ARC Book Review-The Arrow by Monica McCarty

The Arrow
Highland Guard (9)
Monica McCarty
Ballantine Books
Published August 2014
416 Pages
Scottish Highlands Historical Romance
ISBN:  9780345543950
Authors Website

Synopsis
As King Robert the Bruce of Scotland plots to retake his English occupied castles, he needs the stealth and skill of his elite soldiers, the Highland Guard. Fearless and indomitable, no men are more loyal to their king, or cherished by the women they love.
 
The talents of legendary marksman Gregor “Arrow” MacGregor are crucial now, as Bruce moves to reclaim his Scottish holdings. Gregor is considered the most handsome man in Scotland, and his fame as an archer is rivaled only by his reputation with the lasses as a heartbreaker. But when his infamous face is exposed during a covert mission, Gregor is forced to lay low. He returns home only to find a new battle waiting: a daring game of seduction involving his now very grown up and very desirable ward, Cate of Lochmaben.

A born fighter, Cate was clinging to life when Gregor rescued her after a vicious English raid on her village left her mother dead. But five years later, the once scrappy orphan Gregor took under his protection has become a woman. Brave, strong, and skilled in warfare, Cate is determined to lay claim to the warrior who refuses to be trapped. The heat in his eyes tells her she has his attention . . . and his desire. But will Gregor allow his heart to surrender before danger finds them, and the truth of Cate’s identity is revealed?

My Review

Gregor “The Arrow” is considered the best marksman, and after seven years of fighting with and for Bruce…he is dedicated all the way. But when he is almost spotted and his position is compromised, Bruce sends him to his home to lay low for a while, and to deal with his ward. Cate has been in love with Gregor for years. She knows him inside and out, and she knows she can show him. She was rescued after her village was raided and her mother was killed. Cate has worked hard to learn to fight and defend herself. But she is also willing to fight for Gregor. Even though he is known the “Most Handsome Man in Scotland”, she sees beneath the gorgeous exterior, to a man that deserves to be loved for who he really is and not another notch on a bed post.  As Cate starts her seduction of Gregor, there is secrets that they both hide from each other…secrets that could tear them apart unless their learn to trust in the love they share…but will Gregor’s enemies gain the upper hand and destroy everything?

The Arrow is the 9th book in this astounding series by Monica McCarty. I just want to say that this story was such fun!!! My goodness…did I have such a good time with this story. The story begins with seeing some of the team together on a secret mission, when Gregor makes a mistake, and he is compromise and has to go into hiding for some time to protect himself and the guard and his family. Gregor has devoted everything to Bruce, a man who has a dream and the willingness to fight for it. Gregor will do anything his King commands…even if it means going back home to deal with a young woman he would rather avoid. When he arrives home he finds that his young ward, is a young woman, with a gentle beauty and fierce passions. He is captivated, and for a man who is always being chase for the wrong reasons, we see a woman chase him for the right reasons. Cate has such a deep devotion and love to Gregor, even if he treats her not worthy at times. I love how she continually has faith in him and never gives up. She is tenacious and strong and I loved how she is willing to do anything to win him.

There are some shocks and surprises and some that really shook me they shocked me so much, and I never saw them coming at all!! I love how this author has a way to write a story with such telling results. There was so much that I enjoyed about this one. Not my favorite, but definitely up there in top favorites of the series. We see more of Bruce in the story…for a good reason. We also see quite a bit of Erik “The Hawk” who is hilarious and adds a certain dramatic flair to the story, and boy what humor!! I LOVED it.

Overall a fun and adventurous romance, set in the historical Scotland, where you see a fight for freedom, a powerful love, and quite a bit of conflict to have you on the edge of your seat!! I love how this author compound a mixture of passion, history, and great wit to create a tale to captivate your senses!! TO DIE FOR!!

