Tempest in the Highlands by May McGoldrick
The Scottish Relic Trilogy, #3
Historical Romance
Released: December 6, 2016
Swerve

Reviewed by Sheena

Miranda MacDonnell is on the run. When she inherited a mysterious relic from her mother, she had no idea the dangers it would bring. Now hunted by a relentless foe who will stop at nothing to find her, she has one choice: stow away on the ship of the notorious privateer, Black Hawk.

Rob Hawkins, the half-English privateer known as Black Hawk, has a mission from the Tudor king to find and kill the rogue commander, Sir Ralph Evers. To complete his quest, Hawk must find Miranda, a young woman Evers is pursuing. Caught in a tempest, he is shipwrecked with a “boy” who demonstrates an uncanny ability for saving him. Cast away on the mysterious Isle of the Dead, Hawk realizes that the “boy” traveling with him is actually Miranda MacDonnell and having her means that Evers will come to him. What begins as a ploy —using her as bait—soon changes, however, as he falls in love with her.

Favorite Quote: “How old were you when you had your first? You can at least remember that.”
“Sixteen.”
“So late?” That was late? Miranda stole a glance at him.  “Aye, but I hear lechers start very young.  You must have been scarcely weaned when you bedded your first lass.”
He laughed so hard his eyes watered.  “So, you’ve been hearing the songs they sing about me.”

*sings* Dude looks like a lady! Ummmm, So, I really don’t think “Hero thinks Heroine is a dude” trope works for me.   It was initially hard to get the feels for this couple and without feels, who cares?  Thankfully, Rob “Hawk”, swiftly puts an end to Miranda’s farce and then bam- the feels!  Miranda is a special young woman, gifted by her mother, the gift of foresight, visions of future peril that she alone can prevent from happening.  Her mother possessed the gift and passed it on to her daughter before her tragic death. The novel begins with Miranda running for her life, to escape the danger and persecution that befell her own mother, once beloved by her clan, only to be believed accursed and dabbling in dark magic and witchcraft when her gift became public.  Miranda chops off her hair and boards Rob’s ship, masquerading as a kitchen boy, biding her time to reach safety from persecution and the evil man who pursues her in hopes of murdering her to steal her gift- and powerful relic that fuels it.

A powerful gale storm maroons them on an island, where they find more danger and love (because duh!). The plot is fast paced and each chapter is punctuated with a punch of mystery and action.  Though third in the series, this is my second Scottish Relic Trilogy book and I enjoyed it even more than its predecessor,Taming the Highlander.  What stands out most with these novels is the amount of reality that requires suspension.  There are some far out and trippy things afoot and the sooner you let go of needing plausibility in the narrative – like any plausibility- and the more you will enjoy the story.  There were several instances where I had to let go of the nagging “whaaa?” and seemingly herculean strength of the pixie-like Miranda as she manages to accomplish great physical feats.  Do yourself a favor and think let it go, its fantasy historical romance.  Then and only then- dive in.  Miranda and Rob compliment one another a great deal.  There is such humor and faultless compatibility between the two that their scenes took on a life of their own, drawing me in and in no time I was itching to be on that forsaken island right along with them if only to witness their chemistry first hand.

“This is a dangerous game we’ve started,” he said.  She understood what he was saying. It was impossible to not feel his erection pressing against her.  Unwrapping her legs from his waist, she tried to float away, but his arm around her waist kept her close.

“I don’t mean to scare you off,” he said.  “But you’re too beautiful, too tempting, and I’m a man.”  Hawk released his hold on the wall, and they floated together.  His gaze never left her face.  “But I want you to know you can trust me.”

And trust him she does.  Miranda and Rob are 100% partners in their adventure.  They both have wits and strengths and I appreciated that Rob had a healthy respect for Miranda’s gift and intelligence.  While he was certainly an alpha kind of male, he didn’t marginalize her as some off shot little lass who only needs protection with nothing to bring to a fight.  Together they fight for their lives and the future of their realm.  I do not recommend Tempest in the Highlands as a stand alone novel.  There are several passages (maybe one too many- the passages did make me weary- were pretty boring, I much rather stay in the moment with Miranda and Rob where things were interesting) that go into the history of the relics and why the dastardly Evers is willing to indiscriminately kill innocent women to possess their powers. However, I’d still maybe at least read book two, just to have a healthy appreciation for the world building and character motivations.

The imagery and beautifully descriptive language made this novel quite enjoyable.  Scottish Highland novels are typically beautifully set and the author took care not to miss the mark with this series closing novel.  I remember being disappointed in the lack of imagery and description in book 2, so it was a boon to see that “miss” corrected and flourishing in this last novel.  Fans of this genre will enjoy this couple, maybe more so than they enjoy the larger story-line.  The inclusion of druids, giants,  long-lost siblings and unbelievable mishaps, were icing on the cake, especially if you go for intriguing and mysterious, multi layered stories that wrap up nicely with a solid HEA.  The only thing truly missing was an epilogue.  You seriously shouldn’t end a trilogy without a really god epilogue.  It’s kind of romance fiction law- or at least it should be!

Grade: B-

Previous May Goldrick reviews: Taming the Highlander
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