What do you think?
Rate this book
Highlands #1
The Pride of Lions
They were torn between pride and passion. . .It was a boastful wager, a bold flirtation meant to win a proposal from the most eligible officer in His Majesty's Royal Dragoons. How was the spoiled and pampered Catherine Augustine Ashbrooke to know the handsome stranger with the brooding midnight eyes would see through her plot and make her the pawn in a dangerous game of his own?United by a reckless game of chance. . .Alexander Cameron may have won the highborn English beauty in a duel, but not even the lure of long-forgotten desires could keep him from his meeting with destiny. He had no choice but to carry his reluctant bride off to the Highlands, to a world of ancient blood feuds and a brewing rebellion--a world where fiery passion and breathtaking courage would prove that even legendary warriors could lose their hearts.Bestselling, award-winning author Marsha Canham sweeps us into the turbulence and romance of Scotland's quest for freedom in a saga of two born enemies whose lives and destinies are irrevocably bound to the fate of an empire.From the Paperback edition.
416 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1990
265 people are currently reading
7066 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 334 reviews
November 5, 2021
"The Pride of Lions" has been recommended to me time and time again by a handful of people. I am so glad that I took the plunge and started reading.
Because once I started, I just couldn't put it down!
The story centers around the 45 uprising and the return of Bonnie Prince Charlie to Scotland. The story beings with us meeting the snobbish and high and mighty English lady named Catherine "Kitty" Ashbrooke" on the day of her eighteenth birthday. It was my gut reaction to detest this character because she seems so very stereotypical of every other romance heroine ever introduced in fiction. Catherine meets her match in spirit and fire in the young merchant Raefer Montgomery and the chemistry between the two is undeniable. Of course, Catherine uses the young man to get her British soldier jealous with dire results.
It is isn't long before the two are wed and Catherine soon learns that her husband is actually the Scottish outlaw, Alexander Cameron. Horror of horrors, Alex plans on heading back to savage Scotland and Catherine believes that it is a prison. What follows is a series of events in which the reader begins to wonder if Catherine will ever grow up. However, there are several wonderful and endearing characters that set about for the young Sassenach to begin to understand her Scottish warrior.
I really enjoyed that Canham made our characters "dislike/hate" each other for awhile before finally coming to some sort of happy ending. Or should I say one heck of a cliffhanger?
All in all, the action is fast paced and the romance will get one all hot and bothered. This book has worked its way onto my favorites list for sure!
Because once I started, I just couldn't put it down!
The story centers around the 45 uprising and the return of Bonnie Prince Charlie to Scotland. The story beings with us meeting the snobbish and high and mighty English lady named Catherine "Kitty" Ashbrooke" on the day of her eighteenth birthday. It was my gut reaction to detest this character because she seems so very stereotypical of every other romance heroine ever introduced in fiction. Catherine meets her match in spirit and fire in the young merchant Raefer Montgomery and the chemistry between the two is undeniable. Of course, Catherine uses the young man to get her British soldier jealous with dire results.
It is isn't long before the two are wed and Catherine soon learns that her husband is actually the Scottish outlaw, Alexander Cameron. Horror of horrors, Alex plans on heading back to savage Scotland and Catherine believes that it is a prison. What follows is a series of events in which the reader begins to wonder if Catherine will ever grow up. However, there are several wonderful and endearing characters that set about for the young Sassenach to begin to understand her Scottish warrior.
I really enjoyed that Canham made our characters "dislike/hate" each other for awhile before finally coming to some sort of happy ending. Or should I say one heck of a cliffhanger?
All in all, the action is fast paced and the romance will get one all hot and bothered. This book has worked its way onto my favorites list for sure!
October 7, 2011
Now this is what a historical romance is all about...
I had grown weary of your typical HR, as I found they were repeated story lines, all jumbling together and becoming more and more cheese as my reading tastes advanced. So, I put aside the HR Genre and found myself delving into stories with more substance.
Lately, I have been finding reading in general has become a chore, it seemed every book I picked up I would start with the best intentions but in the end was unable to get through the first few chapters.
Finally, I decided to do some serious research, missing that amazing pull of great stories, jam packed of history but still laced with a great love story such as my favorites
and
however, it has been seemingly impossible...
I stumbled upon this author in my search, and decided to give her a shot..
What a pleasant surprise.. It had everything I crave in my meatier books, plus a great love story.. It didn't feel like your 'typical' boy meets girl story and that I can appreciate. It had ALOT of accurate History regarding the Jacobite Rising, and the Upcoming Battle of Culloden, and the battle of honor and conscience that many Highlanders faced regarding the joining of Bonnie Prince Charlie.. It wasn't jam packed with corsettes, and chaperones... Daintily shoed feet, and impecally dressed suitors simply waiting to get in the wearer of said shoes skirts...It felt more real to me. It could have been made into an epic story if the author had expanded on it a little more... It definatly has the potential.
In short, I loved this book... it was a breath of fresh air after one hell of a reading dryspell.. I have already ordered more by this author.
I had grown weary of your typical HR, as I found they were repeated story lines, all jumbling together and becoming more and more cheese as my reading tastes advanced. So, I put aside the HR Genre and found myself delving into stories with more substance.
Lately, I have been finding reading in general has become a chore, it seemed every book I picked up I would start with the best intentions but in the end was unable to get through the first few chapters.
Finally, I decided to do some serious research, missing that amazing pull of great stories, jam packed of history but still laced with a great love story such as my favorites
and
however, it has been seemingly impossible... I stumbled upon this author in my search, and decided to give her a shot..
What a pleasant surprise.. It had everything I crave in my meatier books, plus a great love story.. It didn't feel like your 'typical' boy meets girl story and that I can appreciate. It had ALOT of accurate History regarding the Jacobite Rising, and the Upcoming Battle of Culloden, and the battle of honor and conscience that many Highlanders faced regarding the joining of Bonnie Prince Charlie.. It wasn't jam packed with corsettes, and chaperones... Daintily shoed feet, and impecally dressed suitors simply waiting to get in the wearer of said shoes skirts...It felt more real to me. It could have been made into an epic story if the author had expanded on it a little more... It definatly has the potential.
In short, I loved this book... it was a breath of fresh air after one hell of a reading dryspell.. I have already ordered more by this author.
February 18, 2017
Me gustó... pero no me fascinó. La autora divide en partes casi iguales el componente romántico y el histórico, pero aunque esto último en algunos libros me resulta sumamente atractivo, aquí no lo encontré bien desarrollado; las descripciones del conflicto entre jacobitas e ingleses son muy "técnicas" y, como el libro tampoco es tan extenso, se profundiza sólo en algunos aspectos, perdiendo la perspectiva completa de este período histórico. Tal como vi en otro comentario, si antes no hubiera leído los libros de Diana Gabaldón, habría estado muy perdida.
Respecto de la relación de Alex y Catherine, durante tres cuartas partes del libro solo encontraremos enfrentamientos y luego, casi por arte de magia, los protagonistas descubren que todo su rencor y resentimiento era amor ¿? Sí debo reconocer que ese último cuarto de la novela se disfruta mucho (si no me hubiera quedado en 2 estrellas) y deja el enganche para continuar la historia en el segundo libro, donde espero que se profundice más el personaje de Alex, porque en éste, la balanza estuvo muy cargada hacia Catherine, una niña mimada que tenía todo en bandeja y que no medía las consecuencias de sus acciones, a la que ahora se le abre un mundo nuevo (más allá de la pusilánime aristocracia inglesa) y una nueva perspectiva para medir a quienes la rodean.
Respecto de la relación de Alex y Catherine, durante tres cuartas partes del libro solo encontraremos enfrentamientos y luego, casi por arte de magia, los protagonistas descubren que todo su rencor y resentimiento era amor ¿? Sí debo reconocer que ese último cuarto de la novela se disfruta mucho (si no me hubiera quedado en 2 estrellas) y deja el enganche para continuar la historia en el segundo libro, donde espero que se profundice más el personaje de Alex, porque en éste, la balanza estuvo muy cargada hacia Catherine, una niña mimada que tenía todo en bandeja y que no medía las consecuencias de sus acciones, a la que ahora se le abre un mundo nuevo (más allá de la pusilánime aristocracia inglesa) y una nueva perspectiva para medir a quienes la rodean.
September 19, 2025
OMG - I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!
At the start, this book seemed a little slow in places and I wasn't totally connecting with the writing. Boy, am I glad I stuck with it, because IT IS AMAZING!!!!
The story is packed full of emotion, angst, intrigue and is surrounded by historical events that I openly admit, know nothing about, but found fascinating all the same.
