Highland Master
Amanda Scott

Forever /Hachette
January 25, 2011 / ISBN 978-0-446-57431-0
Historical Romance / Perth, Scotland September 1396
Amazon

Reviewed by Linda Young

Finlagh Cameron is the soul survivor of the great battle between the Cameron clan and the Mackintosh clan. A battle ordered by the king to settle the feud between the two clans. All on the field that day were ordered to swear an oath that once the battle had ended, the losers would not seek vengeance against the winners. However, with his dying breath, Fin's father makes him swear to do just that. Seek revenge against the Mackintosh chieftain. Realizing that he is the only survivor of his clan on the field, he sees one of his enemies walking towards him. As he starts to move, the other bids him to run for the river and live to fight another day. Knowing that the only way he can fulfill his oath to his father is to survive, he chooses the river. Now, to truly survive the battle he must first survive the river.

Four years later, Fin is on his way to speak to The Mackintosh as commanded by his leader. Fin of the Battles is now in service to Davy Stewart, Duke of Rothesay and Governor of the Realm. Fin has been sent to deliver a message from Rothesay to the Mackintosh. Unfortunately, on his way there, someone shoots him with an arrow that grazed his head hard enough to knock him out.

Catriona Mackintosh is out in the woods with her wolf dog, Boreas, and comes across an unconscious man. She sees the deep gash in his head and begins to tend it. As the man becomes conscious and they begin to talk, she discovers that he is looking for her grandfather, the Mackintosh, who is at present at her father’s keep. She invites Fin to be a guest and informs him the man he seeks is there.

Over the next few days the two of them become trusted friends. They find that they can, for the most part, talk freely with each other and begin to realize that there is a strong attraction growing between them. Fin realizes that as he knows more about Catriona's family he is no longer willing, or has the desire, to fulfill his oath to his father. As events unfold they find that the powers that be have decided that Catriona and Fin should get married. Even though they don't appreciate others planning their lives for them, they realize that they both approve of the thought of being married to each other.

Amanda Scott is a wonderful writer of Scottish history and romance. She not only gives you a good look at the way people lived in the time period, the history of that period, and a great romance to boot, but she also gives you background of those events at the end of the book. At the beginning of the book she also gives you the names of the main characters and how to pronounce them. It really adds to the story when you can actually say the names right. I appreciate that very much. This book is part of her Scottish Knights series. This being the first of the series that I have read, I must say I am quite taken with it. I will definitely be reading more. This is a must read for any who love Scottish history with a nice touch of romance. The next in the series, Highland Hero, is due out in October of 2011.

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