How to Handle a Highlander by Mary Wine
Genre: Historical Romance/ Scottish Romance
Series: The Sutherlands #3
Publication Date: November 5th 2013
ISBN: 9781402264771
Page Count: 352
Rating: ★★★★
Review Copy: ARC
Reviewed by: Lynsey
Buy Link: AMAZON
Synopsis: Moira Frazer is betrothed to a man who is old enough to be her father, but it's her duty to her clan to marry him, and she's determined to see this through…until she meets Gahan Sutherland.

Gahan knows this match is designed to start a feud between the clans, which is why he decides to stop the wedding. But when Moira awakens a passion within him that he never knew existed, he realizes that the outcome of this perilous situation will determine the future of his own happiness.

As trust and honor clash with forbidden attraction, manipulations, rivalries, and schemes will threaten to blow the Highlands sky high…

REVIEW

Handle with care.

I enjoyed this Highlander tale, the third instalment in the Sutherland series. It had a strong storyline, some truly vile and repugnant characters to boo at like the pantomime villains they were, and a love story that was sweet with a bit of a star-crossed flavour.

Cool beans.

So our story begins with Moira, our heroine, being parcelled off by her disgusting brother, Laird Frazer, to marry the even more disgusting Achaius, who's old enough to be her grandfather. It's clear that for both men Moira is no more than a pawn in their political machinations, and for Frazer, there might be more to gain than a new brother by marriage - he's after allies in his tireless vengeance against the Sutherlands.

I really cannot describe how gross the brother and the betrothed were. Seriously, they need to be read to be understood. And Moira was such a sweet, dutiful girl; she just seemed to accept her fate, putting the well-being of her clan - whom Frazer had threatened to hurt if she didn't cooperate - above her own needs and wishes. And I can only imagine that she needs and wishes to not have to sleep with lecherous old pig Achaius. Blech!

Enter Gahan Sutherland. The bastard born son of Laird Sutherland, and half brother to Norris from book two. He's willing to intervene in this questionable marriage alliance if necessary, as is his right as son of their overlord, but first has determine whether Moira is the type of girl who'd be happy to marry an old man with few years left solely for the wealth it would afford her. She's not. And it really shouldn't take Gahan as long as it does to see that.

Once the two of them get to see each other more clearly, theirs is a very sweet romance full of stolen moments and regret over what cannot be. It was a great addition to the Sutherland series and back to the standard of book one, after the dip of book two.

4 Stars! ★★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.