Taming the Highland Bride

By: Lynsay Sands

Narrated by: Marianna Palka

Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

She was ready to let her heart run wild....

Merry Stewart has had enough! Enough of her brothers, whose behavior would make even the most improper lady blush. Enough of their Highland home, which would surely have fallen to ruin were it not for her. She dreams of escaping into the arms of her betrothed, Alexander d'Aumesbery-even though they haven't yet met. But when they do, Merry is devastated. It seems he's no better than the men in her family.

So beautiful, so brazen . . . From the moment he meets Merry, Alexander is determined to make her his. Desperate to convince her he's nothing like the members of her roguish clan, he will prove he is every bit the well-mannered gentleman. Yet, beneath it all beats a heart as intense and uncontrollable as hers. And finally, when his life is threatened, Merry realizes he's the husband she's been waiting for . . . and their passion becomes the one thing that cannot be tamed.

©2010 Lynsay Sands (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Narration much better

The narrating was much better in this one than it was the first one. I found her to be so bland in the first book but she definitely improved in this book.

The story was really good too. I perfect blend of mystery and blooming love.

Another Good Read from Lyndsay Sands

As with all romance novels, we essentially have the same story, just different characters. What makes the story good or bad is how it is written; how the characters are fleshed out and developed; and how everything is pulled together and given a happy ending.

While I still prefer holding an actual book, I have thoroughly enjoyed binging the Lyndsay Sands’s Devil of the Highland Series. I enjoy listening to Marianna Palka’s Scottish Accent. Truth be told, it is why I chose to order the Devil of the Highland Series.

What I loved about this story is there were a lot more humorous moments and interactions. One such moment (and possibly my favorite) was when Evil Edda describing the bedding to Innocent Merry, I was very glad I was not drinking something because it would have come out my nose from the snort-laughing it induced!

I am looking forward to binging Book 3!

Good Story!

At first I was thrown off by the way the woman was reading the story, her tone and rhythm are very unique. Over all it is a good book, I always love Lynsay Sands work!

The Narrator Ruined The Book

This is the second book in the series. Once again the mean stepmother from Devil of the Highlands plays a role in this book. Merry is a little too trusting of women, and yet does not trust men at all because of her father and two of her three brothers. Alex on the other hand originally was dragging his feet because he heard Merry was a shrew.
After a messed up wedding night, things eventually get turned around, and you are off to the mystery of what is going on. This is a good continuation from the first book. There's a little more interaction between these two, then between Alex's sister Evelinde and Cullen in the Devil of the Highlands. Evelinde and Cullen are briefly in this book as well.

I think the books would better read on my Kindle because I found the delivery of the story below average but the story-line was pretty good.

Marianna Palka narrated the other books and I am not a fan of her style at all.

No drunks allowed

The heroine’s father and brothers are drunkards. She hates drunkards and has had to do everything at the castle because they won’t do anything but drink. Heroine is contracted to marry the Hero. She is glad to be away from the alcoholics. Unfortunately, she comes to see her previously unseen bridegroom while he is roaring drunk from whiskey used to sedate him while a tooth is pulled. She only knows that he is drunk and not why he is drunk. To top things off, her father and brothers get the bridegroom drunk on the night of the wedding and that is how he comes to their bed. The bridegroom’s evil stepmother lives at his castle, so the Heroine is subjected to her every day. But the stepmother has fooled the Heroine into thinking she is a good person. Now doesn’t the above convince you that the marriage is going to be complicated, to say the least. All gets resolved at the end.

The story is pretty stupid in many places and I did not fall in love with either the Heroine or the Hero. It was an okay book but certainly not exciting or near the top of my library favorites. The narrator is only adequate. This book is part of a series but can easily be skipped. The next book pretty much summarizes this story and is a better story.

Stupid. Vulgar. Sustains belief.

Stupid. Vulgar. Sustains belief. At any point in the book up to Chapter 18, these three descriptions can be described. Honestly, Once we hit Chapter 18, the story was much better. The writing is good.

For example. The main character, Mary, is told by Edna, her step-mother, that she has to consummate her marriage and there will be blood. But when the husband is too unconscious to perform, Mary cuts her upper thigh...right on her pulse...the artery. Mary slices her frickin artery! The blood is so much that there is no way Mary would live. She spills at least half a gallon of blood! The author explains that the wound would not clot. NO SHIT! BECAUSE SHE SLICED HER ARTERY! In reality, the author would have killed the MC in the first few chapters and is too ignorant of anatomy to realize this is exactly what she's written. Stupid.

The author is obsessed with the line "Break your fast." This is my second book in this series and I am sick of hearing "break your fast." "Did you break your fast?" "Come break your fast." Be sure you break your fast..." Redundant!

Mary hates alcohol and associates whiskey with the lazy drunks that are her father and brothers. So, naturally, the author obsesses over alcohol consumption over the first 18 chapters of the book rather than the romance. Sick and tired of hearing about alcohol after chapter 3.

Mary is so used to doing work for her father and brothers that she decides to train the men in her husband's army. Bull. Frickin. Shit. No. Bad monkey! Mary has no sword training. No strength to even lift a sword. Has no armor, but she is going to don a full suit of armor and wield a sword while telling experienced warriors how to fight? SERIOUSLY? NO! There is rank and order in an army and if her husband can't do it, his standard bearer and/or general would! Not his wee wife! Stupid!

I can go on, but I won't. There are multiple moments like this that just had me saying this is so stupid. Edna is obsessed with everyone else's sex life (based on both book 1 and 2 of this series). Characters boldly walk around fully nude in one scene then are prudish in the next. WTF? There is no character consistency. Just, terrible story writing.

The plus side...

The narrator is MUCH better. I believe Palka read through her reviews from book #1 and really stepped up her game! Great job, Marianna! Much better!

Narrator is horrible!

Don't know why fabulously famous authors pick horrible narrators. Skip this one on audio and read it on you're kindle or buy the paperback. Not worth wasting a credit on this one.