The Valiant Highlander

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

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.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

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!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

It Would Have Been Better IF...

Would you try another book from Amy Jarecki and/or Joel Froomkin?

Yes,I would try another book by the pair, although this book would have been better if it were shorter. If they had an abridged version I would have enjoyed it more. This political story was a little confusing. Joel Froomkin does a great Scot's accent but it would have been better if he'd used his regular voice when the characters were not speaking instead of the same Scottish brogue throughout; it would have made the transfer from one character to the other more pronounced. Trying to figure out who was speaking was a little disconcerting. I found the book hard to listen to, although I liked the main characters.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I preferred the beginning of the book, by the end I just wanted it to end, but it was a good ending.

Which character – as performed by Joel Froomkin – was your favorite?

Since he used the Scottish accent throughout the story it was difficult to distinguish between many of the characters. If I have to choose one it would be Mary's little brother.

Could you see The Valiant Highlander being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Not really.

Any additional comments?

It took me many tries to get through this book. There were some events that should have been better addressed to make it a little more realistic. The book had too many 'loose ends'. I like a little more realism in a book that supposedly has intelligent characters.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

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.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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.

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.

The Valiant Highlander

Not only is The Valiant Highlander an awesome story to read, but to listen to Joel Froomkin's narration, is beyond breathtaking. I'd say both, the author and the narrator, deserve 5*s for this piece of magic. Actually, the book cover is what reeled me in originally, but then within the first chapter, I was hopelessly in love with the characters themselves as well as being entranced by being able to hear them speak through Mr. Froomkin. Make sure your kindle is fully charged when you begin because you won't want to stop in the middle to recharge. You may end up with a new "Book boyfriend". 😀

Lacked in story line

Started out really good, but fizzled after the first quarter into it. I thought the book took a strong woman and turned her into a weeping weakling. There just was no story to this book either.

easy listening

This was an easy story to listen To, the narrator was very good. worth listening to