Highland Outlaw

Clan Campbell, Book 2

By: Monica McCarty

Narrated by: Roger Hampton

Handsome and dangerous, Patrick MacGregor is a wanted man, possessing the tough, tenacious spirit of his outlawed clan. He will stop at nothing to save his people from destruction, even if it means marrying Elizabeth Campbell, the daughter of his worst enemy. Yet the flaxen-haired beauty disarms him from the start. Her sweet, unspoiled softness touches the cold depths of his ravaged soul - and makes him want much more than revenge.

Inside the shy and dutiful Lizzie is a passionate woman longing to emerge, a woman ready for love. So when the piercing emerald eyes and searing kiss of a stranger spark in her a desperate hunger, she surrenders to Patrick's glorious seduction - unaware that his daring deception has just found its one and only chance for redemption: a love more powerful than hate.

©2009 Monica McCarty (P)2012 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[McCarty] presents an unforgettable tale of a blossoming romance and passion that defies societal views and brings an era to life." ( Romantic Times)

Loved it

Loved it! This is the first time I have listened to it, but it's been in my re-read pile for years.

Loved it!

No, it wasn't perfect (few things are), but I did enjoy it 5 stars worth. Definitely preferred this to the predecessor although I did enjoy that one as well. IMHO, the heroine in the first novel was nothing compared to this heroine.

The odd thing is that this had a few elements that I'm not particularly fond of in a romance and McCarty completely made it work for me.

*** SOME SPOILERS BELOW ***



I like the virgin heroine trope. It's not a moral judgement at all. I think it's mostly because I enjoy the wakening of sexuality part and because there's a certain implied vulnerability factor. For someone who loves vengeful heroes and/or heroes with ulterior motives the virginity factor fits in perfectly. However, McCarty was able to make the heroine even MORE vulnerable due to her experience without using a previous rape/sexual trauma, as is often done in these cases.

The heroine (who I loved) was seduced and lost her virginity to a man who wanted her for her dowry and she finds this out in a heartbreaking scene.

The heroine was someone who struggled with a stutter and was shy because of it. By all accounts she was pretty, but not the kind of flashy traffic-stopping beauty that some heroine's are. Combine that with a stutter, shyness and a very powerful and over-protective family and you get someone with a limited amount of suitors and little self-esteem where men/relationships are concerned. After what happened with her POS of a former fiance, she is terrified of relationships and also afraid no one will want her once they find out she has been "ruined" - sadly a real possibility in those days/times.

The hero (who was just yummy) instantly found her beautiful, however. There was so much chemistry between the two. Even though he had ulterior motives in seeking her hand it was clear from the prologue that he was drawn to her in a way that he'd never been drawn to a woman before.

I knew the big reveal where the heroine realizes she has been deceived had the potential for a great scene if you like those sorts of story lines and I was not disappointed. I could feel her pain and the hero's remorse.

Also, again, as in the previous book I give kudos to McCarty for addressing the gritty, sometimes downright brutal reality of those times. The actions of the heroine's cousin and older brother (mentioned in the first book) are hard to swallow and I'm not sure the cousin will ever get a comeuppance. There do seem to be shades of gray with him though. I still have hope for the brother, Colin's reckoning. He has no redeeming qualities that I can see. But, I think he does love the heroine in his own way and she loves him. So, still dealing with shades of gray and a time where men did horrible things and not only got away with it, but they were often considered heroes because of it.

Looking forward to book 3.

ETA: Audio Review - Roger Hampton is one of the few male narrators in romance that I can tolerate. Most men make the heroine sound like a linebacker in drag (YMMV). I think he does an exceptionally good job of doing the female voices. It has to be be hard to voice another sex. Not sure of the accuracy of the accents, but sounds good to me. The heroes sound bone-meltingly sexy.

Absolutely Loved the Series

Didn’t want to put the audible down. I wish there were more books to follow.

Download the whole series, you won't be disappoint

All of Monica McCarty books are great - they are about different clans from Scotland with all the politics of the day but based around a love story, Highland books are about Clan Campbell's and Highlander books are about the MacLeods of Skye. These books have a kind of Romeo/Juliet or Westside Story feel about them, forbidden love with feuding families, but with a much happier ending.

If you like romance then you'll love these books but listen to them in order.

The narrator does a really great job too with all the different Scottish accents.

Series gets better as it goes

The first book (Highland Warrior) was a good read, but unremarkable. The second book built on the first and I like a series that brings back characters from previous books, so it worked for me. Some of the characters I became interested in are not the main ones, but interesting all the same and I am enjoying hearing their stories as well. This book has a little of everything...brawny men, fighting, passion, clan loyalties and lack thereof, intrigue and treachery, and war. This series gets better as it goes and I am looking forward to the third book.