the heroine, had me absolutely dreading her appearance. In my mind, she's started to feel like the boogey man lurking under the bed. In his defense, the hero had tried more than once to explain how he ever got involved with such an evil person, but he kept getting interrupted. Her encounter with the heroine was saved for the rather rushed, dangerous showdown/big reveal of the heroine's mother's murderer.

It's just a shame that maybe because I thought the heroine had been through enough, I grew impatient to wrap this one up, my Scottish romance book-loving friends. I even doublechecked to be sure book 2 wasn't a continuation. Turns out it will be focused on Ambrose, the hero's brother.

(This review is based on Kindle Unlimited version, not an ARC ebook.)

[Mslvoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the new cover art



When I saw the cover art, I was thinking about some good Highlander story that captured me. The moment I read, it was interesting. But after the 2nd chapter, I've seen myself struggling to finish it. The story was slow and boring.

[Clyde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Angel Of Skye is an interesting mixture of intrigue, action, and romance set in 16th century Scotland. I personally found the romance elements of the story a bit too dominant, though I quite enjoyed the intrigue and the action.
I recommend this book more to those looking for a romance than those looking for a historical novel.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book and the fact that I found a new series to read!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. I love Scottish historicals. Good story about the good/bad of clans.

[Rebecca S · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish it. I gave it a fair shot, too; got 80% through the book. Character development was superficial, writing was bad. And I LOVE Scottish historical fiction.

[reading historical romance]

I wanted to love it. A historical romance set in the 1500s on the Isle of Skye? The summary hit on everything I was looking for, but the actual book had too many problems for me to continue. **Some mild spoilers ahead**

-- The POV switches. So. many. POV. switches.

-- I would have had no idea this novel was set on the Isle of Skye if the characters didn't say that was where they lived. A few throwaway mentions of forests and heather-covered hills does not a setting make. The setting was not a character in the story at all, but it was marketed as if it should have been.

-- I would have had no idea the characters were early 1500s Scots if they hadn't been described as wearing kilts and tartans, and all were given a last name of "Mc___". I think the author thought that if the characters used the words "Aye" and "lass" in nearly every sentence, that would give them a pass for what was otherwise not even an attempt at culturally accurate, period dialogue?

-- The characters were not developed. For example, we were told that the heroine made friends and volunteered in a local (small and secretive in the middle of a deep forest) leper colony, and then we are told she was a legendary woman known and loved all over the island (attaining near mythological status) as being an "angel" foretold of in ancient prophecies because of all of her good, selfless deeds.

Other than being told that our hero is a hulking (and incredibly handsome) Scottish warlord who got his heart broken by a scheming woman at court and has spent the last 4 months on the island trying to make peace with the locals, I don't know why we are supposed to care about him.

-- The heroine was raised from the age of 5 in a convent and believes she is supposed to be a nun. But she practically begged the hero to take her within a matter of days.

-- The sex wasn't hot or a fantasy first time. We were told that our near-nun angel of mercy was a virgin, but when the relationship was consummated our handsome hulking Scottish warlord didn't even talk to her. There was no pre, mid, or post first time talking at all. If an author is not comfortable writing a first time sex scene where there are actually feelings acknowledged and discussed (physical and/or emotional), please, for the love of God, dear author, FADE TO BLACK.

-- I'm 65% in and nothing has really happened except that we've met a lot of characters, a handful of good people almost died at the hands of a handful of bad people who are now dead themselves, the hero and heroine ride horses and have finally done the deed, and the scheming woman at court who broke the hero's heart awhile back is still out there and is, in fact, the cousin of the heroine. And the heroine's deceased mother may or may not have been murdered 15 years ago. So far, this is ultimately a really simplistic trope-heavy plot mired in about 125k words.

I got this one as a free Kindle download sale -- had I paid anything for it I would have soldiered on, but as it is, I'm moving on to a different author.

[Reading Fanatic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous!

I really loved this book. This is my second time reading it cover to cover. It's well written, with a dynamic plot, and an amazing cast of characters! Alongside the romance, there is a pervading sub-plot that dominates the story; namely, the unsolved mystery of Fiona's mother's murder, and the identify of the infidel who is plotting Fiona's demise. We first meet Fiona when she's five years old, happily anticipating her father's long awaited arrival. Unfortunately, before he arrives, other men invade her home, kill her mother, and take Fiona away.

