To Wed a Highlander by Michele Sinclair
Why I read this: The first book which I reviewed here was one of my best reads of that year. I was excited and thrilled to get my hands on this next McTiernay brothers book.

To Wed a Highlander, focuses on the second McTiernay brother, Colin, who is forced to marry his brazen, impetuous sister-in-law, Makenna, in order to protect the clan of his beloved, gentle dead wife.

Pride and unfamiliar desire guides much of their initial interactions as each wrestle with unexpected and intense feelings for the other. Conor and Laurel (from The Highlander's Bride) come back in this story and add to the lively interplay plaguing the Dunstan keep as Colin and Makenna discover the joy of their hidden, unknown passions.

This has been one of those books where I dread the ending because I simply do not want the book to end. Colin is as wonderful as his brother was in the first book and Makenna is a heroine who I would love to be friends with in real life.

Colin is the typical alpha medieval highlander male who goes to great lengths to make sure his wife and clan are protected. He is big, strong and has a heart of gold.

The reason I like Makenna so much is because she started off as terrible 'lady of the keep'. She did not know how to manage the household duties of being Lairds. Growing up, she was always practicing her sword play and had no want or will to learn how to cook, clean, manage, etc. When she comes to realize how much her non-actions are effecting everyone withing the castle, she swallows her pride and asks for help.

One of the biggest conflicts in the story is that the clan does not like the new laird. Not because he is mean or uncaring, but because there is a clash of customs when it comes to highlanders VS lowlanders. The clan does not want A McTiernay to lead them, so they rebel against the new Laird.

Ah, but when when the clan is attacked who do you think they run to for help? To their Laird, of course.

My only complaint was the head hopping, however, the story was good enough to look over it most of the time. I wont pretend that it didn't bother me, though.

B+. A sweet love story mixed in with an interesting plot. It was a real treat to see Connor and Laurel come back in this story, and I look forward to the many more McTiernay brothers books to come.

The highlander's bride by Michele Sinclair

Published by Zebra

Highland laird Conor McTiernay had always dreamed of an enduring love. But the reality of women who desired him only for his title and lands made him swear off marriage forever. That is until he first set eyes on the Englishwoman his men found hiding in the forest. Beneath the dirt and grime it was clear Laurel Cordell was beautiful. But would she prove to be yet another beguiling seductress or had Conor finally found the one woman who could lay claim to his heart?
Laurel trusted that the Scottish chieftain would keep her safe from the cruel laird from whom she had escaped. Looking deep into Conor's silver eyes she saw only his calculating warrior ways but his quick arousal to passion. But before they can explore the growing desire between them, their newfound love is threatened by secrets from her past …

Conor McTiernay is the laird of his clan . While him and his many brothers are on their way home from the wedding of one brother, they find a girl hidden in the trees. She is dirty, covered in bruises and her dress is torn up.

She begs Conor for help, and he swears to protect her. His brothers and clansmen are immediately smitten with the English Lady Laurel, and do what they can to keep her comfortable while they travel back to the castle.

Even though Conor has sworn off marriage, he falls in love with Laurel. She loves him just as much but because they have very different personalities and ways of doing things, she does not think that a relationship with him will work. Besides, she cannot stay with him for too long. The reason she was hiding in the trees is because she escaped from a mean laird and his son who kidnapped her. They will come after her, and she does not want to put Conor or his clan in danger.

What I liked best about Conor and Laurel is that they are similar to real life couples. They fight hard and love hard. They go through all the 'couple stages' that seems to be lost in many romance books. Conor and Laurel fight, they say hurtful things to each other, they annoy each other. They also love each other deeply. They apologize, they make up for their attitudes, and they come up compromises. They are both very stubborn and set in their ways, so for them to admit when they were wrong was a big deal.

One of my very favourite lines in the book is this,

"The woman of his dreams had married him today. Several times he felt himself growing overcome with emotion. In such a short time, she had become the most important thing in his life. These past few weeks, they had proven that they could depend on, listen to, and support each other for the rest of their lives."

I enjoyed The highlanders bride very much. A B+ from me.

The love story was believable and had my favourite kind of happily ever after. I enjoyed Laurel and Conor as a couple. Everything about them was honest and true.

I will admit that the story started off slow for me, but I think it has to do with the way the story opened. It was mid dialogue, and that is not something I enjoy.

After checking out the authors website I am pleased to see that there is another McTiernay brother book on the way. Actually, there are many on the way! It looks as if each of the brothers is getting his own story. I am happy about that and I can't wait to read the rest of the books.