From the start, we meet Catherine, on the celebration of her eighteenth birthday. She's incredibly beautiful, rich, entitled and lives a completely sheltered, albeit, lonely life. Her lack of real world experience allows her to live in a bubble of vanity and self-assuredness. While out for a ride, she stumbles across Raefer Montgomery, a very handsome, arrogant, successful merchant, who she mistakes as a poacher on her father's land. They both get under one another's skin and sparks fly while they argue.
Fast forward, to Catherine's birthday party, where she is hoping the man of her dreams, Harrison, will finally propose. At the party, Catherine's brother introduces her to his friend and guest, Raefer. Catherine recognizes him as the "poacher" instantly and while she cannot stand Raefer, she capitalizes on an opportunity to make Harrison jealous and dances one dance with Raefer. That single dance changes the course of their lives forever.
For reasons explained in the book, Raefer and Catherine are forced to marry. Afterward, Catherine learns that Raefer Montgomery is not at all who he said he was and it turns out he is a Scottish spy named Alexander Cameron. Alexander turns her life upside down as he forces Catherine to Scotland, which is his home that he hasn't seen in fifteen years.
I don't want to spoil this review with too many details, but Catherine undergoes a major transformation in the five short weeks she spends with Alexander. She matures and grows in such a short time (not to mention, she also survives multiple violent encounters) and surprisingly maintains a firm self-awareness through it all. She recognizes her own faults and shortcomings and underneath her snobby and cold exterior, lies a kind, and sensitive young woman. I just adored her.
Raefer/Alexander is a total stud. He's handsome, sharp and incredibly talented in terms of battling, well, anyone, but he's also arrogant, stubborn, cold and at times, cruel. He undergoes his own transformation as well that was great to read.
This story totally delivers in the romance department. My head and heart went THROUGH IT with this couple. I finished this book yesterday and it has stayed on my mind since. I loved the story, I loved the characters and I cannot wait to read book 2!
I highly recommend reading this book and it's available on KU!
At the start, this book seemed a little slow in places and I wasn't totally connecting with the writing. Boy, am I glad I stuck with it, because IT IS AMAZING!!!!
The story is packed full of emotion, angst, intrigue and is surrounded by historical events that I openly admit, know nothing about, but found fascinating all the same.
From the start, we meet Catherine, on the celebration of her eighteenth birthday. She's incredibly beautiful, rich, entitled and lives a completely sheltered, albeit, lonely life. Her lack of real world experience allows her to live in a bubble of vanity and self-assuredness. While out for a ride, she stumbles across Raefer Montgomery, a very handsome, arrogant, successful merchant, who she mistakes as a poacher on her father's land. They both get under one another's skin and sparks fly while they argue.
Fast forward, to Catherine's birthday party, where she is hoping the man of her dreams, Harrison, will finally propose. At the party, Catherine's brother introduces her to his friend and guest, Raefer. Catherine recognizes him as the "poacher" instantly and while she cannot stand Raefer, she capitalizes on an opportunity to make Harrison jealous and dances one dance with Raefer. That single dance changes the course of their lives forever.
For reasons explained in the book, Raefer and Catherine are forced to marry. Afterward, Catherine learns that Raefer Montgomery is not at all who he said he was and it turns out he is a Scottish spy named Alexander Cameron. Alexander turns her life upside down as he forces Catherine to Scotland, which is his home that he hasn't seen in fifteen years.
I don't want to spoil this review with too many details, but Catherine undergoes a major transformation in the five short weeks she spends with Alexander. She matures and grows in such a short time (not to mention, she also survives multiple violent encounters) and surprisingly maintains a firm self-awareness through it all. She recognizes her own faults and shortcomings and underneath her snobby and cold exterior, lies a kind, and sensitive young woman. I just adored her.
Raefer/Alexander is a total stud. He's handsome, sharp and incredibly talented in terms of battling, well, anyone, but he's also arrogant, stubborn, cold and at times, cruel. He undergoes his own transformation as well that was great to read.
This story totally delivers in the romance department. My head and heart went THROUGH IT with this couple. I finished this book yesterday and it has stayed on my mind since. I loved the story, I loved the characters and I cannot wait to read book 2!
I highly recommend reading this book and it's available on KU!
Want to read
November 8, 2020OMG, I just opened this one to this gem (or maybe jam?):
Q: With a toss of her long blonde hair, Catherine walked past him into the foyer and began mounting the wide, massive wooden stairway to the upper floor (c) Sounds painful!
A must read! It's probably hilarious all over!
Q: With a toss of her long blonde hair, Catherine walked past him into the foyer and began mounting the wide, massive wooden stairway to the upper floor (c) Sounds painful!
A must read! It's probably hilarious all over!
July 20, 2021
2.5 stars, rounding down.
If you're a Marsha Canham fan and subscribed to KU, ignore my rating & give this book a try. Most importantly, while reading I compared the 1988 edition to the current edition on Kindle. Marsha didn't take out any content or do any major rewrites for the current edition on Kindle.
Marsha, if you read your reviews, I think you gotta stop these silly rewrites and edits. The only thing I noticed that was different between the Kindle edition and original was that the word "fish" was added in this sentence: "Indeed, I am beginning to have thoughts, Mistress Ashbrooke,” he murmured. “But not of poaching.” This is the sentence in the 1988 edition, which was changed to: ""Indeed, I am beginning to have thoughts, Mistress Ashbrooke,” he murmured. “But not of poaching fish.” on Kindle.
lol. I'm so curious as to what was going through Marsha's mind. Marsha, if you're reading - you gotta stop overthinking this.
I mean, this is a well-respected romance author, with a significant fanbase, that has won multiple awards. Why change your books? I hear authors give advice all the time not to rewrite their books. Time would be better spent writing new material for their fanbase. This minor change in the book adds nothing to the story, except making the innuendo less sexy. Under no circumstances is the word "fish" sexy.
Then hilariously the only other change was the heroine asking for a glass of wine during a party instead of a glass of water.
Anyway, I enjoyed Through a Dark Mist more than this. I rated Through a Dark Mist 3 stars, so to be brutally honest this was a 2 star read for me. The writing was decent, storyline decent, just not for me. Certain scenes reminded me of My Lord Monleigh, which unfortunately had the effect of reminding me of how I loved that book much more than this. I do see fans of Marsha Canham enjoying this though. Bottomline: If you're a fan, you can feel comfortable supporting the author by reading the book in KU. No major rewrites in this edition.
If you're a Marsha Canham fan and subscribed to KU, ignore my rating & give this book a try. Most importantly, while reading I compared the 1988 edition to the current edition on Kindle. Marsha didn't take out any content or do any major rewrites for the current edition on Kindle.
Marsha, if you read your reviews, I think you gotta stop these silly rewrites and edits. The only thing I noticed that was different between the Kindle edition and original was that the word "fish" was added in this sentence: "Indeed, I am beginning to have thoughts, Mistress Ashbrooke,” he murmured. “But not of poaching.” This is the sentence in the 1988 edition, which was changed to: ""Indeed, I am beginning to have thoughts, Mistress Ashbrooke,” he murmured. “But not of poaching fish.” on Kindle.
lol. I'm so curious as to what was going through Marsha's mind. Marsha, if you're reading - you gotta stop overthinking this.
I mean, this is a well-respected romance author, with a significant fanbase, that has won multiple awards. Why change your books? I hear authors give advice all the time not to rewrite their books. Time would be better spent writing new material for their fanbase. This minor change in the book adds nothing to the story, except making the innuendo less sexy. Under no circumstances is the word "fish" sexy.
Then hilariously the only other change was the heroine asking for a glass of wine during a party instead of a glass of water.
Anyway, I enjoyed Through a Dark Mist more than this. I rated Through a Dark Mist 3 stars, so to be brutally honest this was a 2 star read for me. The writing was decent, storyline decent, just not for me. Certain scenes reminded me of My Lord Monleigh, which unfortunately had the effect of reminding me of how I loved that book much more than this. I do see fans of Marsha Canham enjoying this though. Bottomline: If you're a fan, you can feel comfortable supporting the author by reading the book in KU. No major rewrites in this edition.
September 26, 2016
Qué buena recomendación de Cassie y de Blackmagicrose!! Una estupenda novela de highlanders en una época extremadamente complicada en Escocia (si habéis leído Outlander os va a sonar todo). Me lo he pasado genial leyéndola. Qué maromazo es Alex, por Dior!! Tal vez la historia de amor en un determinado momento es algo apresurada pero no te importa, estás tan metida en lo que cuentan y en lo que va a pasar que lo perdonas. Tiene su tensión sexual bien puesta, sus momentos ajkhafdkjhakfjhaljkdshf, sus malos y su inevitable hostión que te llega al final y te hace coger el siguiente libro rait nau porque este libro no termina la historia de amor de Alex y Catherine, tienes que leer el siguiente. Y Marsha Canham escribe genial, qué gustazo.
Si queréis saber más, leed aquí la reseña de Cassie!