My Grade 
4 Blossoms

Heat Rating 
Steamy

Other Books In Series 
The Chief
The Hawk
The Ranger
The Viper
The Saint
The Hunter
The Recruit
The Knight
The Arrow

Book Review-The Recruit by Monica McCarty

The Recruit
A Highland Guard (6)
Monica McCarty
Ballantine Books
Paperback
Published November 2012
405 Pages
Scottish Highlands Historical Romance
ISBN: 978-0-345-52841-4
Authors Website 

Synopsis
Scotland’s King Robert the Bruce is retaking his kingdom from the invading English. To win, he’ll need all the grit and courage of his elite band of warriors, the Highland Guard, men who fight without fear and love without limits.
 
Fiery, aggressive, and bold, Kenneth Sutherland is a true champion—skilled with any weapon and driven to win. Now Kenneth is ready for his greatest challenge: joining Robert the Bruce’s secret army to fight among the elite. Kenneth’s best chance to attain that honor is by winning the Highland Games. Focused and prepared for victory, he is caught off guard by a lovely wisp of a woman—and a stolen moment of wicked seduction. Her innocent arousal and her shameless hunger fire his blood. He will win his place in the guard—and in Mary of Mar’s bed.

The ruggedly handsome hero-in-the-making stirs a heart that should know better. Mary vows that her surrender will be sport only—no promises, no heartbreak, just one night of incredible passion. Nothing, she swears, will persuade her to give up her hard-wrought independence and put her fate in the hands of another powerful man. But with every gentle touch and heart-pounding kiss, Kenneth makes her want more. Now Mary wants his heart. But is this determined champion willing to surrender everything for love?

My Review

Kenneth Sutherland is a skilled warrior, and wants to be in the Highland Guard more than anything. He is willing to fight and do whatever it takes to reach his goal. He believes in the fight for Scotland’s freedom, and fighting to join the elite warriors will be the greatest battle he will fight. His chance to prove himself to the elite warriors and Bruce, will be at the Highland games. He is so focused on his determination to win, he gets stunned upon meeting Mary of Mar. Mary is a widow, and was used by her husband, and the son she never got a chance to mother, barely knows her but she is determined to have him in her life again. When she attends the Highland Games to appeal to Bruce, she finds the most gorgeous specimen making passionate love to a woman. Mary’s experience was short and swift and more painful than pleasurable. But when Kenneth pursues her she resists the temptation of a night in his arms. Soon his sensual embraces make her want to risk everything even her heart, just to have him in her life for a short moment. But will Kenneth pursue the one woman that holds his heart?

The Recruit is the sixth book in the Highland Guard series.  The Recruit is a story that is a bit different than the others that I have read, but one of my top favorites. The way this author writes her romances is simply magical!! You can never go wrong with Monica McCarty, from the very first page you are instantly pulled in. I love that I know that when I read this author, I know that it will be a compelling story and I won’t have any problem getting into it.  So for those that have never read this author…YOU ARE MISSING OUT!! I guarantee that once you pick up this author, you will fall in love!! 🙂 There is nothing that you won’t like about her stories. They are the epitome of what makes a romance story superb!!

The story starts out with seeing Mary and how determined she is to survive, despite the betrayal of her husband, and the loss of her son. Mary was a character I came to admire so much. Strong willed, caring and passionate about life. She craves love but knows she will probably never have it. Then Mary and Kenneth meet and fireworks. Kenneth is like a bull dozer when it comes to something that he wants, and he wants Mary. The exchange between Kenneth and Mary is priceless, and thus begins a rocky romance. This story is packed with ups and downs, and seeing the rewards of fighting for what you believe. I loved the vital emotion that just erupts from this story and threatens to consume the reader! So much intensity and passion, and a love story to break your heart. A sizzling tale of desire, determination, and fighting for the one you love~~STUNNING!!

My Grade
5 Blossoms

Heat Rating 
Steamy

Other Books In Series 
The Chief
The Hawk
The Ranger
The Viper
The Saint
The Hunter
The Knight
The Arrow

Book Review-The Saint by Monica McCarty

The Saint
Highland Guard (5)
Monica McCarty
Ballantine Books
Paperback
Published March 2012
Acquired: Library
414 Pages
Scottish Highlands Historical Romance
ISBN: 978-0-345-52840-7
Authors Website

Synopsis
Robert the Bruce consolidates lands and loyalty in a bold war for Scotland’s independence, as his elite team of warriors, the Highland Guard, fight for king, country . . . and love.

