The Wolf and the Highlander

Highland Wishes Book 2

By: Jessi Gage

Narrated by: Marian Hussey

Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Anya's been a bad girl. A vindictive plot against one of her clansmen backfired, resulting in her grave injury. Scarred and crippled, she finds nothing lovely about herself, and doesn't expect anyone else to either. But when a magical wishing box sends her to another dimension, she becomes the most valuable prize imaginable.

While hunting a rare marbled boar, Riggs, a trapper in Marann's western forest, hears a strange cry. Distracted from the hunt, he loses the sow but finds instead something more valuable than a whole cart packed with marbled boar skins. A woman. She is delicate, and her ears are curiously rounded. She is not wolfkind. Maybe she is the miracle his people have been hoping for.

Riggs must bring Anya to King Magnus, because breeding rights belong first and foremost to His Majesty, who needs an heir. But the female calls to a primal part of him. He longs to keep her in secret and take her as his mate. But if he gives in to the temptation, he could single handedly bring about the end of civilization.

©2014 Jessi Gage (P)2015 Jessi Gage

Make sure to add this one to your TBR stack, STAT!

Any additional comments?

I went into this book unsure if I’d be able to finish it as it’s a little more fantasy than I usually indulge in… wolves/humans and it was in a different realm. Additionally I was unsure about the heroine because she was not my favorite in the previous book. You know what they say when you assume…….. o.O

Characters:
Anya, the woman I loathe in Wishing for a Highlander. She was a she-witch who stirred up nothing but trouble. I disliked her with a passion. Needless to say my expectation was to continue to dislike her. You can imagine my surprise when I realized I liked her as a heroine 5-10 minutes into the book. A broken and scarred Anya is not the one who I disliked so vehemently in the first book; she was a different, no better person. I was pleasantly surprised by how remorseful she was. She also was feisty, smart and loyal. I swear she’s one of the best heroines ever.
Riggs, our hero is a Wolf-man. He is lonely and would like a mate but due to the shortage of women (so to speak) he has to save money. He just happens to be in the woods hunting when Anya unceremoniously drops into his realm and is immediately set upon by unsavory men. Despite being attracted to her, his loyalty to the king will keep him from claiming her as his own. Riggs was such a good guy! Saves damsels in distress and kicks butt in the process. He was smart, loyal and a worthy warrior. By the end of it, I wanted my own Riggs!
As you can see, I loved the leads. For most of the book, they are the only characters. The secondary characters came towards the climax but there were not steady secondary characters.

Plot:
Anya goes back to her home in the Highlands to make amends and submit to the Laird, despite his punishment. She runs into Aidan who is looking for the infamous ‘box’ – Within minutes she’s been sent to another realm. When Riggs lays eyes on Anya, he realizes that she is the woman from King Magnus’s prophecy… she can save his people. Despite his personal wants, he is loyal and will do anything to save his people so he makes plans to take her to King Magnus. The trip is rife with action! The men who initially found Anya are chasing them but others would also set upon them once they smelt her scent and realized that she was a woman. So the question is, who can they trust? Lots of twists that made me go “whoa” and some betrayals as well. The villain dude *I won’t even attempt to spell his name lol* was terrifying. If I’d been sent to him as a “play thang’” I’d probably faint on the spot. Just saying.

Narration:
Marian Hussey knocked it out the park as she did in the first installment of this series. I loved the little lilt she gave to Anya’s Scottish brogue.

Steam Factor:
Mild – There’s a lot of pining and a few hanky-panky scenes but nothing too bad. Sex scenes didn’t dominate this plot (Another score for Ms. Gage!).

Overall:
Another a delightful surprise. I couldn’t believe I enjoyed this book so much, especially considering that it’s outside of my comfort zone. Also, I usually like a hefty dose of secondary characters but this book lacked that yet I still enjoyed it. The characters and plot were so well rounded. As with before, Ms. Gage has MORE tricks up her sleeve, I was completely blindsided by at least 3 of them. I’m excited for the next installment of this series (especially if/when it’s on audio!!!). I hope that we’ll get to see King Magnus’s story. Mix: Great characters, plot, magic, twists + romance and you get an unforgettable romance! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!

P.S. I find it odd that Aidan is always around when something magical happens. I have to wonder if he is what we ‘think’ he is.

Story – 5
Narration – 5

Surprised

You can take a girl out of the highlands but.... She took the villain Dom part and made her not only like able but someone to cheer for! Great story

Wolf Man and Female Highlander

This was my first book by Jessi Gage, and I really liked it. The title made me expect a shifter book, which it wasn’t. It’s more of a fantasy that takes place in another realm, and the hero’s wolf species is half wolf and half fae. Gage’s world building is well-done and believable. I could visualize everything she described.

The characters really grew on me. I take it that Anya was the villain in the first book in the series. In this book, she’s completely remorseful and feels she deserves whatever she gets. Since I haven’t read the first book, I had no prejudice against her from it but felt she became more likable as the story progressed.

The plot was good, and the suspense built throughout to quite a climax at the end. I hated to see the story end and would love to read more that take place in this world. Unfortunately, it looks like the next book in the series goes back to the normal world. Even so, I’ll read more by Gage. I’m happy to have discovered a wonderful new author.

As far as the narration, it was very good. I usually prefer dual narration because I don’t like my heroes to sound effeminate when a woman narrator tries to do their voices, but this narrator did all the voices well, even the men’s.

Book 2

What made the experience of listening to The Wolf and the Highlander the most enjoyable?

The world was well done and I truly grew to like the characters, even Anya. I hope for further novels set in this world... there are definitely subplots that could be flushed into a novel or two.

Meh

What in the world??? One of the worse stories / books I attempted to read. I just could not go pass three chapters.

A Great Story

Any additional comments?

I truly enjoyed this book...it's the sequel to Wishing For a Highlander, which I also gave a 5 star review. The narrator is 1 of my favorites, Marian Hussey knows how to bring characters to life right in front of you. The story is about love, redemption & forgiveness. Forgiving ourselves is so much harder than forgiving someone else, but Riggs helps Anya to see the goodness that she thought was long gone...lots of romance & adventure & just enough magic to make it loads of fun! A truly great book....I hope there will be another in this series!

Can't wait to start the next book

Where does The Wolf and the Highlander rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the top on my list of audiobooks

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Wolf and the Highlander?

When Anya and Riggs become life mates

What about Marian Hussey’s performance did you like?

I love her voice and narrative

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

Yes, I could not wait to get back to it

Any additional comments?

Very good Audiobook. I can't wait to start the next one.

Love the story and creativity and seeing the best in people. Reader just sucks you into the story

Great story can not wait to hear more. Love seeing the best in people.we all have good in side

Love and Redemption

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

I enjoyed the narrator-she brought each character to life.

Any additional comments?

I had not read or listened to Book 1 in the series, but I didn't feel that I missed anything. It was a very enjoyable audiobook. In fact, halfway through this one, I purchased the first book and will listen to it very soon.

(I received this audiobook from the author for a honest review.)

very innovative!

I was surprised as I listened to this provocative story about Anya and Riggs. Spellbinding!

Loved the story

I've really enjoyed this story about Anya and her Wolfman Riggs. The story of capture, escape, translating gemstones and kings is a great book to listen to. The narrator was easy to listen to and made the story fast paced and exciting.