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Murray Family #7
Highland Angel
Fleeing the abusive husband who left her for dead, Kirstie MacLye enlists the help of adept swordsman Payton Murray, who she hopes will help her expose her husband's true character, and who risks the ire of their respective clans by falling in love with her. Reissue.
319 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
302 people are currently reading
2813 people want to read
About the author
Hannah Howell
116 books2,643 followersHannah Dustin Howell is a best-selling American author of over 40 historical romance novels. Many of her novels are set in medieval Scotland. She also writes under the names Sarah Dustin, Sandra Dustin, and Anna Jennet (see below).
She has also used the following pseudonyms:
Anna Jennet, Sarah Dustin and Sandra Dustin
She has also used the following pseudonyms:
Anna Jennet, Sarah Dustin and Sandra Dustin
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
September 9, 2013
Author: Hannah Howell
First published: 2003
Length: 305 pages, 4406 locations
Setting: Scotland, 1468. Edinburgh, including court.
Sex: frequent, reasonably erotic. Sex before marriage, and while she is still technically married to BadGuy. Book opens with him about to meet a paramour - he was a player. A secondary character has an m/f/m interlude. There is a threatened "gang" rape of Kirstie, as well as discussion of m/f/m/m rape.
Heroine: Has been physically abused by BadGuy for last 5 years. Is petite with an almost child-like figure.
Hero: Payton is beautiful. He has appeared in other books and been frequently referenced for his beauty. He has often accepted the women who threw themselves at him to his bed.
Trigger: A large plot motivator is pedophilia and abuse - it is referred to, frequently.
Series: Book 7 of Howell's Murray series.
Includes: Excerpt from Highland Groom by Hannah Howell.
A really wonderful story which explores a deep social issue (pedophilia) in a respectful, generous way. It's an Historical Romance. We, as readers, expect certain things - HEA, romance - but we don't want another boiler-plate Highlander novel.
And Howell gives us something original.
First up, we stay in Edinburgh. No highlander feuds. No kidnappings and castles. We skip the long horse rides over rocky mountains and heather-filled fields. It's a city with alleys, taverns, street-kids and court machinations.
Howell's highlander books are about the developing relationship between the MCs and the surrounding story; the sex is there to reinforce the Love and Lust, showing how well they match. Typically, the MCs only enter a sexual relationship when they know there is more - they Care even if they have yet to Love. Often the H is slower to acknowledge there is a difference between Passion and Love. However, in "Highland Angel" Payton knows first. Payton knows this is forever. And that Kirstie is his One. It is a nice twist.
And then we have The Evil Husband and his perversions.
The Pedophilia plot thread:
Difficult topic, putting it behind a
My favourite part of this is Howell empowering the children. She give Callum knives and teaches him to protect himself and others. She gives the children adults who will love them unconditionally. She gives the children an HEA. Even though it takes a somewhat contemporary view of healing, it made me happy.
In a number of ways, this isn't an easy book. But it is an intelligent exploration of a difficult topic. It gives the reader more and admirably shows how Howell has grown as an author.
Murray Family:
Three brothers – the patriarchs of the Murray Family
Book 1 Highland Promise - Balfour Murray and Maldie Kirkcaldy (1430)
Book 2 Highland Honor - Nigel Murray and Gisele Deveau (1437)
Book 3 Highland Destiny - Eric Murray and Bethia Drummond (1444)
The daughters:
Book 4 Highland Vow - Elspeth Murray and Cormac Armstrong (1456)
Book 5 Highland Knight - Avery Murray and Cameron MacAlpin (1458)
Book 6 Highland Bride - Gillyanne Murray + Conor MacEnroy (1465)
Relatives:
Book 7 Highland Angel - Payton Murray and Kirstie Maclye (1468)
Book 8 Highland Groom - Ilsa Campbell + Dairmit MacEnroy (1471)
Book 9 Highland Warrior - Fiona MacEnroy and Ewan MacFingal (1472)
References:
Author's website: http://hannahhowell.com/
(ISBN 9781420108644)
-CR-
First published: 2003
Length: 305 pages, 4406 locations
Setting: Scotland, 1468. Edinburgh, including court.
Sex: frequent, reasonably erotic. Sex before marriage, and while she is still technically married to BadGuy. Book opens with him about to meet a paramour - he was a player. A secondary character has an m/f/m interlude. There is a threatened "gang" rape of Kirstie, as well as discussion of m/f/m/m rape.
Heroine: Has been physically abused by BadGuy for last 5 years. Is petite with an almost child-like figure.
Hero: Payton is beautiful. He has appeared in other books and been frequently referenced for his beauty. He has often accepted the women who threw themselves at him to his bed.
Trigger: A large plot motivator is pedophilia and abuse - it is referred to, frequently.
Series: Book 7 of Howell's Murray series.
Includes: Excerpt from Highland Groom by Hannah Howell.
A really wonderful story which explores a deep social issue (pedophilia) in a respectful, generous way. It's an Historical Romance. We, as readers, expect certain things - HEA, romance - but we don't want another boiler-plate Highlander novel.
And Howell gives us something original.
First up, we stay in Edinburgh. No highlander feuds. No kidnappings and castles. We skip the long horse rides over rocky mountains and heather-filled fields. It's a city with alleys, taverns, street-kids and court machinations.
Howell's highlander books are about the developing relationship between the MCs and the surrounding story; the sex is there to reinforce the Love and Lust, showing how well they match. Typically, the MCs only enter a sexual relationship when they know there is more - they Care even if they have yet to Love. Often the H is slower to acknowledge there is a difference between Passion and Love. However, in "Highland Angel" Payton knows first. Payton knows this is forever. And that Kirstie is his One. It is a nice twist.
And then we have The Evil Husband and his perversions.
The Pedophilia plot thread:
Difficult topic, putting it behind a
My favourite part of this is Howell empowering the children. She give Callum knives and teaches him to protect himself and others. She gives the children adults who will love them unconditionally. She gives the children an HEA. Even though it takes a somewhat contemporary view of healing, it made me happy.
In a number of ways, this isn't an easy book. But it is an intelligent exploration of a difficult topic. It gives the reader more and admirably shows how Howell has grown as an author.
Murray Family:
Three brothers – the patriarchs of the Murray Family
Book 1 Highland Promise - Balfour Murray and Maldie Kirkcaldy (1430)
Book 2 Highland Honor - Nigel Murray and Gisele Deveau (1437)
Book 3 Highland Destiny - Eric Murray and Bethia Drummond (1444)
The daughters:
Book 4 Highland Vow - Elspeth Murray and Cormac Armstrong (1456)
Book 5 Highland Knight - Avery Murray and Cameron MacAlpin (1458)
Book 6 Highland Bride - Gillyanne Murray + Conor MacEnroy (1465)
Relatives:
Book 7 Highland Angel - Payton Murray and Kirstie Maclye (1468)
Book 8 Highland Groom - Ilsa Campbell + Dairmit MacEnroy (1471)
Book 9 Highland Warrior - Fiona MacEnroy and Ewan MacFingal (1472)
References:
Author's website: http://hannahhowell.com/
(ISBN 9781420108644)
-CR-
September 22, 2020
I was not to sure about this book at first. It is a good read. With a likable rake called Payton and Kirstie who's abusive husband tried to kill her. After he found out, she new he was a child abuser and that she had been rescuing the children. She turned to Payton for help with 5 children with her.
July 2, 2021
Пейтън Мъри и Кирсти Маклей
От предишните книги, вярвах, че историята на Пейтън Мъри ще е забавна, секси, сладка и супер интересна. За жалост се оказа, че не е така.
Пейтън Мъри, син на Найджъл и Жизел Мъри от
, е всеизвестен красавец и покорител на женски сърца е пред прозореца на една от омъжените дами, с която смята да има афера, когато към него, в нощните сенки се приближава млада, подгизнала дама, която настоява, че той е нейният шампион, мъжа, за който е чувала, че винаги помага на онеправданите, и е готова, ако се наложи, да го чака под прозореца на бъдещата му любовница, но държи той да я изслуша. Много скоро Пейтън малко раздразнен и много любопитен, решава да разбере какво иска от него тази жена, преди да се върне към порочните си практики.
