The Highlander
Written by Kerrigan Byrne
Narrated by Derek Perkins
4/5
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About this audiobook
Defying all expectations, Miss Philomena is no plain-faced spinster but a ravishing beauty with voluptuous curves and haughty full lips that rattle the Laird to his core. Unintimidated by her master's raw masculinity and savage ways, the headstrong lass manages to tame not only his wild children but the beast in his soul. With each passing day, Liam grows fonder of Miss Mena-and more suspicious. What secret is she hiding behind those emerald eyes? What darkness brought her to his keep? And how can he conquer this magnificent woman's heart . . . without surrendering his own?
Kerrigan Byrne
Kerrigan Byrne has done many things to pay the bills, from law enforcement to belly dance instructor. Now she's finally able to have the career she'd decided upon at thirteen when she announced to her very skeptical family that she was going to "grow up to be a romance novelist." Whether she's writing about Celtic Druids, Victorian bad boys, or brash Irish FBI Agents, Kerrigan uses her borderline-obsessive passion for history, her extensive Celtic ancestry, and her love of Shakespeare in almost every story. Kerrigan lives with her husband on the coast of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula in a Victorian-era town almost frozen in time. When she's not writing, you might find her on the beach with her dogs, lounging at a local vineyard or brewery, or buying things she doesn't need at antique stores. Her novels with St. Martin's Press include the Victorian Rebels series (starting with The Highwayman) and Devil You Know series (which begins with How To Love A Duke in Ten Days).
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Titles in the series (7)
The Highwayman Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seducing A Stranger: Goode Girls Book 1 and Victorian Rebels Book 7 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hunter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Highlander Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Duke Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Scot Beds His Wife Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Duke With the Dragon Tattoo Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for The Highlander
143 ratings14 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another great book in the series of well-written historical fiction with great plot twists and steamy romance with excellent antiheros. Excellent narration!
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The narrator was pretty good, more so withe the male voices. Unfortunately, I didn't like the story all that much. The romance was based on instant sexual chemistry and seemed to lack substance to me.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Miss Philiomenia is in hiding from a abusive husband, she is in hiding with a new identity and finding sanctuary and security in the highlands, working for the “Demon highlander” Laird Liam Mackenzie as his children’s governess. From the moment of their first meeting, Liam and Mena, felt a sizzle of chemistry that sparked between them. Liam has had a rough life, sacrificing himself for his brothers, doing what needed to be done in the battles in India for Britain but now he has come home, wanting to be a father to his children who have never really known him and being the leader for his clan. He doesn’t believe himself worthy of Mena, who is beautiful, smart and sassy. She is the first woman to stand up to him, which only intrigues him even more. Mena is on the run, hiding from a husband that treated her in some of the worst ways. She is slowly rebuilding her confidence but despite her growing feelings for Liam, she knows that there is a line she can’t cross….despite how much she is falling in love with her Demon Highlander. But the truth will come out, which will test both Liam and Mena and the love they have for each other.Plot and Story Line The Highlander is the most latest story in the Victorian Rebels series. Now this author has really impressed me, quite a bit. This author has a refreshing style of writing for historical romance that has blown me away!! So I was so excited to pick up The Highlander and I wasn’t disappointed at all. From the start I was instantly drawn into this story. And boy does this author captivate the reader with some intensity from the very beginning. We see at the start, where both characters are coming from and hints onto certain traumatic events that have effected both of them. I thought the way Byrne handled this book, was pretty well handled and she pulls in the reader with depth of character. Now the chemistry between Liam and Mena is SUPERB!!! I love the way Byrne handled their connection, probably better than the first two books (which I loved) but there was something uniquely different about this pair. I can’t quite put my finger on what made this romance different, but it had more complexity to it that intrigued me. We see how at first Liam and Mena resist the attraction that they feel for each other, but Liam has a turn around