Highland Conquest

December 18, 2017
McLayne’s second Sons of Gregor MacLeod historical (after Highland Promise), set in the 15th-century Scottish Highlands, is more skillfully plotted than the first. Amber MacPherson is desperate to escape the household of the MacPherson laird, Machar Murray, so she disguises herself as a boy and climbs over the castle wall. She has no idea that Laird Lachlan MacKay and his fellow warriors are preparing to breach the MacPherson castle, seeking vengeance for the killing of Lachlan’s brother. Seeing a “lad” coming over the wall, Lachlan captures him to keep him from alerting the MacPhersons of the impending attack—but Amber is quite happy to join forces with Lachlan and use her healing capabilities to assist those injured in battle. When Machar evades capture and disappears, Amber convinces Lachlan to take over the leadership of the MacPherson clan. After Lachlan discovers her real gender, expertly crafted sexual tension increases between the two, but the very outspoken Amber informs the marriage-wary Lachlan that she wants to be more than his latest romantic conquest. The mystery of how Machar got away propels this page-turner swiftly forward.

Narrator Rosalyn Landor's melodic voice and unparalleled ability to make even secondary characters memorable solidifies a strong historical romance with a Scottish setting. Forced to flee her clan while dressed as a boy, desperate Amber McPherson is almost immediately apprehended by an invading Lachlan MacKay, who is bent on avenging his brother's death. But when Lachlan takes over leadership of Amber's clan, he'll have to contend with his growing attraction to the beautiful healer while dodging a murderer's attacks from the shadows. Listeners can count on Landor's delivery of dry wit, soft-spoken whispers, and the assertive tones of marauding Scots in this action-oriented tale of two people whose leadership styles are completely at odds. Her performance amps this listen up to an unreserved 10 out of 10. A.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine