5 Wine Glass #Audio #Review for Claimed by a Highlander by Margaret Mallory

Title: Claimed By A Highlander
Series: The Douglas Legacy, Book #2
Author: Margaret Mallory
Narrator: Derek Perkins
Format: Audible, 11 hours and 44 minutes
Published: Margaret Mallory Author (10-12-2016)
ISBN: ASIN: B01M597V32
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Audible
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Author
Rating: 5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

THE DOUGLAS LEGACY 
The Douglas sisters, beauties all, are valuable pawns in their family's bitter struggle to control the Scottish Crown. But when their enemies strike, each Douglas lass will find she’s been left to face them alone.

CLAIMED BY A HIGHLANDER 
Lady Sybil Douglas’s fall from court favorite to royal enemy is swift after her brothers are charged with treason and flee Scotland. When a huge Highland warrior appears claiming they are bound by a marriage contract, she’s desperate enough to ride off with him. She’ll worry later about how to escape the wedding.

The last thing Rory MacKenzie needs is a pampered Lowlander wife. He traveled to Edinburgh in the hope of dissolving the ill-begotten marriage contract. But now that the Douglas men have abandoned his would-be bride, he’s honor-bound to protect her.

Sybil and Rory fight scorching passion on their perilous journey to the MacKenzie castle, where murder and intrigue await. When everything is at risk, will they rely on each other and claim their unexpected love before it’s too late?

Linda's Thoughts:

“I’ve been wanting to kiss ye since the first moment I saw ye,” he said. “I’m going to do it now.”
Sybil could not breathe, let alone form the words to object. When she moistened her lips with her tongue, she felt his heartbeat leap beneath her palm. Her gaze fixed on his mouth as he drew her to him ever so slowly.
She had expected a sweet, teasing kiss, not this explosion of passion that seared through her body at the first touch of their lips. No one had ever kissed her like this before, as if he would die if he could not have his mouth on hers. With a will of their own, her arms wound around his neck and her fingers tangled in his long, thick hair as she pulled him closer.
She was lost in the sensations and long past thought. As his kisses slowly changed from feverish to tender, she felt as if she were floating. She wanted this to go on forever.
When Rory pulled away, she stared up at him, stunned.
“That was promising,” he said with a wide grin.

Claimed by a Highlander by Margaret Mallory is an exciting, action-packed Scottish historical romance teeming with emotion, danger and intrigue. It is set in early 1500's Scotland and, even though, it is the second installment in the author’s exceptional Douglas Legacy series, it can easily be read as a standalone, if that is your preference. As an added plus in this series, the author has mingled actual figures from history in with the fictional characters. There is nothing that falls short in this book. It is well-orchestrated to keep readers on the edge of their seats from the beginning all the way through to the very end.

As the story opens, readers meet Lady Sybil Douglas, once a favorite in the Queen’s court, but who is now dreading a hangman’s noose thanks to her brothers leaving her behind to fend for herself after they committed treason and fled to France. Sybil is in her family home in Edinburgh when a handsome stranger appears to save her all by his lonesome. He claims to be bound to her by a marriage contract. They flee barely making it away with their lives.

He’s a rugged Highlander; she’s a highborn lowlander. Is there any hope for this couple? They are both great characters. Rory is handsome, loyal, honorable, strong, smart and sexy! Sybil, on the other hand, is politically savvy and able to read people accurately. She’s a complex character who did not think she wanted a husband, until she met and came to know Rory. I was in awe of her as she adapted to camping. I laughed and swooned at the couple’s interactions. Their passion, charisma, and hot and steamy chemistry made for a fabulous read!

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from Claimed by a Highlander:

“Hmm?” She raised her eyebrows and looked up at him, then her cheerful expression faded. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” he asked, though he knew damned well what she meant.
“Like ye think I’d be willing to have my wedding night lying in the dirt,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him. “If ye believe that, you’re quite mistaken.”
“So we’re only debating where, and not whether, to have a wedding night?” he asked.
---

“If he is strong, then we’ll have to be quick and clever,” she said in a cheerful tone.”A bit of trickery may be needed as well.”
“Ach, ye sound like a Highlander,” he said. “In Gaelic we say, an ten ach mbionn laidir ni follair do bheith glic.” He who is not strong must be cunning.
---

“Let’s get your face washed and fix your hair,” Catriona said. “My mother used to say that will make ye begin to feel better.”
“Mine said that too, but it won’t help this time.”
“Well, my mother also said that wallowing in misery never fixed a thing.”

Derek Perkins delivers a remarkable performance. He is one of my favorite narrators of Scottish historicals. He has a clear voice with perfect elocution. He distinctly differentiates between male and female voices with a delivery that perfectly complements the story. The audio book production is polished and well done and adds value to the story.

Margaret Mallory has quickly become one of my go-to authors and this book is a perfect example of why. Well researched, craftily woven, then narrated by a master, makes this audio an outstanding experience for fans of Scottish historical romances.



Suggested Reading Order: 
Captured by a Laird (Book #1)
Claimed by a Highlander (Book #2)