realizing how his feelings for Mena outweigh secrets or trauma of the past. And man when Liam decides he wants Mena for good….nothing and no one can stand in his way. I found myself seeking ye out because somehow I knew that I couldna be apart from ye. It was the first happiness I ever knew to look into yer eyes. Ye taught me the meanings to words other than forgiveness and redemption. Desire. Yearning. And love. Ye are my blanket of stars, Mena, my reason to look to the heavens. My map when I am lost and my point of light when all is dark.Now another aspect I really liked was seeing Mena’s relationship with Liam’s children. Both are older, in their teens but Mena really adds some positive influence on them. I love how well she connects with these kids, and boy they were quite fun. They added a more lighthearted twist to a more serious toned story. What a beautifully written story this author has created here. Its dramatic, emotionally centered and an engaging plot that keeps you fascinated. I can’t say enough good things about this book or this author. If you have yet to pick her up—get the first book NOW!!!The CoverWhat a beautiful cover we have here right??? I love the hues of blues and greens we have here!!! The pose is sexy, but sweet and romantic. Love the sunset backdrop!!!Overall ViewThe Highwayman is a vibrant, and powerfully provoking story of redemption, love and the depth of human nature!!! EXCELLENT
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5There was so much to love in this book. I just couldn't put it down. The demon highlander, with his awful childhood, distrustful family and clan and siblings who hated, mistrusted and didn't know him. As a character he was complex and complicated. Always furious but with an untapped ability and capacity to love deeply. In comes Mena, Viscountess turned governess. Timid but full of love despite all she has suffered and she had suffered greatly in the hands of her hateful family. It was hard to read what she had been through and to know that her mother in law, a woman was part of it was too terrible. The viscount was really a despicable and weak excuse for a man.
The awesome children of the highlander. I fell in love with Andrew and his sister and the impact Mena had on their lives was just awesome. For the children Mena would stand up to the man she feared but eventually loved very deeply, Liam.
It was lovely to see Dorian, Christopher and even the meeting between Gavin and Dorian. I must say this is the best book in the series so far and I loved Dorian's story. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was absolutely amazing! I was squealing and fan-girling the whole time!!!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The audiobook skips large parts of the book and no amount of rewinding, downloading or whatever fixes it.
Other than that, great story. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Highlander
4 Stars
Kerrigan Byrne's Victorian Rebels series is rapidly turning into a favorite. She does not shy away from the darker and harsher aspects of the time period, and her characterization is realistic and consistent.
Mena and Liam's opposites attract romance is wonderful. They have breathtaking chemistry and complement each other so well. Liam is a domineering man with a tremendous capacity for violence, but Mena with her incredible strength, courage and resilience softens his hard edges just as he provides her with the safety that she needs to build up her self confidence.
The only problematic element is the keeping secrets trope at the heart of the story. Nevertheless, Byrne handles it well, and it does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the book.
The hints at stories to come are intriguing and I look forward to the rest of the series. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This story wasn't as engaging or memorable for me as the first two in the series. It had a dramatic start, but didn't maintain that interest. The villain felt sort of Scooby-Doo. Mild spoiler- I find it unlikely that someone who's been cowed for years by her own husband and in-laws would suddenly go toe-to-toe with a large stranger who terrifies most soldiers. And having her cower occasionally makes that even less likely, not more so. I felt like I missed the part where they fell in love, they weren't- and then suddenly they were soul-mates. (It seemed mostly based on physical attraction to me). =/ And I didn't find her bonding with the children that organic either. Nothing was horrible, but this book was definitely much weaker than the first two.
2nd read- I still support the points I made in my first impression. Adding to that, there are many nice parts in the story. You can really feel the couple being pulled toward each other (it still feels more physical to me than anything grander, but that's fun too). And I like that both leads have dark pasts, not just the hero. Things do get a little slower and wonkier in the later part, but it doesn't ruin the book or anything. I'm a fan of this darker-sort of historical romance. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'm really glad this heroine got her story.
