Lady Eleanor (who prefers to go by Nell) returns from the front with the duty of returning her captain's horse to Wales. Beatrice Hughes is the eldest daughter of Nell's superior, raised in a house ruled by fear and abuse. She has no reason to trust a woman who is conditioned to obey her father's orders. Can their building attraction overcome tragedy and the expectations of society?

Well, I'm baffled by the reviews on this one. I absolutely loved it. I have such a weakness for two broken souls who find love, especially if they keep miscommunicating and mistepping with each other - and I am always down for intersectional feminism! I found Nell and Beatrice to behave quite believably, given the PTSD and grief holding both of them back. This was a nice surprise.

​Iris has set herself up as typical wife material - sweet, docile, completely unlike herself - and it has successfully attracted the Lord of Huntington. But then she does the unthinkable: she jilts him. <i>Twice.</i> Previously unaffected by her, Finn now finds he absolutely must have her for his marchioness.

I wasn't expecting to like this so much, given my last flirtation with Anna Bradley's work. But Iris is one of my favourite romantic heroines of the year - she's clever, discerning, and knows what she wants (once she figures it out!). I enjoyed (perhaps too much) her jilting of Finn and it was satisfying to read/witness him changing into a man more suited to Iris - and a man more worthy of her.

Elysande MacPherson would love to wed and raise a family, but her father has chased off every suitor. When she falls for the son of his enemy, she knows she'll have a hard time convincing him.

A sweet enough short story that fully utilises the Christmas setting. I'd have liked it to be a bit longer.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Keenan returns home from wars that have hardened and changed him. He's determined to forge an alliance with a nearby clan through marriage, no matter the cost. Even if it means losing the true love of his life. Fionna is her clan's laird and has guarded her people in difficult times. But she cannot guard her heart from Keenan - or her secrets.

This is honestly the best Highlander romance novella I've ever read. When I dive into something of this length, I expect backstory and character development to be sacrificed for the plot. That didn't happen here. Keenan and Fionna were so lovely together, but if I'm honest...it was Neil who really stole the show. What a fantastic supporting character.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bryston McPherson is a former privateer with a painful past. Branwen has been interested in him ever since they met, but she is unaware of how his secrets will soon endanger her - and has no idea that she's competing with a ghost for Bryston's affections.

As always with this series, you agree to compromise on background and buildup in exchange for a short, easy read that you can manage around a busy life. The pace was quick, Bryston's past intrigued me, and I enjoyed the action. Branwen was a wonderful heroine, but she honestly didn't deserve to be compared so much to Bryston's late wife. I cringed a little. I generally prefer romances that are a bit more tactful about past loves.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tristan MacPherson is a cold-blooded killer on his way to take yet another life. He doesn't expect to come across Rose, a lass beset by the Black Plague and left for dead - and he doesn't expect to fall in love with her or discover that she is the daughter of the man he intends to kill.

Oh, I loved Tristan. He's a Medieval bad boy with a heart of gold and even I fell for him. He and Rose were so adorable together. I also thoroughly enjoyed all the twists and turns in this one; the mystery of who was trying to kill Rose kept me guessing right up until the end. Tempest Heart had a bit of a Tangled feel (a charming hero freeing the heroine from a life of captivity!), so if you love that movie you'll probably love this.

​Lily Bennet immediately catches Elias MacPherson's eye and only she can keep the terrors of his past at bay. But she is another man's wife - a man who is honourable and decent and Elias cannot wish any ill on him. Being near Lily is a torment and things will only worsen when the Black Death comes to town.

This series has been a bit uneven thus far, but Lion Heart is wonderful and everything I've come to love about Paula Quinn's books. The combination of an at-large villain and a plague made for some fantastic tension. And the pacing was practically perfect, a marked improvement from previous books. It was also nice to see how Elias is getting on - he's certainly grown since we last "saw" him.

I can't wait to get into Tempest Heart. In fact, I have an ARC that I should be reading right now...!