Кирсти бяга от съпруга си, който е опитал да я убие. След 5 години брак, в които е била измъчвана и наказвана от съпруга си, тя разбира грозната истина за това, защо брака й никога не е бил консумиран. Съпругът й е зъл мъж, който обича да насочва извратените си апетити към малки, красиви деца, най-вече момченца, и щом осъзнава, че той има практиката да убива децата, след като вече не служат за извратените му цели, тя решава да освободи децата под властта му и да избяга. За жалост съпруга й, открива плановете й, и се опитва да я убие, хвърляйки я в една река, без да знае, че тя може да плува. Сега, спасявайки 5 деца от злите му планове Кирсти има нужда от някой, който да изобличи съпруга си, за да му попречат да съсипе живота на още невинни деца, и от слуховете, които се носят, Пейтън Мъри е точно мъжа, който ще може да й помогне.
В началото Пейтън не може да й повярва, но виждайки децата и чувстайки историите им, той е решен да направи всичко, за да види съпруга на Кирсти да плаща за делата си. Мисията му би била много по-лесна, ако не трябва да се справя и с привличането между него и Кирсти, и факта, че тя го избягва като чумав.
Честно казано, цялата история бе някак тъмна, някак мрачна. Все пак има намесено насилие над деца, и няма как да бъде забавна, но и любовната история между Пейтън и Кирсти ми идваше някак претупана. В книгата се случваха прекалено много неща, бяха замесени прекалено много герои, за да може да бъде забавната секси история, която очаквах. Насилие, подмолни игри и много зъл злодей, който бе така отблъскващ в плановете и поведението си, че докато четях само си мислих, дано го гътнат скоро.
На моменти книгата ми беше скучна. Не разбирах защо се туткат и колебаят героите. Част от нещата, които вършеха бяха нелогични. Като цяло, отново бях с огромни очаквания, които не се оправдаха.
От предишните книги, вярвах, че историята на Пейтън Мъри ще е забавна, секси, сладка и супер интересна. За жалост се оказа, че не е така.
Пейтън Мъри, син на Найджъл и Жизел Мъри от
, е всеизвестен красавец и покорител на женски сърца е пред прозореца на една от омъжените дами, с която смята да има афера, когато към него, в нощните сенки се приближава млада, подгизнала дама, която настоява, че той е нейният шампион, мъжа, за който е чувала, че винаги помага на онеправданите, и е готова, ако се наложи, да го чака под прозореца на бъдещата му любовница, но държи той да я изслуша. Много скоро Пейтън малко раздразнен и много любопитен, решава да разбере какво иска от него тази жена, преди да се върне към порочните си практики.Кирсти бяга от съпруга си, който е опитал да я убие. След 5 години брак, в които е била измъчвана и наказвана от съпруга си, тя разбира грозната истина за това, защо брака й никога не е бил консумиран. Съпругът й е зъл мъж, който обича да насочва извратените си апетити към малки, красиви деца, най-вече момченца, и щом осъзнава, че той има практиката да убива децата, след като вече не служат за извратените му цели, тя решава да освободи децата под властта му и да избяга. За жалост съпруга й, открива плановете й, и се опитва да я убие, хвърляйки я в една река, без да знае, че тя може да плува. Сега, спасявайки 5 деца от злите му планове Кирсти има нужда от някой, който да изобличи съпруга си, за да му попречат да съсипе живота на още невинни деца, и от слуховете, които се носят, Пейтън Мъри е точно мъжа, който ще може да й помогне.
В началото Пейтън не може да й повярва, но виждайки децата и чувстайки историите им, той е решен да направи всичко, за да види съпруга на Кирсти да плаща за делата си. Мисията му би била много по-лесна, ако не трябва да се справя и с привличането между него и Кирсти, и факта, че тя го избягва като чумав.
Честно казано, цялата история бе някак тъмна, някак мрачна. Все пак има намесено насилие над деца, и няма как да бъде забавна, но и любовната история между Пейтън и Кирсти ми идваше някак претупана. В книгата се случваха прекалено много неща, бяха замесени прекалено много герои, за да може да бъде забавната секси история, която очаквах. Насилие, подмолни игри и много зъл злодей, който бе така отблъскващ в плановете и поведението си, че докато четях само си мислих, дано го гътнат скоро.
На моменти книгата ми беше скучна. Не разбирах защо се туткат и колебаят героите. Част от нещата, които вършеха бяха нелогични. Като цяло, отново бях с огромни очаквания, които не се оправдаха.
July 11, 2012
Not much saving grace in this one - didn't enjoy the back-burning plot about the molestation of small children. Such a topic, in my opinion, doesn't have much of a place in the historical romance genre. Maybe in passing, never as a means of bringing two characters together - it just doesn't sit right in light novels, such heavy topics.
December 30, 2018
3.5 stars.
The rakish Payton has been flitting in and out of the previous books and finally we get his story. Our heroine Kirstie has just survived a murder attempt by her paedophile husband and sought Payton out to help her and the children she's saved.
The pacing of this book felt slightly choppy to me, with a few lulls in between all the action. But overall, another very entertaining tale even though I did find the fact that
The rakish Payton has been flitting in and out of the previous books and finally we get his story. Our heroine Kirstie has just survived a murder attempt by her paedophile husband and sought Payton out to help her and the children she's saved.
The pacing of this book felt slightly choppy to me, with a few lulls in between all the action. But overall, another very entertaining tale even though I did find the fact that
January 5, 2018
How do I feel about this book? It's hard to say. I have been waiting for Payton's book since the first time he was mentioned. So when I saw that this was his I was so freaking excited. And I wasn't exactly disappointed.. I just hated that this book centered around child abuse. I absolutely LOVED Kirstie. She was an amazing female. And I think she was perfect for Payton and she was incredible with those children. I am girl crushing on her just a bit.
Anyways.. overall I didn't totally enjoy the book because of what was going on with all the children but I did love the romance. So how do I rate it? Sigh 3.5 stars.
Anyways.. overall I didn't totally enjoy the book because of what was going on with all the children but I did love the romance. So how do I rate it? Sigh 3.5 stars.
November 30, 2018
Sir Payton, the man that all women love and want. Could he have finally met his match?
January 10, 2025
I enjoyed this one a lot more than I enjoyed trilogy 4-6 because there was a lot more action and adventure, and focused a lot less on the problematic elements of the relationship between the MCs. Despite all its flaws, I enjoyed the audiobook performance. Angela Dawe's performance ranged somewhere between Shrek-impression and self-serious Rosamund Pilcher 'Bridgerton' audiobooks. Not an insult by the way; the Scottish accent must take a lot of effort to keep up considering she it's not her actual accent. Her voices for Lady Frasier and the children were genuinely entertaining to listen to.
I do have to point out that these books are getting a little formulaic. This is the 3rd or 4th time where MC has to save FMC from people who are chasing her to try and kill her. Like... We had Giselle... Bethia... Elspeth ... and now Kirsty. These books are so similar. This one is different because.... the bad guy is a cho-mo?
This is a super hammed-up story about how Payton Murray saves Kirsty and a bunch of kids from her evil ped*phile husband. Her husband is the most one-dimensional cardboard-cutout 'I'm evil' guy I've ever read, and he has to be that way in order to justify the Payton/Kirsty relationship. Hannah Howell only writes her main characters cheating on their husband/fiance if she makes that husband/fiance an irredeemably bad person. "See! It's okay that the MCs are cheating to be together! Their girlfriend/husband is a bad person anyway!"
