Seducing the Highlander
by Emma Wildes
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: NAL Trade
Available: May 4, 2010
Genre: Historical Romance
Book received from: Penguin
“Seducing Ian”
Abducted by notorious Highland lord Ian McCray and held as a prisoner for barter, Lady Leanna Arlington should be terrified-but her captor has helped her escape an unwanted marriage. Now, if only she can persuade the virile Scot to keep her…“Seducing Robbie”
Julia Cameron is on the run and looking for a protector. Roguish Robbie McCray is desperate to replace his ships that were confiscated by the English. All they have to do is work out an agreement that is mutually satisfying-and sinfully wicked…“Seducing Aidan” When he comes across a beautiful woman being attacked, Aidan Cameron charges headlong into the fray. The brigands he deals with by pistol and sword. But the lovely Lady Gillian Lorin may require a different set of weapons…
Seducing Ian
Ian McCray kidnaps Leanne Arlington, the betrothed of his arch-enemy (Baron Frankton), in the dead of night and intends to use her as an instrument of revenge. What Ian doesn’t know is that Leanne welcomes the kidnapping as a means to escape an unwanted arranged marriage for the sake of her family. They strike a pleasurable bargain that ends in love.
Ian is a powerful laird, with the reputation of being a womanizer. He is seductive and pursues his goals single-mindedly. Leanne is a sweet, kind and smart young woman who is willing to sacrifice herself for the good of the family but doesn’t hesitate to grab a chance for escape when it’s presented to her.
This was a lovely story. It was hot action-packed with a nice plot and even a small love triangle type of storyline. It was a small storyline and with no consequences but it did give a nice twist to the romance. Admittedly, I had to suspend disbelief a bit to accept Leanne’s quick and easy surrender to Ian, especially sexually, but for a short story it was a remarkably well-rounded with quite a few very hot sex scenes but they never overshadowed the rest of the story.
Seducing Robbie
After her father’s murder and her older brother’s disappearance, Julia Cameron decides she needs protection. The only man she can think to go to is the son of her father’s old friend so she strikes a deal with the infamous Robbie McCray: his services in exchange for money to buy ships he needs to rebuild his family’s fortune. But there’s a catch. In order to get her half of the inheritance left by her father, she needs to marry and Robbie has no intensions of tying the proverbial knot, not even with a woman as enticing as Julia. Robbie tries to scare her away from a marriage to him but ultimately a bargain is struck
Robbie is my kind of hero. He is talkative and vocal and dirtily so. He oozes nonchalant charm and speaks his mind and despite his roguish reputation he is sensitive and romantic. Julia is impulsive, courageous and stubborn. But she is also loyal, to the point where her loyalty prevents her from seeing some people’s true colors.
I liked this story the most of the three. It was fast-paced, with a nice suspense plot and some hot lovin’ too. Robbie as a character made me like this story even more than I did the first and that goes to show how connecting with a character can really make a difference.
Seducing Adain
Adain Cameron comes to the rescue when Gillian Lorin’s carriage is held up in the middle of the night while she and her uncle are on their way to her intended betrothed. When it turns out that her uncle died during the hold-up, Adain plans to take Gillian to her destination, until he hears she is betrothed to Thomas Graham. He refuses to take her to the man with a reputation of being a violent, ruthless and deviant man who has buried three wives under suspicious circumstances. Circumstances lead to a night of passion and a rushed marriage, but the jilted Earl of Kleiss isn’t of a mind to let Gillian go that easy.
Adain is a brooding highlander. He is also passionate, honorable and chivalrous. He lost the woman he loves to another man but when he stumbles upon a damsel in distress he doesn’t hesitate to come to her rescue. Gillian is resilient and speaks her mind. She’s also impulsive which leads her into situations she shouldn’t end up in.
To me this third story didn’t feel as well set up as the other two and I liked it the least. Especially in the beginning the events seemed a bit contrived. I didn’t really connect with Gillian and I wasn’t convinced of the chemistry between Adain and Gillian. I didn’t understand Gillian’s motivation to go to Adain’s room and offer her virginity and Adain was still hung up on Julia (heroine, story 2). This all made the story seem forced and it didn’t have the flow the other two stories had. Still it was an enjoyable read and the second half of the story was lovely and it all worked out in the end.
Overall:
I loved that the three stories were connected through the characters. Ian and Robbie are cousins and Julia and Adain are cousin and these familial connections made for nicely done overlaps in the stories, spreading the introduction of the main characters over the three stories.
The plots in all three stories are clear from the start and a bit predictable but still the heat level, lovely romance, fast pace and appealing characters are enough to make you overlook the predictability of the plots. Emma Wildes had a very nice and easy writing style that keeps the reader engaged and entertained and she has the talent to insert really enticing love scenes in the stories without taking away from the plot or characters.
Every story had it’s own feel to it which was enriched by the different personalities of the main characters, their circumstances and the villains. Emma Wildes did a great job in this single author anthology bringing instant, gratifying and pleasurable entertainment with a trio of delectable Highlanders.
Quote:
From Seducing Robbie:
McCray must be some sort of warlock, a sinful, darkly seductive creature made to lure women into unspeakable acts that gave incredible and unearthly pleasure.
Rating for anthology as a whole:
Thank you Pearl!
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Lovely review Pearl. "He is talkative and vocal and dirtily so." I think I like Robbie. hehe. This antho sounds like a keeper. I like that all three stories are connected.
Oh, so this is 3 stories in one book? Shouldn't the title be Seducing the Highlander(s) *giggle*
Nice review Pearl!!!
Only if you are seducing them all at the same time KC. Unfortunately this was a one at a time book. LOL.
Oh yes! Robbie is definitely our boy…ehm I mean man! He captured my attention in the first story and totally delivered in his own story
Thank you KC! And in this book the only Highlander I want to seduce is Robbie….oh well and maybe Ian…but let's not turn it into one of *those* books LOL
I didn't realize this had three stories in it.
I think I like Robbie..I want him to lure me into unspeakable acts
It's a bonus Mandi, extra Highlanders. Who doesn't love extra Highlanders?
Yup Mandi, it's a three-fer so to speak.
I didn't realize either it was 3 stories until I received the book but it was no problem as I like single author anthologies better than multiple author ones and it reads like a single book as the stories are pretty connected through the characters.
Highlander galore in this anthology Pearl and they sound as good as the cover implies!! You know me and my visual pleasures LOL One question though…did Robbie do the dirty talk with or without the brogue…cause that would be twice as hot
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