Alex, ven a mí!!!!!!
Si queréis saber más, leed aquí la reseña de Cassie!
Alex, ven a mí!!!!!!
August 20, 2015
.99!
Usually I only post about freebies but this is in my top ten romance reads of all time. For only .99! Get this book. Read this book.
Amazon Link
P.S. - This ends on a cliffhanger, nothing outrageous but our main couple's journey is far from over. Be prepared to want to buy the second in the series.
Usually I only post about freebies but this is in my top ten romance reads of all time. For only .99! Get this book. Read this book.
Amazon Link
P.S. - This ends on a cliffhanger, nothing outrageous but our main couple's journey is far from over. Be prepared to want to buy the second in the series.
December 14, 2025
Historically historical romance
If this book hadn't been so beautifully written, the heavy political talks as well as clan details would've been too much for me. But it was beautifully written and I did enjoy listening to this book.
・
・
・
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
If this book hadn't been so beautifully written, the heavy political talks as well as clan details would've been too much for me. But it was beautifully written and I did enjoy listening to this book.
・
・
・
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
July 8, 2020
The 1st in the series. Great romance but this is a book for serious history lovers.
June 6, 2022
3 Estrellitas. Pese a todo lo que me estaba pareciendo éste libro, en el fondo me ha gustado. Tiene puntos muy positivos como son la ambientación y la narración, es excelente. El problema que he tenido con él es la historia y los personajes, tiene varios clichés ochenteros que aún hoy no se superan y ha envejecido mal. Pero vamos al meollo.
Para nada me ha parecido que el libro haya tenido mucho que ver con "Forastera" de Diana Gabaldon, de hecho "Orgullo de casta" se publicó dos o tres años antes, así que no podemos hablar de quién copió a quién, ni tenemos viajes en el tiempo.
Estamos en 1745 en Derby, Inglaterra. Catherine es la hermosa hija de un parlamentario inglés bien avenido, y el día de su dieciocho cumpleaños se celebra un gran baile. A él acuden nobles, soldados y amigos de la familia, entre ellos el casi prometido de Catherine, Hamilton Garner y Raefer Montgomery, el misterioso y oscuro amigo del hermano de Catherine.
Desde el principio entre Catherine y Raefer hay animosidad y antipatía, pero ello no les impide bailar y que posteriormente sean pillados besándose en la terraza de la mansión. El alboroto será tal, que Hamilton desafía a Raefer a un duelo y se casará con ella el ganador.
Así tendremos a Catherine, casada con el hombre misterioso al que no puede más que odiar y para el que siempre tendrá una lengua viperina. Pero todo empeorará cuando Catherine descubra la verdad sobre su nuevo esposo: su nombre auténtico es Alexander Cameron, el hijo menor y exiliado de un laird escocés, que está espiando entre Francia e Inglaterra y a la espera de que en Escocia se produzca la rebelión contra los Hanover.
Durante la mitad del libro tendremos el viaje de Inglaterra a Escocia, que realmente ha sido tedioso y aburrido por culpa del malhumor de Catherine: en serio, es odiosa, un grano en el culo que no para de insultar, odiar y cuando las cosas se ponen chungas, más que una ayuda es un lastre, pues no para de desmayarse. Tampoco puedo hablar positivamente de Alex, pues es un hombre de su época, rudo, machista, fanfarrón, no duda de si tiene que sacudir a la protagonista y tampoco ha sabido manejarla bien. Quizás lo que se le perdona a Alex es que tiene un pasado que se irá descubriendo mientras pasan los capítulos.
El libro mejora en el último tercio de la novela, pues podemos sentir que se acerca a lo que es el romance de verdad, pero aún así no me parece que haya estado bien llevado, pues no entiendes en qué momento han pasado de insultarse y odiarse a amarse.
Pese a todo esto, la novela está brillantemente escrita, el estilo de Marsha Canham es muy bueno, los diálogos también están cuidados, pese a lo vocingleros que se han puesto a veces, y la investigación histórica es impecable. Sí, quienes hemos leído "Forastera" o visto la serie sabemos lo que ocurre antes, durante y después del levantamiento jacobita, y Marsha Canham cuenta lo mismo desde el punto de vista de otro clan; pero está muy bien contado, y repito: no tiene nada que ver con la historia de Diana Gabaldon.
Curiosamente, lo que me ha gustado y dejado con ganas de más es el final, pues la autora no lo cierra y te deja con ganas de leer la continuación. Estoy segura de que la leeré en un futuro, pero no inmediatamente, aún tengo que digerir las sensaciones que me ha dejado Catherine.
Para nada me ha parecido que el libro haya tenido mucho que ver con "Forastera" de Diana Gabaldon, de hecho "Orgullo de casta" se publicó dos o tres años antes, así que no podemos hablar de quién copió a quién, ni tenemos viajes en el tiempo.
Estamos en 1745 en Derby, Inglaterra. Catherine es la hermosa hija de un parlamentario inglés bien avenido, y el día de su dieciocho cumpleaños se celebra un gran baile. A él acuden nobles, soldados y amigos de la familia, entre ellos el casi prometido de Catherine, Hamilton Garner y Raefer Montgomery, el misterioso y oscuro amigo del hermano de Catherine.
Desde el principio entre Catherine y Raefer hay animosidad y antipatía, pero ello no les impide bailar y que posteriormente sean pillados besándose en la terraza de la mansión. El alboroto será tal, que Hamilton desafía a Raefer a un duelo y se casará con ella el ganador.
Así tendremos a Catherine, casada con el hombre misterioso al que no puede más que odiar y para el que siempre tendrá una lengua viperina. Pero todo empeorará cuando Catherine descubra la verdad sobre su nuevo esposo: su nombre auténtico es Alexander Cameron, el hijo menor y exiliado de un laird escocés, que está espiando entre Francia e Inglaterra y a la espera de que en Escocia se produzca la rebelión contra los Hanover.
Durante la mitad del libro tendremos el viaje de Inglaterra a Escocia, que realmente ha sido tedioso y aburrido por culpa del malhumor de Catherine: en serio, es odiosa, un grano en el culo que no para de insultar, odiar y cuando las cosas se ponen chungas, más que una ayuda es un lastre, pues no para de desmayarse. Tampoco puedo hablar positivamente de Alex, pues es un hombre de su época, rudo, machista, fanfarrón, no duda de si tiene que sacudir a la protagonista y tampoco ha sabido manejarla bien. Quizás lo que se le perdona a Alex es que tiene un pasado que se irá descubriendo mientras pasan los capítulos.
El libro mejora en el último tercio de la novela, pues podemos sentir que se acerca a lo que es el romance de verdad, pero aún así no me parece que haya estado bien llevado, pues no entiendes en qué momento han pasado de insultarse y odiarse a amarse.
Pese a todo esto, la novela está brillantemente escrita, el estilo de Marsha Canham es muy bueno, los diálogos también están cuidados, pese a lo vocingleros que se han puesto a veces, y la investigación histórica es impecable. Sí, quienes hemos leído "Forastera" o visto la serie sabemos lo que ocurre antes, durante y después del levantamiento jacobita, y Marsha Canham cuenta lo mismo desde el punto de vista de otro clan; pero está muy bien contado, y repito: no tiene nada que ver con la historia de Diana Gabaldon.
Curiosamente, lo que me ha gustado y dejado con ganas de más es el final, pues la autora no lo cierra y te deja con ganas de leer la continuación. Estoy segura de que la leeré en un futuro, pero no inmediatamente, aún tengo que digerir las sensaciones que me ha dejado Catherine.
April 18, 2016
++Possible spoilers++
I must give 5 stars for the writing is exceptionally good. I say must because I am not in the habit of giving a 5 star rating when a book triggers my emotional issues. This one has hit almost all of mine, yet I cannot lower the rating because of that, the writing is too good.
Most reviewers here seemed to complain of the unlikability of the h. I Thought the complete opposite. I loved the h but the hero I am still undecided on if I like him or not.
I could not put this book dowm, and stayed up until 4 am to finish, only to find that the ending was so upsetting that I have to read the next book in hopes the problems get resolved. This is not a cliffhanger but the story definately seems to continue.
To be honest if I had known what elements were in this book I would not have read it. I purchased this at a time when I guess I had more of a tolerance for certain things in my reads, and now I am paying the price. Had I known the hero was a widower who was so intensely in love with his wife that he swore an oath never to marry, I would have not read this. The fact he was a man whore would definately been a red flag and a big NO!.
I didn't like the way the hero treated the heroine at times, for one.. he slaps her, doesn't hold up his end of the bargain to release her, and then when they fall in love, and she decides to stay in Scotland, he sends her home. I went from liking to hating then back to liking then hating this guy like I was on a rollercoaster. I suppose the mere fact that the author could make me like a manwhore is in of itself a miracle.
