The Highlander & the Lady of Misrule

The Queen’s Highlanders #2

by Heather McCollum

Will the Lady of Misrule fall to the assassin’s poison during the twelve days of Christmas?

Greer Buchanan, a Scottish soldier for King James, arrives in London as it prepares for the festive twelve days of Christmas. Tasked by his king to stop Queen Elizabeth I from being assassinated, Greer heads to Whitehall Palace only to be misdirected to the Bear Garden where a rescue effort is underway.

Lucy Cranfield, a lady of Queen Elizabeth’s court, is determined to save the weak, which includes the dogs sent into the bear fighting ring. With her family name tied to a traitor, she keeps it hidden when she enlists a Highlander to help her elude the guards during her freedom raid on the dog kennels. With two puppies in tow, she leads him to Whitehall to meet with the queen’s Master of Security.

Greer discovers that Lucy belongs to a family of traitors, which moves her to number one on his potential assassin list despite her daring rescue and easy smile. When the assigned Lord of Misrule is mistakenly poisoned during the Christmas feast, Lucy is chosen to fill his vacant spot as the Lady of Misrule. With an assassin walking the corridors of Whitehall, Greer and Lucy fight the growing fire between them so they can focus on uncovering the true assassins in Queen Elizabeth’s court before they strike again.

Suspicion turns against them, and their passion grows into a tempest, as they run out of time to save the queen and themselves.

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The Queen’s Highlanders
The Highlander & The Queen’s Sacrifice
The Highlander & the Lady of Misrule
The Highlander & the Counterfeit Queen

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical

236 pages, Paperback

Published September 20, 2022

About the author

I am Heather McCollum, writer of 16th and 17th century Scottish romance full of adventure and intrigue, sprinkled with humor, history, and spice. Brawny Highlanders and feisty heroines are my favorite characters!

I am also a mom of three kids, dog-mom of one rescued geriatric golden retriever, and wife of one 6 foot 4 inch Highlander. When I’m not trying to help my kids make it through the day, baking things I see on The Great British Baking Show, or writing, I’m usually educating women on ovarian cancer (I’m a nine-year survivor).

I love kilted heroes, chai lattes, and eating buttered air-popped popcorn for dinner on Friday nights (my dog loves this one too).

If you’re interested in my new releases, fun historical tidbits, sales, and giveaways, sign up for my newsletter!

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This author also writes under: Eleri Drake

Reviews

[Madison Warner Fairbanks]

The Highlander & The Lady of Misrule by Heather McCullom
The Queen’s Highlanders series #2. Historical romance. Can be read as a stand-alone.
Greer Buchanan, a Scottish soldier in London, has orders to protect Queen Elizabeth and stop and assassination attempts. He focuses on Lucy Cranfield who comes from a family of traitors. An accidental poisoning has Greer and Lucy investigating together and learning more undercover of darkness. Their time is running out to save the Queen.

Considered the holiday read of the series, this book includes a lot of historical details that were new to me. Not sure if the “can’t poison eggs” is still viable but I enjoyed the subterfuge and the romance between Greer and Lucy. Glad and amused Lucy protested the dogs testing the wine!
The Queen’s Highlanders series includes:
The Highlander & The Queen’s Sacrifice
The Highlander & the Lady Misrule
The Highlander & the Counterfeit Queen

[🦉Maggie Whitworth]

❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋

Very good read, I enjoyed it and would read more from her.
Good characters that entertain and keep you glued to the pages with great banter.
Beautiful settings that had my attention from the beginning.
Very well written and I have no problem recommending it to anyone.
My first by the author, I hope not my last.

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

[Diana N.]

Can the newly appointed Lady of Misrule figure out who is trying to poison the Queen? Lucy was appointment to this job after an unforgettable poisoning of the previous jokester.

I really liked the many aspects that were included in this book. Of course I liked the Greer and Lucy romance, but figuring out the mystery portion during their secret romantic meetings was the best part. I like the orphans and how Lucy took them in, giving her that kind personality. Saving animals was a bonus as well.

I am liking this series so far since it brings romance, mystery, and protection of the Queen into one story. Add stong handsome Highlanders and it's definitely a win!

Thank you to Dragonblade and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

[InD'tale Magazine]

This story is peppered with snippets from documents written about events occurring near that time in history.

Read full review in the 2023 March issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Rainelle]

Lucy is my favorite character by far in this very sweet romantic story. I believe that her character brought some fun and excitement to the story. I enjoyed that all the characters, mainly Lucy’s extended members of the family shared in the entertainment. It’s was amazing that Greer was able to keep. I loved that the book moved rather easily between the call to arms to save the people and the lands and the determination from Lucy to right the wrongs she feels others tried to force her people to follow by. I loved everything about the book.