My main gripes is that the romance runs squarely up against the same major hurdles that 2000-2010 romance books tend to fall into: the influence of religious purity culture and an obsession with 'virgins vs. whores', and the 'battle-of-the-sexes' that had the man and woman being openly disgusted with each other somehow sold as 'romance' to the public.
We don't have much to work with character-wise, to be honest. Kirsty is copy #7 of every other girl in this series, right down to minute descriptors. Hannah Howell seriously cannot get away from using exactly the same descriptive language for every single heroine she writes. "Almost too slender; heart-shaped face, gently slanted eyes" is word-for-word copied from the last few books, aside from hair-color; and of course, don't forget, Kirsty's got small boobs! She writes all of her heroines in as child-like and flat-chested a manner as possible in what I can only assume is a nod to her own personal hang-ups about being flat-chested and mentally linking that to 'purity'. I have no idea how you can write 7 characters in a row who ALL have insecurities about having small boobs if you DON'T have a personal investment in that trope, otherwise. Having big-boobs is something reserved exclusively for 'whore' characters in these books, and I don't think that's an accident.
Other than that, Kirsty is your typical formulaic Howell FMC. Very "I'm not like other girls, I have 475 brothers and I gag and roll my eyes when Payton talks to other women, y'know, 'normie' women. Ugh! I'm not like her, I'm better because I'm not a slut like her! Even though I go on to open my legs for Payton anyway, that's totally different! When I have sex outside of marriage, I'm pure!!!" Also... Girl. "My brothers call me Shadow?" Like, GIRL SHUT UP.
Payton's main character trait is that he likes cucking other dudes and sleeps with every women alive, while also being the typical 'Haha, marriage is a ball-and-chain, all these whores keep trying to 'trick' me into marriage, but I just screw them and then dip!' dude-bro. The disdain and disgust he has for the women HE sleeps with is crazy, to the point that he refers to the idea of letting his lovers come over to his house as 'soiling his own nest'. But of course, the way Payton looks down on the women he sleeps with is part of the sinister logic of this particular breed of sexism. 'It's OKAY for Payton to mistreat those women and still be the dream-boat of the readers, because those other bitches just didn't respect themselves! They're whores! If they had wanted him to actually love them and care about them as people, they should've kept their legs closed! All Payton needed to learn what love is was to meet a girl who was PURE like KIRSTY.... even though she opens her legs for him too, so I don't know what actually makes her different from the other 'whore' archetypes. Maybe the difference is that they all had big boobs and Kirsty has small boobs, therefore she's pure and untouched, and they're dirty and debauched. I don't know. This author is OBSESSED with virginity to the point that the only married women and widows that she writes about as MCs are either with abusive husbands, or are somehow virgins despite being married already. Kirsty is a married woman, yet also a virgin, because Howell loves writing inaccurate deflowering scenes.
A significant subplot centers around Kirsty's guilt for having extramarital sex and losing her virginity to someone other than her husband, and the MCs being really invested in this bullshit idea that it's not actually cheating because the marriage is invalid because Rodrick never had sex with Kirsty. Kirsty is still a virgin, so in their twisted logic, this means she's 'not actually married', (even though a marriage is valid from the moment the ceremony is performed and the document is signed, not from the physical act of sex following the ceremony), so THIS means that it's not cheating when she has sex with Payton!!! This subplot came straight from 'if i have butt-sex, am I still a virgin' catholic schoolgirl quora google results. The pressure of 00's purity culture is famous in meme culture for producing yahoo and quora bullshit 'loopholes' for teens to mentally bypass their religious guilt for having sexual activity. My point is, just admit you're making excuses, Kirsty, and embrace it; You're as much of a whore as you think those other girls Payton had sex with are. But Kirsty's not a whore! She wasn't easy. She's different from those other women because she waited 2 whole weeks before having sex with him! Wow!
Again, in these books, 'being a whore' is completely divorced from what you actually DO. It's a socially-assigned category that's based entirely on whether the narrator wants you to like or dislike a character. We're supposed to like Kirsty, so when she 'acts like a whore', it's dismissed and justified by the narrative. If we're not supposed to like a character, the same behavior that was okay for Kirsty is now blown out of proportion and considered 'slutty and immoral.' Payton treating these women badly is therefore excusable, because they were the /wrong type of women/. He isn't seen as the character with agency in this situation either, the man acting on his own lust by seeking these women out to sleep with. Oh no, They are the whorish Jezebels by sleeping with him when he asks for sex. They are the ones doing this to HIM. This dynamic can be succinctly summed up when Kirsty has another crisis of conscience: "It's a sin, I should disgust you," Kirsty says, after having sex with her only sexual partner, to that sexual partner who has had sex with hundreds of women. "I should disgust you!" ..... Do you see the problem here?
This is the guy we're supposed to be cheering for Kirsty when she gets him, by the way. This 'my cock is hard 24/7 because every time I think about Kirsty it stands up' 'the women i had sex with are all whores, except for Kirsty' 'i grabbed Kirsty by the hair when she tried to walk away from me' loser. We're supposed to cheer while Kirsty presumably gets 20 STDs from Payton's dirty 'I've had sex with half of Scotland' penis. We're supposed to cheer as Payton stealths her and cums in her without asking first, literally attempts to impregnate a woman he has no intention of committing to for the purpose of 'making it harder for her to leave him,' which is a psychotically abusive thing to admit to even in his own thoughts. I fucking hate him, bro, he's the worst. The only thing he has going for him is that he isn't as angry and violent as the MCs in the other books. But Kirsty getting with him at the end is certainly not a 'win' for her.
This is the battle-of-the-sexes crap from 00's media that I detest. A woman 'winning' is her going through contrived scenarios to get her boyfriend, who literally could not give less of a shit about her, to commit to a marriage in which he barely likes her. It doesn't matter that he's unsuitable for marriage and literally hates her; 'getting the guy' is seen as 'the' win-state for women in media. The entire story is about her wearing him down, threatening him, and begging him to commit to her, while he continuously humiliates, humbles, and demeans her and shows how little regard he has for her. 'Romance' in these stories is about how little men actually like and respect women. It's inherently unsatisfying, it's an environment in which actual love and emotion cannot exist. There's a lot of sex! That's simply NOT enough to make it a 'romance' novel.
A prime example of this annoying dynamic happens in Chapter 1. Kirsty is imploring Payton for rescue from her murderous husband while he is in the process of climbing the balcony to sleep with a married woman. Kirsty is rolling her eyes at him and is like 'Fine, I'll wait while you go up there and empty your nuts,' and Payton goes, 'I'm starting to see why your husband tried to drown you.' Like, what the fuck is this? Is this seriously the romance we think we deserved? Pre 2010 romance books are so fucked up in a fundamental way that I find hard to explain. Is this the sad state of heterosexuality that we've come to expect. Men who like women so little that they're like, 'haha, your husband trying to kill you is expected because you're just so annoying, Beckie!' And this is the guy that we are supposed to believe that the FMC is swooning over and trying to trick, cajole, wheedle, and plead for him to marry her? How the hell is this the guy you're trying so hard for! Girl, he's no prize!
Even at the end when Kirsty actually 'gets the guy', it's unsatisfying, because Hannah Howell has to snatch away any possibility of a sweet moment by making the wedding a forced marriage for the 4th time in a row. She busts in like DONT WORRY GUYS, NO ROMANCE WILL BE HAPPENING HERE! NO ROMANTIC CONFESSION, NO PROPOSAL SCENE WHERE THE GUY WILL ACTUALLY REVEAL ANY EMOTION! We're just going to go ahead with a shot-gun wedding scene where the FMC gets to feel like shit for her entire wedding because she thinks MC is getting forced into it by her aggressive relatives! So fucking annoying dude.