This is not a book for people who want a nice and easy romance read, it is for those who want to feel pain, anger, passion, jealousy and hate. For people who have no problem with violence, and rape themes. A complete an utter whirlwind of emotions!
The only criticism I have, and it's not worth lowerering a star over is that there is a lot of historical references and details of rulers and politics of England and Scotland. I don't mind this, but most of it was really unnecessarily detailed. (Another complaint by some readers).
UPDATE
By the second book.. I LOVED the hero. All forgiven.
November 17, 2011
I loved this book! What a great find. I just saw this book recommended at the Amazon forum about a "spoiled, rich & beautiful heroine" who was tamed by the hero.
I never knew the author but I'm glad I was able to discover a gem. The story was set in England & Scotland year 1745. The hero is a Scotsman Spy & the heroine, a spoiled english debutante. It's fast paced, full of action, adventure & emotion. This is epic. Like reading Judith McNaught's historicals. I can never find another author as good as her.
Please do yourself a favor if you like historicals. This one is for you. A gentle reminder though, do not be put off with talks of politics & scottish accent. It will get better I promise. The book ends with a cliffhanger only because there is a book 2 (The Blood of The Roses)! Yey!!! Can't get enough of the H & h. I am currently reading it. I am excited to find what happens.
I never knew the author but I'm glad I was able to discover a gem. The story was set in England & Scotland year 1745. The hero is a Scotsman Spy & the heroine, a spoiled english debutante. It's fast paced, full of action, adventure & emotion. This is epic. Like reading Judith McNaught's historicals. I can never find another author as good as her.
Please do yourself a favor if you like historicals. This one is for you. A gentle reminder though, do not be put off with talks of politics & scottish accent. It will get better I promise. The book ends with a cliffhanger only because there is a book 2 (The Blood of The Roses)! Yey!!! Can't get enough of the H & h. I am currently reading it. I am excited to find what happens.
August 15, 2013
Sometimes books purchased in the spur of the moment leave you with a sour taste in your mouth after you read them, but sometimes (very few times, for me), they turn out to be truly remarkable stories with gripping plots, wonderful characters, great dialogue, and even greater chemistry – both between the leading couple and other characters. The first two books in Marsha Canham's Highlands trilogy, The Pride of Lions and The Blood of Roses, turned out to be one of those rare gems with a firmly ingrained spot on my keeper shelf, that despite knowing them almost by heart, I never mind picking them up again and again.
In the first book we're introduced to the spoiled and self-centered Derby beauty, Catherine Augustine Ashbrooke. She's ridining through the forest on the day of her eighteenth birthday only to encounter a tall, dark, and handsome stranger who quickly teaches her an important lesson that the world does not revolve around her. With her pride still chafed from the "ordeal" Catherine is dismayed to see the same stranger, her brother's acquaintance Raefer Montgomery, at the ball in her honor that same evening, but being the spoiled brat that she is, she somehow overcomes her adversity and decides to shamelessly use him to her advantage – making the man she wants to marry insanely jealous.
Unfortunately her plan backfires. She is pleasantly—and passionately—surprised by Montgomery's kiss on the shadowed terrace, and her jealous would-be-suitor, instead of being normally jealous as she intended, throws a fit and challenges Montgomery to a duel. The dark stranger, though pressed for time, agrees and wins the duel...And Catherine’s hand in the process.
Despite the unwillingness of both bride and groom, Catherine and Raefer are joined in holy matrimony in her father's study.
The next evening, having stopped for the night in a seedy tavern, Catherine learns the shocking truth about her husband. He's not a wealthy English merchant by the name of Raefer Montgomery, but in fact a Scot, a Jacobite spy, Alexander Cameron, returning to his homeland after fifteen years in exile.
Scared half to death by the towering Highlander promising swift demise for her, her brother who comes to collect her, and her maid, Catherine flees the tavern, but is quickly apprehended by her husband, and, after a few more threats to her brother's life, bundled up in a carriage and whisked away to Scotland as hostage and cover for the long trek to the north, evading English troops.
Reluctant to admit it, Catherine is quickly taken by the rugged beauty of the country, and more and more intrigued with Alexander Cameron and his mercurial disposition. As she gradually lowers her defenses and pushes aside her pride, so does he, and the two slowly, but surely shift from enemies to something else entirely, just as Scotland is on the verge of the war that will change its history forever.
Though this first book concentrates on the characters, especially Catherine as she grows and matures, and the budding romance between them, the imminent threat of danger is palpable and always on the outskirts of the story, there to see, but not yet ready to be grasped.
Marsha Canham wove history and romance into a captivating love story, full of passion, devotion, and courage, against the backdrop of the (final) Jacobite rebellion.
Catherine's spoiled ways took some time to digest (on the first read), but through the course of the book her character evolves from a spoiled child to a strong, passionate woman. Her growth and maturing is evident in each scene, each dialogue, and inner monologue. It is true what they say, that a change of scenery can do miracles for somebody. In Catherine's case her change started when her heart first pounded in earnest as she set her eyes on Alexander and it was him and his homeland that made her see her (previous) life for what it really was—a shallow excuse for an existence—and made her reevaluate her priorities, her true desires, and her true self.
For that reason, the cliffy ending was so much more heartbreaking, just when she realized what she wanted, it was snatched away, and no manner of tantrums and fits could give her what she wanted. It was proof of her growth and change that she didn't revert to her childish ways and instead took all she was delivered with quiet dignity and hidden hopes for the future.
Alexander Cameron was the quintessential leading man. One that makes your heart pound and wish they still made men like him. Tall, dark, devilishly handsome, devoted and dedicated, with a strict code of honor that he doesn't break even in most dire of times. I loved how he also changed as the story progressed, how he was brought to his knees by something utterly and completely beyond his control—the love for a woman. His inner struggles against the attraction, against wanting her, even liking her, were completely futile, he fell like a lemming, and wonderful to read.
In a way, Catherine and Alexander were the same, both lonely, she having grown up with indifferent parents, he for the fifteen years spend in hating-the-world exile. They both had one true friend, their respective brothers, Damien and Aluinn. And they were both determined to show the world a brave face, building defensive walls behind which to hide their emotions, their desires, and their fears.
And Kismet (or whatever you want to call it) brought them together, to lean on each other, learn from each other, love each other. He turned her into a woman (in more ways than the basic one), she showed him it was safe to feel again, without betraying his personal ghost.
Their struggle against their feelings was almost comical in its bitter sweetness and the moment they finally accept these feeling is both heart-warming and sad at the same time, because here they are, two people finally ready to give their hearts to each other, yet with the constant whisper of imminent danger threating to tear them apart forever.
This sweeping saga takes us from the glittering ballrooms full of hypocrisy and false smiles, to the primal, honest, wind-swept Highlands as a spoiled, selfish brat turns into a proud and determined young woman and a icy-cold, cynical soldier of fortune is humbled and changed by his love for her. All this happens in real time, in front of our very eyes, and that’s what makes this such a remarkable read.
In the first book we're introduced to the spoiled and self-centered Derby beauty, Catherine Augustine Ashbrooke. She's ridining through the forest on the day of her eighteenth birthday only to encounter a tall, dark, and handsome stranger who quickly teaches her an important lesson that the world does not revolve around her. With her pride still chafed from the "ordeal" Catherine is dismayed to see the same stranger, her brother's acquaintance Raefer Montgomery, at the ball in her honor that same evening, but being the spoiled brat that she is, she somehow overcomes her adversity and decides to shamelessly use him to her advantage – making the man she wants to marry insanely jealous.
Unfortunately her plan backfires. She is pleasantly—and passionately—surprised by Montgomery's kiss on the shadowed terrace, and her jealous would-be-suitor, instead of being normally jealous as she intended, throws a fit and challenges Montgomery to a duel. The dark stranger, though pressed for time, agrees and wins the duel...And Catherine’s hand in the process.
Despite the unwillingness of both bride and groom, Catherine and Raefer are joined in holy matrimony in her father's study.
The next evening, having stopped for the night in a seedy tavern, Catherine learns the shocking truth about her husband. He's not a wealthy English merchant by the name of Raefer Montgomery, but in fact a Scot, a Jacobite spy, Alexander Cameron, returning to his homeland after fifteen years in exile.
Scared half to death by the towering Highlander promising swift demise for her, her brother who comes to collect her, and her maid, Catherine flees the tavern, but is quickly apprehended by her husband, and, after a few more threats to her brother's life, bundled up in a carriage and whisked away to Scotland as hostage and cover for the long trek to the north, evading English troops.
Reluctant to admit it, Catherine is quickly taken by the rugged beauty of the country, and more and more intrigued with Alexander Cameron and his mercurial disposition. As she gradually lowers her defenses and pushes aside her pride, so does he, and the two slowly, but surely shift from enemies to something else entirely, just as Scotland is on the verge of the war that will change its history forever.
