Title: Laird of the Black Isle
Author: Paula Quinn
Series: Highland Heirs #7
Could have been better but who cares because MACGREGORS!!
I would like to thank Paula Quinn, Forever/Hachette Book Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Two years ago, Lachlan MacKenzie, Laird of the Black Isle, tucked himself away in his dark, empty castle to mourn the murders of his wife and four-year-old daughter. He provides for his tenants, but secretly, going about when no one else is stirring, wearing a hooded cloak to conceal his scarred face should anyone be about. His life now is solitary, isolated, and bleak—and he tells himself he wants it that way.
Then one day an emissary of Ranald Sinclair, Earl of Caithness, arrives, claiming his lord knows the whereabouts of Lachlan’s daughter—his very much alive daughter. But in order to earn the knowledge of her location, Lachlan must do something for Sinclair: abduct Mailie MacGregor and bring her to him.
Mailie’s fortunate in her circumstances to have lived to two-and-twenty without marrying. She hasn’t yet met the right man; she wants one who can match the high standards of chivalric behavior set forth by her father and the knights from her favorite stories. The depraved monster who absconds with her definitely does not meet those standards. But as she learns more about him, she begins to wonder if he’s truly a monster—or only a broken, desperate man.
I adored this book. It had its flaws, but I think this is my second favorite Paula Quinn book behind Ravished by a Highlander. Why? Probably because it had a lot in common with Beauty and the Beast (and consequently Reylo), which is one of my favorite love stories. Not so similar that it seemed like a rip-off; more of a subtle homage.
Mailie was a stereotypical spunky heroine, but I didn’t care; I loved her regardless. She fought back but didn’t waste her efforts; she kept her head and waited for opportune moments. She stayed collected enough to devise plans and was willing to play the long game. And despite her standards, she wasn’t a snob; she didn’t really hesitate to consider the idea that Lachlan might be an okay guy—okay enough for her to care about, even respect. She was very mature, yet she had an energy and optimism appropriate for her youth. She had a gigantic heart that held no prejudice against anyone who didn’t deserve it.
Lachlan might seem like one of those heroes whose greatest flaw is caring too much, but unlike the hero in the last book I reviewed, Lacklan had a legitimate dark side, an inner monster—aka a potential for deep rage and violence—that he struggled to keep in check and will continue to struggle with. I held a particular affinity for him because he was introverted; he valued peace and quiet, but he was happy to exchange it for the clamor of the people he loved. He was awkward, he stammered when put-upon, he liked to be alone sometimes—but for all his grumbling, he was a kind, selfless, level-headed man. I loved him with all my heart.
But yes, there were flaws. The middle dragged on a little longer than necessary; it could have been trimmed and slimmed enough to cut out a chapter, maybe two. At times it got pretty cheesy, but not so much that it was annoying. Hopefully the half dozen typos I noticed will have been corrected in the final copy.
I really think we could have benefited from more scenes establishing the villain and his motivation. He just didn’t seem like much of a threat—though that could also be because Lachlan was overpowered (like, seriously, his stamina was herculean). We could have seen Sinclair interact with Mailie and seen how subtly sinister he was, how much he creeped her out; then we could have seen him at home later, crumpling up a letter of denial from Tristan and deciding to use his leverage and set the plot in motion. It also would have been useful to have a scene showing how Sinclair’s grudge against Lachlan started, better explaining the politics behind it. Not gonna lie, I was so turned around on the politics. The book kind of takes for granted that if you’re reading it, you’re familiar with Jacobite history. Of course the villain and his motivation was secondary to the romance, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to gloss over the backstory—the reason why there’s a story to tell.
I do regret the brief time we spent with Niall. We only saw that kid for two seconds but I felt in my bones that there was a fascinating story there. Something about that kid…
The plot could have been filled with holes, but most if not all of them were bridged with clever explanations or flawed judgment on the part of the characters, and it all came across as reasonable, even logical, to me. Kudos there, Quinn. And I have to admit, I couldn’t decide if Sinclair’s claims were true or false, so more kudos for walking that line; that’s hard to do.
But why did Graham lie? I’m not sure I understand…
Anyway–naturally, the best part of the whole thing was the MacGregors. As soon as we started getting Tristan’s POV, I sat up and gave it my full attention, which had been flagging from the progressively redundant middle section. I’ve loved Tristan since his own book, but I also knew switching to his POV preluded the second-act climax—meaning shit was about to go down. I was fully absorbed from that point to the end.
The more MacGregors, the merrier; I particularly enjoyed Adam and his banter with Daniel. I haven’t read Daniel’s story yet—he married Adam’s sister—but I intend to before Adam’s own story comes out in December. Speaking of, I read that first chapter preview—and remembered why I don’t read previews! December’s so far away…
Also, Adam’s story will be the last MacGregor book! Quinn’s currently researching other avenues to pursue, and I can’t wait to see what she decides to write about.
P. S. – For anyone who’s confused as to the order of Quinn’s various MacGregor books:
MacGregor Series – aka the grandparents
Laird of the Mist (2007)
A Highlander Never Surrenders (2008)
Children of the Mist Series – aka the children
Ravished by a Highlander (2011)
Seduced by a Highlander (2011)
Tamed by a Highlander (2012)
Conquered by a Highlander (2012)
A Highlander for Christmas (2012)
Highland Heirs Series – aka the grandchildren
The Seduction of Miss Amelia Bell (2014)
The Wicked Ways of Alexander Kidd (2014)
The Sweet Surrender of Janet Buchanan (2014) (novella)
The Scandalous Secret of Abigail MacGregor (2015)
The Taming of Malcolm Grant (2015)
(some divide the Heirs series into part 1 (↑) and part 2 (↓), but I think that just makes it more confusing, and Laird of the Black Isle is still considered Highland Heirs #7, so I just count them as all one series, myself)
A Highlander’s Christmas Kiss (2016)
The Scot’s Bride (2017)
Laird of the Black Isle (2018)
Highlander Ever After (2018)