Anyway, as for the meat of the plot! "My husband is secretly gay, married me as a cover and can't stand the thought of having sex with me, and also an evil murderer and a pedophile who wants to kill me to stop me from telling anyone that he's a pedophile" is a fucking offensive trope that needed to die decades ago. I cannot tell you what a poor decision it was for Howell to go with a pedophile plotline and also stick to her typical 'child-like' and 'slender' 'no-curves' 'tiny' descriptors for her FMC. Because now she feels she has to explain away why her pedophile villain isn't attracted to her even though she looks like a child and he married her at 15 on purpose so that he could bang her because he's attracted to kids. It's because... he's gay? YOU DID NOT HAVE TO GO THERE, DUDE. All of this is set-up to make Payton look like a good-guy for killing this dude for the sole purpose of having sex with his wife. Like, just to make absolutely sure that nobody thinks Payton is doing anything wrong for killing this guy so that he can have sexual access to the guy's wife, we're gonna' make Rodrick a sexual sadist, a pedophile, and a child-murderer who is molesting every single child in their keep and in the surrounding villages.
"Kirsty's husband is evil, you guys! That means their marriage is invalid! Our affair doesn't count because her husband is a bad person! Sleep with me, Kirsty!"
This trope boggles belief and is so out there and unnecessary that it kind of horse-shoed back around into being interesting for me. I could not stop listening. I got invested, I admit it. It was so bonkers that I got hooked. There are so many huge pitfalls that are just glazed over, and yet it takes itself super seriously in a way that is almost self-parody. The most obvious problem with the plot is the naive assumption that all it takes to oust pedophiles from society is for their actions to be revealed in the open. "The moment people find out that Rodrick is abusing children, they'll turn on him and kill him!" .... Sadly, this doesn't happen. In fact, everything we know about pedophiles and child abuse points to the opposite, especially when we're talking about powerful men in positions of authority. It's been an open secret for decades that there are tons of people in the government, Fortune-500 businesses, monarchies, etc, that are in Epstein's 'Little Black Book'. Multiple presidents were known to have flown on Epstein's plane to his pedophile island. Trump was a close personal friend of Epstein and there are tons of pictures of them together, and multiple court cases have been brought about the abuse. Knowing that people are pedophiles has no effect on whether or not those people are ostracized from society or punished in any way. Child abuse is the world's dark secret that everyone knows about but just pretends not to see, because too many people are involved. It's way wider spread than you expect it is, and it's extremely naive for this entire plot to hinge on 'proving' this guy is a pedophile and then everyone turning on him instantly, including his own family members. Sadly, the people closest to the perpetrator are the least likely to see and believe the signs. If you're emotionally attached to someone, you explain away what you don't want to see as a psychological defense mechanism.
Weirdly though? This plot made for a fun adventure storyline in many ways. I enjoyed the kidnappings and the hidden-passage rescue, and the boltholes, and the silly fight scenes.
Then again, the ending with the forced marriage ruined it. There's this scene near the end where her father and her 50-11 brothers show up and encircle the bed, staring at Kirsty and Payton in bed together? First of all, this undermines Kirsty's excuse that she 'can't get her family's help to escape her abusive husband, because they'd die fighting against Rodrick's clan! But as soon as that's taken care of, my 20 brothers and huge dad show up to stand around the bed to have a funny-haha shotgun wedding moment. Which, what the fuck was that? It was so weird and lame, I think it was supposed to play as a funny moment, but it was just cringey, especially since her family showing up was yet another contrived excuse for their marriage to be forced, and not romantic. Hannah Howell doesn't think her FMCs deserve romantic proposals, declarations of love, or happy weddings. This is the 4th book in a row where this happens, y'all. There has not been a single romantic or un-coerced proposal/marriage in 7 books.
They also don't really care about the social stigma of Kirsty having sex outside her marriage, strangely? The explanation Ewdard gives to calm his dad down is "Oh, it's okay, Dad. He promised to marry her! What, did you expect to wait to have sex with her until after he followed through on the promise to marry her? C'mon, it's fine, he promised. And I mean, she must really care about him if she was willing to break societal rules and give up her chastity.... Even though it kind of shows how little he respects her and her principles." Like, no? Your one bargaining chip as a noblewoman was your virginity, and then your children. There's no reason for Payton to marry Kirsty now, and everyone knows that. You don't rely on 'promises', you make him follow through BEFORE the sex happens.
Also, again, I just cannot get over that this 'sword-tip' wedding is supposed to be comedic; it was just unromantic and usnatisfying. Are we supposed to be swooning and sighing over the 'Oh, she THINKS Payton is being forced into marriage, but secretly he really wanted to marry her all along and she just doesn't know it!' on the assumption that Payton will make a romantic declaration later. Like.... No? I don't think it's cool that she's miserable for her entire wedding. A forced marraige is a forced marriage, her family didn't give her any choice.
Payton's mom and sister try to reassure her like, "nooo, he loves you, he's never cum in any other woman except you, you should be grateful that he chose to impregnate YOU." LMAO????? AND THEN WHEN SHE FINDS OUT SHE'S PREGNANT THE FIRST THING SHE DOES IS DRINK A BIG TANKARD OF MEAD, I WAS LAUGHING MY ASS OFF. Kirsty was like, welp, lemme delete this fetus real quick before it comes out with a stupid ass father.
And then when it comes time for Payton's romantic declaration, KIRSTY is the one doing all the declaring, and he gives her NOTHING. When Kirsty is trying to talk to him, he's like, 'Let's get naked." Boy, what?? SO disrespectful, and he honestly told her everything she needs to know about why he actually married her with that little gesture. He barely says anything to her, she does all the talking. "I want you to be faithful to me, to still care about me when I get old and lose my beauty," and as she's pouring her heart out, this dude is literally thinking "ooooooo, dude, pussy is clenching on my dickkkk." FUCK YOU.
All he goes is "Mine." What the fuck IS this!?!? "I respected you for holding back, but then you got so horny that you had sex with me anyway. And you being so horny in bed was why I fell in love with you. I only decided to marry you once I realized I actually cared when Rodrick stole you and i thought he'd kill you. Because, y'know, if he'd stolen any other woman I sleep with, I wouldn't have given a single shit about their lives." WHAT IS THIS.
God. At least this was entertaining. Not the romance, but like. The other stuff. Time for book 8.
I do have to point out that these books are getting a little formulaic. This is the 3rd or 4th time where MC has to save FMC from people who are chasing her to try and kill her. Like... We had Giselle... Bethia... Elspeth ... and now Kirsty. These books are so similar. This one is different because.... the bad guy is a cho-mo?
This is a super hammed-up story about how Payton Murray saves Kirsty and a bunch of kids from her evil ped*phile husband. Her husband is the most one-dimensional cardboard-cutout 'I'm evil' guy I've ever read, and he has to be that way in order to justify the Payton/Kirsty relationship. Hannah Howell only writes her main characters cheating on their husband/fiance if she makes that husband/fiance an irredeemably bad person. "See! It's okay that the MCs are cheating to be together! Their girlfriend/husband is a bad person anyway!"
My main gripes is that the romance runs squarely up against the same major hurdles that 2000-2010 romance books tend to fall into: the influence of religious purity culture and an obsession with 'virgins vs. whores', and the 'battle-of-the-sexes' that had the man and woman being openly disgusted with each other somehow sold as 'romance' to the public.
We don't have much to work with character-wise, to be honest. Kirsty is copy #7 of every other girl in this series, right down to minute descriptors. Hannah Howell seriously cannot get away from using exactly the same descriptive language for every single heroine she writes. "Almost too slender; heart-shaped face, gently slanted eyes" is word-for-word copied from the last few books, aside from hair-color; and of course, don't forget, Kirsty's got small boobs! She writes all of her heroines in as child-like and flat-chested a manner as possible in what I can only assume is a nod to her own personal hang-ups about being flat-chested and mentally linking that to 'purity'. I have no idea how you can write 7 characters in a row who ALL have insecurities about having small boobs if you DON'T have a personal investment in that trope, otherwise. Having big-boobs is something reserved exclusively for 'whore' characters in these books, and I don't think that's an accident.
