Post by Charlynn on Oct 24, 2011 14:18:14 GMT -5
Highlander Unmasked by Monica McCarty
As the second novel in McCarty's Highlander series, Unmasked follows Alex, the younger of the two McLeod brothers. With his past mistakes haunting him, he is driven by honor and duty, intent upon avenging his cousins who were killed in battle under his command by protecting his family lands from the war-mongering, greedy King. Meanwhile, there's Margaret Mackinnon, a headstrong, intelligent woman who seeks a husband who will, rather than usurp her challenged brother's position, will help him to lead their family's clan. The two meet and are immediately drawn to one another when Alex rescues Meg from an attack upon her life, but with their respective duties pushing them, they both deceive themselves into believing the other is not the person they want or need in their lives.
Highlander Unmasked features all the cliches which are common in historical romance novels: the haunted warrior in need of the love of a good woman in order to heal his emotional wounds, the beautiful woman who isn't aware of her charms until the right man comes along, epic battle scenes, even more epic love scenes, and, of course, those infamous deus ex machina conclusions. And this is exactly why Unmasked is so fun. It is within a romance novel's predictability where its genius lies, because, despite not surprising its readers, its calculable nature is what makes the book such a quick read and allows readers to just experience it rather than studying it. Plus, McCarty tosses other fun details into her books as well: Scottish Gaelic, semi-accurate historical details, and bucolic descriptions of the Highlands, all of which work together to make Highlander Unmasked an enjoyable, yet albeit not a deep, read.
Three out of Five Stars
As the second novel in McCarty's Highlander series, Unmasked follows Alex, the younger of the two McLeod brothers. With his past mistakes haunting him, he is driven by honor and duty, intent upon avenging his cousins who were killed in battle under his command by protecting his family lands from the war-mongering, greedy King. Meanwhile, there's Margaret Mackinnon, a headstrong, intelligent woman who seeks a husband who will, rather than usurp her challenged brother's position, will help him to lead their family's clan. The two meet and are immediately drawn to one another when Alex rescues Meg from an attack upon her life, but with their respective duties pushing them, they both deceive themselves into believing the other is not the person they want or need in their lives.
Highlander Unmasked features all the cliches which are common in historical romance novels: the haunted warrior in need of the love of a good woman in order to heal his emotional wounds, the beautiful woman who isn't aware of her charms until the right man comes along, epic battle scenes, even more epic love scenes, and, of course, those infamous deus ex machina conclusions. And this is exactly why Unmasked is so fun. It is within a romance novel's predictability where its genius lies, because, despite not surprising its readers, its calculable nature is what makes the book such a quick read and allows readers to just experience it rather than studying it. Plus, McCarty tosses other fun details into her books as well: Scottish Gaelic, semi-accurate historical details, and bucolic descriptions of the Highlands, all of which work together to make Highlander Unmasked an enjoyable, yet albeit not a deep, read.
Three out of Five Stars