A HIGHLANDER'S CHRISTMAS KISS – Paula Quinn
Highland Heirs
Forever
ISBN: 978-1-4555-3530-9
October 2016
Historical Romance

Scotland – 1711

Cailean Grant is a man without heart these days. A woman he cared for and a dog he loved died, and, in his grief, Cailean joined the Black Riders, hired mercenaries. He and the band he rides with work for Lord Murdoch, although his cousin, Patrick, rides with him, he disapproves of Cailean's membership in the notorious group. When Patrick is struck down by an arrow, Duncan Murdoch, son to Lord Murdoch, blames the Menzies family, tenants on the estate. The Black Riders head to Linavar where they confront, and then kill, Seth Menzie, head of Linavar, in front of his daughter. Cailean is certain they killed the right man, but things go very wrong quickly.

Temperance Menzie is grief-stricken at the loss of her father. They had just been discussing her potential marriage to William, a local man who had recently asked for her hand. Now, with just Temperance and her grandmother left to care for the land, she most likely had no choice. But one day shortly after her father's death, Temperance comes across a badly wounded Highlander, and brings him back to Linavar, determined to save him.

Ambushed, Cailean has no idea how long he's been unconscious or where he is. When he realizes that the young woman who is caring for him is the daughter of the man the Black Riders killed, Cailean decides to keep quiet about his being there. But he is also determined to discover who attacked him, and also to find out Patrick's condition. The longer he gets to know Temperance, the more difficult it becomes for Cailean to hide his feelings for her, especially knowing what he knows about her father's death.

Times are hard for the residents of Linavar, and they are made worse by the threats of violence by the Murdochs and the Black Riders. Cailean and Temperance are from two different worlds, but their strong feelings for each other become even stronger as Cailean begins to heal.

A HIGHLANDER'S CHRISTMAS KISS is a tale of two emotional and, at times, hot headed people who realize that they both crave the same thing – love. Danger lurks at every corner, however, with Duncan Murdoch's violent nature.

This was an enjoyable read and, although there were some anachronisms that popped up every so often, they did not affect the continuity of the story.

Jani Brooks