Other than that, Kirsty is your typical formulaic Howell FMC. Very "I'm not like other girls, I have 475 brothers and I gag and roll my eyes when Payton talks to other women, y'know, 'normie' women. Ugh! I'm not like her, I'm better because I'm not a slut like her! Even though I go on to open my legs for Payton anyway, that's totally different! When I have sex outside of marriage, I'm pure!!!" Also... Girl. "My brothers call me Shadow?" Like, GIRL SHUT UP.
Payton's main character trait is that he likes cucking other dudes and sleeps with every women alive, while also being the typical 'Haha, marriage is a ball-and-chain, all these whores keep trying to 'trick' me into marriage, but I just screw them and then dip!' dude-bro. The disdain and disgust he has for the women HE sleeps with is crazy, to the point that he refers to the idea of letting his lovers come over to his house as 'soiling his own nest'. But of course, the way Payton looks down on the women he sleeps with is part of the sinister logic of this particular breed of sexism. 'It's OKAY for Payton to mistreat those women and still be the dream-boat of the readers, because those other bitches just didn't respect themselves! They're whores! If they had wanted him to actually love them and care about them as people, they should've kept their legs closed! All Payton needed to learn what love is was to meet a girl who was PURE like KIRSTY.... even though she opens her legs for him too, so I don't know what actually makes her different from the other 'whore' archetypes. Maybe the difference is that they all had big boobs and Kirsty has small boobs, therefore she's pure and untouched, and they're dirty and debauched. I don't know. This author is OBSESSED with virginity to the point that the only married women and widows that she writes about as MCs are either with abusive husbands, or are somehow virgins despite being married already. Kirsty is a married woman, yet also a virgin, because Howell loves writing inaccurate deflowering scenes.
A significant subplot centers around Kirsty's guilt for having extramarital sex and losing her virginity to someone other than her husband, and the MCs being really invested in this bullshit idea that it's not actually cheating because the marriage is invalid because Rodrick never had sex with Kirsty. Kirsty is still a virgin, so in their twisted logic, this means she's 'not actually married', (even though a marriage is valid from the moment the ceremony is performed and the document is signed, not from the physical act of sex following the ceremony), so THIS means that it's not cheating when she has sex with Payton!!! This subplot came straight from 'if i have butt-sex, am I still a virgin' catholic schoolgirl quora google results. The pressure of 00's purity culture is famous in meme culture for producing yahoo and quora bullshit 'loopholes' for teens to mentally bypass their religious guilt for having sexual activity. My point is, just admit you're making excuses, Kirsty, and embrace it; You're as much of a whore as you think those other girls Payton had sex with are. But Kirsty's not a whore! She wasn't easy. She's different from those other women because she waited 2 whole weeks before having sex with him! Wow!
Again, in these books, 'being a whore' is completely divorced from what you actually DO. It's a socially-assigned category that's based entirely on whether the narrator wants you to like or dislike a character. We're supposed to like Kirsty, so when she 'acts like a whore', it's dismissed and justified by the narrative. If we're not supposed to like a character, the same behavior that was okay for Kirsty is now blown out of proportion and considered 'slutty and immoral.' Payton treating these women badly is therefore excusable, because they were the /wrong type of women/. He isn't seen as the character with agency in this situation either, the man acting on his own lust by seeking these women out to sleep with. Oh no, They are the whorish Jezebels by sleeping with him when he asks for sex. They are the ones doing this to HIM. This dynamic can be succinctly summed up when Kirsty has another crisis of conscience: "It's a sin, I should disgust you," Kirsty says, after having sex with her only sexual partner, to that sexual partner who has had sex with hundreds of women. "I should disgust you!" ..... Do you see the problem here?
This is the guy we're supposed to be cheering for Kirsty when she gets him, by the way. This 'my cock is hard 24/7 because every time I think about Kirsty it stands up' 'the women i had sex with are all whores, except for Kirsty' 'i grabbed Kirsty by the hair when she tried to walk away from me' loser. We're supposed to cheer while Kirsty presumably gets 20 STDs from Payton's dirty 'I've had sex with half of Scotland' penis. We're supposed to cheer as Payton stealths her and cums in her without asking first, literally attempts to impregnate a woman he has no intention of committing to for the purpose of 'making it harder for her to leave him,' which is a psychotically abusive thing to admit to even in his own thoughts. I fucking hate him, bro, he's the worst. The only thing he has going for him is that he isn't as angry and violent as the MCs in the other books. But Kirsty getting with him at the end is certainly not a 'win' for her.
This is the battle-of-the-sexes crap from 00's media that I detest. A woman 'winning' is her going through contrived scenarios to get her boyfriend, who literally could not give less of a shit about her, to commit to a marriage in which he barely likes her. It doesn't matter that he's unsuitable for marriage and literally hates her; 'getting the guy' is seen as 'the' win-state for women in media. The entire story is about her wearing him down, threatening him, and begging him to commit to her, while he continuously humiliates, humbles, and demeans her and shows how little regard he has for her. 'Romance' in these stories is about how little men actually like and respect women. It's inherently unsatisfying, it's an environment in which actual love and emotion cannot exist. There's a lot of sex! That's simply NOT enough to make it a 'romance' novel.
A prime example of this annoying dynamic happens in Chapter 1. Kirsty is imploring Payton for rescue from her murderous husband while he is in the process of climbing the balcony to sleep with a married woman. Kirsty is rolling her eyes at him and is like 'Fine, I'll wait while you go up there and empty your nuts,' and Payton goes, 'I'm starting to see why your husband tried to drown you.' Like, what the fuck is this? Is this seriously the romance we think we deserved? Pre 2010 romance books are so fucked up in a fundamental way that I find hard to explain. Is this the sad state of heterosexuality that we've come to expect. Men who like women so little that they're like, 'haha, your husband trying to kill you is expected because you're just so annoying, Beckie!' And this is the guy that we are supposed to believe that the FMC is swooning over and trying to trick, cajole, wheedle, and plead for him to marry her? How the hell is this the guy you're trying so hard for! Girl, he's no prize!
Even at the end when Kirsty actually 'gets the guy', it's unsatisfying, because Hannah Howell has to snatch away any possibility of a sweet moment by making the wedding a forced marriage for the 4th time in a row. She busts in like DONT WORRY GUYS, NO ROMANCE WILL BE HAPPENING HERE! NO ROMANTIC CONFESSION, NO PROPOSAL SCENE WHERE THE GUY WILL ACTUALLY REVEAL ANY EMOTION! We're just going to go ahead with a shot-gun wedding scene where the FMC gets to feel like shit for her entire wedding because she thinks MC is getting forced into it by her aggressive relatives! So fucking annoying dude.
Anyway, as for the meat of the plot! "My husband is secretly gay, married me as a cover and can't stand the thought of having sex with me, and also an evil murderer and a pedophile who wants to kill me to stop me from telling anyone that he's a pedophile" is a fucking offensive trope that needed to die decades ago. I cannot tell you what a poor decision it was for Howell to go with a pedophile plotline and also stick to her typical 'child-like' and 'slender' 'no-curves' 'tiny' descriptors for her FMC. Because now she feels she has to explain away why her pedophile villain isn't attracted to her even though she looks like a child and he married her at 15 on purpose so that he could bang her because he's attracted to kids. It's because... he's gay? YOU DID NOT HAVE TO GO THERE, DUDE. All of this is set-up to make Payton look like a good-guy for killing this dude for the sole purpose of having sex with his wife. Like, just to make absolutely sure that nobody thinks Payton is doing anything wrong for killing this guy so that he can have sexual access to the guy's wife, we're gonna' make Rodrick a sexual sadist, a pedophile, and a child-murderer who is molesting every single child in their keep and in the surrounding villages.
"Kirsty's husband is evil, you guys! That means their marriage is invalid! Our affair doesn't count because her husband is a bad person! Sleep with me, Kirsty!"
