Paula Quinn - Fiction Vixen Book Reviews

Review: Seduced By A Highlander by Paula Quinn

December 1, 2010 | Author Catherine

Seduced By A Highlander by Paula Quinn Paperback: 352 pages Publisher: Forever Available: September 1st 2010 Genre: Historical Romance Source: Publisher Reviewed by: Catherine

SINS THAT CAN’T BE FORGIVEN

Tristan MacGregor is famed throughout the Highlands as a silver-tonged seducer and an unrepentant rogue. Bold and charming, he’s dallied with many women, yet none as mysterious as the lass he steals a kiss from at king’s court. Little does he know this beauty is one of his clan’s greatest enemies.

PASSION THAT CAN’T BE DENIED

Isobel Fergusson has despised the bloodthirsty MacGregors ever since they murdered her father. She’s horrified to learn that the handsome stranger she kissed is of this clan. But Tristan means to possess her at any cost and Isobel’s body turns traitor at his touch. Can a man she’s sworn to hate be the only one she can ever love?

What an absolute sweetie this hero was! Wow! He was just perfect. He was funny and cheerful, and he was determined to win the heroine and end a family feud. He dreamed of living his life by the honor and principles of the knights of old. He lost his way there for a while and stopped making an effort to live up to his own expectations, but after he met the heroine and they began a friendship it quickly kicked back in.

Tristan made the story for me. Everyone else contributed to my enjoyment, of course, but it wouldn’t have had quite the same charm with a different hero. He was so cheerful and determined that it was hard not to love him. He took quite a few knocks in the story, but he just kept getting back up and continuing on. It was very admirable.

At times Tristan came off as a little sexist. But it was just a stray comment here and there and the heroine was quick to call him on it. Once he saw her point of view he was quick to adapt and agree with her. Isobel was a strong character and she wasn’t willing to be treated like a delicate flower. She didn’t run around playing warrior, but she was the rock that her family depended on. She had to play mother to most of her brothers and with no one else to keep food on the table, she had to labored just as hard as her older brother Patrick to keep the family fed.

There was quite a lot of humor in this book. It wasn’t over the top humor, but there were multiple times that I giggled over scenes. Especially when Tristan comes to visit Isobel’s family! Hilarious! That visit was not easy on him. Every time he turned around some other calamity was befalling him. One of my favorite quotes comes from that part.

“Clearly, they did not want peace. He had to escape their demented clutches, but he couldn’t even think without a wave of nausea threatening to overtake him.”

The heroine was not perfect for me although she didn’t irritate me to the point that I disliked her. Quite a few times she would say or do something that came off as a bit hypocritical. I started to get exasperated because it seemed like she was behaving that way just to be contrary. Luckily the author didn’t let her characters act like this was acceptable. Tristan was quick to point out when she was throwing stones in a glass house. That definitely made it easier to take.

There wasn’t a very strong sense of period in the book. Occasionally something would be mentioned about a political event, but honestly it all felt very vague. That isn’t a deal breaker for me, but I know it is irritating for some, so be warned.

One of my pet peeves is faux Scottish brogues. I cannot stand hearing “wee lassie” and “dinna fash yerself” and the like constantly. There was some of that here, but it managed to blend into the background and not irritate me into getting an eye twitch. Maybe because it was consistent and not just thrown in haphazardly? I’m not sure, but it worked for me here.

I was all set to give this a 4 grade, but the end made me drop it down to a 3.5. I am not a fan of cutesy and the end was full of it. There had been a few moments in the story where the sweet aspect had strayed close to the too sugary line but it never actually crossed it. In the end it did. The last couple chapters seemed to be there for no reason other than to show how happy Tristan and Isobel will be and to give everyone and their brother a chance to mend fences and be BFF’s forever. Some people really dig that sort of thing, but I’m of the mind that sometimes less is more. So less sweet and cute at the end would have been a boon for me.

Overall, I thought it was a pretty good book. I think it might even end up being a great book for people who like their romances a little sweeter than I personally prefer.