Though this first book concentrates on the characters, especially Catherine as she grows and matures, and the budding romance between them, the imminent threat of danger is palpable and always on the outskirts of the story, there to see, but not yet ready to be grasped.
Marsha Canham wove history and romance into a captivating love story, full of passion, devotion, and courage, against the backdrop of the (final) Jacobite rebellion.
Catherine's spoiled ways took some time to digest (on the first read), but through the course of the book her character evolves from a spoiled child to a strong, passionate woman. Her growth and maturing is evident in each scene, each dialogue, and inner monologue. It is true what they say, that a change of scenery can do miracles for somebody. In Catherine's case her change started when her heart first pounded in earnest as she set her eyes on Alexander and it was him and his homeland that made her see her (previous) life for what it really was—a shallow excuse for an existence—and made her reevaluate her priorities, her true desires, and her true self.
For that reason, the cliffy ending was so much more heartbreaking, just when she realized what she wanted, it was snatched away, and no manner of tantrums and fits could give her what she wanted. It was proof of her growth and change that she didn't revert to her childish ways and instead took all she was delivered with quiet dignity and hidden hopes for the future.
Alexander Cameron was the quintessential leading man. One that makes your heart pound and wish they still made men like him. Tall, dark, devilishly handsome, devoted and dedicated, with a strict code of honor that he doesn't break even in most dire of times. I loved how he also changed as the story progressed, how he was brought to his knees by something utterly and completely beyond his control—the love for a woman. His inner struggles against the attraction, against wanting her, even liking her, were completely futile, he fell like a lemming, and wonderful to read.
In a way, Catherine and Alexander were the same, both lonely, she having grown up with indifferent parents, he for the fifteen years spend in hating-the-world exile. They both had one true friend, their respective brothers, Damien and Aluinn. And they were both determined to show the world a brave face, building defensive walls behind which to hide their emotions, their desires, and their fears.
And Kismet (or whatever you want to call it) brought them together, to lean on each other, learn from each other, love each other. He turned her into a woman (in more ways than the basic one), she showed him it was safe to feel again, without betraying his personal ghost.
Their struggle against their feelings was almost comical in its bitter sweetness and the moment they finally accept these feeling is both heart-warming and sad at the same time, because here they are, two people finally ready to give their hearts to each other, yet with the constant whisper of imminent danger threating to tear them apart forever.
This sweeping saga takes us from the glittering ballrooms full of hypocrisy and false smiles, to the primal, honest, wind-swept Highlands as a spoiled, selfish brat turns into a proud and determined young woman and a icy-cold, cynical soldier of fortune is humbled and changed by his love for her. All this happens in real time, in front of our very eyes, and that’s what makes this such a remarkable read.
June 18, 2022
Re-read- audiobook. The narrator has a nice Scottish brogue but her delivery is very monotone. I still loved it. This is one of the books that blooded me and I have lost count of the many times I've read it.
This is a historical romance of such epic proportions that it takes two books to tell the whole story. The emphasis is on historical as the events prior to Culloden play a big part but it doesn't skimp on the enemies to lovers slow burn rage-y foreplay that eventually climaxes (hehe) in a sexy deflowering in the steamy bath. Alex Cameron is one of those big, indestructible legendary heroes that almost needs the word super attached to him. He even has a superhero name: The Dark Cameron *swoons* and a legend attached to his name. Competence kink is strong in this one. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves an emphasis on the historical part that also doesn't skimp on the romance. I love the fact that it uses real life historical figures to tell the tale. It ends on a major cliffie.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🔥🔥/5
🍆🍆🍆🍆🍆/5
This is a historical romance of such epic proportions that it takes two books to tell the whole story. The emphasis is on historical as the events prior to Culloden play a big part but it doesn't skimp on the enemies to lovers slow burn rage-y foreplay that eventually climaxes (hehe) in a sexy deflowering in the steamy bath. Alex Cameron is one of those big, indestructible legendary heroes that almost needs the word super attached to him. He even has a superhero name: The Dark Cameron *swoons* and a legend attached to his name. Competence kink is strong in this one. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves an emphasis on the historical part that also doesn't skimp on the romance. I love the fact that it uses real life historical figures to tell the tale. It ends on a major cliffie.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🔥🔥/5
🍆🍆🍆🍆🍆/5
March 6, 2017
Great historical details, for the historical backdrop this book gets 5 stars. My 3 stars rating is a rating on my emotional attachment to the story. The book itself is fantastic, rich in historical details and political intrigues. Very well done indeed. But I agree with some other reviewers that there is more history than romance, emotionally this was a 3 stars read for me. I wanted to read on because the story kept my interest, but I had to quickly glance over the sections on politics and war. It was a fine balance though, it is just I wanted more romance than history but the book had a 50% 50% distribution on the 2 major elements.
Catherine and Alexander didn't get a lot of page space for their romance. But when their romance did get the page they shined. They were forced to marry, neither wanted to be married to each other and both were looking for ways out. But somehow the circumstances led them into a corner and Alex had to take Catherine all the way to Scotland, where they began to get to know each other better.
What I thought worked for me was that I bought the initial attraction, when Alex kissed Catherine at the party. I believed that he was attracted to Catherine but marriage was not on his mind. It was the circumstances that made him do things that he had to do and gave the couple the time and opportunity to know each other better, where things developed more naturally.
I struggled with Catherine's character, a spoiled young girl who thought she was in love with another man and was bitter and hostile to Alex for quite a while. She did grow up a bit but this spoiled girl maturing isn't my kind of thing and I really had to try to be patient with the character. She had her moments though, where her backbone showed and I grudgingly gave her my respect. Alex was an OK hero, nothing to swoon over but he was not hard to like.
Here is a warning to those who do not like a cliffhanger. This book ends on the note that The Bonny Prince Charlie was about to sweep Scotland into a war that they would eventually lose. Catherine's English background made her situation in Scotland that much more difficult. So Alex decided to send her back to England to her brother. Catherine did not want to go. Alex insisted. The story closes with the scene that Alex saw Catherine off at the harbor where she sailed for England, turned his mind to the upcoming war. It did not bother me so much. I felt that this part of their journey was over and was ready for the story to end. It may bother others.
Catherine and Alexander didn't get a lot of page space for their romance. But when their romance did get the page they shined. They were forced to marry, neither wanted to be married to each other and both were looking for ways out. But somehow the circumstances led them into a corner and Alex had to take Catherine all the way to Scotland, where they began to get to know each other better.
What I thought worked for me was that I bought the initial attraction, when Alex kissed Catherine at the party. I believed that he was attracted to Catherine but marriage was not on his mind. It was the circumstances that made him do things that he had to do and gave the couple the time and opportunity to know each other better, where things developed more naturally.
I struggled with Catherine's character, a spoiled young girl who thought she was in love with another man and was bitter and hostile to Alex for quite a while. She did grow up a bit but this spoiled girl maturing isn't my kind of thing and I really had to try to be patient with the character. She had her moments though, where her backbone showed and I grudgingly gave her my respect. Alex was an OK hero, nothing to swoon over but he was not hard to like.
Here is a warning to those who do not like a cliffhanger. This book ends on the note that The Bonny Prince Charlie was about to sweep Scotland into a war that they would eventually lose. Catherine's English background made her situation in Scotland that much more difficult. So Alex decided to send her back to England to her brother. Catherine did not want to go. Alex insisted. The story closes with the scene that Alex saw Catherine off at the harbor where she sailed for England, turned his mind to the upcoming war. It did not bother me so much. I felt that this part of their journey was over and was ready for the story to end. It may bother others.
February 18, 2014
(Warning: although exact storyline is not discussed. Some may not want to know which parts are left hanging. Those people should skip to second paragraph.)
Isn't this supposed to be a romance? Aren't romances supposed to have HEAs? If the answer is yes to both these questions, something is seriously wrong. Not only does this not end happily, it actually doesn't end at all, it just...quits. Yep, right in the middle of the story (albeit 367 pages of it.) Not only is the romance left hanging, every single part of the plot is also left hanging. Will she forgive him? Will he find her? What will happen in the War? What will happen with her ex.?... everything! Cliff hangers are not that uncommon (although I'm not a fan) but this book takes it beyond reason. It's downright and obviously manipulative and that never sets right.
That being said, why would I give it 3 stars? Because the writing and story were really good. Catherine, the heroine, is extremely annoying as a pampered, spoiled, nasty debutante. Ms. Canham depicts her personality so well that every nasty, vindictive social climber comes to life within Catherine. She is just starting to grow up and change as the story, well... quits! At that time we are really rooting for both her and Alex. The development had just begun and the getting there was riveting. I'm torn between giving in and buying the next book because I really, really want to know what happens or just forgetting it because the means employed to put me in position to buy are so deliberate and aggravating.