This trope boggles belief and is so out there and unnecessary that it kind of horse-shoed back around into being interesting for me. I could not stop listening. I got invested, I admit it. It was so bonkers that I got hooked. There are so many huge pitfalls that are just glazed over, and yet it takes itself super seriously in a way that is almost self-parody. The most obvious problem with the plot is the naive assumption that all it takes to oust pedophiles from society is for their actions to be revealed in the open. "The moment people find out that Rodrick is abusing children, they'll turn on him and kill him!" .... Sadly, this doesn't happen. In fact, everything we know about pedophiles and child abuse points to the opposite, especially when we're talking about powerful men in positions of authority. It's been an open secret for decades that there are tons of people in the government, Fortune-500 businesses, monarchies, etc, that are in Epstein's 'Little Black Book'. Multiple presidents were known to have flown on Epstein's plane to his pedophile island. Trump was a close personal friend of Epstein and there are tons of pictures of them together, and multiple court cases have been brought about the abuse. Knowing that people are pedophiles has no effect on whether or not those people are ostracized from society or punished in any way. Child abuse is the world's dark secret that everyone knows about but just pretends not to see, because too many people are involved. It's way wider spread than you expect it is, and it's extremely naive for this entire plot to hinge on 'proving' this guy is a pedophile and then everyone turning on him instantly, including his own family members. Sadly, the people closest to the perpetrator are the least likely to see and believe the signs. If you're emotionally attached to someone, you explain away what you don't want to see as a psychological defense mechanism.
Weirdly though? This plot made for a fun adventure storyline in many ways. I enjoyed the kidnappings and the hidden-passage rescue, and the boltholes, and the silly fight scenes.
Then again, the ending with the forced marriage ruined it. There's this scene near the end where her father and her 50-11 brothers show up and encircle the bed, staring at Kirsty and Payton in bed together? First of all, this undermines Kirsty's excuse that she 'can't get her family's help to escape her abusive husband, because they'd die fighting against Rodrick's clan! But as soon as that's taken care of, my 20 brothers and huge dad show up to stand around the bed to have a funny-haha shotgun wedding moment. Which, what the fuck was that? It was so weird and lame, I think it was supposed to play as a funny moment, but it was just cringey, especially since her family showing up was yet another contrived excuse for their marriage to be forced, and not romantic. Hannah Howell doesn't think her FMCs deserve romantic proposals, declarations of love, or happy weddings. This is the 4th book in a row where this happens, y'all. There has not been a single romantic or un-coerced proposal/marriage in 7 books.
They also don't really care about the social stigma of Kirsty having sex outside her marriage, strangely? The explanation Ewdard gives to calm his dad down is "Oh, it's okay, Dad. He promised to marry her! What, did you expect to wait to have sex with her until after he followed through on the promise to marry her? C'mon, it's fine, he promised. And I mean, she must really care about him if she was willing to break societal rules and give up her chastity.... Even though it kind of shows how little he respects her and her principles." Like, no? Your one bargaining chip as a noblewoman was your virginity, and then your children. There's no reason for Payton to marry Kirsty now, and everyone knows that. You don't rely on 'promises', you make him follow through BEFORE the sex happens.
Also, again, I just cannot get over that this 'sword-tip' wedding is supposed to be comedic; it was just unromantic and usnatisfying. Are we supposed to be swooning and sighing over the 'Oh, she THINKS Payton is being forced into marriage, but secretly he really wanted to marry her all along and she just doesn't know it!' on the assumption that Payton will make a romantic declaration later. Like.... No? I don't think it's cool that she's miserable for her entire wedding. A forced marraige is a forced marriage, her family didn't give her any choice.
Payton's mom and sister try to reassure her like, "nooo, he loves you, he's never cum in any other woman except you, you should be grateful that he chose to impregnate YOU." LMAO????? AND THEN WHEN SHE FINDS OUT SHE'S PREGNANT THE FIRST THING SHE DOES IS DRINK A BIG TANKARD OF MEAD, I WAS LAUGHING MY ASS OFF. Kirsty was like, welp, lemme delete this fetus real quick before it comes out with a stupid ass father.
And then when it comes time for Payton's romantic declaration, KIRSTY is the one doing all the declaring, and he gives her NOTHING. When Kirsty is trying to talk to him, he's like, 'Let's get naked." Boy, what?? SO disrespectful, and he honestly told her everything she needs to know about why he actually married her with that little gesture. He barely says anything to her, she does all the talking. "I want you to be faithful to me, to still care about me when I get old and lose my beauty," and as she's pouring her heart out, this dude is literally thinking "ooooooo, dude, pussy is clenching on my dickkkk." FUCK YOU.
All he goes is "Mine." What the fuck IS this!?!? "I respected you for holding back, but then you got so horny that you had sex with me anyway. And you being so horny in bed was why I fell in love with you. I only decided to marry you once I realized I actually cared when Rodrick stole you and i thought he'd kill you. Because, y'know, if he'd stolen any other woman I sleep with, I wouldn't have given a single shit about their lives." WHAT IS THIS.
God. At least this was entertaining. Not the romance, but like. The other stuff. Time for book 8.
May 11, 2018
Payton rescues Kirstie and children from sadistic abuser and killer. Scary when chase turns dangerous. Sweet when love survives. Author Howell has knack for keeping me wanting more of her Highlands.
9781420108644 isbn listed as 2003 Zebra Kensington this 242 pg ebook
9781420108644 isbn listed as 2003 Zebra Kensington this 242 pg ebook
December 21, 2016
Avis tiré de mon blog :
Kirstie Maclye fuit son mari, ignoble pédophile qui abuse et tue des enfants. Alors qu'elle est désespéré elle rencontre Payton Murray qui est tout ce que son mari n'est pas. Il décide de l'aider et ils vont donc partie en campagne pour essayer de prouver au monde entier le vrai visage du monstre.
Je dois dire je sors vraiment mitigée de cette lecture. D'un coté l'histoire d'aventure m'a bien plus mais j'ai trouvé que les circonstances n'étaient pas propice à une belle histoire d'amour, résultat je suis passé vraiment à coté de la romance.
Un autre défaut que je pourrais citer c'est le fait qu'il n'est précisé nulle part que ce tome n'est pas le premier, et résultat j'ai eu à de nombreuses reprises l'impression de manquer une connexion quelque part. Et ça m'a été confirmé par le fait qu'en fait ce tome, si il est le début de la sous-série "Femmes du clan Murray" en France, il est en fait le 7ième tome de la série plus globale dans la langue d'origine du livre. Alors je veux bien comprendre qu'ici on aime diviser les séries en parties plus courtes, je n'ai pas de souci avec ça, mais il aurait fallu le préciser d'une façon ou d'une autre, histoire qu'on ne se retrouve pas un peu perdu dans le contexte en commençant par celui ci.
En fait je crois que ce qui m'a éloigné de l'histoire d'amour c'est que j'ai pris Payton en grippe. j'ai eu l'impression qu'il n'aidait Kirstie que parce que ça ferait une belle conquête, en gros si elle avait été moins jolie il l'aurait laissé pourrir. Résultat ça gâchait tout le coté lutte contre l'horrible mari. Enfin ça donnait un coté opportuniste et mauvais au personnage, et donc je n'ai pas du tout aimé leur rapprochement au cours du récit.
Après ça n'a pas non plus été une mauvaise lecture, mais ce n'était pas ce que j'attendais d'une romance historique. C'était plus une accumulation de petits points négatifs qui a fini par me donner une mauvaise image. A la sortie de ma lecture j'étais vraiment sure de ne jamais reprendre cette série, mais finalement après avoir découvert les tomes précédents je pense que je vais reprendre la série du début et lui redonner une chance quand j'arriverais à son niveau, histoire de voir si ça me donne une autre image ou pas !
14/20
Kirstie Maclye fuit son mari, ignoble pédophile qui abuse et tue des enfants. Alors qu'elle est désespéré elle rencontre Payton Murray qui est tout ce que son mari n'est pas. Il décide de l'aider et ils vont donc partie en campagne pour essayer de prouver au monde entier le vrai visage du monstre.
