Highland Warrior

Murray Family #9

by Hannah Howell

Escaping to the wilds of Scotland to hide from a deranged suitor, Fiona MacEnroy is captured by a fierce stranger who takes her to his sinister keep, where she finds a safe haven and love with the very man who is using her to protect his clan from the invading Scarglas. Reissue.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Medieval, Scotland, Fiction

383 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

Hannah Dustin Howell is a best-selling American author of over 40 historical romance novels. Many of her novels are set in medieval Scotland. She also writes under the names Sarah Dustin, Sandra Dustin, and Anna Jennet (see below).

She has also used the following pseudonyms:
Anna Jennet, Sarah Dustin and Sandra Dustin

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Made it to the 70% mark. I loved the heroine, but the hero was pretty mediocre. Finding out he had a surprise kid from his ex-lover made me throw in the towel on this book.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars easy!
Oh man! I've been in a highlanders funk ever since I dipped my toes in the historical genre and was introduced to Julie Garwood. Nothing was quite holding my attention. Slump over! New hunky set of highlander alphas found! While not as funny as Garwood I loved this new family (and extended family!). Nothing like a good ol' multi clan web to get you all tangled up and dying for more. I've already gone all the way back to book one to start at the beginning. There were so many secondary characters in this book I'm excited to learn all their stories.

[Roxana · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5
Perfect. I absolutely loved this story about Fiona and Ewan. Such a charming, passionate, fun, and playful couple, one that makes you daydream long after you finish the book. 💜
I enjoyed the plot, the protagonists, the secondary characters, the setting, and the events that unfolded throughout the story.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up.

Fiona MacEnroy has been hiding away in her family’s keep to avoid an unhinged suitor who refuses to take no for an answer, but she’s sick of being cooped up and decides to take a brief ride to get out for a bit. Of course, she is thrown from her horse and subsequently captured by a contingent of well-trained warriors who take her along to their isolated keep. Scarglas is famed as a dark place, home of the rogue MacFingal clan, yet Fiona feels oddly safe there, and increasingly drawn to its scarred, gruff laird.

Ewan MacFingal is captivated by Fiona, but he’s been tricked by beauty before and is determined to keep his distance this time. He plans to ransom Fiona back to her kin to boost his clan’s weakened coffers and protect them from the enemies that surround them. As such, he cannot afford to be distracted by the woman even though she seems to return his passions. When secrets begin coming to light and enemies emerge against both of them, Ewan and Fiona must learn to trust each other to overcome the threats they face.

This was a perfect, classic Highlander romance for me. It was just the escape I wanted it to be, and I loved the fact that it was Fiona pursuing a reluctant Ewan and convincing him to take a chance on a relationship again. There’s nothing particularly profound going on here and that was exactly what I was looking for. The steamy scenes were frequent and rather well done and they served to emphasize the connection between Ewan and Fiona and its growth as their relationship developed so none of the scenes felt like gratifying filler even though they were frequent. I loved that our hero here is almost celibate and is seduced by the heroine and I even enjoyed the side characters, though there were many, and I had no trouble following everything even though I’ve not read all of the books in this series and haven’t read them in order. I listened to this on audio, so the dialect didn’t have a chance to annoy me and I found this to be an enjoyable and engrossing comfort read. After forgetting how enjoyable this author can be, I’ll be reading more of her work now.

Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...

[Cruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I dinnae need sweet words. I dinnae need flatteries, poetry, song, or gifts. I just need ye to tell me every now and again that ye love me." p.348, loc.4252

Author: Hannah Howell
First published: 2004
Length: 384 pages, 4459 locations
Setting: Scotland, 1472.
Sex: frequent, reasonably erotic. Light bondage (she ties him up).
Heroine: Has been chased, and caught, by a MadMon who could not take a nay to marriage. Each capture resulted in a planned scar (including on her face) and threat of rape.
Hero: Has a face scarred by his enemies. Almost celibate.
Series: Book 9 of Howell's Murray series. Book 3 of MacEnroy's. Also family to the Cameron's, with Sigimor making an appearance.
Includes: Murray family tree. Excerpt from "Highland Conqueror" and "Highland Lover" by Hannah Howell.