Magnus MacKay is the ultimate Highlander: tough, proud, able to master any terrain and to best his enemies. Called “the Saint” for his refusal to discuss women, as well as for his cool and steady leadership, Magnus hides a painful truth. It isn’t virtue or piety that keeps him silent, but a wound of love and loss that cuts so deep he cannot bear to speak of it. But when the woman who refused him is betrothed to his friend and fellow Guardsman, Magnus is tested by love’s battle cry.

A wild and innocent beauty, Helen chose family duty over her desire for Magnus. Now the anger in his eyes mirrors the tormented regret in her heart. But as deadly subterfuge stalks the King and his Guard, Helen vows to right her youthful mistakes with a woman’s determined spirit. Still, Magnus harbors secrets and an iron will not to weaken to temptation—or heartache—again. But as danger looms, it’s the kiss not of a saint, but of a sinner, that can save them.

My Review 

Helen and Magnus fell in love with they were both young, but their familes are rivals and enemies. They family trusts the other. Magnus once gave his heart to Helen, but she chose her family over him, and so he turned his back and didn’t look back even though there will always be a place for Helen in his heart. Magnus then joins the Highland Guard, a elite force of men that aid in Robert Bruce and his campaign. Now Magnus has come to a wedding of one of his closest friends, but then is shocked to discover the woman he has always loved, is the woman to marry his closest friend and comrade. Helen is torn between her past and future, and has no idea where Magnus fits. She has loved him since she was a teenager, but she had to make a difficult choice…her family needed her or her father might have died, or go with Magnus and never see her family again. She has regretted the way she hurt Magnus, but now she has a chance to redeem them both, and find a love with a man that could save her heart, body and soul…

The Saint is the fifth book in this Highland Guard series by Monica McCarty. Now if any of you have yet to read Monica McCarty you are missing out on a adventure of a lifetime. The Saint is Magnus’s story, and what a story…I just loved it.  It begins with seeing the scene that broke these two up in the first place. Then it jumps to the betrothal and wedding…and well these two could match fireworks to light up the whole sky. Both Magnus and Helen are very passionate. Magnus, is a warrior and a able fighter, and fierce in his passions. He knows that he can never have a future with Helen, but he doesn’t realize how determined Helen will be in her pursuit of him. Helen is now a widow, but there is one man she aches to be hers, the bold Magnus MacKay. When Magnus and Helen are put together again, and surrounded by danger and trying to protect the King, they can’t resist the passion. I love the way that Helen pursues Magnus. She is bold and not afraid of his temper and cold nature toward her. Helen knows that she made a mistake all those years ago, and she is determined to prove to him how much she loves him and would choose him.

The characters in this story were wonderful and everything you look forward to in a romance. Magnus, is alpha with a sword and kilt. Magnus is brooding, stubborn, and possessive. He is very resistant to Helen having any part of his life. But boy can he kiss, I almost had a stroke when reading some of the more heated scenes. Helen, is the type of heroine that seems human, normal and very easy to relate to. As I was reading I couldn’t help but say ‘oh I recognize that about myself’. She has made some mistakes, and at first you can’t understand her decision. But the more you read through the story, you many qualities where you begin to like her more and more. Helen is a fighter, she doesn’t give up easy, and I cheered her on from the moment she starts to fight for Magnus, even though Magnus is more stubborn than a mule.

This was such a wonderful story, with a tremendous plot, and characters to capture you. The Saint is a tale of redemption, forgiveness, and the power of true love in the midst of turmoil, traitors and danger.  EXCITEMENT WITH EACH PAGE!!!

My Grade 
5 Blossoms

Heat Rating 
Warm

Other Books In Series 
The Chief
The Hawk
The Ranger
The Viper
The Recruit
The Hunter
The Knight
The Arrow

Book Review-The Viper by Monica McCarty

The Viper
Highland Guard (4)
Monica McCarty
Ballantine Books
Paperback
Published October 2011
Acquired: Library
381 Pages
Scottish Highlands Historical Romance
ISBN: 978-0-345-52839-1
Authors Website 

Synopsis
The war for Scotland’s sovereignty rages on as Robert the Bruce is crowned king and the Highland Guard, his elite fighting force of legendary warriors, battle for land . . . and love.

