Claire Robyns / Historical Romance
Carina Press / June 2010
Two Feuding Families. Amber Jardin has no taste for the bitter feud started before her father's banishment. But now that he's passed, she's had to return to Scotland and his barbaric people. After her bloodthirsty uncle kidnaps one of the family's rivals, Amber is in turn captured by Krayne Johnstone, the enemy laird. Despite their enmity, their attraction is immediate—and unfortunate, as Amber has sworn to escape.
One Lusty Temptation. Krayne is amazed at the wildcat's repeated attempts to flee. He should steel himself against her beguiling ways—yet with time, he is driven more witless with lust. When the ransom exchange fails and Krayne is left with Amber, he finds he cannot tolerate the thought of her with another man—and she cannot tolerate the thought of returning to her uncle's home.
Will passion and love win out over mistrust and betrayal in time to prevent an all-out war?
I’m SUPER addicted to Highlanders so when I picked up this book and saw what it was about, it was a no brainer – I’d read it, I’d love it and I’d finish it with a huge goofy grin on my face. There’s something about those rugged Highland men with their plaids and broadswords that get my heart pounding and when they turn on their charm, speaking in that sexy Scottish brogue, I’m a complete goner and lucky to remember my name (I might actually need to start stitching it on my underwear). BETRAYED had everything the junkie in me needed to soothe my craving and with the extra bonus of a fiery heroine hell bent on defying her Highlander, the book was an amazing experience from beginning to end.
BETRAYED definitely lived up to its title and tells the tale of Amber, a fiery lass who finds herself kidnapped by the neighboring clan’s laird in a bid to use her as ransom to gain back his kinsmen. As it is with most hot headed Scotsman, Amber becomes frustrated when she tries to explain her much hated uncle cares nothing for her and begs to be released but Krayne believes her to be part of the betrayal that led to the capture and refuses to listen. With repeated attempts at escape and great miscommunication, Krayne and Amber constantly battle against each other all the while their attraction to each other burns stronger. As misunderstandings develop, they’re attractions bounce back between anger and hurt, causing them to wrongly accuse and misjudge each other and the situation isn’t helped when they’re told to marry, taking them on an emotional rollercoaster as they find themselves caught up in the murderous plots of Amber’s uncle. With what seems like enormous odds and assumed betrayals to overcome, Krayne and Amber fight their way to a startling question – despite everything that’s happened can they leave it all behind and admit how much they love each other?
This was an amazing story that threw me straight into the Scottish Highlands with all the drama that comes from warring clans and the passion from warring personalities. It completely sucked me in and had me on the edge of my seat as I watched Amber and Krayne go round after round with each other. The author provided excellent detail to the story, showing she really knew her history and I appreciated her ability in painting the scene in my mind because it allowed me to focus solely on the interactions between Amber and Krayne. Even though there was plenty of action from beginning to end, it was the emotions of the characters that really grabbed and moved me. They were just so powerful and I loved that the author wasn’t afraid to have her characters feel ugly towards each other. I really felt that I got a better look at Amber and Krayne by seeing they didn’t always feel so favorably, to see their uncertainty, to see their struggles because it made those tender moments sweeter and more real. They came across incredibly human to me which made connecting with them easy and I really enjoyed the tension between them.
I absolutely adored Amber. I love my heroine’s feisty and she had it in spades. She was fearless to the point that it got her into trouble because she would rush in without thinking. She wasn’t beneath doing whatever it took to get what she needed and had no problem speaking her mind. She was quick to temper and hot blooded and I just loved watching her butt heads with Krayne. I really felt for her because she got herself into so much trouble, trouble that could easily have been avoided but she either didn’t know how to do it or was too afraid of facing Krayne. I just couldn’t help but laugh and kept eagerly reading to see what she’d do in each situation.
Krayne was a typical Highland laird – he was a hard and often stubborn man but when he wants to be, he’s seductive as heck. I absolutely adored him throughout the book and even though with some men arrogance is a turn off, with Krayne … my gosh it was sexy. I loved that he was so cocky and sure of himself one moment and then Amber would get under his skin and totally unman him. I loved the different sides of him the author described – the powerful fearless warrior that would strike fear in the hearts of everyone, the carefree endearing man with the lopsided grin and smiling eyes and especially the seductive man casually leaning against the bedroom wall watching. Amber really didn’t stand a chance when it came to him because I fell for him too.
This was such a great read and one I’ll definitely read over and over again. With great characters who pull you in to their cause and have you laughing and crying with them, I enjoyed every minute of the book and wouldn’t hesitate in recommending it to others. Happy reading!!
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