Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Highland Knight June 14, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Very good. I did not want to put it down. It is a great read.
 hypocritical hero and overgrown adolescent spoil the story...2 stars April 5, 2007
i won't even bother trying to attempt a chronological listing of the books in this series, as there are simply too many. i will say that while there were appearances from some of the couples from the other books, there is very little in this book that ties it to the others, therefore it is a book that stands alone.
the synopsis of the plot is simple. a capable and courageous highland lass named avery murray is abducted along with her twelve year old cousin gillyanne and offered to cameron macalpin as payment to cover a gambling debt. once he realizes avery is sister to the supposed scoundrel who raped and impregnated his sister, he decides to ransom her in exchange for the scoundrel's marriage to his sister. but first he's got to get her back to his place in scotland, a tall order because they're in france and an enemy of her family is trying to kidnap her for his own evil doings.
at first, cameron thinks to exact revenge against avery's brother payton by seducing avery, thereby compromising her just as payton compromised his sister katherine because of course two wrongs make a right SOMEWHERE in the world. although avery is upset about the possibility of being used this way, she already sees herself falling in love with cameron, so she gets it into her mind to love him so well he'll change his mind about the revenge.
and where did she get this astute piece of advice to seduce her captor? why, the thirteen-year-old gillyanne of course! never mind the fact that the thirteen-year-old has never been in love, never been intimate with a man, and frankly, shouldn't know squat about what goes on between a man and woman or how men think and behave. of course it makes sense for an eighteen-year-old girl/woman to seek romantic advice from a virgin child, right?
add to that a hero who despite the outrage he feels about his sister being compromised, has absolutely no qualms whatsoever about seducing a virgin lady and tossing her out. of course he develops feelings for her over the course of the story, but it wasn't until his cousin pointed out to him he was being a hypocrite that he even thought what he did was just as bad as what payton did. meanwhile, it didn't stop him one bit and but for a moment of guilt, dude was quite content with boinking the heroine until it was time to discard her.
and why wouldn't he want to discard avery? i mean, she gives it up without him having to work for it, saves his folk from being slaughtered, nurses his men back to health, saves one of the boys from drowning when no one including him knew how to swim, and basically played the part of mother theresa/florence nightingale/wonderwoman all rolled into one. heck, i thought she was gonna walk on water at some point. i'd discard her too!
and yet cameron was still cool with kicking her to the curb while at the same time forcing a guy's hand for kicking his sister to the curb. really, that character flaw was fatal right there.
and how come both the hero and the heroine had to get advice from others before they figured stuff out? and why is a thirteen-year-old child more insightful about life and love than someone five years older than her?!? and it wasn't like her advice was bad. heck, i was inclined to listen to her myself, she was so sage. i loathe stories where the kids sound like adults and this one sounded like my mother.
the intimate scenes were pretty good though, and the dialogue was witty at times which is why i gave it two stars.
so if you don't mind a perfect heroine, hypocritical hero, and a thirteen-year-old dispensing love advice like a pro, with some great sex and a few witty exchanges tossed in for good measure, this is the book for you.
 Howell Fans Must Be Easy to Please July 13, 2006
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
I, unfortunately, am not. I got only halfway through this book before I finally rolled my eyes and gave up. Why? Maybe it was the overuse of Scottish "buzzwords" like "cannae," "weel," "mayhap," mixed with modern slang like Avery saying "Ouch." to Cameron after he had told her his tale of rejection. Come on. "Ouch"? After you've just had 100+ pages of aye's and nay's and didnae's? Either use modern vernacular or Scottish vernacular, but don't use both.
Oh, and how about how she had a girl, barely 13, talking like a grown woman, sagely giving out "Dr. Laura" type advice about men to a girl six years older than her. Either write the character as a 13-year-old, or write her as a woman. Don't write a 13-year-old character that TALKS like a woman. Oh, and who is also perfect in every way, can do everything including heal the sick and wounded and sing like an angel, so much so that all the men around her get stunned to distraction by her beautiful voice. If I could insert a rolling eye smiley in here, I would. Is the story about Avery or Gillyanne? Make up your mind. I was sick of "Gillyanne" by page 160. If I ever pick up a Howell book again, I'll make sure it's not one about "Gillyanne."
The plotline was weak and just plodded along. I really dislike stories where there's one traumatic event after another after another. She runs away, then she comes back, then she runs away again, then she comes back, then she's kidnapped, then she comes back, then she bravely jumps into a raging river to save someone, gets a deathly fever, then she recovers, then she runs away again. Are you kidding me???
That last time she ran away was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I couldn't finish the book after that, and I'm hesitating to pick up another of Howell's books at all.
 Spirited Captives that Win Cameron's Heart (and Yours) June 25, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is the second time that I have read this book. I loved it and couldn't put it down. It is a delightful and entertaining scottish romance. The story is about scots Avery and her cousin Gillyanne who are visiting their cousins in France when they are kidnapped and given to a scotsman as payment for a debt owed. Cameron is heading back to Scotland to deal with his sister Katherine who claims she was raped by Peyton (Avery's brother) and now is carrying his child. Avery and Gillyanne are spirited captives that give Cameron a run for his money. The story is well-written and will have you laughing out loud. Gillyanne is my favorite character and her story is Highland Bride.
Second book in the Murray daughters' trilogy April 29, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
In this second book in the Highland trilogy featuring the Murray daughters, we see how Avery, daughter of Nigel and Gisele (HIGHLAND HONOR), ensnare her own knight.
While visiting the Lucettes in France with her cousin Gillyanne, Avery Murray finds herself in trouble when the Deveauxs attacked the Lucette keep. Taken as prisoner, she was tossed at the feet of Cameron McAlpin, a Scottish mercenary who has sold his sword to the DeVeaux. Having sworn himself to a life of celibacy three years ago, Cameron didn't care much for Avery but when he learns of her identity, he decides to use her against Payton Murray, Avery's brother, whom his sister has accused of dishonoring her.
Avery is outraged at Cameron's accusations knowing that her brother isn't capable of such crime. But what she finds more appalling is her intense attraction to him and his arrogance in declaring that he will make her pay for her brother's crimes not by force, but by seduction.
And boy does he succeed in seducing her! The love scenes are hot and definitely the most daring in the series so far. I loved Avery's boldness and the fact that Cameron is not so worldly like the heroes in other novels. When they say that this book is full of adventure, they're not only referring to the journey back to Scotland or the battles in between.
HIGHLAND KNIGHT is an exciting and hilarious read with funny characters. You will enjoy the verbal spats between the main characters. And another great thing about this is the involvement of Gillyanne and Cameron's cousin Leargan. Gillyane is just so delightful that she manages to shine in every scene, while Leargan adds some wit to the dialogues as well.
I highly recommend this book and also HIGHLAND BRIDE, which is little Gilly's story.
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