A #review of The Highlander's Reluctant Bride by Cathy MacRae (Book Two, Highlander's Bride series)



Today I review The Highlander's Reluctant Bride, Book 2 in The Highlander's Bride series, by Cathy MacRae.


The Highlander's Reluctant Bride
Series -  The Highlander’s Bride series (Book Two)
Amazon Kindle edition
Pages -  318 
Publisher -  Soul Mate Publishing 
Published -  March 15, 2014
Genre -  Historical Romance, Scottish Highlands
Language -  0/5
Sexual Content -  3/5






Determined to keep the Macrory clan’s holdings out of the clutches of the Lord of the Isles and marauding pirates, King Robert II sends his man, Lord Ranald Scott, to hold Scaurness Castle. There, Laird Macrory lays dying, awaiting word from his son who is missing on the battlefields of France. If the son is not found before the old laird dies, Ranald will take over as laird—and marry Laird Macrory’s headstrong daughter.

Lady Caitriona sees no reason she cannot rule the clan in her brother’s stead, and is bitterly disappointed with the king’s decision to send a man to oversee the castle and people. Not only is Ranald Scott only distantly related to the Macrory clan, but he was her childhood nemesis. She has little trust or like for him.

Her disappointment turns to panic when the king’s plan is completely revealed and she realizes she must wed Ranald. Pirates, treachery, and a four-year-old girl stand between her and Ranald’s chance at happiness. What will it take for them to learn to trust each other and find the love they both deserve?






The Highlander's Reluctant Bride (The Highlander's Bride #2)The Highlander's Reluctant Bride by Cathy MacRae
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Is this another of those originally published back in the 70s novels re-written to soothe today's butt-hurt crowd?
It read that way to me.
Although not badly written and with fewer GPS issues than normal for most Romance novels, I still did not enjoy this one.
Too predictable, what with the author dropping major hints straight away, thus taking from me any chance for what-if's or an element of surprise later in the story.
Too much modern, PC-minded bull for me to become immersed in what is supposed to be 1377 Scotland Romance.
The thoroughly 21st Century thoughts, feelings, and mannerisms of the heroine, and the Metrosexual-behaving Hero who was about as flawless and thoughtful a 1377 Scottish Highlander as they came.
Adding a child to the mix made it worse, further sealing my not-interested opinion of this surprisingly well-written tale of Reluctance at every turn.
Nothing screams romance louder than a toddler running around in almost every scene to jolt the reader out of woo-hoo, eh Moms?
I'm likely to be in the minority here, but why don't authors who truly believe in feminism, modern mentality without question, and Men Just Suck Because... stick to the Contemporary Romance genre, where they are more suited to voice their personal opinion in every chapter and create characters who fully agree with everything the author believes?
Please, kindly stop cramming your modern moral outlook down my throat in your FICTIONAL ROMANCE novels!
I cannot see Fictional Romance written this way (opinion-laden and 21st Century) as being able to stand the test of time, and that is a real shame.
Or, will it still be a 'thing' in 30 years for opinionated strangers to re-write someone else's work to better suit their own moral outlook on life?
*Sigh

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