Charming the Shrew

The Legacy of MacLeod Series, Book 1

By: Laurin Wittig

Narrated by: Ralph Lister

Returning to the Scottish Highlands after a fierce battle with the English, Tayg Munro receives a hero’s welcome - and an ultimatum. To take his place as heir to the chiefdom, he must choose a wife or have one chosen for him. Furious and stalling for time, the brooding warrior volunteers for a mission that takes him deep into the Highlands, with no hint of the fateful encounter that awaits him....

Catriona MacLeod is known as the Shrew of Assynt, thanks to her razor-sharp tongue and her unwillingness to yield to her five brothers. When she learns that her eldest brother has promised her hand in marriage to a loathsome man, she flees into the Scottish wilderness, determined to seek the king’s intervention. There she reluctantly joins forces with a handsome traveler, unable to anticipate the treacherous plot that will soon embroil them - or the passion that will ignite between them.

©2012 Laurin Wittig (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"In this exhilarating Highlands adventure Wittig knows how to merge passion, wild adventure, history, and danger into a perfect tale that takes your breath away and tugs at the heart." ( Romantic Times)

Good story

Not bad The story was interesting and flowed well. I bit prediciable but a good love story just the same. Narrator was OK. I liked this book and plan to listen to the series.

Fun if predictable

Not a deep read, but a fun listen. The narrator's brogue is appalling. Would have been better with a different narrator.

Holds interest

Romance is not the best description of this work. It is a good story in the typical Scots setting of clan conspiracy, and holds interest. If you are looking for hot sex, look elsewhere.

You can't judge a shrew by her brother

The female lead, Cat, has been tormented by her brothers all her life, to the point where she's had to develop a thick skin and sharp tongue to hold her own against the constant torture. Teague of Colrain (sp) is a highland warrior who is next in line to be the laird of his clan, and his mom is anxious to see him married. To avoid his mother's matchmaking, he decides to go on a little trip through the highlands disguised as a Bard, and perhaps seeking his own bride, as he does the kings business finding out who can be trusted to side with the king.

Cat and Teague happen upon each other under interesting circumstances.

Cat is running away from her families castle, determined to flee the man her hated brother has betrothed her to. She runs into the bard in the middle of a storm, who is also on the road, and for various reasons they end up traveling together, and falling in love.

The story was so charming that I forgot the annoying narration by Ralph Lister (who made Teage sound like he had a juicy lisp), and just went with the flow of the journey they were on. Don't let Lister put you off this listen, most of the time he sounds fine, and he doesn't over-do the female voices, as many male readers sometimes do.

All ends as it should. This was very sweet and satisfying listen.


This is my first Laurin Wittig, and I'm very impressed with her story telling abilities. It won't be my last!

Easy listen

An easy read (or in this case listen) romance. I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters. There were some tiny twists that were interesting.
I enjoyed the narrator for the male voices but the female characters probably needed a different voice.