There I was, reading yet another Howell Medieval Romance when this image crosses my fb page:


Yup, it's a bit like that. My reality, while imperfect, isn't all that bad. And my Hero loves me unconditionally, and I love him. There's no need to prove himself by saving me from the Evil Dudes, and he isn't going to wait until it's almost too late to declare his Love.

Anyway...

Another nice Howell Medieval Romance. For a change we have a hero who isn't a rogue! Ewan is next to celibate with his yearly rutting with a tavern wench. Fiona is nicely drawn and grown up, Sigimor makes a fun appearance, and Gilly is (again) involved as she is mentioned in almost every conversation Fiona has...

Over the Murray series Howell has developed her background characters allowing them to give the books more colour and substance. It makes the stories more interesting to read, but a reader who pops in out of sequence may find the multitude of previously introduced family coupled with people from the new clan may be overwhelmed. The need for a family tree (albeit incomplete and convoluted) amply demonstrates the difficulties author and reader are presented with. So many people, so many years, only so many books that can be written.

Overall, again, it works. It's an easy, solid romance. Nothing too exciting. But nothing wrong with it either.

Murray Family:
Three brothers – the patriarchs of the Murray Family
Book 1 Highland Promise - Balfour Murray and Maldie Kirkcaldy (1430)
Book 2 Highland Honor - Nigel Murray and Gisele Deveau (1437)
Book 3 Highland Destiny - Eric Murray and Bethia Drummond (1444)
The daughters:
Book 4 Highland Vow - Elspeth Murray and Cormac Armstrong (1456)
Book 5 Highland Knight - Avery Murray and Cameron MacAlpin (1458)
Book 6 Highland Bride - Gillyanne Murray + Conor MacEnroy (1465)
Relatives:
Book 7 Highland Angel - Payton Murray and Kirstie Maclye (1468)
Book 8 Highland Groom - Ilsa Campbell and Dairmit MacEnroy (1471)
Book 9 Highland Warrior - Fiona MacEnroy and Ewan MacFingal (1472)
Book 10 Highland Conqueror - Sigimor Cameron and Jolene Girard (1473)
Book 11 Highland Champion - Kiera Murray MacKail and Liam Cameron (1475)
Book 12 Highland Lover - Alana Murray and Gregor MacFingal (1475)

References:
Author's website: http://hannahhowell.com/

(ISBN 9781420119398)

-CR-

[Angelina Georgieva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Обожавам я!Толкова много ми хареса, че сигурно ще я препрочитам още много пъти! <3 <3 <3

[Севдалина · Rating 5 out of 5]

Фиона Макенрой (20) и Юън Макфингал (29)

"Шотландски воин" в Читанка

Наистина, ама наистина обичам тази книга. Всеки път като я прочета си спомням защо толкова много я обичам. Прелестна книга, която оставя читателя изпълнен с толкова емоции. Обожавам я.



Фиона Макенрой, сестра на Конър Макенрой и Дърмот Макенрой от иска едно единствено нещо. Да избяга от затвора, в който се е превърнал дома й, след като побъркан ухажор започва да я преследва и напада, белязвайки с ножа си тялото й, заплашвайки да я изнасили и принуждавайки братята й, да й забранят да излиза от дома, за да е в безопасност, докато заловят безумеца.



В отчаянието си, да се отдалечи поне за миг от цялата тази лудост, Фиона излиза да поязди, но конят й се плаши хуквайки безцелно и така скоро Фиона се оказва хвърлена от седлото на място, което не познава, обградена от орда воини, които решават, че ще я отведат в дома си, и ще искат откуп, за да я върнат.



Юън Макфингал е леърд на клана Макфингал. Иззел насилствено леърдската позиция от баща си, Юън се бори да задържи клана си жив, докато са обградени от врагове. Врагове, които баща му е създавал с лекота, докато е прелъстявал всяка жена, която се мерне пред очите му, създавайки цяла армия от незаконни синове.



Откривайки млада сама жена, за която си личи, че е от знатно потекло, Юън е решен да поиска откуп за нея и я отвежда в Скарглас, своята непристъпна крепост. Плановете му обаче няма как да се изпълнят, докато Фиона не му каже пълното си име и от кой клан е.

