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wyvernfriend's review against another edition
3.0
probably more 3.5 stars but not a 4 star read. Lady Jocelyn MacCallum chooses to save her brother by marrying Conor MacLerie, a man whose previous wife died under mysterious circumstances, He has a chip on his shoulder about women and she wants more than he seems willing to give.
It wasn't bad but nothing stellar.
It wasn't bad but nothing stellar.
geekxgirl's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/4 Stars
I read this some time ago, probably 2015 or earlier as I had it marked as read but not rated on Goodreads, which tells me this was around the time I began truly using the site.
At first this was a little slow to get going despite the plot diving right into the arranged marriage and relationship between the two MCs.
It was a wee bit hard to decide if I liked the hero Connor. He by no means made that easy for the reader with his dumb male ideas of what the proper place was for his new wife or his repeated inner dialogue about how he would never love Jocelyn. That, ultimately nearly ruined his character for me. Yes, I know he loved his first wife but, he was also being quite illogical and insensitive to his new wife. And sadly he was too caught up in his own feelings and how he would never be that vulnerable or trust another the same way again that it truly took far too long for him to change get his tune. And THEN, that's when we finally began to see just the type of man Connor was and that man was very likeable.
Now Jocelyn was a little meh at first in the heroine department, but only at first. As the story progresses we see her try to adapt and figure out how to navigate her new situation and the man she now called husband. It certainly wasn't easy, but I loved that Jocelyn found her own way. I really liked her and how she approached things. She handled Connor many times in a way I thought was funny or well deserved. I loved that she was unapologetically herself and was vulnerable enough to be afraid/worried she would fail Connor and not be the wife he needed. It made her more real imo.
I also enjoyed that neither Jocelyn or Connor were easily fooled into jumping to conclusions or outright cruel to one another. Connor came close early on, albeit unintentionally or unaware of how his words or actions effected Jocelyn but he never sought to hurt her on purpose.
Overall once the story got going it was very entertaining. Easy to read and the pacing was a bit condensed and fast paced but also covered a bit of time too. I don't feel as if the story suffered for it or as a reader that we missed out on important scenes. Even with it being mildly predictable, especially in regards to the eventual bad guy and the truth behind his first wife's death, I still enjoyed myself.
I think that had a lot to do with Jocelyn and Connor as a couple. I really enjoyed their dynamic and seeing them grow closer.
If I could have changed anything, I would have had Connors realization about being in love with Jocelyn not be so abrupt and not immediately following a near death experience where he spoke of his dead wife while burning with fever. Took a bit of the magic out of the moment tbh. And also, the epilogue. While cute, it wasn't a true epilogue, merely a brief glimpse from a storytellers POV such as how fairytales end with a third person narrative stating "and they lived happily ever after!" ... That, I'll be honest was disappointing. I'd rather had the scene it mentioned about how Connor felt watching his mate give birth to their child.
Another enjoyable factor was the side characters. Duncan is a bit of a mystery still, but I liked him. And Rurik was a hoot and I loved his loyalty to Connor. Ailsa particularly was a favorite for how she took Connor to task.
I read this some time ago, probably 2015 or earlier as I had it marked as read but not rated on Goodreads, which tells me this was around the time I began truly using the site.
At first this was a little slow to get going despite the plot diving right into the arranged marriage and relationship between the two MCs.
It was a wee bit hard to decide if I liked the hero Connor. He by no means made that easy for the reader with his dumb male ideas of what the proper place was for his new wife or his repeated inner dialogue about how he would never love Jocelyn. That, ultimately nearly ruined his character for me. Yes, I know he loved his first wife but, he was also being quite illogical and insensitive to his new wife. And sadly he was too caught up in his own feelings and how he would never be that vulnerable or trust another the same way again that it truly took far too long for him to change get his tune. And THEN, that's when we finally began to see just the type of man Connor was and that man was very likeable.
Now Jocelyn was a little meh at first in the heroine department, but only at first. As the story progresses we see her try to adapt and figure out how to navigate her new situation and the man she now called husband. It certainly wasn't easy, but I loved that Jocelyn found her own way. I really liked her and how she approached things. She handled Connor many times in a way I thought was funny or well deserved. I loved that she was unapologetically herself and was vulnerable enough to be afraid/worried she would fail Connor and not be the wife he needed. It made her more real imo.
I also enjoyed that neither Jocelyn or Connor were easily fooled into jumping to conclusions or outright cruel to one another. Connor came close early on, albeit unintentionally or unaware of how his words or actions effected Jocelyn but he never sought to hurt her on purpose.
Overall once the story got going it was very entertaining. Easy to read and the pacing was a bit condensed and fast paced but also covered a bit of time too. I don't feel as if the story suffered for it or as a reader that we missed out on important scenes. Even with it being mildly predictable, especially in regards to the eventual bad guy and the truth behind his first wife's death, I still enjoyed myself.
I think that had a lot to do with Jocelyn and Connor as a couple. I really enjoyed their dynamic and seeing them grow closer.
