Highland Blessings by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

Do you enjoy books that whisk you away to another setting so skillfully you don't realize you've been transported until you have to put the book down? That's what this debut novel does for readers. That and much more.

First, a summary:

Kidnapped on her wedding day

Scottland, 1473. Bryce MacPhearson, a highland warrior, kidnaps Akira MacKenzie on her wedding day to honor a promise he made to his dying father. While Akira s strength in the Lord becomes a witness to Bryce, she struggles to overcome her anger and resentment when he forces her to wed him, hoping to end a half-century-old feud between their clans. While Akira begins to forgive, and Bryce learns to trust, a series of murders leaves a trail of unanswered questions, confusion, and a legacy of hate that once again rises between their families. Clearly, a traitor is in their midst. Now the one man Akira loves no longer trusts her, and her own life is in danger. Can Bryce look beyond his pain and seek the truth? Will Akira discover the threat against her before it s too late? How will God turn a simple promise into bountiful Highland blessings?

And now, my review:

From the beginning, I felt immersed in the setting of 15th Century Scotland. From the characters' Scottish brogue to the clan wars, the author engages the reader in her story. It’s obvious the author conducted a lot of research. (*applause*) The novel has a strong hook (a bride kidnapped on her wedding day), and readers are yanked into an action-oriented story from the start.

As a reader of romance, I expected to see more tie-ins to the genre. The cover doesn’t indicate this is a romance, so that may be unfair. What I noticed is that once the hero and heroine are married, the reader is never clued in (well at least through the first half of the story) about their intimacy. For a romance to work, that romantic tension has to remain. Otherwise, what is there to aim for? Because that aspect wasn’t clear or strong, I found myself losing interest in finishing the story.

The portions of the romance I did enjoy, though, were the obvious spark between the hero and heroine. And the tenderness of the hero from the very beginning. A warrior with strong convictions about caring for women seemed too delicious to overlook. The author brought them together immediately and what’s not to love about that? (Which element, by the way, made this historical read like a romance.)

If you enjoy romance, history, castles, Scottish tales and/or warriors, you’ll enjoy this book.