[Linda J.]

Stand alone story full of court intrigue.

The h has a big kind heart that barely keeps her out of trouble. The H is in England to try and catch the person trying to kill the Queen.

Interesting main and secondary characters and you are not sure who the villains are.

There is lovemaking outside of marriage, heat level 4 out of 5. Little on romance for me so filled mostly with lust.

You do get twists, some intrigue and suspense, no cheating, no cliffhanger, HEA and steam. (ljb)

[Cathy Geha]

The Highlander and the Lady of Misrule by Heather McCollum
The Queen’s Highlanders #2

Daughters of a traitor still working in Queen Elizabeth’s court have much to do to prove they, too, are not traitors like their mother. This book picks up a few years after Maggie and Kerr find their happy ending and this and the next book deal with Lucy and Cordelia who will no doubt find their mates in stories of their own.

What I liked:
* Lucy Cranfield: tenderhearted, caring, gives to the poor, takes in strays, positive, friendly, scarred
* Greer Buchanan: highlander, messenger, carrying a message, there to find an assassin, falls for Lucy
* Cordelia Cranfield: sister, protective, wants Lucy to stay with her and not leave, will have her story next
* The setting, time period, and Christmas festivities
* Pip and Percy: dogs rescued from the bear fight kennels
* Nick, Alyce, and Catherine: children Lucy brought in from the streets
* The way Greer felt about scars and helped more than one person to improve their self esteem by sharing his views
* The epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter
* The solving of the mystery of who the assassin(s) really were
* The lead into the next book and wondering what Cordelia will be faced with and who she will end up with

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* That the wealthy had so little regard for those of lower status and wealth

Did I enjoy this book? Yes, but think I liked the previous one a bit more
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

[Janet]

Greer Buchanan, a Scottish soldier for King James, arrives in London as it prepares for the festive twelve days of Christmas. Tasked by his king to stop Queen Elizabeth I from being assassinated, Lucy Cranfield, a lady of Queen Elizabeth’s court, is determined to save the weak, which includes the dogs sent into the bear fighting ring, she enlists a Highlander to help her elude the guards during her freedom raid on the dog kennels. With two puppies in tow, she leads him to Whitehall to meet with the queen’s Master of Security. Greer discovers that Lucy belongs to a family of traitors, which moves her to number one on his potential assassin list despite her daring rescue and easy smile. When the assigned Lord of Misrule is mistakenly poisoned during the Christmas feast, Lucy is chosen to fill his vacant spot as the Lady of Misrule.
A lovely mix of mystery & romance, there are strong characters & with the author’s gift with the pen this was a captivating read, which I devoured in a couple of sittings. I loved both Greer & Lucy & loved their journey to a HEA but it was the mystery that made this book even better, plus throw in two pups & I was one very happy reader
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

[Carole Burant]

A "who done it" story that takes place at the English Court of Queen Elizabeth I and I must say I loved the characters, the intrigue, the romance and the precious orphans and animals that complete the story. Heather McCollum is a "must read" author for me and I am always left in awe of her writing style and imagination.

I adored Lucy and Greer's characters and how the two work together to find out who the assassin is and at the same time, fall in love! Add in the fact that it's the twelve days of Christmas and my interest was fully captured from the first to the last page.

Very well written and a story well worth the time reading. I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Ashley Yungbluth]

"The Highlander and the Lady of Misrule" by Heather McCollum is the second book in "The Queen's Highlanders" series. I enjoyed reading this book, and Lady Lucy is one of my favorite characters. She is accused of being a traitor because of her family, but she does so many things that have Greer second-guessing her. I like that Greer came in for a mission and ended up in a totally different situation. There was a lot happening in this book. My favorite part is when Lady Lucy named the dogs. I also enjoyed when Greer took her on a "special" mission. I look forward to continuing in this series to see what will happen next.

[Lela]

I'm always a fan of whatever Tim Campbell and Heather McCollum come up with!

I love that the book starts with Lucy rescuing the dogs! As an animal lover myself, there is no way I'd be able to stomach bear baiting. Honestly, I didn't realize that they kept the bears alive because they were expensive. It makes sense, but I always pictured them considering both the dogs and bears to be disposable.

I loved Greer as soon as he immediately helped with rescuing the pups and covered for Lucy. And his note under her door when he said he had made sure she got in there safe (not the fake note from Cordie). And the way he stood up for Alice!

