Mini-Review: My Highland Spy

My Highland Spy (Highland Spies #1)

by Victoria Roberts

Blurb:

This Highland Laird won't bow to the Crown

Laird Ruairi Sutherland refuses to send his only son away to be educated by the English. And he most definitely will not appear in Edinburgh to pay homage to a liege who has no respect for Scotland. So he does what any laird would do-he lies to the king. The last thing Ruairi expects is a beautiful English governess to appear on his doorstep.

But this lady spy might make him...

Lady Ravenna Walsingham is a seasoned spy who is sent to the savage Highlands to uncover a nefarious plot against the Crown. Playing the part of an English governess-a job easier said than done-she infiltrates the home of Laird Sutherland, a suspected conspirator.

If she doesn't betray him first

Ravenna soon discovers that the only real threat Sutherland poses is to her heart. But will the proud Highland laird ever forgive her when he discovers the woman he loves in an English spy?

Themes: historical, highlanders, spies

Rating: 3.75 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Being my first experience with writing by Victoria Roberts, I was unsure what to expect, but the title and cover for this novel made it too interesting for me to resist and I can say with all surety that I will be continuing this series as it develops. A vivid setting in one of my favorite places and times, full of intrigue, mystery and the hidden secrets that were customary during this time period, and interwoven with a story of two people that never expected to find love in an enemy, My Highland Spy will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end wondering just how Ruairi and Ravenna will find a way to love.   It should also be mentioned that the wit and cleverness of the heroine in this novel, something that is often overlooked in even modern fiction, make the characters shine and gives the reader the chance to live vicariously through this fabulously written heroine. 

Ruairi and Ravenna both captured my interest, with their disparate, but equally compelling stories and the way they are able to overlook the differences in their backgrounds to find a way to enjoy their time together, even knowing there might be an end that doesn’t include a  happily ever after.  Ravenna has landed her most dangerous mission since she began spying for the crown but she doesn’t understand just how dangerous until she finds her heart and body being pulled like a magnet toward Ruairi.  Ruairi also never imagined he would find such intense feelings again,  much less be feeling them for a Englishwoman, someone that he knows he shouldn’t trust, but that he can’t seem to deny.  As the two of them explore their desires and both grow fonder of each other, there is the feeling of the sword of Damascus hanging over their heads. Will they be able to escape the pain that their broken trust can cause, or will they let their duty stand in the way for their love?

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Ravenna’s adventure across the border and into the wild and barbaric highlands, where she found that the people are much the same, though certainly more passionate than her own countrymen.  As her eyes are opened to the truth of the highlanders she has been sent to spy on, Ravenna begins to understand that she is never going to be able to betray Ruairi’s trust and love.  But fate—and a nosey and meddling sister—leave Ravenna with no option but to defend herself to the man she has come to love more than anything or anyone else.  Ruairi opens his heart after a long time and finds that Ravenna might just be the mate to his heart and the perfect woman to fill the hole in his family, but now he has to come to terms with the truth of who and what she is, and the lies she has told from the beginning.  Showing his true depth of character and just how great a man he is, Ruairi is able to find a way to forgive and go after the one thing that will make them both happy.  Obviously a sexy and intriguing pair, Ravenna and Ruairi were a match made in the highlands (yup I said that), and I found myself falling in love right along with them.  I am looking forward to seeing where this author takes us next, and suspect I know who will have a chance to find love in the next story.  In the meantime, I will carry the happy memories of another wonderful historical romance that makes me wish I’d been born in a different time and place, and after all isn’t that what reading is all about? Sláinte!

*eARC provided by publisher (via netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.