If I could have changed anything, I would have had Connors realization about being in love with Jocelyn not be so abrupt and not immediately following a near death experience where he spoke of his dead wife while burning with fever. Took a bit of the magic out of the moment tbh. And also, the epilogue. While cute, it wasn't a true epilogue, merely a brief glimpse from a storytellers POV such as how fairytales end with a third person narrative stating "and they lived happily ever after!" ... That, I'll be honest was disappointing. I'd rather had the scene it mentioned about how Connor felt watching his mate give birth to their child.
Another enjoyable factor was the side characters. Duncan is a bit of a mystery still, but I liked him. And Rurik was a hoot and I loved his loyalty to Connor. Ailsa particularly was a favorite for how she took Connor to task.
dragon_lion64's review against another edition
3.0
I love a book where my heartstrings are pulled all over the place! This one did that to me. The author made love and hate the male protagonist of the book. Let me just say…I am so glad I was not born in the 1300s or any century except for the one we are in now. Women had to put up with a lot and men could basically treat them however they wanted to without anyone doing anything about it.
Jocelyn MacCallum is being married to the man known as the Best of the Highlands, Connor MacLerie, who has been rumored to have murdered his first wife because she could not give him children. Jocelyn’s father has agreed to marry Jocelyn to Connor in trade for her brother who has been imprisoned by Connor for some unknown offense….plus her father will get men and supplies to help him rebuild his clan and lands after a particularly hard time.
She gets just a few minutes to pack and say goodbye to the man she thought she was going to get to marry who has fostered with her family for years.
Connor MacLerie has become dark and dangerous since the death of his wife. He lets people believe that he pushed her down the stairs of his castle. It helps keep people at arm’s length from him. The council of elders of his clan is demanding that he marry to have an heir to help the clan but it has been hard to find a wife since no father wants to marry their daughter to The Beast who killed his first wife. When Jocelyn’s brother gets imprisoned by him, he uses the opportunity to trade his life for Jocelyn’s hand in marriage. He sends his cousin to make sure she meets his requirements that the girl is plain of face and not an empty headed ninny and to close the deal. He does not want a beautiful wife but he wants someone smart and who will not cower in fear of him.
When Jocelyn reaches Connor’s castle, she is caked and dripping in mud along with Connor’s cousin Duncan. It didn’t say right then what had happened but I got the impression that Duncan and Jocelyn didn’t get along too well and may have had some sort of contest of wills where neither won. As soon as Jocelyn reaches the castle, she is to be wed and bedded so that her brother can be released. She refuses to clean up and asks to be wed right then. Connor agrees but he is not one to be argued with and she sees that he will be hard to live with.
I felt so bad for Jocelyn because Connor treats her like she is invisible. He takes her virginity and leaves her chamber to go to his right afterwards. He wants her for one thing only and that is to have a son with her. He tells her this too. He even tells her that after she has a child or two that she can go back home or to a nunnery if she wants. He gives her no control over the running of the castle like most wives would have and ignores her at meal times. He just goes into her room at night, has sex with her and leaves. I wanted to shake him and tell him to quit treating her so bad.
When she gets news of her mother dying, he just leaves her alone and doesn’t offer any condolences or comfort. Some of his clan members try to tell him that he needs to treat her better but he gets angry with them for getting into his business.
I thought it was funny, when he overheard some villagers talking about him how he spent more time with the whores in the village than he does in his wife’s chamber. Well, I didn’t think it was funny but it gave him a clue as how poorly he was treating her. Unfortunately, Jocelyn heard it too.
Some of the elders have come to visit and notice how Connor treats Jocelyn and they are not happy. I absolutely loved his uncle’s swordsman, Rurik. He and Connor like to fight and wrestle and Rurik speaks his mind, unlike the rest of the clansmen who are too afraid of Connor to say anything to him. Rurik likes women A LOT and is a huge flirt. He flirts with Jocelyn and he tells Connor that he needs to get over his first wife and start treating Jocelyn right or he will destroy her.
When Jocelyn doesn’t get over her grief from her mother’s death and just gets more and more depressed and frail, Duncan asks Connor if they should send for his aunt and the Lady Rhona so that she can have other ladies to keep her company, Connor agrees. Rhona helped Connor’s first wife when she kept miscarrying and is good with herbs and remedies. She has been at court and knows how proper ladies should act. The king is planning to make Connor an earl but he hasn’t let many people know it and needs Jocelyn to know how to act as a countess.
Just as Connor is starting to treat Jocelyn better and care for her, she starts having accidents…too many to be coincidence. She falls down some stairs once and then a stone is loosened where she stands on the battlements and leans over to watch the men practice sword fighting each day and she almost falls over the edge. She also has been getting sick a lot. I suspected Rhona with her herbs even though she seemed so nice and helpful. When Jocelyn is late on her courses (menstrual cycle), her breasts are sore and she is having morning sickness, it’s obvious to me that she is pregnant but she thinks she is late because of her depression for her mother’s death and when she mentions it to Rhona, she gives her an herbal tea to sooth her discomfort. All of the sudden, Jocelyn gets super ill and when she wakes, Rhona tells her that she is cramping because she started her courses from throwing up so hard. I believed that Rhona gave her something to make her miscarry and I suspected that she may have been the reason Connor’s first wife kept having miscarriages also.