Prized for his snakelike stealth and deadly strikes, Lachlan “Viper” MacRuairi is a warrior to enlist but not to trust. His only loyalty is to his purse, his indifference sealed by bitter betrayal. All that changes when Lachlan is tasked to protect and deliver Bella MacDuff to the king’s coronation and the proud, lushly sensual countess unwittingly challenges him to his greatest battle yet: to love again.

Passionate and devoted, Bella has defied Britain’s king and her own husband to place the crown on Bruce’s head, and for this she pays a terrible price: Losing her daughter and her freedom to her husband’s vengeance. Imprisoned with barbaric cruelty, she vows to reclaim her child, even if it means selling her soul and her body to a dark, lethal warrior whose eyes glint like steel, but who makes her skin tingle and her breath race. Together they embark on a rogue mission with sinister twists and turns that threatens not only Bella’s gamble to save her daughter but also her heart.

My Review 

Bella MacDuff makes a decision to betray her husband and the Britain’s king, to crown Robert the Bruce as Scotland’s king, but her escort the “Viper” is just hoping to get this assignment out of the way as soon as possible. Lachlan is a part of the highland elite guard, and one of the most powerful of warriors, and has no weakness…until he meets the spirited Bella. Bella has lived under her husbands thumb since she was fifteen years old, where he has treated her no better than a slave. She has a fourteen year old daughter, and Bella makes a difficult choice, a choice that will separate her from her daughter. As she strives to get her daughter back, Lachlan is her companion and protector, but soon they will need to trust one another in order to survive the army that is hunting them down, but will the love they have for each other be powerful to survive the tide of war and uncertainty?

The Viper is the fourth book in the Highland Guard series. The Viper is one amazing story that is intense and will keep you at the edge of your seat from beginning to end. There is so much that happens in the book, and recently I have really gained a greater respect and understanding of this time period, and the sacrifices made….and Monica McCarty does a superb job in her storytelling of this time of strife and passion. For those who haven’t read this series yet, this series “The Highland Guard” is about a elite group of warriors who fight for Robert the Bruce, who fight for their king, freedom, and love!! Ever since I read the first book “The Chief” I have fallen in love with this author, and I just feel like each book is better than the previous one.

The Viper is the 4th installment, and in the previous three books we have seen the involvement of The Viper, and I have really liked Lachlan…he seems so bad boy and only wanting money for his missions…but you see in this book, how there is so much more to him than meets the eye. By the end, you see a honorable and fierce hero that wins your heart over. Bella is one hell of heroine that was so endearing, you can’t help but like her tenacity. Bella is a fighter, and even though she knows the consequences she realizes the importance of her duty and promise to Robert, so she defies her husband and the English king, and leaves her daughter behind, so that she can do the right thing. I loved see Bella grow in this book, she has such a tender spirit, and I couldn’t contain my excitement when she did something that just makes the reader want to cheer her on. She definitely has a warrior’s heart, and she has such zest for life against all odds.

Overall a winner of a historical romance. A story packed with characters full of passion, adventure, scenes to make you sigh and cry, and one love story that packs a punch….BEYOND EXCEPTIONAL!!

My Grade 
5 Blossoms

Heat Rating 
Steamy

Other Books In Series 
The Chief
The Hawk
The Ranger
The Saint
The Recruit
The Hunter
The Knight
The Raider
The Arrow

ARC Book Review-The Raider

The Raider
Highland Guard (8)
Monica McCarty
Ballantine Books
E Book
Published February 2014
416 Pages
Scottish Highlands Historical Romance
ISBN:  9780345543936
Authors Website