The book needs content warnings, though. There is spousal abuse, gaslighting, attempted rape (not by the hero, thank goodness), and implied partner abuse.
It's a story of two deeply scarred and abused individuals coming together and healing in each other's company, without realizing that is what is happening until they're delightfully far gone. Set against the backdrop of the Scottish Highlands, this beautiful story has quite a few delicious tropes -- buried secrets, disguised women in hiding, strong sexy Scots, willful children needing guidance.
Such fun bad boys in this series! - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5By my last few reviews you can tell that I’m on a Kerrigan Byrne kick, and I’m loving it!
This is book three in Victorian Rebels series, and even though they’re all written so that you can read them as a stand alone, I would highly recommend you read them in order, especially because of this heroine, which we meet in the earlier books. And truly, once you’ve read any of these books, I am 100% sure you’ll be tracking them all. They are that good and that awesome!
I am impressed with not just prose, which is flawless, but with the characterization, plot and pace. Every one of the stories I’ve read so far have been beautifully crafted and executed with perfection, from prologue to epilogue.
‘The Highlander’ is one of those heart wrenching and heartbreaking stories that will live with you as much as ‘Flowers from the Storm’ or ‘Knight in Shining Armor’. It’s a story filled with complexity of human nature and suffering. It will captivate and hold your attention with its many twists and turns, but also with its secondary characters who’ve been developed as much as our hero and heroine.
Get it! Read it! NOW!
Melanie for b2b
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Another absorbing addition!I love these dark men that Byrne presents to us. So much so that I've just reread them all. In fact I foresee that this series will be a regular re-read for me I enjoy them so much. Men who have been to hell and back--and survived, and the gutsy women who love them and believe in them despite their pasts.This is a gritty and poignant story. We first met Mena (Philomena St. Vincent) briefly in The Hunter. Millicent LeCour's son Jakob worried even then, “I think Lord Benchley hurt Lady Philomena, Mama.”And hurt Mena is. When the story opens she is incarcerated in a mental institution left to be a plaything for unscrupulous staff by her sadistic husband, Lord Gordon St. Vincent, the Viscount Benchley.Farah Leigh Blackwell, Countess Northwalk, (from The Highwayman) and Millicent LeCour (from The Hunter) take action to rescue Mena. She must escape from her brutal husband who's even now searching for her. The problem is where can Mena go? The where becomes the Scottish Highlands, as governess to the children of Lieutenant Colonel Liam MacKenzie, the MacKenzie Laird and the Marquess of Ravencroft, and brother to Farah's husband the notorious Blackheart of Ben More. Almost a berserker in battle, Liam is known as the Demon Highlander.But “Sometimes", as Millie explains, "when in a predicament like (Mena's), the safest place to be is at the side of a violent man.” And the story of Mena and Liam grows from here.Once more Byrne treats us with a startling and resonant view on life. Mena and Liam's story follows the patterns set before, of people abused and holding terrible secrets and of how love can break into those darkest reaches and bring life and forgiveness. I loved it when Mena says to Liam, “ I believe there is a tenuous balance between redemption and damnation. You cannot have one without testing the limits of the other. No light, without first conquering darkness. No courage, without battling your fear. No mercy, unless you experience suffering.”So engaging! An unabashed page flipper!A NetGalley ARC
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/54 "The Demon Highlander" Stars for the story and narration!The reoccurring theme of a heroine entrusting her safety and heart to a dangerous man continues in The Highlander, the third book in the Victorian Rebels Series. Lovers of alpha heroes and a woman wronged earning vindication will enjoy The Highlander. Moreover, having become a fan of Kerrigan Byrne's stories by listening to the first two books in this series, my curiosity was finally quenched about two characters who are introduced in the prior books. The hero in this book (Liam MacKenzie, also known as, The Demon Highlander) is the half brother of Dorian Blackwell (also known as the Blackheart of Ben More and the hero of Book 1, The Highwayman), and the heroine in this book (Miss Philomena or Mena) is instrumental in saving the heroine in book 2, The Hunter. Committed to an