Highlander Betrayed (Guardians of the Targe #1)
by Laurin Wittig
Blurb:
Hidden deep in the rugged Scottish Highlands
lies the Highland Targe, an ancient relic guarded for centuries by clan
MacAlpin. It is said the Targe can shield the heart of the Highlands from
invaders and now, as part of his plan to crush the Scottish rebellion, the
English king wants the Targe for himself...
Rowan
MacGregor, orphaned niece to the chief of the MacAlpins and the rock her family
depends upon, is worried. With the dwindling health of her aunt, the Guardian
of the Targe, the protections that have kept the clan safe and prosperous are
fading, and the new Guardian, one of her cousins, has yet to be chosen. Rowan
wants nothing more than to see the clan protected again, but when it seems that
will never happen, she despairs—even when a handsome and charming stranger
comes to her aid.
Nicholas
fitz Hugh is not what he seems. Half-English, half-Scottish, he turned his back
on his Scottish heritage early in his life, giving his loyalty to England
instead. Now he is a talented and cunning spy charged with finding and stealing
the Highland Targe for his king.
But
when Nicholas finds himself falling for the bonny Rowan and wanting to protect
the family she holds so dear, he is forced to choose between his king’s will
and his own: Will he betray his king and his mission? Or will he turn his back
on the woman he has come to love?
Review:
As
a great lover of history and romance fiction, I am always happy to try a new
historical romance writer, and being a Scottish descendant I am of course partial
to any story set in the highlands. This new series is set deep in the highlands and
involves a small bit of the magic that runs through all Scottish blood and the
story didn’t let me down. Ms. Wittig is
a new author to me and I was thrilled to read her story of love, ambition, and
danger. Though I haven’t read her before I will definitely be reading her
future books in this series and others that might come after.
Highlander
Betrayed begins with Nicholas, King Edward’s favorite spy getting the mission
of his life: return to his homeland in the highlands and discover the secret of
the protections provided by the Highland Targe.
More than willing to give his all for the king, Nicholas sets off
immediately, never knowing that his future will forever change and so will
he. When he tracks all the whispers to
the MacAlpin clan deep in the highlands, he and his partner arrive at a most
inopportune moment, or a great time depending on perspective. Rowan MacGregor, niece to the clan chief, is
outside the curtain walls trying to reign in her wayward cousin when a freak
accident puts them both in lethal danger.
Driven by some unknown force, Nicholas runs to their rescue and is taken
into the clan, albeit reluctantly, and begins to learn more about them all and
specifically the woman who has grabbed his attention and just won’t let him
go. But when his true mission comes to
light, will Rowan or any of Clan MacAlpin be able to recover and trust him
again.
As
their feelings deepen and their lives are changed irrevocably, Rowan and
Nicholas must come together, knocking down all the walls between them, to
master the powers of the targe and protect the clan—and ultimately the
highlands—from Nicholas’s former partner who is bent on revenge and doesn’t
care who he has to dispose of to rise in the favor of the king. There is a great underlying plot of course,
one that pits cousin against cousin and causes serious strife between loved ones
as Rowan’s true destiny comes to light.
Though their feelings run true, perilously close to love already,
Nicholas is determined to do whatever it takes to earn Rowan’s trust again,
even if it means he may have to risk his own life to protect her and the lives
of her family. But will they be able to overcome the challenges in time or will
King Edward’s plot to bring down the highlands succeed?
Rowan
and Nicholas were fascinating characters.
Nicholas obviously comes into the story with a serious chip on his
shoulder, unloved by either of his parents and essentially left alone in the
world to fend for himself from a very young age. He has let his ambition lead him all his
life, perhaps onto the darkest of paths; one his own conscience will not let
him continue on forever. When he is
confronted with the true strength of will and character to be found in the
peoples of the highlands, he begins to understand the mistakes he has made and
that his life surely needs to change. Bringing about this change in Nicholas, though unintentionally, Rowan is
in her own right a broken and deeply flawed character. She has blocked the most important memories
of her childhood, fighting her own nature all her life so she can maintain her
calm center. But as they say still
waters run deep, and when she is forced to confront her past and her future, those waters become the rushing river leading to a thousand foot
waterfall. The magic in her is awesome
to get to see, though I would have liked more of it, and when Nicholas figures
out how to tap that power, the passion between them becomes even greater.
Wittig
is a very talented author, showing us the growth of feelings and the emotional
issues that couples work through, even as she takes us on a political and magical
journey through Scotland’s rocky past. Nicholas and Rowan were set up from the
beginning to fail, only overcoming the odds due to their own stubbornness and
belief that their love is the most important thing for them and their
clan. Though Nicholas takes a while to
come back to his true nature he is, in the end, a real highlander, with all the
strength and resolve you could hope to find in such a warrior. Rowan is the true essence of Scotland,
carrying the secret magic that so many sought to steal or destroy inside her
practical soul. She uses everything in
her—her new power, her brains, and her love of Nicholas and her people—to meet
any challenge and come out on top.
Though the love is apparent, being set in the 14th century,
Highlander Betrayed is written with a more subtle passion between the H/H than
some are used to, but it in no way detracts from the emotional depth or steam
in the story. With stolen kisses and
caresses, Nicholas and Rowan let their passion flow and it is very well written, leaving you feeling you were right there experiencing their love. I am looking forward to
finding out what comes next and seeing how the MacAlpin Clan beats the pants off Edward.
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