Je dois dire je sors vraiment mitigée de cette lecture. D'un coté l'histoire d'aventure m'a bien plus mais j'ai trouvé que les circonstances n'étaient pas propice à une belle histoire d'amour, résultat je suis passé vraiment à coté de la romance.
Un autre défaut que je pourrais citer c'est le fait qu'il n'est précisé nulle part que ce tome n'est pas le premier, et résultat j'ai eu à de nombreuses reprises l'impression de manquer une connexion quelque part. Et ça m'a été confirmé par le fait qu'en fait ce tome, si il est le début de la sous-série "Femmes du clan Murray" en France, il est en fait le 7ième tome de la série plus globale dans la langue d'origine du livre. Alors je veux bien comprendre qu'ici on aime diviser les séries en parties plus courtes, je n'ai pas de souci avec ça, mais il aurait fallu le préciser d'une façon ou d'une autre, histoire qu'on ne se retrouve pas un peu perdu dans le contexte en commençant par celui ci.
En fait je crois que ce qui m'a éloigné de l'histoire d'amour c'est que j'ai pris Payton en grippe. j'ai eu l'impression qu'il n'aidait Kirstie que parce que ça ferait une belle conquête, en gros si elle avait été moins jolie il l'aurait laissé pourrir. Résultat ça gâchait tout le coté lutte contre l'horrible mari. Enfin ça donnait un coté opportuniste et mauvais au personnage, et donc je n'ai pas du tout aimé leur rapprochement au cours du récit.
Après ça n'a pas non plus été une mauvaise lecture, mais ce n'était pas ce que j'attendais d'une romance historique. C'était plus une accumulation de petits points négatifs qui a fini par me donner une mauvaise image. A la sortie de ma lecture j'étais vraiment sure de ne jamais reprendre cette série, mais finalement après avoir découvert les tomes précédents je pense que je vais reprendre la série du début et lui redonner une chance quand j'arriverais à son niveau, histoire de voir si ça me donne une autre image ou pas !
14/20
March 10, 2012
Kirstie is married to a creepy pedophile serial killer. When she realizes this she starts helping the kiddies get away. Hubby figures out that she's the reason why he's not getting any, and he tries to drown her. So she somehow magically knows to show up beneath a window through which Payton Murray intends to approach his latest adulterous conquest. Kirstie asks for his help because, besides being renowned lover of married women, Payton has also somehow earned a reputation as Protector of the Weak and he has a good family and alliances to back him.
When this little, moss-covered waif shows up magically beneath the adultress-du-jour's window, Payton can't turn her down. As with all the other women in this series, Kirstie is slight and not so curvy, not at all the hero's type, but Payton just can't deny her, not her request for help, and not the instant attraction he feels for her. As part of the package he ends up also sheltering a number of kiddie victims of the creepy pedophile.
There is the usual Howell-style connection between them. He feels stuff for her but keeps putting off saying anything because he might be a powerhouse on the battlefield but he's a dormouse when it comes to relating to women. She knows right off she loves him but keeps feeling rejected, so she's not saying anything either. The usual ping-pong game ensues, and readers won't be particularly surprised by how it all works out.
That said, it's a satisfying read, a great adventure (and I prefer books that have more to the plot than "he loves me, he loves me not," so I recommend it despite the predictable bits. I'd give it Three point six-five stars. B+.
When this little, moss-covered waif shows up magically beneath the adultress-du-jour's window, Payton can't turn her down. As with all the other women in this series, Kirstie is slight and not so curvy, not at all the hero's type, but Payton just can't deny her, not her request for help, and not the instant attraction he feels for her. As part of the package he ends up also sheltering a number of kiddie victims of the creepy pedophile.
There is the usual Howell-style connection between them. He feels stuff for her but keeps putting off saying anything because he might be a powerhouse on the battlefield but he's a dormouse when it comes to relating to women. She knows right off she loves him but keeps feeling rejected, so she's not saying anything either. The usual ping-pong game ensues, and readers won't be particularly surprised by how it all works out.
That said, it's a satisfying read, a great adventure (and I prefer books that have more to the plot than "he loves me, he loves me not," so I recommend it despite the predictable bits. I'd give it Three point six-five stars. B+.
July 24, 2010
I was really looking forward to reading Payton Murray's story as he was a character that I enjoyed in Hannah Howell's previous novels about the Murrays. Kirstie MacLye seeks out Payton Murray to be aid her after her husband tries to drown her and she manages to survive. Her husband tries to drown her as she has discovered that he abuses small children and she has managed to save some of the children and sneak them out of his grasp. This I found difficult to stomach. Thankfully the author does not go into any sordid details of what he does to the children, but even the thought of it made me uneasy. When I read a romance novel I want it to be lighthearted and enjoyable. I know that this is something that regrettably exists, but I just don't know that it is something I want to read about in a romance novel.
April 1, 2015
child sex abuse as a theme for a historical romance was kinda surprising, but good plot development.sex scenes are lots erotic and sensuous.
Overall, a fun read!
Overall, a fun read!
December 28, 2021
In some ways this book has one of the best love stories in the series to this point because the plot is not driven by the characters being stupid or making stupid choices. That is a first so far in this series.
However, the themes of this book are pedophilia, child rape, child abuse/murder and sex trafficking. The author makes a mockery out of how serious crimes like this are. At one point early in the book, Kirstie is telling Payton about the abuse the children have experienced at the hands of her husband, and the author literally has Payton not paying attention closely because he’s fantasizing about Kirstie. How can this author not see how screwed up that is? This character is having sexual fantasies about this young woman WHILE she is describing sexual abuse of children to him. It’s shockingly tasteless.
I will never want pedophilia themes in my romance novels. Never. This is the second author I’ve seen do this and I think it’s absolutely horrendous. Child rape and sex trafficking do not belong in the same book with constant adult sexual encounters.
There are more than 20 books in this series, but I am done reading it and I’m done with this author. I can’t believe her books are rated as high as they are. I don’t know if I’ve ever disliked a series more.
However, the themes of this book are pedophilia, child rape, child abuse/murder and sex trafficking. The author makes a mockery out of how serious crimes like this are. At one point early in the book, Kirstie is telling Payton about the abuse the children have experienced at the hands of her husband, and the author literally has Payton not paying attention closely because he’s fantasizing about Kirstie. How can this author not see how screwed up that is? This character is having sexual fantasies about this young woman WHILE she is describing sexual abuse of children to him. It’s shockingly tasteless.
I will never want pedophilia themes in my romance novels. Never. This is the second author I’ve seen do this and I think it’s absolutely horrendous. Child rape and sex trafficking do not belong in the same book with constant adult sexual encounters.
There are more than 20 books in this series, but I am done reading it and I’m done with this author. I can’t believe her books are rated as high as they are. I don’t know if I’ve ever disliked a series more.
December 13, 2020
By and1515
Kirstie needed to find a hero to help and there was no one better then they man the day was bonnier than an angel and his name is Sir Payton Muarry.
He'd been heading to met his latest conquest.
When out of nowhere he's stopped and when the poor wee lass shared her tale of woes he's not sure what to believe.
However when he hears more to the horrible tale Payton knows he has to find a way to help and that means putting there monster down.
Kirstie had never wanted to marry the man she called her husband but she never could present a reasonable reason not to and now that she knew his horrible secrets she'd stop at nothing to bring him down.
Payton knew it was only a matter of time if he throw enough mud at the man's name it would eventually start to stick and people wouldn't be so willing to defend him.
The harder the work together the closer they get to one another the more Payton wants to be her champion that she can always count on.
Kirstie needed to find a hero to help and there was no one better then they man the day was bonnier than an angel and his name is Sir Payton Muarry.
He'd been heading to met his latest conquest.
When out of nowhere he's stopped and when the poor wee lass shared her tale of woes he's not sure what to believe.
