The Ghost (Highland Heroes #6)

by Maeve Greyson

Blurb:

While searching for his son, he finds something he never expected: a woman to love.

If only she didn’t hate him...

Clan MacCoinnich is the only family Magnus de Gray has ever known. But when a message catches up with him five years too late, he discovers he has more family than he thought. He has a son. But the dear lady who gave him this gift died while bringing the wee one into the world. Magnus isn’t about to abandon his child—not the way his father abandoned him. He’s determined to find the boy and bring him home to Clan MacCoinnich.

Brenna Maxwell loved her sister Bree with all her heart, but if she could reach beyond the grave, she would shake her until her teeth rattled. All Brenna ever wanted was to be a healer and even convinced her cruel father to let her leave the keep for training. She returned to find her unmarried sister pregnant and both of them banished from the clan. While on the run, her sister died bringing the babe into the world, leaving Brenna with the precious child to love and protect.

She spent years hating this man she had never met. The selfish womanizer responsible for her sister’s death and more pain and suffering than she could bear to think about. But then he saved her life. And he’s kind. And it turns out he’s not a womanizer at all, but a quiet warrior who struggles to say what he really means. He’s just a man who wants to take care of his son and make up for the past.

How can she hate a man like that? A man determined to make her love him?

Themes: Historical, Scotland, Series Finale

Rating: 4.75 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

The series that I have thoroughly enjoyed for the last several years has finally come to an end, but the bittersweet ending comes with an amazing story of two people that you don’t expect to find love. Maeve Greyson has taken readers on a harrowing adventure through the last six novels, making us cry, fear, and hope along with her characters, but the love she has shared with us has never failed. Clan MacCoinnich has one more miracle to pull off for one of their sons and Magnus de Gray needs his adopted family with him to overcome a huge error in his past and find a way to have a happy future. When Magnus learns that the woman he shared a passionate night with was not only pregnant but died giving birth to a son, he will stop at nothing to right the wrong of having inadvertently abandoned his son. He travels far on the hunt for the son he didn’t know he’s had the last five years, but the boy and his aunt, Brenna, seem to have disappeared into the ether after the tragedy that befell their clan. Brenna has done the best she can to survive after her sister’s death, caring for her young nephew as her own son and has promised she will never trust another man the way her sister did Magnus. When Magnus rides into her yard one day her worst fears are realized, but she quickly begins to question all she believes about the blackguard who took advantage of her sister and left behind a child. Magnus doesn’t understand the attraction to Brenna but he is not willing to give up a moment with his son, even if it means fighting with her to keep them all safe. When tides turn quickly against Brenna and Magnus has to carry them away to safety, bringing them into the Clan MacCoinnich fold in order to keep them truly safe and Brenna learns that she misjudged him completely. The more time they are together though the harder it is to resist the temptation and soon they find themselves building a family, but can their past and fears be overcome in order for them to have a future, or is love not going to be enough this time? I loved this story and getting to see the sparks flying between Magnus and Brenna even as they battled against one another. Brenna has lived with the consequences of Magnus and Bree’s choices while they both escaped them, but the anxiety and dread have left her mistrustful and unwilling to open her heart, especially to Magnus because she believes him to be a liar and a scoundrel. Even then she didn’t allow her personal opinion to color Magnus’s relationship with his son, which shows you right away the type of woman she is. Her brazenness and boldness are countered by her compassion and sweetness, making her a truly interesting character; she was unwilling to allow Magnus to suffer discomfort while at the same time cursing him in her mind because of his actions, but she manages to open her heart to him reluctantly. I loved that she was able to offer understanding and forgiveness when so many others, Magnus included wouldn’t have. Magnus carries a heavy burden for the problems he caused for Brenna and the pain he caused her family, but he is unwilling to allow his son to grow up in need of anything or thinking he is unwanted. His honor, strength of character, and empathy show him to be more than just the typical strong warrior of his time. He is smart and dedicated as well and I loved watching him mentoring his cousin and son as they took their journey and then made a family once they arrived back at their Clan. The heat between Brenna and Magnus was a subtle undercurrent from the beginning, but they both fought it so hard that when it finally exploded it was amazing to experience. I loved every moment of this poignant series finale and seeing all of the couples (or hearing about some) and learning about the next generation. I cannot wait for whatever Ms. Greyson gives us next and know I will enjoy each book in that series too, but I will always hold a special place for Clan MacCoinnich in my heart.