asylum by the man that was supposed to love and protect her (her husband), our heroine believes that all hope is lost until the kinds actions of others find her living under an assumed identity and serving as a governess in Scotland. Unbeknownst to Laird Liam Mckenzie, who also is a Marquess, he is harboring a fugitive, but her lies are only part of her struggle as Liam's reputation as the "Demon Highlander" precedes him. Can she possibly fulfill her role as the governess while flying below the radar of Liam's ire?After a terrible history which he has attempted to keep secret, Liam has vowed never to take on another wife. Moreover, he deals with his demons, which he believes he inherited from a cruel father, on nearly a daily basis. The culmination of these two facts means that he must ignore the mounting attraction between himself and the proper and prim governess who undoubtedly is hiding some secrets of her own. But, when an evil threat emerges, he will be forced to put his feelings and trust to the test and the outcome will determine many futures. Further complementing this solid and satisfying romance is the talented narration by Derek Perkins. Mr. Perkins returns to narrate this third book and does a fabulous job of depicting all of the various accents--from English and Scottish to Indian (as Liam's valet is of Indian descent)--Mr. Perkin's narrator abilities are challenged and he performs admirably. Additionally, Mr. Perkin's heightens the pitch of his speech sufficiently to genuinely portray the females in this cast as adeptly as his portrayal of the males. Furthermore, Mr. Perkins' attention to the mood of the scene heightens the intended effect of each scene.All in all, The Victorian Rebels is a series that historical romance enthusiasts, particularly those featuring bad boys, will not want to miss. And for those who have already been enthralled by this series, listening to The Highlander is a must. Source: Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Kerrigan Byrne writes some of the best historical romance books I've ever read. The characters are all dark and dangerous with deadly secrets. While every once in a while we'll read a scene involving a ballroom, usually the books are set in the country or the underworld of London. This one was no different. It's set in the highlands of Scotland with a rough and deadly laird seeking peace and a titled lady running from her husband. The two find so much more than they thought possible.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dark, deep and deadly describe this book and its hero. “He was William Grant Ruaridh Mackenzie, lieutenant colonel of Her Majesty’s Royal Secret Highland Watch, Marquess Ravencroft, and ninth laird and thane of clan Mackenzie of Wester Ross. A high agent of the crown and a leader of men was he.” Liam, was back home as Laird of the Mackenzie clan after 20 years of military service and needed a governess for his teenage son and daughter. The heroine and love interest of Liam in this book was Lady Philomena St. Vincent, Viscountess Benchley who preferred to be known as Mena. She had survived over half a decade of abuse by her husband, been shunted off to a mental asylum by that husband and then was saved from a future worse than death by the husbands of her friends. Those friends and their husbands decided that the best place for her to go to remain safe would be to the highlands as a governess. Both Liam and Mena were survivors who brought the best out in one another over time. Liam had been through the wars – literally. He had experienced a horrific childhood that scarred him mentally and physically then chose the military as his future where more mental and physical scarring took place. He was a hero of the realm and feared by enemies. He was a force to reckon with and not many if any raised their voice or hand to him – or if they did – lived to tell about it. And yet he was a loving father, cared about his lands and people and was gentle, tender and loving, too. Mena was a calming force that provided words of wisdom while also being a force to reckon with. Something caused her to snap and become the strong woman she was capable of being while still having fears that would rear their ugly heads from time to time. She was a wonderful and insightful governess, a warm and caring person, lighter in spirit every day and had the ability to justify the means to an end. I enjoyed both this and book two of the series. If/when I find a copy of the first book I will buy and read it because I find Blackheart of Ben More to sound intriguing. I look forward to book four and hope it will tell the story of Gavin, Earl of Thorne. I wonder who else might show up beyond Gavin. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.