Book Description 

A REBEL AT HEART

Maisie Murray’s sweet, docile exterior masks the courageous spirit of a firebrand determined to champion women’s suffrage with like-minded friends. But fighting for her principles has swept her directly into harm’s way—and into the arms of a man she cannot resist.

A WARRIOR BY BLOOD

A trained officer with the Royal Highland Regiment, Niall Campbell has spent his life serving the Crown. Battle-weary and searching for peace, he wants nothing to do with trouble—until he meets Maisie. But unless Niall and Maisie can find a way to stand up to the destructive forces that threaten to divide them, long-buried secrets and political schemes are destined to stand in the way of the glorious love they’ve found…

My Review 

This is the second book in the series, but I inadvertently read it before the first book in the series. All things considered, this made more sense because most of the book takes place BEFORE the events of the first book. 

If you look at this book as a historical romance, you’ll find it somewhat lacking considering there’s virtually no chemistry between the two protagonists. They met a couple of times and then bam, he’s proposing marriage. Worse yet, they connect physically, and then he tells her that she’s freed from any obligations regarding their engagement because he has to go off and do things. 

OMG WHAT??

But it ends up okay because fate has deigned that their paths will cross again and then they do get married and everything works out, aside from the lack of chemistry. 

However, if you consider this book as a work of historical fiction, it’s a decent story. On one side, you have a secret rebel who works hard to ensure that weavers and other workers have rights. On the other hand, you have a trained soldier who is tired of doing England’s dirty work and would like nothing more than to see Scotland free and independent. 

See, the setup has good bones! The only thing I didn’t like was the strange preoccupation with torture. Yes, we all know that English troops are the Baddies, But the mentions of torture if caught, and even WORSE torture for women seemed excessive for a book that isn’t marketed as a dark romance. 

In addition to the dual points of view from the hero and heroine, there’s also a third POV character who’s only tangentially related to the events of this book. It makes more sense if you’ve read the first book, but it’s confusing as to how she related to the two protagonists of THIS book.

I would recommend Highland Jewel if you’re looking for historical fiction with elements of romance. But like I said, if you’re looking for only historical romance, this is probably not the book for you. 

I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin’s/NetGalley.