Фиона от своя страна, няма намерение да му казва кое е семейството й. Далеч от злият Мензайъс, тя вярва, че в Скарглас ще бъде в пълна безопасност. Освен това, тъмния, покрит с белези воин, който е леърд на Мафингал, е нейната половинка. Фиона е убедена в това.



Сега й остава само да го убеди, че може да й има доверие, и че не е като жената, която го е предала и обезобразила тялото му. А какъв по-добър начин да постигне това, от едно прелъстяване?

Фиона ми е адски любима героиня. Още в първите книги в които я срещнахме, тя беше сладка, забавна, но и много силна героиня. И тук, знаеше какво иска и не се колебаеше да действа, за да го постигне. Юън също бе силен, макар и на моменти колеблив герой, който бе страдал много в ръцете на една предателка и не можеше да повярва, че прекрасна жена като Фиона може да изпитва истински чувства към него. Беше му трудно да превъзмогне комплекса си, но все пак не се издъни подобно на много други герои в неговото положение. Тъй, че огромни 5***** за тази прелестна книга.

📚 Сюжетни линии:
🏰 средновековен Шотландски замък
🎭 загадъчен герой с тайна
🍃 независима героиня
⚡ от врагове към любовници
🌄 мистерия и приключения
💞 Голяма разлика във възрастта

⚠️ Предупреждения (Trigger Warnings):
⚔️ насилие и битки
🕵️‍♂️ интриги и заговори
💀 смърт на персонаж
🚫 опит за изнасилване спасено от героя
😟 психологическа несигурност и страх

📹 Виж TikTok видеото тук:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNduHvjFs/
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNduHvgef/

[Paraphrodite · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

A much better story than the previous one. Although the beginning of how Fiona got found by Ewan and his men was a bit of a weak plot point. After that, Fiona and Ewan made a reasonably good pair.

Fiona, the only girl of the MacEnroy brothers, was brought up virtually as a boy and so her "unladylike" manners were considered quite acceptable. And Ewan MacFingal was not as thick-headed as some of Ms Howell's other heroes.

The MacFingals being in a deadly feud with the neighbouring clan was used to keep all of Fiona's relatives and connections away for most of the book. Another weak plot point, but overall, a good read.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-reading. I have never forgotten this one and it has been years.

Yep. I am remembering why I always loved Hannah Howell's Murray books. Even after 10 years, I still like them.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good Scottish medieval romance. Good story, interesting characters, but Lordy, did I get tired of reading all the Scottish dialect! Yes, Scots have accents different from other English speakers, but we don't change all the spellings for Australians do we? It's exhausting. The heroine is out riding alone, for reasons never really made clear, gets thrown by her unruly horse and "rescued" by the hero who intends to hold her for ransom. And she gets to know him and his family and they get married. They have to deal with their respective enemies and they each want the other to admit they're in love. It's well done overall. I liked it. Good read.

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite comfort read!

When I don't know what I want to read, this is one of the books I pick up most often. Fiona is a brilliant combination of a confident, feisty and compassionate woman. Ewan has no chance of not falling in love with his captive and what a fun read it is watching the love develop. Thank you Ms. Howell for your Highlanders!!

[Kara · Rating 1 out of 5]

You can skip this one, honestly. If you do give it a try, you’ll definitely be skimming a lot. I was hoping Highland Warrior would be a Julie Garwood-esque romp through the medieval highlands, but it was not. Instead, it joins the growing list of highly rated historical romances that I just did not enjoy this year.

Firstly, the book was a bit boring; the parts that should be exciting are rushed, the characters and dialogue are generally uninspired. If “eye dialect” is a pet peeve, you’ll also find the book annoying (LOTS of ‘aye,’ ‘didnae,’ and ‘wouldnae’).

However, the main problem with Highland Warrior is the classic “telling versus showing” method of character and plot development. A character suddenly decides they are feeling a certain way and states this as fact (or the third person narrator tells us this). Meanwhile, we haven’t seen what has made them feel this way—aside from being subjected to their copious internal monologuing.

An example that sums up much of my frustrations: 20% into the book, the heroine suddenly decides that the hero is her soul mate. At this point, Ms. Howell had only covered their first meeting. In addition to the instalove, I also mean that 20% of the book was entirely focused on the first meeting...

