laurenjodi's review
5.0
The Chief
5 Stars
Following the death of William Wallace, Robert Bruce realizes that he cannot defeat the English King, Edward I, with traditional tactics and decides to establish an elite fighting force. The man chosen to train and lead these warriors, Tormod MacLeod, is dedicated to his clan and has not intention of being drawn into Scotland's war, not even to have the beautiful Christina Fraser. However, fate and trickery have different plans and Tor finds himself wed to a woman who weakens his resolve to never love again.
Compelling premise and brilliant execution.
The historical research is detailed and fascinating and the medieval setting realistic and believable. This time period is a favorite of mine, however, readers uninterested in Scottish history and politics may find it difficult to get into the story.
Tor and Christina's romance is riveting. Their chemistry is intense and passionate. Tor is an exceptional leader but hides his heart behind a cool and distant facade for fear of loving and losing. He struggles against the incomprehensible feelings Christina evokes in him but finds her sweet and giving personality impossible to resist.
Christina is an endearing heroine whose spirit slowly emerges. She works hard to thaw the ice around Tor's heart (sometimes too hard perhaps but this is consistent with her romantic nature). She definitely comes into her own as the story progresses and is ultimately the perfect match for Tor.
The plot revolving around the training of an elite group of warriors during the time of Scottish Independence is very appealing and the secondary characters are intriguing - each has a unique skill but they must all come together as a unit despite their differences both political and personal.
Overall, an incredible beginning to a promising series and I cannot wait to continue reading.
5 Stars
Following the death of William Wallace, Robert Bruce realizes that he cannot defeat the English King, Edward I, with traditional tactics and decides to establish an elite fighting force. The man chosen to train and lead these warriors, Tormod MacLeod, is dedicated to his clan and has not intention of being drawn into Scotland's war, not even to have the beautiful Christina Fraser. However, fate and trickery have different plans and Tor finds himself wed to a woman who weakens his resolve to never love again.
Compelling premise and brilliant execution.
The historical research is detailed and fascinating and the medieval setting realistic and believable. This time period is a favorite of mine, however, readers uninterested in Scottish history and politics may find it difficult to get into the story.
Tor and Christina's romance is riveting. Their chemistry is intense and passionate. Tor is an exceptional leader but hides his heart behind a cool and distant facade for fear of loving and losing. He struggles against the incomprehensible feelings Christina evokes in him but finds her sweet and giving personality impossible to resist.
Christina is an endearing heroine whose spirit slowly emerges. She works hard to thaw the ice around Tor's heart (sometimes too hard perhaps but this is consistent with her romantic nature). She definitely comes into her own as the story progresses and is ultimately the perfect match for Tor.
The plot revolving around the training of an elite group of warriors during the time of Scottish Independence is very appealing and the secondary characters are intriguing - each has a unique skill but they must all come together as a unit despite their differences both political and personal.
Overall, an incredible beginning to a promising series and I cannot wait to continue reading.
geo_ix's review
4.0
4.5 stars, I really enjoyed reading this and it was really easy to read, it barely even felt like it was 400 pages. Is the price a bit steep? A little, but I loved it enough I didn’t really care. I might care further on in the series at this price but you don’t really have to read on as it’s all wrapped up nicely. Really looking forward to seeing the other guys again soon so I might try another before the years out.
nnihann's review against another edition
4.0
3,5 ⭐️ Aslında gayet keyifle okudum. Ama ana karakterlerin sürekli tekrarlanan düşünceleri ve sözleri sıktı biraz. Yine de seriye devam edebilirim diye düşünüyorum. Diğer karakterlerin maceralarını merak ettim.
justaylin's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookwife's review
4.0
http://megansbookmadness.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-chief-by-monica-mccarty.html
I am not usually a fan of highlander books.. I never hate them but they are usually just ehhh to me. But this one I actually really enjoyed and I came across it on accident yesterday when I was going through my library's e-book selection and thought I would try it and I could not put it down.
There were a few times were Christina annoyed me.. but that happens even in my favorite books so thats to be expected and of course I wanted to punch Tor a lot but again that is to be expected.. I hate when a woman is expected to be docile and OBEY her husband. ohhh it when Tor says that I wanted to punt kick him across the room but Christina just accepts this.. And I know that is how it was back then.. which is why I usually can not read any kind of historical book. I have tried and tried but I just can't stand it. I love cavemen. I really do but a woman has to be able to fight back. They need to have some kind of power.. and I am not talking about in the bedroom.. I think thats why I like Donna Grants highlander series because there is the paranormal aspect to it as well as the highlander men.
Anyways... What I was trying to say was that although Tor was all "I will tell you nothing! You must obey me!" He was also sweet and I don't know it just seemed different than most of the highlander books I have tried to read. I am going to try the next one and hope that this one wasn't just a fluke and that maybe I have finally found a highlander series that I can love and enjoy!
I am not usually a fan of highlander books.. I never hate them but they are usually just ehhh to me. But this one I actually really enjoyed and I came across it on accident yesterday when I was going through my library's e-book selection and thought I would try it and I could not put it down.
There were a few times were Christina annoyed me.. but that happens even in my favorite books so thats to be expected and of course I wanted to punch Tor a lot but again that is to be expected.. I hate when a woman is expected to be docile and OBEY her husband. ohhh it when Tor says that I wanted to punt kick him across the room but Christina just accepts this.. And I know that is how it was back then.. which is why I usually can not read any kind of historical book. I have tried and tried but I just can't stand it. I love cavemen. I really do but a woman has to be able to fight back. They need to have some kind of power.. and I am not talking about in the bedroom.. I think thats why I like Donna Grants highlander series because there is the paranormal aspect to it as well as the highlander men.
