About the Book:

Peace in the glens means war in the bedchamber!

Scotland. 1699. In a time of heroes, the greatest hero of all is Callum Mackinnon, Laird of Achnasheen. Brave, reckless, canny, and handsome enough to turn any lassie weak at the knees, Callum is a legend in the wild corner of the Highlands where he rules. Now the young laird is determined to choose a new path for his clan and end the violent feud with the Drummonds, a conflict that has painted the glens red with blood for centuries. This means taking Bonny Mhairi Drummond, the Rose of Bruard, as his wife. When negotiations with her pig-headed father break down, Callum seizes matters into his own hands and kidnaps the fairest maiden in Scotland, swearing to make her his own.

Bonny Mhairi is the adored only child of Clan Drummond’s doughty chieftain, and she’s inherited all her father’s courage and stubbornness. Not to mention his undying hatred for anyone called Mackinnon. When the Mackinnon chieftain steals her away from her home and vows to woo her into accepting him as her husband, she swears that she’ll never consent to be his bride. But trapped inside her foe’s castle, Mhairi finds it hard to cling to old certainties. She detests her arrogant jailer, even as he sparks a fierce, forbidden hunger in her soul.

Loving the enemy…

As Callum and Mhairi wage their passionate war of hearts, danger, treachery and desire circle closer and closer. When her father’s army masses at the gates of Achnasheen, will Mhairi prove herself a Drummond now and forever? Or will new allegiances trump ancient hatred, as the desperate laird battles to win the lass he loves more than his life?

Click on title below for direct Amazon buy link:                                                          The Highlander’s Defiant Captive: The Lairds Most Likely Book 4

My Review:

Callum Mackinnon is now laird of his clan, and his first order of business is to end the centuries of feuding with the Drummond clan.  He figures that the best way to end the hostilities is to arrange a marriage with his rival’s daughter.  When the Drummond chieftan won’t even entertain the possibility of a match, Callum decides to take desperate measures.  When the opportunity presents itself, he kidnaps Mhairi, the chieftan’s daughter, determined to persuade her to marry him.

Mhairi Drummond is outraged that her enemy would capture her, and amazed that he could imagine she’d marry him.  She’s not hesitant about fighting for her freedom, or speaking her mind.  Although she is meant to be portrayed as strong and feisty, some of the actions she takes made me cringe.  One thoughtless act in particular had me shaking my head, as she blatantly disrespected Callum to an extreme degree in front of his own people.  Any man of lesser character than Callum would have enacted retribution and delivered severe punishment.

It seems that Callum is intrigued by Mhairi’s gutsiness rather than being put off, and he’s more determined than ever to convince her to marry him.  His logic actually makes some sense to Mhairi, but she still won’t give in to a man who is trying to force her hand.  She sees how much better his people are living than her own, and notices that everyone seems to have great respect for him.  If circumstances were different……

When an opportunity arises for Mhairi to escape, she puts aside her feelings, which were beginning to warm toward Callum, and leaves, only to find that it was a scheme to put her very life in danger.  She is rescued by Callum, who is shaken that she would risk her very life to get away from him.  He changes his plan, and agrees to return her to her home.  This, in turn, stuns Mhairi.  Was she totally wrong about Callum’s motives?  Could their marriage really be a solution to the feuding?

Though Callum made a bad decision, he did it with the best of intentions.  He wanted the best for his people, which meant an end to the fighting.  He did take a straightforward approach first, and never hurt or forced himself on Mhairi.  I loved his honor, his strength, and his seemingly endless patience with his captive.  I appreciate how he was willing to change his plans rather than stubbornly stick with a scheme which wasn’t working.  I had a harder time liking Mhairi, who was truthfully a bit spoiled and definitely willful.  Of course, one can’t expect to be overjoyed to be kidnapped, but her actions were very hotheaded.  After her near disastrous escape, she did some soul searching, and really matured very quickly, and I liked her so much more.

THE HIGHLANDER’S DEFIANT CAPTIVE is a story that will appeal to those who enjoy enemies-to-lovers, a feisty heroine and a solid, honorable hero.  Their attraction is almost instantaneous, and it leads into a steamy romance as they turn from battling each other to fighting for a common cause.    ~Rose