Highlander Untamed

Highlander Untamed by Monica McCarty

Published by Ballantine Books

Why I read this: I bought it because I liked the cover, but it sat in my TBR pile for months. I didn't decide to read it till I started seeing the positive reviews from bloggers I like.

She has a year to make him love her… Isabel MacDonald agrees to a handfast marriage with Rory MacLeod, her clan’s bitterest enemy in order to end a deadly feud. But the handfast is only a cover to gain her access to his castle—and with a little seduction, his heart. But her treacherous plans are immediately tested by the fearsome Rory, a powerful Highland chief who embodies everything she admires. Soon Isabel has found the place in the family she’s always dreamed of with the man she must betray, and her only hope of happiness is to escape her own dangerous web of lies.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer…
Rory’s duty as Chief of Clan MacLeod is clear: He’ll obey the king’s directive to handfast with the MacDonald lass—but under his own terms. As a handfast is only required for a year, at that point Rory plans to return this unwanted handfast bride to her family and forge a different marriage alliance. But his plan to keep his distance from his unwanted bride is challenged by the beautiful seductive siren who proves impossible to ignore. And when he catches her snooping and removes her to his bed to watch over her, Rory finds himself wishing that the year would never end.

Isabel and mighty Highland chief/warrior enter into a handfast (informal marriage) at the command from the king. A feud has been going on between their clans for two years, and this is a way to stop the blood shed, at least for a while.

Rory goes into the handfast with all intentions of having it last no longer than the 12 months they agreed upon. He also intends not to bed his lovely new bride.

Isabel is not excited about the handfast, but she is doing it for her family. She is supposed to make Rory fall in love with her so that he will tell her secrets, giving her clan the chance to defeat his.

Even though Isabel entered into the handfast with plans to betray him, she soon fell in love with him and his family. When she gets pressure from her uncle to betray Rory she has to decide between the man she loves and her family, who without her help will be left without protection and surely by a rival clan.

Highlander untamed is a B+ for me. It was almost an A but I noticed a few inconsistencies during the first few chapters. They were big enough to give me pause and check back a few pages, but not so big that it made a difference in the story, or even big enough for me to remember the particulars of them as I write this review.

Rory is an incredible hero. There is something about a mighty highlander falling in love that makes my knees weak. I also liked this book because it made me cry. There is a scene between Rory and Isabel that was so emotional that I had to wipe the tears from my cheeks. I felt for Isabel, I felt for Rory.

Fantastic start of a series. I can't wait to read the next book.