Idk about how I feel about his instant dislike of William, and I'm so sorry William got hurt- of course, it isn't Lucy's job to manage William's feelings, nor is it her job to "spare his feelings". She was honest, and that was the best thing she could do. He does seem like a good man though and I hope he gets his story.

The preamble before a chapter saying that Elizabeth had black teeth because hers began decaying early due to her love of sweets is interesting because the last book had a central theme of cleanliness as it applies to bad people, vs the cleanliness and white teeth of heroes/heroines.

When Lucy threw her glove in Anne's face! I love it! I love a main character with sass.

Ooooo that strawberry jam scene! *steamy* I wonder who the Irish cook thought was in there when she said "Gotcha!" and threw the larder door open...

My heart broke when they took Pip and Percy back to the kennels for bear baiting, especially when the crier had just announced that there would be a bear baiting the same day.

It was nice in this book for Greer to not immediately be a suspect just because he's Scotts. Interesting that the villain's were Irish- I haven't seen that much while reading Highlander Romances, so it was a new twist.

All in all, a pretty good read. Still not as good as the Sons of Sinclair 4 horsemen trilogy, but definitely still a good read.

[Anne]

The Highlander & the Lady of Misrule is an interesting story about the daughter of a woman who had tried to kill Queen Elizabeth. She failed and paid with her life. Since there were no indictments against her daughters, they were at court, “adopted” by the queen, and serving as ladies-in-waiting. A highlander by the name of Greer Buchanan showed up just as three orphans and Lucy Cranfield were loosing dogs and roosters from their pens. They were owned by the queen and used to fight one another as entertainment. That tore at Lucy’s heart and so she acted. Greer found himself helping. Greer was actually on a mission from the Scottish king with information about a plot against the queen. He intended to stay in London until after Twelfth Night to help assure the queen’s safety. It all came together fairly quickly and before you knew it, Greer was hiding Lucy away before she could be accused, as her sister had been. Someone was plotting, not only against the queen, but against the Cranfield sisters as well.

Greer was the quintessential hero: tall, good-looking, and brave. Lucy was interesting character, well-written making her believable in a time where the wounds she carried should have made her a pariah. Greer loved her for surviving and getting past the wounds. She found it difficult to love herself. The plot was good and clearly showed the paranoia of the time. The best way to replace a monarch in these times was to eliminate the one there was. It was plotted well and I was unable to discern the villain almost until Greer and Lucy. Elizabeth R made a brief appearance, certainly nothing defining and there were a plethora of other famous nobles nodding in, as well. It was an entertaining read, but then, who doesn’t love a highlander?

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Highland & the Lady of Misrule by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #HeatherMcCollum #TheHighlanderAndTheLadyOfMisrule

[Jennifer]

I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

The Highlander and the Lady of Misrule is the second book in Heather McCollum’s The Queen’s Highlanders series. This book follows Lady Lucy Cranfield, who was briefly introduced in the first novel. Lucy’s position in Queen Elizabeth’s court is tenuous and even though she tries to be proper, she keeps getting into trouble with her determination to save both wayward animals and homeless children. Greer Buchanan is a rugged Scottish soldier sent to England on a peace mission to stop an assassin and Lucy’s family name is at the top of his list of suspects. Their path to romance is fraught with suspicion and court intrigue as they try to thwart a killer.

I enjoyed the way the relationship build between Lucy and Greer. Their attraction progressed naturally and they both stayed true to their characters in how they handled both the mystery and their feelings. Lucy is kindhearted to a fault but realistic and Greer is loyalty but singleminded. The supporting characters were well drawn and a had full realized personalities and motivations. The mystery flows well and the clues make sense. The love scenes were wonderful, with a medium heat level. The character and setting descriptions were vivid and gave excellent historical imagery. As expected the romance and mystery are neatly tied up in the end. I liked that the premise of the next book in the series is set up in this one and I am looking forward to reading the third installment.

[Viper Spaulding]

Someone's trying to kill Queen Elizabeth!

Set in the late 1500s, this marvelous tale follows Greer, on a mission from the Scottish throne to thwart an assassin in Elizabeth's court. His only clue leads him right to Lady Lucy, one of the Queen's ladies, who at that very moment is covertly releasing the dogs used for the sport of bear fighting. To say things got off to a rocky start is a shocking understatement.

This story takes place during the twelve days of Christmas, where the leader of the entertainment at court is given the title of the Lord of Misrule. After he's mysteriously murdered, the job is assigned to Lucy, and as the Lady of Misrule she needs to not only keep the party going but also keep the general public from interfering with the murder investigation. And keep herself from becoming as suspect as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed the historicity that is evident throughout the book. I'm no expert, but I've read dozens of fictionalized tales of the Elizabethan Court and have done quite a bit of research on my own to verify how much of each was fiction and how much was truth. Obviously the characters and specifics in this book are fictional, but I was happily surprised with how many names I recognized of the real-life people, places, and events of the time and it was clear that the author had done extensive research of her own.