Isn't this supposed to be a romance? Aren't romances supposed to have HEAs? If the answer is yes to both these questions, something is seriously wrong. Not only does this not end happily, it actually doesn't end at all, it just...quits. Yep, right in the middle of the story (albeit 367 pages of it.) Not only is the romance left hanging, every single part of the plot is also left hanging. Will she forgive him? Will he find her? What will happen in the War? What will happen with her ex.?... everything! Cliff hangers are not that uncommon (although I'm not a fan) but this book takes it beyond reason. It's downright and obviously manipulative and that never sets right.
That being said, why would I give it 3 stars? Because the writing and story were really good. Catherine, the heroine, is extremely annoying as a pampered, spoiled, nasty debutante. Ms. Canham depicts her personality so well that every nasty, vindictive social climber comes to life within Catherine. She is just starting to grow up and change as the story, well... quits! At that time we are really rooting for both her and Alex. The development had just begun and the getting there was riveting. I'm torn between giving in and buying the next book because I really, really want to know what happens or just forgetting it because the means employed to put me in position to buy are so deliberate and aggravating.
February 17, 2017
Está muy bien escrito y Alexander Cameron me parece un protagonista masculino maravilloso, pero se me hizo un poco largo. Eso y que Catherine me puso de los nervios hasta más de la mitad del libro, hacen que le dé un 3,5
April 28, 2023
For better or for worse, I really see this as Outlander meets A Kingdom of Dreams, but it predates them both!
Catherine Ashbrooke is our young English heroine and she starts off extremely unlikable. I loved this so much, Canham really digs into Catherine's brattiness and immaturity in a way that felt natural to her character. Why wouldn't she be full of herself? She's young, popular, wealthy, and extraordinarily beautiful. But lo, here comes the school of hard knocks.
Catherine sets her sights on a popular soldier whose attentions are hard-won. She flirts with another man to get make him jealous, but it turns out this other man is Alexander Cameron in disguise. Alexander is an outlaw, the brother of a prestigious laird, and he has no qualms about compromising Catherine at her own birthday party. Now Alexander and her soldier beaux are dueling, and unbeknownst to them both, the prize is Catherine's hand.
Clearly Alexander wins, but he feels more saddled with Catherine than enthralled. Thus Catherine finds herself married to a man who doesn't care for her, touted to Scotland against her will, and embroiled in the beginnings of a Jacobite rebellion.
It's fast-paced and fun, a history-heavy read that doesn't feel like homework. There are a few lines and characters that made me cringe, including an 'other woman' who reminded me of Outlander's Laoghaire.
I'm excited to read more of Masha Canham's work.
Catherine Ashbrooke is our young English heroine and she starts off extremely unlikable. I loved this so much, Canham really digs into Catherine's brattiness and immaturity in a way that felt natural to her character. Why wouldn't she be full of herself? She's young, popular, wealthy, and extraordinarily beautiful. But lo, here comes the school of hard knocks.
Catherine sets her sights on a popular soldier whose attentions are hard-won. She flirts with another man to get make him jealous, but it turns out this other man is Alexander Cameron in disguise. Alexander is an outlaw, the brother of a prestigious laird, and he has no qualms about compromising Catherine at her own birthday party. Now Alexander and her soldier beaux are dueling, and unbeknownst to them both, the prize is Catherine's hand.
Clearly Alexander wins, but he feels more saddled with Catherine than enthralled. Thus Catherine finds herself married to a man who doesn't care for her, touted to Scotland against her will, and embroiled in the beginnings of a Jacobite rebellion.
It's fast-paced and fun, a history-heavy read that doesn't feel like homework. There are a few lines and characters that made me cringe, including an 'other woman' who reminded me of Outlander's Laoghaire.
I'm excited to read more of Masha Canham's work.
April 23, 2025
This reminded me a lot of Outlander, though it was written before Outlander. It’s both a history and adventure heavy, Scotland v. England historical romance. The heroine is a flighty and spoiled Georgian English heiress and the hero is the brother of a Scottish laird, banished from his home and posing as a member of the English peerage. They are forced to marry, and the heroine finds out he’s not who he says he is. He takes her captive, and brings her back to his once-home in the Highlands. There’s a lot of war, violence, traveling, and worldbuilding. And with a vintage historical romance, it has the traditional problematic tropes. A so stubborn she’s stupid heroine, enemies to lovers, alpha male hero, heaps of body betrayal, dubcon, and of course women on women hate. This book shows its age, but it really wasn’t bad. I just think all the history infodumping took me a little out of the story. I also wished our MC’s had more interactions as non-enemies. I found the heroines changed opinions on the hero and Scottish people very abrupt. Still entertaining, but I don’t think I’ll continue on.
July 25, 2025
The Pride of Lions 1998) is a beautiful love story with sizzling hot scenes between Catherine and Alex, a grand adventure full of intrigue and created with brilliant writing.
“Highlanders possess the pride of lions.”
It’s the first book in the Highland Wolves series which covers the time period of the Jacobite Rebellion in Scotland and England, 1745-1747.
I was enthralled with this heart stopping story; many scenes ended abruptly so I had to keep reading. There are lush sex scenes, and rich historical details, plus great characters including plenty of dreadful ones.
Catherine is a spoiled immature English lady, who’s forced to marry Alexander Cameron, brother to a Scottish laird. He wins her hand in a duel. Horrors! She has to go to savage Scotland with him
The story at times veers to being more of a HF instead of a HR as it’s filled with details of the rebellion including historical figures, places and events. All this tends to overshadow the romance occasionally.
Overall, this book, and the rest of the series are for serious history aficionados who like an epic romance, and superb writing. Thankfully, there is a glorious HEA tho it’s bittersweet. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Highlanders possess the pride of lions.”
It’s the first book in the Highland Wolves series which covers the time period of the Jacobite Rebellion in Scotland and England, 1745-1747.
I was enthralled with this heart stopping story; many scenes ended abruptly so I had to keep reading. There are lush sex scenes, and rich historical details, plus great characters including plenty of dreadful ones.
Catherine is a spoiled immature English lady, who’s forced to marry Alexander Cameron, brother to a Scottish laird. He wins her hand in a duel. Horrors! She has to go to savage Scotland with him
The story at times veers to being more of a HF instead of a HR as it’s filled with details of the rebellion including historical figures, places and events. All this tends to overshadow the romance occasionally.
Overall, this book, and the rest of the series are for serious history aficionados who like an epic romance, and superb writing. Thankfully, there is a glorious HEA tho it’s bittersweet. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
February 25, 2017
Es difícil ponerle estrellas a este libro porque me ha gustado, pero me ha sabido a poco. Entiendo que en la segunda parte se resolverán más cosas y no se me ha hecho pesado, pero no sé qué puntuarle. Creo que al final marcaré 3, aunque estaría más cerca de las 4 estrellas.
La verdad es que me ha gustado mucho. Hacía tiempo que no leía libros así y me ha parecido muy entretenido. Las "peleas" entre ellos me han gustado, sobre todo por ella, que más caprichosa y egoísta no podía ser, pero como cambia cuando se da cuenta de que está enamorada!!
Eso sí, me hubiesen gustado más escenas entre ellos dos, pero aun así, me he quedado con un montón de ganas de empezar el segundo libro, así que espero no tardar en hacerlo porque menudo final, si es que te deja con todas las ganas!! :)
La verdad es que me ha gustado mucho. Hacía tiempo que no leía libros así y me ha parecido muy entretenido. Las "peleas" entre ellos me han gustado, sobre todo por ella, que más caprichosa y egoísta no podía ser, pero como cambia cuando se da cuenta de que está enamorada!!
Eso sí, me hubiesen gustado más escenas entre ellos dos, pero aun así, me he quedado con un montón de ganas de empezar el segundo libro, así que espero no tardar en hacerlo porque menudo final, si es que te deja con todas las ganas!! :)
July 28, 2014
Rating Clarification: 4.5 stars
WOW, just wow. I have to admit that at the beginning of the story I thought that I was going to give this story a low rating simply because Catherine irritated me. At the beginning she was very childish and frustratingly annoying but man oh man how she grew. I love it when characters within a story grow and mature, when there is characterization and the characters aren't stagnant. Then there was Alexander *sigh* I loved him and I felt for him when I read about his past, it was really sad. The reason I'm giving it a 4/4.5 instead of 5 stars because of the politics. I know it's a historical romance and that's bound to be there but honestly I would have preferred a little less of that and more of the romance.
*The ending ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, not to be bad but I'm definitely reading the next book in the series.