[Christina Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ewan & Fiona
Scared by similar and yet different situations fate puts these two together. I think this is such a wonderful story of beauty being within a person and not so much on the outwardly. I also love the part that we meet the MacFingles and I also love seeing the Cameron’s again. The comedy in this story knows no bounds. Another great story!

[Karen Darling · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't bad, but I didn't understand how the heroin was connected to so many families but yet no one could protect her from the mad man who kidnapped her several times in order to cut her. I did like the fact that she was smart and knew how to somewhat protect herself.

[Tina "IRead2Escape" · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hotness Rating 3 out of 5

Review to come. ...

[Kai C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy everything about Hannah Howell's books.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Fleeing an obsessed suitor, Fiona MacEnroy rides recklessly into Scotland's wildest hills and is captured by a horde of well-armed men. Instead of battling for her life, she finds herself swept away by a powerful stranger and carried off to a remote, forbidding keep. Oddly, here at Scarglas, a place shrouded in mystery and the black reputation of the rogue clan MacFingal, Fiona feels a strange, comforting sense of safety ... and a consuming passion for its rugged land.

"Spellbound by Fiona's beauty yet determined to fight the longing she ignites, Ewan MacFingal plots to ransom Fiona back to her kin. Sworn to protect his eccentric clan against the dangers invading Scarglas, he refuses to be weakened by the power of a woman whose every glance and touch tell him that she is everything his heart desires. Now, as pride and passions war within, dark peril and forbidding secrets will force them to trust what has yet to be spoken -- the unshakable power of a timeless love."
~~back cover

A slightly explicit, very exciting Highland romance.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story in the series is about Fiona who was running from a mad mad who has marked her face and body as his. The scars were what sent many a man away from her now that she has them. But when she is captured by a man who was also scarred by similar wounds. Ewan is torn with wanting to keep her or have her family pay a ransom to get her return. But her mad man and his past crash into their lives until there is only one solution is met. Will they have their own happy ending like her brother and sister in law? Or will they forever have a lonely life.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of any story set in the Highlands of Scotland. The land and history is so intriguing and I'm a huge fan of the Outlander series. I was hoping this would be similar. It had a decent storyline with a strong-willed female lead character and the suspense of her unwanted and cruel suitor. Of course she overcomes in the end after being saved by a Highlander and in turn saving his clan with her own secret family alliances.

[Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved this book for a long time, and recently bought a copy for myself.
For those who enjoyed the Highland Bride with Connor and Gillyanne, this book explores the adventures of Fiona McEnroy or as she’s known here “Fiona of 10 knives”.
Full of cute and funny moments throughout the book it’s hard not to fall in love with the MacFingal clan. Highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys historic romances.

[almondflavourappletree · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nope.
All the more interesting stuff happened quickly and afterwards there were just too many pages left to be filled.
Male main character: low-self-esteem & scared he won’t be loved back, female main character: low-selfesteem & scared she won’t be loved back.
Not my type of book.

It was basically being kidnapped, marriage, kidnapped from someonelse, another abduction, a random lost child from a former love and lastly a legitimate child…

[Meranda Semeniuk-Wappel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fantastic book! I love how everything is connected to everything! I understand that each series is apart of the previous story but I love the fact that each character in this series gets you all excited because you remember what happened in the last book and such. It just made it easier to have questions answered and everything! Love this book!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

Great story . Fierce and independent Fiona sneak out on horse to gain some freedom after being stuck in castle after madman hunts her. While her horse throw her she is caught b Sean Ladd of the macfingals. While she refused to give her clan name she find her captor is her soul mate and wishes to be his wife. Good book witty banter a must read.

[Daniel and Angel Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was Amazing! I couldn't put it down that I had to know what was going to happen next.

I gave it 5/5 because of how the story Intrigued you. I loved it and I would recommend this to my female family and friends.

[Appalachia Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved that Ewan didn't fight his love for Fiona as hard as some of Howell's other male heroes. BUT, he was still a pig-headed man. I'm also tired of the women casting all their pearls before swine, so to speak, just to get a man. But otherwise a good book!

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was too long for the plot

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another historical romance to make me happy. I need to read all of these books.

[Pilar Descalza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pasable

[Terese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

Good book
Gooodbooooooooooook
This is I guidebook inch want to go to the next page I should not :) ave