I discovered this series some years ago and was already fascinated after reading the summary. The German cover itself couldn´t intrigue me much. But the novel inside – Holy Smokes! The perfect mixture of passion, war, romance, hatred, pain, and a happy end.
To Tame A Highland Warrior
by Karen Marie Moning
Highlander Series #2
Publisher Dell on December 1, 1999
Genre Paranormal-Fantasy
Pages 366
Format Paperback
Source Purchased
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Only her love could gently his savage soul. He was born to a clan of warriors of supernatural strength, but Gavrael McIllioch abandoned his name and his Highland castle, determined to escape the dark fate of his ancestors. Hiding his identity from the relentless rival clan that hunted him, he called himself Grimm to protect the people he cared for, vowing never to acknowledge his love for ravishing Jillian St. Clair. Yet even from afar, he watched over her, and when her father sent an urgent summons, “Come for Jillian”, he raced to her side – into a competition to win her hand in marriage. Why had he run from her so many years before? And why return now to see her offered as a prize in her father´s manipulative game? Furious, Jillian vowed never to wed. But Grimm was the man she loved, the one who urged her to marry another. He tried to pretend indifferences as she tempted him, but he could not deny the fierce desires that compelled him to abduct her from the altar. She was the only woman who could tame the beast that raged within him – even as deadly enemies plotted to destroy them both …
Story
Grimm is called to Caithness by his foster father to take care of the daughter of the house, Jillian St. Claire. Grimm only learns that there is something completely different behind the call than in the message itself when he arrives at Caithness. But there is no turning back and so Grimm does what he was asked to do: He watches over Jillian, the love of his life. Unfortunately, he was not the only one called, to keep an eye on daughter and house. An unusual struggle for the beautiful and strong-willed woman breaks out between the opponents called and Grimm would rather do nothing than admit his love to Jillian. But he keeps a gruesome secret and fights against the desire to make Jillian his own because he can´t offer her anything. No house, no peaceful life, and certainly no children. Thank God Jillian has her own head and absolutely doesn´t see why there shouldn´t be a life for her beloved man. And so, Jillian begins to follow her intuition and traces a bloody and brutal legend. A legend that can never be true and yet has an incredible fascination for Jillian.
Style
A fantastic, extremely soulful, and enchanting story that Karen Marie Moning wrote on paper. And that kept captivating me again and again. The story of Grimm and Jillian begins on Dalkeith-upon-the-Sea, where Grimm is still with Adrienne and Hawk, the two main characters from the first volume of the Highlander saga. Eloquent, versatile, and with an incredible legend as the background for the plot, the author describes a love story that has a variety of elements: tension, passion, war, hatred, loyalty, and truth. The author describes empathetically but also mercilessly and shows in an impressive way human conflicts and the overwhelming desire to protect the person you love. In between, she keeps pushing the legend on which the plot is based, which gives the whole thing an extra kick and skillfully increases the tension.
Characters
The individual figures are very complex and convincing. They look realistic and complement each other perfectly. Even the character of Logan benefits from it, even though he´s an identified villain and vengeful up to that point. But the most impressive thing for me was and still is, the figure of Grimm. His inner struggle, his determination, his tornness, and his desire to control what he is and what defines him with all his might, was an impressive experience. At the same time, this character has shown weakness and vulnerability that I have rarely seen in a character. The combination of weakness and strength is absolutely deadly for anyone who even bends hair to those he loves. At the same time, this interaction of the figure also takes away the sharpness, so that the reader is really fascinated by the figure.
Conclusion
Wow! Thrilling, passionate, exciting, and brilliantly written. A must-read!
Happy reading
Karen Marie Moning
Karen Marie Moning is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fever series, featuring MacKayla Lane, and the award-winning Highlander series. She has a bachelor´s degree in society and law from Purdue University.
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