Fourteen years later, Fiona is living in a Priory on the Isle of Skye. She has no memory of her past. Alec Macpherson is the newly appointed Laird of the Isle of Skye. He and Fiona first meet under less than auspicious circumstances...her masquerading as a leper of all things. There is an immediate attraction between Alec and Fiona. Alec is drawn to the mysterious beauty, who is neither leper nor nun...as were his first and second beliefs. LOL As the two spend more time together, their attraction develops and strengthens.

The romance between Alec and Fiona is oh so sweet; he's so caring, and tender with her, it was a delight to read. When Fiona is attacked, the trauma from the attack induces her memories to begin to resurface. Shortly after, the identity of Fiona's father is revealed. It then becomes clear that there are those who will go to any lengths to dispense with Fiona. Alec is determined to protect Fiona at any cost, even as he fights against his feelings for her. Fiona feels just as strongly for Alec; however, and refuses to allow him to retreat from her and their budding relationship.

I did have a couple of issues. The first is that there is absolutely no warning between scene changes. I mean, there's no extra space, no page break, nothing! One minute I'm reading a scene where Fiona is thinking XYZ to herself, the next Alec is saying something to her and I'm like..."huh? Where did he come from?" I'd reread the section thinking I'd missed something only to realize, "oh, there's been a scene change." I think this might be more of a problem with the switch of formatting from print to digital rather than anything to do with the author, but it was rather jarring, especially at first. My second issue, which is really a personal thing is that I found myself getting a little irritated at the numerous times we're told that Fiona is a beauty or Alec is handsome. It got to the point where I was like "enough already! I get it, she's beautiful! Ugh." Funny, but I don't remember being that irritated the first time I read this book. Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky. LOL

Anyway, those two little issues aside, this was an almost perfect read for me! The story is both engaging and compelling read. I enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a healthy dose of intrigue with their romance. BTW, this is not a clean romance. Happy reading!

[Stacy Sabala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review- Angel of Skye by May McGoldrick
Fiona was five when she was taken, and her mother was murdered. Her mother hiding proof of who was behind everything in the castle. Everyone thinks they both perished. Years later Fiona lives on the Island of Skye in the Priory. No one knows who she really is not even her. She cares for the lepers of the island and drives the prioress crazy. However, the people think of her as an angel as she secretly administers to them hiding from the evil Laird. Lord Alec Macpherson arrives on Skye taking over MacLeod lands after their evil laird is executed for his crimes. He is the one who comes face to face with Fiona. He is the appointed character that helps figure out who she really is and what truly happened that night.
Fiona is torn over her growing feelings for Alec. She is unworthy of a laird or, so she thinks. Her true identity is shocking, and Alec panics a bit. He refuses to lose her. There will be many after her now and he must keep her safe. I love how the whole story plays out. The author offers up a suspect that really makes sense, but Alec offers another that makes less sense. The reader is led into the direction Fiona goes until the very end when everything is revealed. It was a great confrontation with lots of suspense. The ending was sweet as Malcolm reenters the picture. It ties up everything pretty neatly. I give it a 4 out of 5.

[Claudine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining.

Also the romance is actually romantic-- while there's a lot of lust thrown in, they spend a lot of time in each other's company and genuinely like each other, which shouldn't have been surprising to me but was. Altogether a very sweet story, and with the right level of ridiculous melodrama and violence needed for a good medieval romance.

Got a little purple-prosey during the sex scenes-- lots of similes and metaphors, some of which worked, some of which really didn't. Still, nice cast of characters and a believable story arc mixed with a sweet and respectful romance. I found myself enjoying this a lot.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love May McGoldrick's writing style! This one did not disappoint.

This is the story of Fiona and Alec. She has been raised from a young age in a priory on the island of Skye. Alec is the new laird. They meet and the attraction they grow to feel for each other is very believable. They have a mystery to solve about the death of her mother. They both love each other but struggle with trusting each other with details of their past.

