Sins of a Highland Devil by Sue-Ellen Welfonder
Historical Romance – Jan. 25th, 2011
4 stars

Poetic and wild, Sue-Ellen Welfonder creates a real and lush highland landscape. The author brings together two wild and stubborn characters that clash from the very start.

Catriona MacDonald is as fiery as she is beautiful. When an envoy from the King proclaims their land must be fought over, she fears for her brother’s life because the land in question is wanted by three clans, which all three clans have claimed as theirs. In a brutal decree, all three clans have to choose warriors to fight against each other until only one stands and wins.

Catriona feels the upcoming battle is senseless but does not know how to escape this royal ruling. She is also annoyed by one of the rival clan’s men. The handsome and brawny James Cameron who seems to irritate her and set her heart racing at every turn. She tries to fight her attraction to this arrogant highlander. But James saves her and Catriona finally acknowledges that maybe she does care for him.

James Cameron is tormented by dreams of the lovely Catriona. He tries to convince himself that she is just a woman, no different for any other but seeing her in danger bothers him even if she is his enemy and being in her company fires his blood. However, James knows that she loves her brother and if he is forced to kill him, any relationship between them seems doomed from the start.

The start of the novel is very dramatic as the King decrees that that there will be a battle to the death for the contested land. However, it quickly focuses on Catriona and James. They spar against each other even as they try to hide their emotions. James typifies the noble, wild and unconquered highlander, and Catriona is the beautiful and willful hellion that captures his heart. Their love is filled with strife and passion. I enjoyed it when they began to slowly trust and care for each other. I also liked that there is a little magic in this story that makes it feel more mystical. The King's ruling makes for a lot of tension but for some reason the battle among the three clans does not immediately occur so there is plenty of time for James and Catriona to get to know each other better and for me to wonder how the story could end in other than tragedy.

This has the feel of the highland, and James and Catriona are as untamed as Scotland. They are both were fierce, headstrong and perfect for each other. Theirs is a tempestuous love that is exciting and magical to read.

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club