Friday, September 27, 2019

Book Review: Highland Jewel by May McGoldrick

Highland Jewel by May McGoldrick



Publisher & Release: St. Martin’s Press, September 24, 2019

Time and setting:  Regency, Scotland 

Genre: Historical Romance

Length: 313 Pages

Heat Level: 1 Flame

Rating:  5 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

A REBEL AT HEART
Maisie Murray’s sweet, docile exterior masks the courageous spirit of a firebrand determined to champion women’s suffrage with like-minded friends. But fighting for her principles has swept her directly into harm’s way—and into the arms of a man she cannot resist. 
A WARRIOR BY BLOOD
A trained officer with the Royal Highland Regiment, Niall Campbell has spent his life serving the Crown. Battle-weary and searching for peace, he nothing to do with trouble—until he meets Maisie. But unless Niall and Maisie can find a way to stand up to the destructive forces that threaten to divide them, long-buried secrets and political schemes are destined to stand in the way of the glorious love they’ve found…

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Vikki’s Musings

Highland Jewel is the second book in May McGoldrick’s Royal Highlander series. When I received an invitation from the publisher, via Net-Galley, to read and review, the book description sounded fascinating, so I eagerly accepted. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

Oh, my! Highland Jewel is an outstanding Scottish historical romance, but it’s so much more. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical aspects of this book. This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. McGoldrick, but it will certainly not be the last. Her writing is vivid, and her detail is amazing. I felt as if I had been dropped right into the middle of the action! The emotions of the characters are so strong, I could feel them deeply.

Maisie Murray’s character is not your typical Regency heroine. She is way before her time and is willing to risk all to stand up for her beliefs. There is nothing meek or mild about her, even though she has presented that demeanor to her family, but it’s to protect them. 

Niall Campbell is a great hero. He’s a roughened officer, recently retired from active duty, looking for a new place. He’s not sure what he wants to do, but he knows it’s not politics. I enjoyed his personal journey to find his way as an honorable man in a world filled with political machinations.

The romance between Maisie and Niall is lovely. While it isn’t blazingly sexual as so many are in Regency romances today, it is most satisfying, if not more so. It’s deep and abiding and both characters are determined to protect the other. I truly wanted them to find a happy ending.

If you enjoy historical romance with plenty of substance and detail, then you will love Highland Jewel as much as I did. I can’t wait to read the next book which comes out in March 2020. Now I must go back and read the first book in this amazing series. Happy reading!

Author Bio:


May McGoldrick
USA Today Bestselling Author
(a.k.a. Nikoo & Jim McGoldrick)
www.MayMcGoldrick.com 

USA Today Bestselling Authors Nikoo and Jim wrote their first May McGoldrick romance using historical figures that Jim researched while earning a PhD in sixteenth-century Scottish and English literature. Nikoo, a mechanical engineer, is a born storyteller. She is all about characters and feeling. Jim is about action and sense of place. Together, they have crafted over forty fast-paced, conflict-filled historical and contemporary novels and two works of nonfiction under the pseudonyms May McGoldrick and Jan Coffey.

Their stories have touched the hearts and minds of millions of readers all over the world. Their work has been translated into over a dozen languages, and counting. Because of their success, they have been frequent guests on local and national radio and television. They travel regularly, speaking at writers' conferences, libraries, classrooms, and book group gatherings. 

For the past decade, Nikoo and Jim have been conducting workshops bringing 21st century collaboration and writing skills to students and teachers. 

These popular and prolific authors write historical romance, suspense, mystery, and young adult novels. They are four-time Rita Finalists and the winners of numerous awards for their writing, including the Romantic Times Magazine Reviewers' Choice Award, the Daphne DeMaurier Award, three NJRW Golden Leaf Awards, two Holt Medallions, and the Connecticut Press Club Award for Best Fiction. Their work is included in the Popular Culture Library collection of the National Museum of Scotland. 

Nikoo & Jim now reside in Southern California where Nikoo writes and Jim gazes out at the Pacific (Nikoo's side of the story (-: )

Nikoo and Jim love hearing from their readers and can be contacted through their website. Visit their website for family trees of their books and latest giveaways. 

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