Connor realizes that someone is trying to hurt or kill Jocelyn and he thinks they are trying to make it look like he did it so he starts keeping a guard on her.
Jocelyn notices that Rurik and Rhona do not like each other but she can’t figure out why and nobody else seems to notice it. I don’t think the book ever revealed the reason. Maybe he suspected something was odd with Rhona too.
Without giving up the whole ending, I can’t really go into much more detail.
Some of the secondary characters were interesting like Duncan and Rurik. I hope both of them get their own story in future books of the series.
I am so happy with this book that I’ve already downloaded the next book. I tried to start reading it but I was so tired that I only read the first page and fell asleep. Guess what? It’s about Rurik! Yummy….er, I mean, Yay!
www.paranormalromanceslut.com
sadie_rae's review against another edition
4.0
When Lady Jocelyn is forced to agree to marry Laird Connor MacLerie, aka 'The Beast', to save her brother she is understandably scared and upset. Connor is rumored to have killed his first wife and after three years of building a rather fearsome reputation who wouldn't be scared to be his wife. As the book progresses we see that Jocelyn truly has received the short end of the stick in marriage, Conner only seems to truly want an heir and spends little time with his wife. Also Jocelyn has been forbidden from running his keep as is her right and duty at his wife. Many things are wrong with their marriage however after the death of her mother Connor starts to come around and become more caring. Strange accidents start happening around Jocelyn however and it becomes apparent that someone want's her dead.
I wasn't overly surprised on who the killer was in this book, I suspected what they were doing when they first offered their 'help' to Jocelyn. Connor did surprise me however in how infinitely stupid he was, not saying that the author wrote his character wrong rather that he was a huge surprise in his decisions and how he went about things with his second marriage. I will say that I do know that especially back then having an heir was important but he seemed rather hung up on the issue and i'm not sure that it was ever explained why. I did enjoy this book for all that it was a bit different from the 'norm', 4 stars!
I wasn't overly surprised on who the killer was in this book, I suspected what they were doing when they first offered their 'help' to Jocelyn. Connor did surprise me however in how infinitely stupid he was, not saying that the author wrote his character wrong rather that he was a huge surprise in his decisions and how he went about things with his second marriage. I will say that I do know that especially back then having an heir was important but he seemed rather hung up on the issue and i'm not sure that it was ever explained why. I did enjoy this book for all that it was a bit different from the 'norm', 4 stars!
loverofromance's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first time I have had a chance to read from this author, and I was impressed, especially since it was a bit shorter than what I usually like. I felt that it was a great read, and I really enjoyed the set of the story. It is set in a more medieval time period, back to the 1300's. It then sets the stage for a arranged marriage, which begins on a rocky start. Connor has no need for love or tenderness in his marriage, just his wife giving him a heir and then he plans on letting her go back to her family. Jocelyn wants more from her marriage, she wants to make her life here, but Connor has to let her into his life and his heart first. Even though their marriage doesn't begin with roses and daisies, it does turn out to be a emotional and riveting journey. There was so much vivid descriptions and emotions that are displayed, that had me crying a bit. Which hasn't happened in a while, I was surprised. The characters are deeply embedded in the story, and their connection to each other is very sensual at times, and this author captures a beautiful romantic tale of passion, intrigue and a sweet love story. I loved the way this story begins and ends, definitely was a easy read. LOVED EVERY MOMENT!
enur's review against another edition
3.0
Terri Brisbin'den okuduğum ilk kitap. Giriş ve gelişme daha yavaşken sonucun hızlı olduğu kitaplardan biriydi. Konusu gayet klişe. Anlatımı da öyle aman aman değil.
MacLerie klanının lideri Connor MacLerie karısını öldürdüğü düşünüldüğünden İskoçya'da Canavar olarak biliniyor. Soyunu devam ettirmek için evlenmesi gerektiğinde de bu evliliği yalnızca küçük bir klanın liderinin kızını rehin aldığı oğlu ile değiş tokuş ve diğer yardımlar karşılığında sağlıyor.
Amacı sadece bir çocuk sahibi olmakken Jocelyn MacCallum ile tekrardan aşkı tadıyor ve... adını temize çıkarıyor.
MacLerie klanının lideri Connor MacLerie karısını öldürdüğü düşünüldüğünden İskoçya'da Canavar olarak biliniyor. Soyunu devam ettirmek için evlenmesi gerektiğinde de bu evliliği yalnızca küçük bir klanın liderinin kızını rehin aldığı oğlu ile değiş tokuş ve diğer yardımlar karşılığında sağlıyor.
Amacı sadece bir çocuk sahibi olmakken Jocelyn MacCallum ile tekrardan aşkı tadıyor ve... adını temize çıkarıyor.
kathym91's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The prose wasn’t particularly good, but I quite liked the couple and the development of their relationship. However, I really disliked the initial violence and later jealousy and possessiveness - far more abusive than romantic
meg369's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0