Synopsis

After consolidating his gains against the enemy English, King Robert the Bruce of Scotland sends his best soldiers to fortify the lawless borders. These legendary warriors of the Highland Guard let nothing come before king and country – except the calling of their heart.
Of all Bruce’s elite warriors, Robert “Raider” Boyd is the most formidable. A true patriot whose bare hands are a deadly weapon, Robbie is the fierce enforcer of the Guard, and his hatred of the English has been honed to a razor-sharp edge. But vengeance proves bittersweet when his enemy’s beautiful sister falls into his hands and he finds himself fighting temptation – a battle he badly wants to lose.
Lady Rosalin Clifford barely recognizes the rebel prisoner she saved from execution six years ago. Though her girlish ideals for fairness have matured into a passion for justice, Rosalin believes she betrayed her brother when she helped this dangerous man escape. Now her traitorous act has come back to haunt her. But she can’t deny the longing this tormented warrior ignites in her, or deny the passion that turns sworn enemies into lovers. Is the gentle love of a true English Rose enough to free Scotland’s most brutal warrior from a path of vengeance – before it’s too late?

My Review

When Lady Rosalin was sixteen, she rescued a rebel who was sentenced to death by her brother. She sensed something noble and great about him, and after she freed him they shared a kiss that was short but full of promise. Now its been six years, and she has come back to see her brother. When she and her nephew go on a walk outside the safety of the walls, she ends up captured by the one man she once freed and admired. Now she sees a man that is fierce in his determination to get his revenge, and she is his key to gaining it. Robbie has seen horrible things that the English have done to his people and has seen many innocent people be tortured and killed. So when he captures the one woman that can bring some justice to his people and his effort to fight the English, he never realized how she would turn his life topsy turvy. Will Rosalin’s love be able to free Robbie from the bitterness in his heart?

The Raider is the eight installment, and I can’t believe I haven’t caught up in the series. Reading Raider has definitely been a revelation to me. WHEW!!! Such a remarkable romance, and one of the best that I have read this year. It definitely is at the top of the list for me. When I first starting reading The Raider, I didn’t know what to expect, but I did love the first three books I have read from this author, and enjoyed them so much I bought them. So yes now I am reading this series out of order, but I found that in Raider, I wasn’t lost or had a feeling of out of place at all. I was curious about the other members of the Highland Guard where their stories I have yet to read, but their books are on the next list when I visit my library. Now The Raider, I was given a ARC copy in exchange for a honest review by Netgalley and Random House Publishing.

The Raider is a marvelous example of why I adore historical romance novels. There is quite a bit of evidence that this author researches and she researches well. As you begin in the story, you are completely immersed and its almost as if you have been taken back through time, when you see the hardships and sufferings that the Scots had to deal with from the English. You gain a broader understanding and a bit of empathy for what they went through in trying to gain freedom and peace. In Raider, not everything is black and white, there is quite a bit of grey. The two main characters Rosalin and Robbie are from different sides of the war. Rosalin has no idea of the atrocities that that Scottish people have been dealing with. She only hears propaganda and rumors that portray the Scots to be bad and the English good. She has a caring heart and you see much evidence of it throughout the story. Robbie is a fierce fighter and warrior and being at war with the English has changed him since Rosalin last had seen him. We see that they have a strong and fierce connection from the very beginning, but they are enemies, but slowly a desire blossoms into a flaming love that sears the readers heart.

I couldn’t help but fall for this story and most especially the characters that captivated me. I did love seeing these two battle wits against each other, and I love the tenacity of both characters. They are evenly matched and I enjoyed how intense the setting could get. You never knew what was going to happen next and I was reading as fast as I could just to see what would happen next. I was totally engrossed in the story and I couldn’t believe I waited so long to read this one. I found myself being enriched by a story with such historical truths set in it, and the way this author writes is telling…she provokes a vivid emotional reaction from the reader, and you can’t help but feel lost in the story. There is quite a bit of rich flavors that enhance the plot and you can’t wait to find out the ending and see if these two get their HEA and how it happens. It definitely surprised me, and I just fell for both Robbie and Rosalin. Their courage and love for each other is phenomenal and heart breaking at times.

Overall a stimulating romance with a rich historical setting, a conflict to put you on your toes, and a love story to pull at the heart strings!! CLASSICALLY WELL DONE!!

My Grade 
5 Blossoms

Heat Rating 
Steamy

Other Books In Series 
The Chief
The Hawk
The Ranger
The Viper
The Saint
The Recruit
The Hunter
The Knight
The Arrow