The romance is delightful, with Lucy as a bit of a sunshine to Greer's stoic grumpiness. Add in the children, pets, and staff that she has adopted and the story fairly bursts with heartwarming family connections in spite of the constant threat at their door. I was rooting for these two right from the start, and I was thrilled with their triumphant HEA. Next up is her sister Cordelia's turn, and I can't wait to travel back in time again with that story. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Margaret Watkins]

A suspenseful romance, this well-written, and fairly busy book has everything one expects to find in a novel from the Elizabethan era. Apart from the Queen's acerbic wit, plots abound and rivalry is rife in the palace. Sent to warn the Queen about an impending plot to take her life, Greer is fully prepared to take on the Court and root out the assassin. What he did not expect was to rescue a maiden and a brood of street children, who in turn were set on rescuing puppies and roosters. I found it interesting that the author managed to weave so many aspects, traditions, superstitions, and customs into the plot. I also enjoyed the interaction between the main characters. Despite being Greer's main suspect in the plot against the Queen, he cannot help but appreciate Lucy's wit, her inventive mind, and her ability to think on her feet. His calm demeanor is a perfect foil for Lucy's penchant for trouble, but he has a hard time keeping his focus around her. Ultimately, the novel comes to a good conclusion, justice is served and Lucy finally finds the acceptance she so desperately needs. I received a copy of this engaging novel as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

[Anonymous 5]

This is the second of The Queen's Highlanders series. The series has been great so far and this one also did not disappoint. Someone is trying to assassinate the Queen and when the jokester dies from poisoning, Lucy is appointed the new Lady of Misrule. Coming from a family of traitors, Greer believes Lucy to be one as well and is suspicious of her. Greer is a Scottish soldier who has been sent to England to stop the assassination attempt. Their attraction towards each other grows as they spend more time together. Though their relationship began with a rocky start, their feelings towards each other grow deeper. The story is filled with intrigue and mystery and the romance is just delightful. I liked watching the relationship build between these two and very much enjoyed their interactions.
The story was exciting and romantic and captured my interest from the very beginning and kept it till the end. The characters were lovely and well-defined and I enjoyed seeing their growth throughout the story. This was a delightful read and am grateful for the opportunity to read it!. I received a complimentary copy from Dragonblade Publishing via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

[Cherie S]

Assassins, Strawberries, a Mystery Romance:
Oh, my what an intriguing story that had me totally engrossed.
Loved the large cast of characters which includes the dogs Pip and Percy. The author captured the intensity and flare of English court.
Greer the highland assassin catcher was a charming heart throb.
Lucy has been emotionally and physically abused and is now a hero of animals and children.
We follow Greer and Lucy through many of the perils the English court.
Queen Elizabeth is celebrating Twelfth night. Politics, murders, betrayals, espionage, heated desirous romance, clever murder plans that made for a terrifying ending, I didn't see coming.
A wonderful addition is at the beginning of each new chapter the author has included factual snippets of the history of the times. I found extremely enjoyable.
Adult Advisory:
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy for my honest
opinion and thoughts.

[Jaime]

The Highlander and the Lady of Misrule by Heather McCollum is an entertaining book that kept me flipping through the pages as fast as possible.
I have enjoyed everything that I have ever read by this author, her writing is well paced and the characters are well developed - making her books a pleasure to read.

📚Disclosure: I received a review copy of this #book from Dragonblade Publishing via #Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, comments, and interpretations of the story are my own and bias free. I did not receive any money in exchange for this review. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to review. 🦄 @dragonbladepub
⭐️When possible reviews are cross-posted on the following:
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🦄

[Petula]

Highlander Greer Buchanan has been sent by the guardian of the young King James of Scotland with news there is another plot to kill Queen Elizabeth.  Our hero suspects everyone of being the possible assassin,  but he is slightly diverted by one particular suspect. 

Lady Lucy Cranfield is one of the Queen's ladies, along with her sister Cordelia. Lucy has a very soft heart and helps who she can,  if they have two legs or four.  Unfortunately her mother was a very bad woman who eventually was executed for treason.  That makes her daughters automatically suspect of the same behaviour. 

This historical romance is full of political intrigue,  humour and is a marvelous who dunnit. The fascinating characters will keep your interest from the very first page.  

This book is part of a series set around Elizabeth's court but each book can be read on it's own.  

I loved it.  

