The Warrior of Clan Kincaid(Highland Warrior #3)
by Lily Blackwood
Blurb:
LOVE
TAKES NO PRISONERS
Derryth
MacClaren is on the run. Traveling under heavy guard, she has been sent from
her castle home to avoid capture by the vicious nobleman known as the Wolf, who
has vowed revenge against the Clan Kincaid, and any who support them. When a
surprise attack leaves her vulnerable, Derryth ends up in the hands of an enemy
warrior who claims her, with the Wolf’s blessing, as his prize. But her
captor’s gentle words and touch seduce her heart—and body—completely...and when
she discovers the tattoo on his arm that proves him to be the legendary,
long-believed dead son of the murdered Laird of Kincaid, Derryth knows she must
find a way to alter his fate—and her own.
Cull
has no memory of his family or past—all he knows is the life of a warrior,
trained to fight on behalf of the Scottish king. If he can help the king’s law
officer of the North, the Wolf of Badenoch, defeat a rebellious faction of
Highlanders, Cull will be met with untold riches beyond possessing beautiful,
innocent Derryth. But now that she has informed him of who he really is—Cullen
Braewick, the youngest son of the slain laird—he is torn. If Cull exacts
revenge against the Wolf, who executed his father, he stands to lose the
precious lass who he has come to love. What is he willing to sacrifice for
Derryth to keep her safe...and in his arms?
Themes: Historical,
Scotland
Rating: 4 stars
Heat Rating: 
Review:
So
the final brother has been found and the Wolf of Badenoch has finally been
brought to justice… and none too soon in my humble opinion.
I have enjoyed this series immensely, though the emotional traumas and danger these brothers have been dealing with along the way to their HEAs has left me crying more than once. Naill and Faelan’s stories were each unique and amazing in their own right, but Cull/Cullen had the most heart wrenching path to love and family and walking the path with him and Derryth was an amazing trip. If you enjoy a good story of political intrigue and warfare in historical Scotland, interwoven with the story of two people so vastly different finding a way to love, then this story is a perfect way to spend an evening by the fire with a tot of whisky. Derryth has been sent away from her sister’s home for her own safety, but she never made it to her destination, instead her party has been intercepted by the very enemies they feared and she is now in the hands of one of the Wolf’s most feared war guardsmen, Cull the nameless. While her heart beats wildly whenever he nears, she knows there is no way she should be feeling attraction to him, much less the deeper emotions she is beginning to feel, but there is no denying those emotions when around him. Cull’s inexplicable reactions to the waif that has invaded his life are causing so much confusion, not only in his life and routine, but in his heart and mind, but he can’t seem to turn off those feelings. As the war around them heats up and enemies come from all sides, shadowed and hidden in the faces of friends, Cull and Derryth must trust in one another and their love if they have a chance of stopping the deaths of those they love and finding a way to be together forever. Derryth has lived her life sheltered from all the harshest elements of being a woman in medieval Scotland, even going so far as to have been sheltered from the most basic of chores—simply put she has been spoiled rotten. When she finds herself living the harsh life of a prisoner in a war camp, Derryth is unprepared for every moment not just of the physical stresses of that life, but the emotional turmoil, however she finds a way again and again to show that she has the same inner spirit her sister does as she plots her escape and does her best to find ways to infuriate Cull to the point of sending her away. Cull, however, has never had a single moment of softness that he can recall in his life. Purchased as a slave and trained as a warrior, Cull has worked his entire adult life to find a way to raise himself up and give himself a name, but when he is with Derryth he is simply a man that desires one woman above all else. I loved seeing him fall for her, slowly at first, then faster and faster as her spirited attacks leaving him smiling to himself and wondering how he could have misjudged her as a simple peasant girl. The connection between Derryth and Cull was amazing, even when they were sparking off one another simply as enemies, but once their emotions turn to other directions the sensuality and love that grows shows that sometimes love comes in truly the most unlikely of places. The intrigue and plotting in this story was amazing and left me wanting to yank my hair out more than once because of the depravity of humans and the selfishness that Ms. Blackwood portrays so well in her villains, but in the end I loved how she handled the wrap-up to a thirty year vendetta (don’t forget to read the afterword!). I am looking forward to whatever amazing story Ms. Blackwood gives us next and she is definitely getting a place of honor in my shelf of amazing historical authors.
I have enjoyed this series immensely, though the emotional traumas and danger these brothers have been dealing with along the way to their HEAs has left me crying more than once. Naill and Faelan’s stories were each unique and amazing in their own right, but Cull/Cullen had the most heart wrenching path to love and family and walking the path with him and Derryth was an amazing trip. If you enjoy a good story of political intrigue and warfare in historical Scotland, interwoven with the story of two people so vastly different finding a way to love, then this story is a perfect way to spend an evening by the fire with a tot of whisky. Derryth has been sent away from her sister’s home for her own safety, but she never made it to her destination, instead her party has been intercepted by the very enemies they feared and she is now in the hands of one of the Wolf’s most feared war guardsmen, Cull the nameless. While her heart beats wildly whenever he nears, she knows there is no way she should be feeling attraction to him, much less the deeper emotions she is beginning to feel, but there is no denying those emotions when around him. Cull’s inexplicable reactions to the waif that has invaded his life are causing so much confusion, not only in his life and routine, but in his heart and mind, but he can’t seem to turn off those feelings. As the war around them heats up and enemies come from all sides, shadowed and hidden in the faces of friends, Cull and Derryth must trust in one another and their love if they have a chance of stopping the deaths of those they love and finding a way to be together forever. Derryth has lived her life sheltered from all the harshest elements of being a woman in medieval Scotland, even going so far as to have been sheltered from the most basic of chores—simply put she has been spoiled rotten. When she finds herself living the harsh life of a prisoner in a war camp, Derryth is unprepared for every moment not just of the physical stresses of that life, but the emotional turmoil, however she finds a way again and again to show that she has the same inner spirit her sister does as she plots her escape and does her best to find ways to infuriate Cull to the point of sending her away. Cull, however, has never had a single moment of softness that he can recall in his life. Purchased as a slave and trained as a warrior, Cull has worked his entire adult life to find a way to raise himself up and give himself a name, but when he is with Derryth he is simply a man that desires one woman above all else. I loved seeing him fall for her, slowly at first, then faster and faster as her spirited attacks leaving him smiling to himself and wondering how he could have misjudged her as a simple peasant girl. The connection between Derryth and Cull was amazing, even when they were sparking off one another simply as enemies, but once their emotions turn to other directions the sensuality and love that grows shows that sometimes love comes in truly the most unlikely of places. The intrigue and plotting in this story was amazing and left me wanting to yank my hair out more than once because of the depravity of humans and the selfishness that Ms. Blackwood portrays so well in her villains, but in the end I loved how she handled the wrap-up to a thirty year vendetta (don’t forget to read the afterword!). I am looking forward to whatever amazing story Ms. Blackwood gives us next and she is definitely getting a place of honor in my shelf of amazing historical authors.
*ebook provided by publisher (via
netgalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.
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