A #review of Her Highland Defender by Samantha Holt

My review of Samantha Holt's Her Highland Defender, a Scottish Highlander Historical Romance novel.

Pages -  133 

Published -  November 12, 2015

Sold by -  Amazon Digital Services LLC

Genre -  Medieval, Historical Romance, Scottish Highlander

Language -  0/5

Sexual Content -  3/5

Narrative -  3rd P

While six thousand Scots follow Robert the Bruce to wage war on the English at Bannockburn, Blane Ross is fighting his own war—single-handedly. After the indiscriminate slaughter of his village at the hands of English mercenaries, he wants revenge. However, when he stops at a castle for information and rest, he doesn’t expect to come across a fierce, beautiful lass in sole charge.

Desperate for help, Ceana rejoices at the arrival of this impressive stranger. Dealing with her errant younger sister and her eccentric mother while trying to protect their clan hasn’t been easy. With all the men joining to fight against the English, it’s up to Ceana to ensure their fathers and brothers have a home to return to.
Her one secret doesn’t make matters any easier...

However, Blane doesn’t have time to aid the attractive lass, no matter how much her haunting blue eyes tug at a heart he thought had turned to stone long ago. The only way he’ll ever feel whole again is to ensure the mercenaries pay. But when she reveals her weakness, he has no choice but to offer her a few days of his time.

Before long, Blane receives his chance for revenge, but at what cost? Will Ceana and her family pay the price for his negligence just as his village did? Or can he protect them, even while he finds himself drawn to the stubborn woman and blinded by an attraction deeper than his thirst for English blood?

Her Highland Defender by Samantha Holt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Great Cover Art!

As for the story... Not bad; not great.

Fairly well-written, but with too many oddly worded sentences to continuously yank me out of the story in order to mentally reword things so that they made sense.

"For many moments, neither of them moved." (sounds like a lifetime to me!)
"rested her ankle for a day was quite the miracle" (huh?)
“I care not what they will think." she refused to think on what they might think of her."
and a whole lot of
"She shook her head to herself." and "shook his head to himself."

I also find it impossible to believe that a Laird in that time period (turbulent as well) would leave the fortification of his entire Keep to not only a daughter, but a nearly blind daughter at that.

Does not matter that the author attempted to get around it by stating that a majority of the menfolk had died of some disease.

No.

As modern-minded as you wish to believe you are today, and how utterly perfect you believe yourself to be by comparison to those who lived a'for ye, this just wouldn't have occurred.

Her father would have had to wait until reinforcements arrived via edict of the King, and that is that.

I felt little connection between the two leads because, as usual, everything occurred way too fast to be believed.

Insta-love, insta-sex, and insta-commitment that never sits well with me.

I did not mind the two leads on their own, though, so the author is fairly adept at character development.

However, she wrote the younger sister (Kate) like some modern day, self-serving brat whose head is loaded with "My mommy said" entitlement crapola.

Again, no.

Back then, that type of behavior would have been beaten out of any willful child at a much earlier age for it to be allowed to fester and spawn Satan's lovechild later on, thank you.

Three cheers for the good auld deys!

;-)