Review: Every Time with a Highlander (Sirens of the Scottish Borderlands #3)

Every Time with a Highlander (Sirens of the Scottish Borderlands #3)

by Gwyn Cready 

Blurb:

She can work her magic on any man...

In a quest to bring peace to her beloved Scottish borderlands, fortune-teller and spy Undine Douglas agrees to marry a savage English colonel. Desperate to delay the wedding long enough toundermine the army's plans, Undine casts a spell to summon help and unexpectedly finds herself under the imperious gaze of the handsome and talented Michael Kent, twenty-first century British theater director.

But in this production, he commands the action...

Though he abandoned acting years ago, Michael will play whatever part it takes to guard Undine's safety—he's used to managing London's egocentric actors and high-handed patrons, after all. But not even Shakespeare could haveforeseen the sparks that fly when the colonel's plans force Undine and Michael into the roles of their lifetimes.

Themes: historical, time travel

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

This interesting trilogy about a group of women entrenched in the battle for the people of the Scottish Borderlands as England attempts to destroy the way of highland life has come to an end with the story of heroine Undine.  There were many twists and turns in this series, but along the way the underlying relationships between these women, and the twenty-first century men they fall in love was the most important theme.  Undine’s magic has gotten her into trouble in the past, but when she calls for a priest to help keep her sham of a marriage from happening, giving herself time to complete her mission, she never imagined she would be summoning a sexy twenty-first century man for herself.  She is immediately attracted to Michael, even as she believes him to be a priest, but when the truth of Michael’s origins is revealed, the pull is no longer deniable.  Undine’s character is one that I found myself liking and hating at turns through this entire series; her enigmatic actions, her willingness to sacrifice herself to further Scotland’s mission, and her unwillingness to listen to reason all made her into a deeply complex and sometimes troubling heroine; and the secret that comes out at the end of this book is beyond amazing and was a very well scripted plot twist.  Michael is the type of man I admire, a chameleon, someone that is able to blend into his surroundings no matter what they are and find a way to succeed at just about any endeavor he undertakes.  It was interesting seeing him in action and finding a way to keep himself alive in a very different world than his own while still finding a way to protect Undine and fall in love with her.  The heat between Undine and Michael is sometimes overwhelming to them both, but gives them the courage they both need to overcome the dangers around them and keep one another safe and find love in the midst of war.  I cried a lot at the ending of this story, but thankfully, the skilled Ms. Gready was able to pull out the impossible and give her lovers a true HEA.  I am sad to see this trilogy end, but was thrilled with the way it ended and look forward to reading future series by Gwen.

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