[Lori]

The Highlander and the Lady of Misrule, book two of Heather McCollum’s the Queen’s Highlanders series was another brilliant look into the Tudor Court of Queen Elizabeth I. Greer Buchanan, comes to Whitehall with a message from King James, and a mission to foil the assassination plot against the Queen. From the moment of his arrival he is pulled into the plans of one of the Queen’s ladies, Lucy Canfield, and when she’s inadvertently implicated in the plot against the queen, he’ll do anything to save her. This was another fabulous story filled with intrigue, humor, and romance. There are great secondary characters who add so much to this story. I can’t wait to read the next installment!

[Donna]

I have enjoyed McCollum's books as they were entertaining and fun reads. I was disappointed with this book though as it obviously was a "template" to a couple of her other books. It was like the same things essentially happen in the stories (e.g. incriminating evidence is placed under the bed; the female protagonist has 'shameful body' scars marks making them think they are 'unlovable'). So basically, the characters names have changed and various book scenarios have interchanged. Ugh! This will be the last book I read of McCollum's as there is nothing more boring than reading the same story over and over again....

[Stephanie Herron]

Fun read

The story is set around the holidays and the attempted assassination of the Queen. Greer has come from Scotland to find the threat to the queen. Lucy is in the ladies court but meets Greer when she has conspired to released the dogs from the kennels so they don't have to fight. She rescues two puppies and needs help that Greer provides. She rescued several children also. Greer and Lucy work together to figure out who the culprit is while battling their attraction to each other as well trying to figure out who has implicated Lucy and her sister as conspirators. Its fast paced with witty dialogue and fun characters.

[Lori D]

December 1583 London

Prepare yourself! This delightful story moves quickly and before you know it, you will be immersed in dogs, orphans and assassins! Oh, plus a handsome Scot and a lady in waiting who saves those dogs, children and helps to solve a mystery!!

Heather is at her best, with her historical facts woven into fiction and giving a slice of interesting excepts at the start of each chapter. Plus her humor and characters win the day as this intriguing story takes you on a journey!! I loved every minute!

[Fredine Purvis]

The Highlander and The Lady of Misrule (The Queen's Highlander Book 2) Heather McCollum

The story is full of high jinx and disobeying the rules. Like saving puppies from the Bear fights by baiting with little dogs. Helping to save the wronged people from being punished and executed, and catch the criminals who are guilty. All while falling in love with a Scottish Man sent from the Scottish king. All to save Queen Elizabeth from harm or death from evil. Everyone will enjoy this book.

[Nancy Yohe]

Greer and Lucy.

Greer is sent from Scotland to prevent a potential assassination of Queen Elizabeth of England. Lady Lucy and her sister Cordelia are at court with the queen, however their mother had been executed as a traitor to the queen a few years ago. When there is another attempt against the queen, Lucy and her sister become suspects and Greer and Lucy. Just work together to prove their innocence.

[Jodi]

This was excellent in audio and the narrator was very good.

Lucy Cranfield was caught by Scotsman Greer Buchanan rescuing fighting dogs. Lucy is a hoot and doesn't want or need Greer to help her solve a mystery, but she is desperately attracted to him. Greer spends a lot of time scowling, and those amazing kilts, make him attractive to the ladies of court. However, when he learns Lucy's mother was a traitor he is conflicted. Together they have to determine who the assassin is in court.

[Kathy Tatum]

Highlander Romantic Chaos

Wonderful, fast paced romance with a highlander, Greer, ostensibly bringing Queen Elizabeth a gift from the king in Edinburgh, also looking for an assassin Chaos attempted assassinations, treason but genuinely funny throughout the novel during Twelve Night of Misrule. Well written and enjoyable.

[Shirley Hamlod]

The second book is as good as the first as it is full of romance and intrigue too. The details of the plot against the Queen are interesting and you are kept guessing until the end when the dastardly scheme is revealed! Lucy and Greer work together to discover who is behind the latest plot against the Queen and her advisors. They have a grand adventure!

[Wendy]

Love the beginning of this story! Lucy is rescuing dogs from the bear arena. She seems to be a master of disguises and always on the brink of trouble. Greer has been sent to help stop an assassination plot against Queen Elizabeth so he finds everyone suspicious and Lucy’s crazy antics aren’t helping! A wonderful story.

[Paging Snidget]

4.75 stars.

I really appreciate Heather McCollum’s writing. I always feel immersed in history when I read her books. In this series in particular she does well separating the Scottish people and their traditions from the English, as well as both of their opinions of the other. I loved the two MCs in this book and the plot, was intriguing enough to keep me interested throughout.