Title: The Highlander’s Norse Bride
Author: Cathy MacRae and D.D. MacRae
Publisher: Short Dog Press
Published Date: 17th March 2018
Page Count: 157
ASIN: B079SR3B7F
Price: FREE
Reviewer: Gwendoline SK Terry (22 October 2023)
Blurb
She’s running from the Scottish mercenaries who destroyed her village and family. He’s her sworn enemy. Can she grow to love the man whose countrymen cost her everything?
Caught between two kings vying for sovereignty of the Isles and Western Scotland, Hanna of Hällstein has lost everything. Overcome by grief, she flees the smoldering ruins of her village and crosses to the Scottish mainland, intent on taking her revenge on the unsuspecting Scots.
Torn between his loyalty to the Scottish king and aiding the displaced Norse on his shores, Alex MacLean soon finds his heart involved with the lovely, bitter woman he allows into his home. Though she tests the limits of his patience—and his power as laird—Alex is determined to make Hanna his.
Hanna struggles to maintain her hatred of the Scottish laird. But as grudging trust gives way to love, will her vow of vengeance destroy her chance at happiness?
The Highlander’s Norse Bride is the fourth book in the Hardy Heroines historical romance series and can be read as a standalone.
If you like strong heroines, swoon-worthy heroes, and a second chance at love, you’ll adore this exciting, heart-warming addition to the MacLean family saga.
Review – may contain spoilers!
So much time had passed between me buying this eBook and actually reading it that I’d forgotten it was part of a series (number 3.5), if I’d ever known it was a series at all.
The recap of the backstory was fairly heavy-handed in Chapter One during a conversation between Alex and Arabela – the indicator that I’d missed a lot. It was an infodump that tried so hard not to be an infodump, but I could see the necessity of including it. I was afraid that my enjoyment of the book would be affected by having not read the previous books, but that was not the case. This novella worked perfectly well as a standalone.
The story is beautifully written with luscious descriptions. I love how the Scottish accent is written in the book, clearly Scottish without going overboard. However, Hanna speaking with a Scottish accent threw me off and I had to keep reminding myself she was Norse (from one of the Norse islands of Scotland), not Scottish. Another quibble of mine was Gillian’s way of talking; it was unrealistic for her age, no matter how intelligent she was made out to be.
Hanna and Alex’s first kiss was gorgeous and steamy. Though the love scene “faded to black”, the foreplay leading up to it was sexy and sensual.
Although I expected it, goosebumps flooded my arms when Alex met Signy and she introduced herself to him. Hanna’s silent farewell to Gillian was heart-wrenching, but the situation and her misunderstanding/assumption were infuriating but mercifully brief and swiftly resolved.
The ending was wonderful, though a touch bittersweet because of Hanna’s son.
All in all, a great little novella and a lovely read.
gwensalir 