The Valiant Highlander

Highland Defender, Book 2

By: Amy Jarecki

Narrated by: Joel Froomkin

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

When Sir Donald MacDonald, Baronet of Sleat, meets trews-wearing, musket-wielding, redheaded Mary of Castleton, he's completely flummoxed. Such a woman would never fit in to his aristocratic way of life. And Mary wants nothing to do with her father's wishes for her betrothal. Indeed, the two agree on one thing: They are completely, utterly and inarguably incompatible.

But when Mary is abducted from Dunscaith Castle and spirited away in Sir Donald's sea galley, the baronet has no choice but to mount a rescue. When his plans are thwarted at every turn, Donald and Mary are thrown in a tumultuous a race for their very lives. Though destiny brings them together, Don must face the truth smoldering in the recesses of his heart. Can he cast aside his ideals and declare his love for the saucy Highland lass?

©2016 Amy Jarecki (P)2016 Amy Jarecki

The Valiant Highlander

Loved, loved, loved it! Joel Froomkin did a fabulous job with the audible narration. I love the new cover, at least I think its a new cover. I actually bought the book a while back, but bought it again cuz I love this new cover. 😍

WOW again

I really enjoyed this narration by Mr. Froomkin. I was looking forward to this story since listening to the first in the series. I got lost in the story. Well done!
Ms. Jarecki's stories are on auto-buy for me, she is weaving her magic spell on readers with each one.
Sir Donald MacDonald is in for a surprise when he meets Mary of Castleton and he thinks he can just forget about her. The feisty maiden gets under his skin and in his heart, although their journey to HEA is dangerous and kept me in listening mode to hear what will happen next.

Love the story line

The Narrative made Don sound like an old man, I wish Dave Gillies did the Narration,
The story line was sexy loved it

Woowoo!

A wonderful mix of hot and cold. Mary and Donald are like water and oil but the mix is a wonderful adventure. Amy Jarecki writes a great story and Joel Froomkin brings it to life! I will be listening again and again!

Not as Good as the First but Still Decent

If you’ve listened to books by Amy Jarecki before, how does this one compare?

I've listened to the first book of this series, and I enjoyed that story and characters more, but this one isn't horrible. I appreciate Amy Jarecki's writing and ability to use the time period as an important component of her books rather than just an adjunct to the story, and she does that again here. However, the female protagonist wasn't always consistent with her characterization, which made her less appealing at times, and the story seemed pretty standard with some cliches here and there. Also, there were some plot points introduced that I would have liked to see developed more, and this could have enriched the story and characters a bit more. This book was like an oatmeal raisin cookie: Not as good as chocolate chip, but it's still worth a bite.

What does Joel Froomkin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I have come to enjoy Joel Froomkin as a narrator for Highland novels. His voices aren't annoying, his interpretation of the material works, and his Scottish brogue is an added bonus.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Nope.

Any additional comments?

Worth a credit if you really like Highland romances, and worth a listen if you like Amy Jarecki. If you're not interested in the series as a whole, go for the first book of this series over this one.

Enjoyed The Ride

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a HR book, so you know pretty much how it will end, but the journey was good.

Really enjoyed it...

So far, there isn't a book in Amy Jarecki's Highland series' that I haven't liked; I haven't read her ICE series so I can't speak for those but add Dave Gillies or Joel Froomkin as narrators & you've got magic. Don & Mary's story started a tad slow but once it picked up, I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to Lords of the Highlands next.

Wonderful!

This story was wonderful written and brought to life by the Narriator. Plenty of adventure and love. A strong lady and her strong highlander. Can't wait for the next one.

Romance and action with a wonderful narrator!

I enjoyed this book very much! the story has a lot of action to keep it interesting and of course a hot romance!! I loved the narrator. he is one of the best so far!!

A strong woman caught in between two sides.

I enjoyed this audiobook. The story was interesting with a woman who was a strong archer, yet she could run her father's household quite well. Mary wanted to be able to protect herself and siblings with all the Dragoons around. Donald attended the clan event and found out that he had been bested by a woman. He appeared self-centered but was fighting for his people in secret. With kidnapping, imprisonment, and arson, there was plenty to keep the story moving along. I really did enjoy it and recommend it.

The narration by Joel Froomkin was well done, even with all the female voices he had to do. He brought the characters to life and added to my enjoyment of this story.