Very enjoyable romantic read. Turns out that this is not actually the first book in this series, so I will be reading the two books that come before this one next.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angle of Skye, the first book in the Clan MacPherson series by May McGoldrick is brilliant! Fiona, the Angel of Skye, is a foundling living at the priory on Skye, when Alec MacPherson meets her. So why then does someone want to harm the beautiful and spirited lass. This story is filled with history, intrigue and a beautiful romance that blossoms slowly into a great love. No one tells a story like MayMcGoldrick, and this one tells it all, rich with historical detail, full of twists and turns that keep you guessing as to who the villain could possibly be. Beautifully descriptive, they place you right in the middle of the story as if you are in the pages yourself a character in the story witnessing it take place.

[Darlene Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read

Love this authors books. This one kept the suspense and mystery going from beginning. Halfway through I kept thinking I need to just go and read the ending. Laughter, yelling at the characters to stop being dense, to okay I know who is the murderer, to nope I need to stop and read some history so I might have a clue. Tears as the mystery is solved and concluded bring all of it together.Love how this whole series of books have incorporated characters from previous books makes really it come alive, thank you May, on to next one.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! What a surprise gem, I didn't know what to expect but the writing is excellent, the story is good, just enough heat to make it interesting at the right times. Sometimes sex written into a story seems forced as if it's got to meet a quota, not so here. In fact this was so good that although this came in a set of three books from three separate series by this author, I will be buying the next books that are in this particular series. Good job husband and wife writing team!

[Alexis Eryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angel of Skye is the first in the series and did not disappoint! I really enjoyed how confident and independent the heroine of the story is and how she shoots down Alec’s advances multiple times before finally caving in. McGoldrick does a wonderful job weaving an intricate story amongst the romance. The supporting characters have been well developed and add to the overall story. The prioress, young Malcom, and brother James were wonderful additions.

[Ahima Booklover · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars for Alec and Fiona

This story reminded me of Anastacia movie trope wise. I loved the focus on the isle of Skye and the history that was woven into the story. With a remarkable talent to mix fiction into well known history facts, it felt natural to get a connection to the story, the characters and the culture. I just love the way May Mcgoldrick tells stories and awakens the to life in my mind. I look forward to meet more McPhearsons.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I had read by this author. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. So much so, that I can’t wait to read the next two in this series! This book was filled with highland clan mystery and intrigue and true romance. It was so well written and too exciting to put down. I would highly recommend this book and this author.

[Gina Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good highlander read

Your typical rich over Lord and getting to know his farmers and elderly living on the land, meets poor girl who is the the Angel of Skye. Angel has a mind of her own which is annoying but part of her character. Nice twist at the end of this love story mystery.....

[Kat Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy this author’s writing and love a good Scottish romance. A hunky highlander, a feisty redhead, and a mysterious, unknown past. Blips of memory come and go among a landscape of characters. Sizzling sex scenes, creative characters but overall, personally, I felt it dragged on a bit longer than necessary.

[Sherelyn Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!!

Anyone who likes historical fiction will like this book..it is fast paced with a number of twists ANF you will like the bantering between the main characters!! You will be hooked!!

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun reading this romance. Fiona was annoying at first, and her releasing falcons "to be free" was so impractical and unrealistic for the time. But a satisfying romance with a nice mystery.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book. One of those bodice ripping highland romances. May writes a good book. When the characters get on their soap box it gets a little cheesy. These are adult romances with romantic sex scenes. 21 and up:}

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Traitor of the King

Margaret Drummond has the love of King Robert the Bruce and she has bore him a daughter (Fiona) out of wedlock. Before they could marry she is killed and the child stolen. But by whom and why? It all has to do with politics, treachery and greed.

[Linda Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angel of Skye.

I've loved reading both The Thistle and the Rose and Angel of the Skye.
Both stories full of humour and wonderful love stories, also villains and heroes.
And the history of the Scottish Highlands.
I'm looking forward to reading more McPherson Clan stories.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seemed to take me ages to finish!

I really enjoyed the first two thirds when our main characters were in Skye, living in the community there. Although I get why we had the change of setting I just didn't enjoy the higher stakes and drama as much

[Heather Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

I found it a bit slow on at the start but I could not put it down. Loved Fiona and Alec as main characters. Highly recommended

[Nora Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, Scotland calls to me so these books almost make me feel like I am there. I have many more of their books so I will keep reading. Thanks so much, Nora Moore

[Love Me A Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely follow the rest of the Macphersons!