Wednesday, July 29, 2015

The MacKinnon’s Bride by Tanya Anne Crosby


Publisher & Release Date: Oliver-Heber Books, January 24, 2014
Time and setting: 1118, Scotland

Genre: Historical Medieval Romance

Length: 347 pages

Heat Level: 1 Scorching Hot Flame

Rating: 4.5 Gold Crowns

Book Description:
Descended of the powerful sons of MacAlpin, Iain MacKinnon refuses to bow to the English. But when his young son is captured, the fierce Scottish chieftain vows to stop at nothing to secure the lad's return. Retaliating in kind, he captures the daughter of his enemy, planning to bargain with the devil. 

FitzSimon's daughter has lived her entire life in the shadows of the man she called father—yet never would she have imagined he would deny his only daughter. Even as Page blames her captor for welching on a contract with her father, she suspects the truth... the shadows hold secrets. Now only the love of her reluctant champion can save the MacKinnon's Bride. 

This book begins the Highland Brides series.
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Vikki’s Musings
I am so glad I found this book on Amazon. I was also able to download the audio version for an excellent price. I had never heard of Ms. Crosby, but the book description sounded intriguing, so I decided to take advantage of the great offer. I always enjoy a good medieval romance and this is a fantastic one.
Page is abducted so she can be exchanged for the MacKinnon’s son. Her father has the boy and plans to turn him over to the English king. When Laird MacKinnon arrives at her father’s keep, the man could care less what happens to his daughter. Through cunning and wit, the laird out maneuvers the earl and manages to get his son back, but the man tells him that if his daughter returns, he will cut out her tongue.
There is no way Iain will allow that to happen, so he tells Page he is keeping her for revenge, leaving Page with the impression her father wanted her after all, even though he has treated her so poorly all her life that he never even gave her a proper name.   
Can Iain win his fair lady’s heart, or will his withholding the knowledge about Page’s father destroy any tender feelings she has for him?
Not only is there a beautiful romance between Page and Iain, there is a marvelous, action-packed plot that kept me engaged throughout the entire book. The suspenseful scenes are outstanding and even had my heart pounding. I was so enmeshed in this story, it felt as if I was Page and all her emotions were part of me. That is a great sign of an amazing storyteller.
Page is a marvelous character. Even though she has every reason to be cynical and negative, she is able to push all her hurts to the side and show a little boy tenderness and care, although she is in a frightening situation that would have the majority of women in hysterics. While Page is fierce and determined, she is still very feminine. I truly loved her character and wanted her to have her happy ending.
Iain, the MacKinnon is also a great character. He is fearless and a strong protector, plus he’s a Scottish warrior and a fierce leader, a man his clan can respect. Then add into the mix, he has the ability to love his son in an age where fathers did not actively raise their children. Even though love has not dealt him a winning hand in the past, he embraces his feeling for Page in a way that melted my heart.
The passion between Page and Iain sizzles from their first meeting. Ms. Crosby is great at building sexual tension. That is one of the reasons I love historical romance so much. While the love scenes are not explicit, they are sensual, and they are high with emotion.  While I normally enjoy more explicit love scenes, these are so well written I found them very satisfying.
The MacKinnon’s Bride is a fantastic tale of love, intrigue and suspense with an excellent medieval setting. There is a good amount of historical detail without bogging down the story. While this is the first book I have read by Ms. Crosby, it will not be the last. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loved the medieval period. Happy reading!




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