However when he hears more to the horrible tale Payton knows he has to find a way to help and that means putting there monster down.
Kirstie had never wanted to marry the man she called her husband but she never could present a reasonable reason not to and now that she knew his horrible secrets she'd stop at nothing to bring him down.
Payton knew it was only a matter of time if he throw enough mud at the man's name it would eventually start to stick and people wouldn't be so willing to defend him.
The harder the work together the closer they get to one another the more Payton wants to be her champion that she can always count on.
July 29, 2020
Quite surprised this book doesn't have a content warning because child abuse, molestation, and murder play heavily into the plot. It isn't described in detail, but would likely bother folks sensitive to the issue.
Enjoyed this story and the characters. Payton and Kirstie became quite clear in my mind and I liked the way their attraction and affection built organically. Supporting cast is vast, but somehow not confusing. Each of them added something of value to the story and I look forward to reading some of their stories (especially Callum!).
Only negative: the book describes Kirstie several times as having very dark hair. Payton calls her his "little raven." And yet none of the version of the book's cover show a dark-haired woman. My paperback has a blonde woman and the ebook version shows a redhead.
Enjoyed this story and the characters. Payton and Kirstie became quite clear in my mind and I liked the way their attraction and affection built organically. Supporting cast is vast, but somehow not confusing. Each of them added something of value to the story and I look forward to reading some of their stories (especially Callum!).
Only negative: the book describes Kirstie several times as having very dark hair. Payton calls her his "little raven." And yet none of the version of the book's cover show a dark-haired woman. My paperback has a blonde woman and the ebook version shows a redhead.
August 26, 2018
I tend to like the hero as a helper trope (always romantic to have a champion), but there was a lot that felt forced in this romance novel.
Firstly, everyone speaks in paragraphs!
It's one thing to have your characters explain what's going on, it's another to infodump on your readers every time your characters speak.
Secondly, I hated the way Callum spoke so frankly to Kirstie. Everyone (Callum the most!) encouraged her to have sex with Sir Payton & it was weird. Callum is 11 and speaks to Kirstie as an adult & equal.
Though I rolled my eyes a lot, this was an OK romance novel. 3 stars for Sir Payton, because he was the best character.
Firstly, everyone speaks in paragraphs!
It's one thing to have your characters explain what's going on, it's another to infodump on your readers every time your characters speak.
Secondly, I hated the way Callum spoke so frankly to Kirstie. Everyone (Callum the most!) encouraged her to have sex with Sir Payton & it was weird. Callum is 11 and speaks to Kirstie as an adult & equal.
Though I rolled my eyes a lot, this was an OK romance novel. 3 stars for Sir Payton, because he was the best character.
September 15, 2019
In this story of the Murray family Payton meets his match. Kirstie is on the run from her beast of a husband. He has tried to kill her. She is not hiding by herself. She has five children that she has taken under wing. She asks Payton to be her champion is her quest to get the children away from her husband. I won't spoil the story by tell the secret here. But in true Payton form he is after her to bed. What happens when her husband finds out she is still alive? What about the children? Why the need to keep them safe? But will Payton find his true mate in this woman or will she end up just another married woman under his belt? I had read this years ago and enjoyed the story line then also.
November 11, 2019
“Highland Angel” is a romantic and very suspenseful tale that will grab you and not let go! I read this in one sitting..I could not put it down! Sir Payton Murray is a wonderful yet flawed hero and Lady Kirstie Maclye is a feisty heroine. The subject matter is uncomfortable but realistic for the time and weaves its way through a passionate love affair that will bring you on a journey of wonderful highs, at times hysterical laughter and sad lows. A definite must read if you love a good steamy romance!
Thanks to Kensington Books and Goodreads for the opportunity to read a great Scottish Romance!
Thanks to Kensington Books and Goodreads for the opportunity to read a great Scottish Romance!
May 9, 2020
Caution: The villain in this book is a pedophile.
Kirstie was forced into marriage to the cruel Sir Roderick, but he prefers the company of young boys to his wife. After Sir Roderick's unsuccessful attempt to murder Kirstie, she enlists the help of Sir Payton Murray to stop his child abuse. The story was a good mix of romance and intrigue, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Highland Angel is book 7 in the Murray series, but it stands on its own. I received this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
Kirstie was forced into marriage to the cruel Sir Roderick, but he prefers the company of young boys to his wife. After Sir Roderick's unsuccessful attempt to murder Kirstie, she enlists the help of Sir Payton Murray to stop his child abuse. The story was a good mix of romance and intrigue, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Highland Angel is book 7 in the Murray series, but it stands on its own. I received this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
November 19, 2017
Highland Angel
Kirstie is a champion of the children that her husband had molested. He has tried to kill her by drowning but he does not know she can swim. She goes looking for Sir Payton Murray and convinces him to be her champion to save the children and ruin her husband. Read this novel to find all the mishaps and dirty works of her husband. You will not regret reading this. I have read quite a few of Hannah's books and will be reading them all I hope. Happy Reading!
Kirstie is a champion of the children that her husband had molested. He has tried to kill her by drowning but he does not know she can swim. She goes looking for Sir Payton Murray and convinces him to be her champion to save the children and ruin her husband. Read this novel to find all the mishaps and dirty works of her husband. You will not regret reading this. I have read quite a few of Hannah's books and will be reading them all I hope. Happy Reading!
November 4, 2019
Hannah Howell's Highland Angel has a rich beginning, a sumptuous middle, and a totally satisdying ending.
Hannah Howell makes you feel like you are in the time period. Her heroines are feisty women of their times-not 21st century women wearing costumes while speaking like they are at a political rally. They know there are things that are wrong in their society but they deal with them the way a woman of their time period would.
Hannah Howell makes you feel like you are in the time period. Her heroines are feisty women of their times-not 21st century women wearing costumes while speaking like they are at a political rally. They know there are things that are wrong in their society but they deal with them the way a woman of their time period would.
February 4, 2019
I think this is my favorite of all the H.H. books I've read so far -- I just loved it. Payton and Kirstie were both great and the children were wonderful -- especially Callum. And Simon was great at the end. It was nice that Gillyanne showed up in this book as well as Kirstie's 9 brothers and all of Payton's family. It was all great. NEXT !!!
April 29, 2020
Received from Goodreads. This is usually not my genre to read but I rather enjoyed this one. The author did approach a rather dark subject matter that was involved in most of the story. She handled it respectfully I thought. I was surprised how this one kept be so involved with so many different characters involved! Glad I finally finished this one!
February 1, 2018
I found this book a little hard to read because the villain is a pedophile. I read these books because I find it nice and relaxing to escape from reallety once in a while but sadly a pedophile is only too real.
January 17, 2019
This is such a great series! I love how characters from the previous books come into play in each new characters life. It makes it that much harder to turn away from the book. Absolutely fell in love with this author and her works!
July 23, 2019
Highland 👼
Excellent! Again I had written a detailed review of this book and it disappeared when I was correcting a typo. This is frustrating and if you can fix it to where it will stop doing this you will get the review with the 5 🌟. Happy Reading 📚 Donna
Excellent! Again I had written a detailed review of this book and it disappeared when I was correcting a typo. This is frustrating and if you can fix it to where it will stop doing this you will get the review with the 5 🌟. Happy Reading 📚 Donna
March 26, 2020
This book had such a different storyline then any other highland romance then I have read so far. It had such a dark subject matter and we learned what our heroin had to do to help the children. Plus she finds love along the way.
July 11, 2025
The little dark angel
Such a fine story of Payton and Kirstie. Finally, Payton is ready to settle down with one bonnie woman! Of course, mayhem occurs and many clan members are involved.
Such a fine story of Payton and Kirstie. Finally, Payton is ready to settle down with one bonnie woman! Of course, mayhem occurs and many clan members are involved.
November 12, 2017
Still one of my favorite tales in this series. It was a delightful reread.
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