WOW, just wow. I have to admit that at the beginning of the story I thought that I was going to give this story a low rating simply because Catherine irritated me. At the beginning she was very childish and frustratingly annoying but man oh man how she grew. I love it when characters within a story grow and mature, when there is characterization and the characters aren't stagnant. Then there was Alexander *sigh* I loved him and I felt for him when I read about his past, it was really sad. The reason I'm giving it a 4/4.5 instead of 5 stars because of the politics. I know it's a historical romance and that's bound to be there but honestly I would have preferred a little less of that and more of the romance.
*The ending ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, not to be bad but I'm definitely reading the next book in the series.
April 18, 2021
Great book. Canham is great. I just wish she didn't butcher her books for the pc crowd and I wish her books were on audio. You have to find a dead tree or an old scan because she edits her work to be I guess "modern historical". You almost can never go wrong with Canham. Read the other reviews. They are almost all 5 and 4 stars out there and well earned. She doesn't seem to be turning out any new books. I guess she's retired.
January 15, 2026
Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖 (I was VERY into the beginning of this one – but it fizzled a bit about halfway – there are some separations of the mains and some history dumps / political factors that pulled me away a bit)
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡ (It was decent! Maybe a 3.5!)
Romance: 💞💞💞💞 (I did find their relationship romantic and the things their love endured and how it grew)
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 (I liked the emotions, but could have used more details – they are quite vague and on the shorter side)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑 (they are kinda short, very vague on explicit details – you just kinda know what’s going on)
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥 🔥🔥ish – I didn’t take good notes but there’s a number of scenes – this doesn’t feel like the HOTTEST book though because of the shorter scenes and the lack of more explicitness in the details (Karmen O on goodreads has this at a 5 and I trust her ratings!)
Humor: Yes, there is a bit but there’s darkness too
Perspective: third person mostly from hero and heroine (though it’s written in that old school ‘omniscient’ voice where you might get a maid’s thoughts, or other side characters or villains throughout the story without a real break in the story/thoughts)
More character focused or plot focused? a mix but maybe character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium, maybe slow in some parts
When mains are first on page together: Very soon in, chapter 1
Cliffhanger: This ends on a cliffhanger for them as they are being separated but their love I’d consider solid
Epilogue: No, their story continues in the next book (but note that the third book is about a different couple)
Format: listened to the audiobook from my library (Hoopla)
Why I chose this book: Canham was our author of the month for our Vintage romance group (romance published 2000 and prior) and I was able to find her on audiobook from my library so I added her in!
Mains: Alexander Cameron and Catherine Augustine Ashbrooke – This is a M/F relationship between a cishet hero and heroine
(Descriptions found at end of my review)
Should I read in order?
This is the first in Canhams Highlands series.
Basic plot:
When Catherine kisses another man to make her crush jealous, it triggers a series of events that has her being married and taken to Scotland – and it’s not the man she’s infatuated with taking her….
Give this a try if you want:
NOTE: This was originally published in 1990, so please beware of sensitive topics and content warnings that run rampant in old school romance before reading.
- historical romance - 1745 - Georgian
- English heroine / Scottish hero
- England and Scotland (mostly) setting
- Jacobite plotline
- hero is tall – over 6 feet
- duel – one is fought over the heroine when the hero takes a kiss at a gathering
- bit of ruined heroine / forced marriage
- secret identity (hero)
- some road trip parts
- violet eyed heroine (weren't they EVERYWHERE in the 90s?)
- medium steam – there are a number of scenes in this novel but they are on the shorter side and lighter on details
Ages:
- heroine is 18, I didn’t catch the hero but another reviewer noted him as 27
First line:
Catherine reined in her horse at the top of the forested knoll and waited.
My thoughts:
I was so into this one! I really liked Canham’s writing and how descriptive she was. I was really pulled into the story and the characters.
Catherine is young – and she acts it at first. Naive, a bit spoiled, and unaware of anything not in her small circle. I loved watching her grow and seeing her love for Alex blossom.
There were a few things that took my rating back a bit – there were some separations between the mains that had me antsy, some parts of political and historical information dumping about monarchs and the Jacobite history. I found some of it interesting but I also found it going on a bit long and I was eager to get back to the mains and the romance.
This does end on a cliffhanger. I know I should read the next one but I’m not sure I will, yet anyway. I am solid in believing their love and I think the next book will probably have a lot of turmoil and war that is going to make me depressed. I’m definitely going to try more Canham but I think I’ll wait a bit for the sequel for this one.
Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: This is my first
Average rating from me: 4 stars
Favorite book: This one by default
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:
Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖 (I was VERY into the beginning of this one – but it fizzled a bit about halfway – there are some separations of the mains and some history dumps / political factors that pulled me away a bit)
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡ (It was decent! Maybe a 3.5!)
Romance: 💞💞💞💞 (I did find their relationship romantic and the things their love endured and how it grew)
Sensuality: 💋💋💋 (I liked the emotions, but could have used more details – they are quite vague and on the shorter side)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑 (they are kinda short, very vague on explicit details – you just kinda know what’s going on)
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥 🔥🔥ish – I didn’t take good notes but there’s a number of scenes – this doesn’t feel like the HOTTEST book though because of the shorter scenes and the lack of more explicitness in the details (Karmen O on goodreads has this at a 5 and I trust her ratings!)
Humor: Yes, there is a bit but there’s darkness too
Perspective: third person mostly from hero and heroine (though it’s written in that old school ‘omniscient’ voice where you might get a maid’s thoughts, or other side characters or villains throughout the story without a real break in the story/thoughts)
More character focused or plot focused? a mix but maybe character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium, maybe slow in some parts
When mains are first on page together: Very soon in, chapter 1
Cliffhanger: This ends on a cliffhanger for them as they are being separated but their love I’d consider solid
Epilogue: No, their story continues in the next book (but note that the third book is about a different couple)
Format: listened to the audiobook from my library (Hoopla)
Why I chose this book: Canham was our author of the month for our Vintage romance group (romance published 2000 and prior) and I was able to find her on audiobook from my library so I added her in!
Mains: Alexander Cameron and Catherine Augustine Ashbrooke – This is a M/F relationship between a cishet hero and heroine
(Descriptions found at end of my review)
Should I read in order?
This is the first in Canhams Highlands series.
Basic plot:
When Catherine kisses another man to make her crush jealous, it triggers a series of events that has her being married and taken to Scotland – and it’s not the man she’s infatuated with taking her….
Give this a try if you want:
NOTE: This was originally published in 1990, so please beware of sensitive topics and content warnings that run rampant in old school romance before reading.
- historical romance - 1745 - Georgian
- English heroine / Scottish hero
- England and Scotland (mostly) setting
- Jacobite plotline
- hero is tall – over 6 feet
- duel – one is fought over the heroine when the hero takes a kiss at a gathering
- bit of ruined heroine / forced marriage
- secret identity (hero)
- some road trip parts
- violet eyed heroine (weren't they EVERYWHERE in the 90s?)
- medium steam – there are a number of scenes in this novel but they are on the shorter side and lighter on details
Ages:
- heroine is 18, I didn’t catch the hero but another reviewer noted him as 27
First line:
Catherine reined in her horse at the top of the forested knoll and waited.
My thoughts:
I was so into this one! I really liked Canham’s writing and how descriptive she was. I was really pulled into the story and the characters.
Catherine is young – and she acts it at first. Naive, a bit spoiled, and unaware of anything not in her small circle. I loved watching her grow and seeing her love for Alex blossom.
There were a few things that took my rating back a bit – there were some separations between the mains that had me antsy, some parts of political and historical information dumping about monarchs and the Jacobite history. I found some of it interesting but I also found it going on a bit long and I was eager to get back to the mains and the romance.
This does end on a cliffhanger. I know I should read the next one but I’m not sure I will, yet anyway. I am solid in believing their love and I think the next book will probably have a lot of turmoil and war that is going to make me depressed. I’m definitely going to try more Canham but I think I’ll wait a bit for the sequel for this one.
Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: This is my first
Average rating from me: 4 stars
Favorite book: This one by default
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:
Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs
November 2, 2010
This was a "bluidy" good book! The time-frame of the book is 1745, not quite a year before the Battle of Culloden. Catherine is young and in love, but not with the man she is currently kissing out in the garden. Alexander is brash and bold, but not in love with the woman he is currently kissing out in the garden.
But due to the rashness of youth and a bet gone awry, they are now married to one another. So begins the war of the Scottish and the English, but this war is contained between one slightly spoiled woman who thinks she is still in love with someone else and a stubborn man who thinks he has buried his heart.
The verbal wrangling between these two made the book fun, where most of the book had an epic feel to it. Because when Alexander went back home to Scotland, war talk was already sweeping through the Jacobites as well as the house of the enemy Hanovarians. So that played a huge part of the story as well as, Catherine and Alex's romance.
