Knight in Highland Armor

Highland Dynasty, Book 1

By: Amy Jarecki

Narrated by: Dave Gillies

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Grieving from the death of his wife, Lord Colin Campbell listens to the cries of his newborn son while penning a missive to the king. With no marriage prospects, Colin petitions his majesty for help in finding a stepmother. Never again will he fall in love; the death of a woman brings more pain than losing a whole contingent of men on the battlefield.

Feisty, quick tongued, and smart, Margaret Robinson is delighted when her father receives a messenger from the king...until she discovers what news he brings. In a sennight she will wed the notorious Black Knight. Her life is about to end.

Tension builds during the wedding and deteriorates from there until an accident draws them together. Just when their love begins to blossom, a dire request arrives from the pope. Colin must join the crusades at once. Their fragile love is forced to withstand the seductions of hell: Margaret tempted by a scoundrel laird, Colin courted by Satan himself. Aye, the war for Christendom could very well ruin their dreams forever.

©2014 Amy Jarecki (P)2015 Amy Jarecki

A Dose Of 1455 AD

This book is based on the legend of Lord Colin Campbell the first Lord of Glenorchy.

The author unfolds a story that has a believeable balance of romance and history in 1455 AD. The struggles that Colin and Margaret face, both together and separate. were real and not forced. Their passion, love and compassion for each other, their family and friends was sweet and steadfast.

Because this story is based on real people. you get the sense that the romance between Colin and Margaret was more genuine than many typical romance novels. After all, arranged marriages were commonplace back then and people sacrificed happiness for duty or security. The combination of love and passion had to be quite rare and cherished when found. Also, the pace of time was a lot slower. It wasn't uncommon to be separated from a spouse for years at a time. In our time, most of us wouldn't have the patience.

If you are looking for an inconsequential romance novel don't bother with this one. Its worth a credit if you are in the mood for a dose of real romance in 1455 AD. ;-)

no fluff included

Very well done! At one point I had to remind myself that this is a romance novel and everything would come out ok. I dislike novels that are so full of history that they are more like non fictional historical texts rather than a romance novel... but this story wove the two together brilliantly. But the history was by far a driving force that consumes much of this book. Hero and villain and a strong but trusting maiden are each richly written and portrayed. The heroine is smart strong woman and the men are... men!
Both author and narrator delivered.
Worth a credit? Yes.
Heat factor? High yet very little time was spent on it. Heat was not the driving force of this book.

If you want a typical highland romance.... all hot highlander and sexual tension with lots of fluff and a little strife then skip this one.

A fascinating, well-crafted, gut-gripping story

Any additional comments?

The author has outdone herself on this one. It was unbelievably awesome in every respect and very moving. She starkly brought to life this part of history with its perils and danger. These highland people lived harsh lives with much heartache. The story, as told, had me experiencing the impossibly severe environment they had to endure. Wives, husband and children died either through illness, war, or childbirth. Few would live long lives. Population had to be maintained for in numbers they could survive. To remarry knowing your new wife may die of childbirth as your first wife did, must try the depths of the soul. Such heartbreak to love a woman and through the joy of union create life only to have her life taken.

Colin Campbell, Black Knight of Rome was the epitome of strength, both in body and mind. He took care of what was his and followed the edicts of the king and pope. He fought the idea of love after his first wife died, but through its very power he saved himself.

Lady Margaret was one very strong woman, accepting her fate trying to make the best of her lot and use her talents to improve the living conditions for her clan. I loved how when I thought things could not get worse, they somehow did. Emotions were pulled from my core. Now that’s good storytelling!

David Gillies did not tell the story, rather he made me see it. His personifications of the various characters were who they were, for I saw them clearly, completely mesmerized. I no longer heard his voice, I saw the characters and heard their inner thoughts, anguish and speech.

I am eager to read the next in the series with the next book, A Highland Knight’s Desire.

Amazing Highland adventure!

What did you love best about Knight in Highland Armor?

It's a beautiful introduction for Amy Jarecki’s new series Highland Dynasty! I adore Amy Jareck's novels, so listening to it, gives it another dimension!

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite was the hero Colin Campbell, known as the Black Knight!

Which character – as performed by Dave Gillies – was your favorite?

Dave Gillies is perfect for Colin Campbell!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I never listen to it, in one sitting, I prefer to listen to 2-3 chapters to really absorb it very well!

Any additional comments?

Recommended to lovers of Scottish romances. Ms. Jarecki's book and audio books are a must in a library!

Wonderful in every aspect!,

The early character development made it so easy to garner my attention from the very 1st chapter. The story was beautifully told and in a way that was so interesting - in fact, I had a hard time putting it aside at all. The narrator was excellent and was a pleasure to listen to!! Thank you Ms. Jarecki for a wonderful story and Mr. Gillies for presenting it so beautifully!!!

My kind of book

The Scottish Highlands, the Crusades, a villain. I enjoyed this book but it required some Kleenex.

Loved it!!

If you could sum up Knight in Highland Armor in three words, what would they be?

Loved, Loved it!!!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Knight in Highland Armor?

When Colin gave Margaret tokens of their love and Margaret gave Colin a gem to protect him.

Which scene was your favorite?

I really could not pick one scene because there were so many I loved.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Adventure, Love and Intrigue.

Any additional comments?

This was a super written story and I enjoyed every minute of it. I loved the lassie being strong and Colin being a handsome warrior who protected his own.

Very good story and narration

Narration is as important as story for an audible book. This one was nice on both parts. (Three more words)

The only thing I liked was the Narrator...

I did not like Margaret at all, I found her to be spoiled, arrogant, selfish, whiny, and so much more. Seemed to me all she care about was trying to serve the role she did when she lived with her parents and not what was to be her role that had cause her to marry in the first place. I also found Lord Colin lacking.

Engaging story, good historical romance

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Not the best book I ever read but better than most.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Knight in Highland Armor?

The romance is a good story. You care about both of the main characters

Captivating

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend this to a friend because not only is the story absolutely enthralling, the type that you just don't want to stop listening to/reading until the very end, but the narration was superbly done.

What other book might you compare Knight in Highland Armor to, and why?

I can't compare this book to others because it's based on the real life history of the Black Knight. I haven't read his story before, and even using artistic license the author stuck very close to the facts which are really fascinating. I loved the story so much and reading it helped me learn as well as be truly entertained.

Have you listened to any of Dave Gillies’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No I haven't heard any of Dave Gillies' other performances so I can't compare them. I can say with hand on heart though that he is one of the best narrators I have listened to. He brought the characters in the book to life and each voice he did, he did perfectly, There were no cringe worthy moments like I have had listening to a couple of other narrators where their accents are so bad, or their attempt at doing both gender voices is just not very good. Dave is spot on and was a real pleasure to listen to. I love well narrated books like this one because it's better than in the movies. You get the story told to you but you can picture the scenes yourself. Plus you get 10 hours plus of story rather than the 2 hours you get at a cinema!

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I wouldn't make a film of this because it is absolute perfection as a book. I wouldn't want anything cut out in order to make it film length.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this story and it's narration so much that I will definitely add both author and narrator to my favourites list and will definitely recommend them to everybody.

Knight in Highland Armor

This is a brilliant book with strong characters and a wonderful storyline, it was easy to see the characters, landscapes as the descriptions were so vivid I thought I was within the story.
I liked the narrator Dave Gillies story telling also with his lovely Scottish accent.
This book deserves five stars for Overall, Performance and Story.
Thank you Amy Jerecki I thoroughly enjoyed this book via Audible.