Anyways... What I was trying to say was that although Tor was all "I will tell you nothing! You must obey me!" He was also sweet and I don't know it just seemed different than most of the highlander books I have tried to read. I am going to try the next one and hope that this one wasn't just a fluke and that maybe I have finally found a highlander series that I can love and enjoy!
dragon_lion64's review
3.0
This was a charming historical romance that tugged at my heartstrings and made me want to slug the male protagonist throughout most of the novel.
It’s loosely based on events surrounding Robert the Bruce and his rise to the throne of Scotland. The author obviously knew her history of Scotland because she did a great job of convincing me that the events of this book could have really happened. I liked that she included, at the end of the book, a little history of Robert the Bruce and how she entwined her story into it.
A secret plan is made and Bruce’s supporters want to get the best warriors of Scotland or at least of the Highlands and the islands of Scotland together to form and secret unbeatable team that will fight in more of the ways of guerilla warfare than traditional ways of meeting on the field to battle BUT…they have to convince the one they want to lead the team to do it first.
Tor MacLeod is the ultimate Scottish warrior. He is the chief of his clan on his own island. He has kept peace for his clan for the last twenty years and has no intention of taking sides in the war between Scotland and England. He was tricked into marrying Christina Frasier, daughter of a man who hates England’s King Edward and everyone knows it. Now, King Edward will be questioning his loyalties and both sides will try to force him to choose.
He agrees to secretly train the elite squad of warriors and hand them off to another once they are trained. He has always put the needs of his clan before anything else not even his wife. He keeps his own council and doesn’t tell his secrets to anyone. He thinks marriage should be a contract that benefits his clan and a wife is for bedding and having children although she should be treated with respect and never abused. He thinks love is impractical and could ruin a leader’s ability to make good choices.
Christina Frasier has been forced by her abusive father to trick Tor MacLeod into marrying her. Before the ceremony she gets her future husband to agree that if she wants to end the marriage contract that he will allow her to go live at a nunnery and take the veil. She always was a dreamer, reading romantic novels about Lancelot and Lady Guinevere. She dreams of a knight in shining armor for her very own but now she has been forced to marry a fierce warrior who is nothing like Lancelot. Her new husband barely notices her except when he visits her bedroom where they are both passionate for each other but then he leaves her soon afterwards to sleep in the great-room with his clansmen. She has fallen in love with Tor and she thinks she sees that he cares for her. She wants to get him to love her but it might be a lost cause and she doesn’t think she can stay with him if she has to live a life without love.
It was a good book although it is not my regular genre of paranormal romance. I did download the second book, The Hawk, and started reading it but it started out with the POV of Robert the Bruce and focused too much on politics and war maneuvering so I lost interest right away. A little too much history and not enough romance. I’m going to give it a little more time. I like to get to at least 15% of a book before I give up on it. We’ll see how it goes.
www.paranormalromanceslut.com
It’s loosely based on events surrounding Robert the Bruce and his rise to the throne of Scotland. The author obviously knew her history of Scotland because she did a great job of convincing me that the events of this book could have really happened. I liked that she included, at the end of the book, a little history of Robert the Bruce and how she entwined her story into it.
A secret plan is made and Bruce’s supporters want to get the best warriors of Scotland or at least of the Highlands and the islands of Scotland together to form and secret unbeatable team that will fight in more of the ways of guerilla warfare than traditional ways of meeting on the field to battle BUT…they have to convince the one they want to lead the team to do it first.
Tor MacLeod is the ultimate Scottish warrior. He is the chief of his clan on his own island. He has kept peace for his clan for the last twenty years and has no intention of taking sides in the war between Scotland and England. He was tricked into marrying Christina Frasier, daughter of a man who hates England’s King Edward and everyone knows it. Now, King Edward will be questioning his loyalties and both sides will try to force him to choose.
He agrees to secretly train the elite squad of warriors and hand them off to another once they are trained. He has always put the needs of his clan before anything else not even his wife. He keeps his own council and doesn’t tell his secrets to anyone. He thinks marriage should be a contract that benefits his clan and a wife is for bedding and having children although she should be treated with respect and never abused. He thinks love is impractical and could ruin a leader’s ability to make good choices.
Christina Frasier has been forced by her abusive father to trick Tor MacLeod into marrying her. Before the ceremony she gets her future husband to agree that if she wants to end the marriage contract that he will allow her to go live at a nunnery and take the veil. She always was a dreamer, reading romantic novels about Lancelot and Lady Guinevere. She dreams of a knight in shining armor for her very own but now she has been forced to marry a fierce warrior who is nothing like Lancelot. Her new husband barely notices her except when he visits her bedroom where they are both passionate for each other but then he leaves her soon afterwards to sleep in the great-room with his clansmen. She has fallen in love with Tor and she thinks she sees that he cares for her. She wants to get him to love her but it might be a lost cause and she doesn’t think she can stay with him if she has to live a life without love.
It was a good book although it is not my regular genre of paranormal romance. I did download the second book, The Hawk, and started reading it but it started out with the POV of Robert the Bruce and focused too much on politics and war maneuvering so I lost interest right away. A little too much history and not enough romance. I’m going to give it a little more time. I like to get to at least 15% of a book before I give up on it. We’ll see how it goes.
www.paranormalromanceslut.com
lucy_qhuay's review
4.0
I loved it!! It was a bit heartbreaking though to feel Christina's pain. Gosh, that Tor was so cold :'(
How could he show such passion when he had her in his arms and then be so indifferent??
If I was Tina I would die :'(
How could he show such passion when he had her in his arms and then be so indifferent??
If I was Tina I would die :'(
msmattoon's review
2.0
This is the second of McCarty's that I've read, and though I finished it (unlike the other one I tried) it didn't do much for me.