This book was light in places, but does take place in a bloody time in history. At times Ms. Canham writes the Scottish language as it sounds and therefore I struggled to stay in the story versus getting lost in trying to figure out exactly what was being said. But that is a small thing in the overall big feel of the book. I will have to get the next in the series, because of the surprise ending of this book.
But due to the rashness of youth and a bet gone awry, they are now married to one another. So begins the war of the Scottish and the English, but this war is contained between one slightly spoiled woman who thinks she is still in love with someone else and a stubborn man who thinks he has buried his heart.
The verbal wrangling between these two made the book fun, where most of the book had an epic feel to it. Because when Alexander went back home to Scotland, war talk was already sweeping through the Jacobites as well as the house of the enemy Hanovarians. So that played a huge part of the story as well as, Catherine and Alex's romance.
This book was light in places, but does take place in a bloody time in history. At times Ms. Canham writes the Scottish language as it sounds and therefore I struggled to stay in the story versus getting lost in trying to figure out exactly what was being said. But that is a small thing in the overall big feel of the book. I will have to get the next in the series, because of the surprise ending of this book.
August 22, 2013
Maybe if I could actually be patient enough to bear with the gratingly irritating, annoying, jarringly immature and selfish heroine, I could move on enough to appreciate the history involved with this story. But alas, my nerves have been jarred enough by this most irritating heroine. A more unlikable and unsympathetic heroine I have not seen in a very long time. I want to throttle her so much, it would be hard to believe anyone would actually fall in love with her DNF.
August 26, 2018
At first, I thought this book by Marsha Canham was another Outlander story; after all, the plot also takes place during the Jacobite rising of 1745. The hero in this story is also a Scottish Highlander absorbed in the Jacobite cause and the heroine a Sassenach, an offending soubriquet to the English people at that time. Both characters are smart, attractive and terribly romantic, the same defining traits as Diana Gabaldon’s protagonists. The story line peppers us with the same long-winded speeches and excessive narration of people, events and intimacy as Outlander's I can’t help but think that perhaps Canham and Gabaldon were comparing notes when they wrote their respective stories.
Except that there are no standing stones or characters getting hurled back to another time in this book. And the female protagonist here has started off as a pampered daughter of an important English aristocrat, and is probably the most conceited and bigoted heroine I have ever read.
Catherine Ashbrooke grows up in a world of affluence, ballrooms and fineries, and thinks that with her beauty and patrician breeding, any man will fight to the death to win her affection. She sees a particular English lieutenant as a prospective husband and works out a scheme to lure him into offering a marriage proposal. But her one grave miscalculation has resulted into her getting married off to another man who is not only an arrogant stranger but also turns out to be a crown enemy.
Alexander Cameron decides to come back to the Scottish Highlands after years spent on exile to support the Jacobite cause, which believes James Stuart as the rightful king to the British throne. He is sent to the enemy court as a spy, only to come back to the Highlands a married man out of misplaced gallantry and pride. Alexander was obliged to marry the Englishwoman Catherine, and they both know how ill-suited they are as a couple. Alexander dislikes his wife's petty biases and overbearing ways, and Catherine has a thousand reasons to loath the Highlander whom she believes is brutal and barbaric. Both are only happily willing to annul their marriage at first, but when he begins to become more involved about her welfare and she with the understanding of the Highlanders’ honor and way of life, they suddenly find it difficult to keep to their initial bargain.
So, what happens next? Before their romance gets even more riveting amidst the impending Jacobite rebellion and personal clan wars, the story abruptly ends, giving us a preview on a sequel we shouldn’t miss instead! Major cliff-hanger there, I should say, although the author has gotten me transfixed enough to ever dare miss the second book now.
The plot is carefully crafted; some of the important minor characters have their own share of point of view (POV) that doesn’t come out subdued, and there is a very exhaustive retelling of the Jacobite cause and what it brought to the Highland clans that honored it, which I enjoyed reading the most as I love history. I liked that the author has radically transformed Catherine from a spoiled English noblewoman to a brave and resilient Scot’s wife; otherwise, she would have been a deplorable heroine for me. She has also made Alexander’s character progress by letting him come to terms with the ghosts of his past and become a better person because of it. And while I had to reread some phrases written in the Scottish slang, I ended up liking the exchanges—however superfluous some of them have turned out.
Overall, I give this book three stars for the satisfying history lesson and romantic diversion.
Except that there are no standing stones or characters getting hurled back to another time in this book. And the female protagonist here has started off as a pampered daughter of an important English aristocrat, and is probably the most conceited and bigoted heroine I have ever read.
Catherine Ashbrooke grows up in a world of affluence, ballrooms and fineries, and thinks that with her beauty and patrician breeding, any man will fight to the death to win her affection. She sees a particular English lieutenant as a prospective husband and works out a scheme to lure him into offering a marriage proposal. But her one grave miscalculation has resulted into her getting married off to another man who is not only an arrogant stranger but also turns out to be a crown enemy.
Alexander Cameron decides to come back to the Scottish Highlands after years spent on exile to support the Jacobite cause, which believes James Stuart as the rightful king to the British throne. He is sent to the enemy court as a spy, only to come back to the Highlands a married man out of misplaced gallantry and pride. Alexander was obliged to marry the Englishwoman Catherine, and they both know how ill-suited they are as a couple. Alexander dislikes his wife's petty biases and overbearing ways, and Catherine has a thousand reasons to loath the Highlander whom she believes is brutal and barbaric. Both are only happily willing to annul their marriage at first, but when he begins to become more involved about her welfare and she with the understanding of the Highlanders’ honor and way of life, they suddenly find it difficult to keep to their initial bargain.
So, what happens next? Before their romance gets even more riveting amidst the impending Jacobite rebellion and personal clan wars, the story abruptly ends, giving us a preview on a sequel we shouldn’t miss instead! Major cliff-hanger there, I should say, although the author has gotten me transfixed enough to ever dare miss the second book now.
The plot is carefully crafted; some of the important minor characters have their own share of point of view (POV) that doesn’t come out subdued, and there is a very exhaustive retelling of the Jacobite cause and what it brought to the Highland clans that honored it, which I enjoyed reading the most as I love history. I liked that the author has radically transformed Catherine from a spoiled English noblewoman to a brave and resilient Scot’s wife; otherwise, she would have been a deplorable heroine for me. She has also made Alexander’s character progress by letting him come to terms with the ghosts of his past and become a better person because of it. And while I had to reread some phrases written in the Scottish slang, I ended up liking the exchanges—however superfluous some of them have turned out.
Overall, I give this book three stars for the satisfying history lesson and romantic diversion.
December 15, 2012
This to me was what I always assumed a historical romance would be. It was rich in traditions, lavish beautiful landscapes, deceptions, violence, family strife and the threat of war. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though the heat level I would give it a 3, I couldn't stop reading this book. The combativeness and tension and honestly hatred between the hero and heroine captivated me. Would they ever like each other, never mind actually fall in love? And at the end they fall in love and then.....yes, circumstances pull them apart. oh damn, oh damn oh damn......
I was informed before i begun this book that I would absolutely have to read the second book. that the story of these two did not end with this book. i was not really happy about that. I like a book to begin and end.....I don't like waiting for the HEA.
But I can honestly say i am looking forward to book two. I like these two and I will enjoy spending more time with them and see what happens....
Once again I want to thank my friend Kathleen for her recommendation. And like I said girl, I am going to follow your reviews like a stalker! Thank you so much! :o)
I was informed before i begun this book that I would absolutely have to read the second book. that the story of these two did not end with this book. i was not really happy about that. I like a book to begin and end.....I don't like waiting for the HEA.
But I can honestly say i am looking forward to book two. I like these two and I will enjoy spending more time with them and see what happens....
Once again I want to thank my friend Kathleen for her recommendation. And like I said girl, I am going to follow your reviews like a stalker! Thank you so much! :o)
October 6, 2016
Deliciosa!!! Me ha encantado, me pregunto porque diantres no me había enterado antes de este libro y esta autora? Narra un tema ya muy escrito y muy leído en la romantica-histórica, el levantamiento escocés de 1745, siendo yo una fan de Diana Gabaldon puedo decir que forastera tiene un estilo muy similar a esta historia, viendo las fechas de publicación me di cuenta que este libro es de publicación original del 88 y forastera del 91, si eres fan de la serie de Diana Gabaldon te recomiendo estos libros sin dudar, se que te encantarán. Existe si una marcada diferencia entre la saga forastera y esta serie, y es el viaje en el tiempo, esta es una serie que no tiene ese componente de fantasia.
Ha sido un muy buen y tardío descubrimiento, gracias a GR y las reseñas de mis contactos.
Ya mismo voy por el siguiente!
Ha sido un muy buen y tardío descubrimiento, gracias a GR y las reseñas de mis contactos.
Ya mismo voy por el siguiente!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 334 reviews