Review: The Taming of Malcolm Grant (Highland Heirs #4) by Paula Quinn
Historical Romance
Released: September 29, 2015
Forever Romance
Reviewed by Sheena
Emmaline Grey spends her days with her beloved dog, dreaming of the sea-until a brawling Highlander shatters her quiet life to pieces. Though her blindness prevents her from seeing his face, his voice is a warm blend of velvet and silk, and his rakehell ways unmistakable. Risking the wrath of a rival clan as she nurses him back to health, Emma soon realizes the real danger is the magnetic pull she feels to this half-naked Scot recovering in her bed.
With his rugged handsomeness and wicked charm, Malcolm Grant wants nothing more out of life than whisky, women, and the occasional war. The only lass he’s ever trusted left him with more scars than a battlefield. Yet now at the mercy of this sweet stranger, Malcolm can barely resist the gentle hands that make him feverish with desire-until Emma, the one he will never have, is the only woman he wants . . .
Favorite Quote: She loved him too much to feign bravery if he told her he was leaving without her. So she didn’t ask.
Paula Quinn is an auto-buy, auto-read and auto-squee for me. Her Highland Heirs series is four books deep and each entry is as captivatingly clever as the last. In the Taming of Malcolm Grant, we meet Emmaline Grey, a vision impaired lass who find herself entwined with the likes of Malcolm Grant- a hot Scot of an enemy clansman. Their allegiances clash and this West Side Storyish dynamic forces a distance between them that Emmaline and Malcolm find themselves powerless to resist traversing. Malcolm appears in earlier Highland Heir novels and he has always held the rapturous attentions of women near and far as handsome and charming as he is. Malcolm is simply magnetic and a bit of a mischievous rogue to boot. It is beyond poetic that he should be at the mercy and enamored with a woman who cannot see his fearsome beauty and can only judge him on his soul. I whooped at the irony! He who spent his entire life trading on his looks, had to actually dig deeper to make himself seen to the one woman who spoke to his heart. His handsome visage was not worth a sixpence and it was fabulous!
Lucky for Malcolm being shot and dangerously wounded in a shady brothel brawl does little to temper his charm (Oh how I want to tell you more, but it is just too damned funny to spoil. Yet know this- there are many ‘lol’s to be had given these circumstances). Emmaline is like a little angel, aiding his ailments and though she is sightless she drowns in sensations when her healing evolves into healing- *wiggles eyebrows* as there is no arduous wait for these two to give into their lusty desires. A young woman of 19, she has a lot to learn, but much to teach when she meets the arrogant Malcolm Grant. Emma is completely innocent through and through, however, she is very curious and Malcolm with all of his blustering stokes her inner vixen.
She was a virgin- another honor she offered him. A virgin with a sweetly wanton appetite…
I thought the juxtaposition between her sweet maidenhood and her secret burning desires was amplified by her handicap and she became that much more powerful as she found her own footing when it came to becoming a lover.
Her sheath was tight, licking fire down his shaft. Her short gasps fueled the flames. On the verge of bursting he pulled out, drawing a long, languid groan from her. He pushed against her again, entering deeper this time. She tried to close her legs, but he held them open with the strength of his thighs and dipped his hungry mouth to her nipple.
Beyond their physical connection. Emma filled a loneliness that had burrowed into Malcolm’s psyche. He and Emma were not only tender-hearted, they had a kinship that I was pleased to witness. The sexuality, I get it. The call of the loins is indeed hard to ignore, but their quiet moments of honesty and friendship is what I was more taken with. She trusted him to lead her into her newfound confidence and he trusted her with his openness , neither abused or took the other for granted. There was no annoyingly long campaign Malcolm had to embark on to win her heart. She was a little naive (duh- 19) but their true obstacles came from outside forces and they mostly cleaved to one another even when she thought him lost to her, he held fast to her. It just goes to show that there is great comfort and beauty in a simple romantic tale. No shrews, no overly obtuse brutes, just two people, both misunderstood in some way but both willing to take a chance on one another and their own ideals were a non-factor. They laughed and loved and it was beautiful.
Besides the hero and heroine, the secondary characters were colorful and entertaining as well. There is a cast of witty brothers and a hilarious prostitute (yep!) who were regular scene stealers. As expected with Paula Quinn, another one of the strongest secondary character is the lush beautiful highland lands. The imagery was breathtaking and I fell through time and into this novel from the moment I opened it. The Taming of Malcolm Grant was not a one and done for me which belies it’s fast paced and twisty turns. I didn’t sit up and read it all night. I took my time over a few days and enjoyed every moment I transported myself to these far ago, faraway lands. The plot moved and I felt well and truly invested in the resolution. Reading this novel was a fun, little luxury and I eagerly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction. Meat and substance, exceptionally erotic with action and a little adventure weaved within an interesting plot- it was certainly a gem. Paula Quinn regulars are in for another treat and new readers, need not worry that this is a book 4, as these books all standalone so that we are all on the same footing as we embark on the tale.
Grade A
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Erin Burns says
Sounds like a good one, thanks for the rec.