What Kind Of Review Can You Expect?


If I could describe what kind of reader I am, I would hands down say I was an emotional one. When I read I want to fully experience the book, from the emotions coursing through the characters to reacting to the twist and turns of the storyline. I'm looking for those books that fire up my imagination and leave me breathless when it's over. It's for this reason why the reviews I write aren't so much what I think and are more on how I feel. My hopes in sharing my review in this way is that something will spark an interest and have you wanting to have the same experiences. This isn't to say I don't have issues with grammar, word choices etc. Trust me I do and most times all it takes is waiting for the story to grab hold for it not to matter. When I do include things about what I thought about the book (for example I've included comments about word choices and being too descriptive), I only do so because it directly affected how I felt. I hope this helps. Enjoy!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

The Rebel by Julianne MacLean

The Rebel
Julianne MacLean
Historical Romance
Prequel to the Highlander Trilogy

The year is 1715 and the Jacobite Rebellion continues in the Scottish Highlands. He is Alexander MacLean, a fearsome Highland warrior fighting for his true Scottish King. She is Elizabeth Curtis, a beautiful Englishwoman who wears the scarlet uniform of an English soldier and wields a sword like a seasoned fighter on the battlefield. Enemies meet, and passions collide...in THE REBEL


I was in a mini funk the other day. You know how it is, you know you need something but for the life of you, you can’t figure it out. I wanted something to read that wasn’t too heavy, was a quick read but still packed enough of a punch that it had me sighing and swooning a little. Tall order you say? Maybe. As I scrolled through Amazon, waiting for something to jump out at me, the image of a strapping man in plaid called to me and the rest was history. THE REBEL was the perfect solution and straight away from those opening battle scenes I was hooked. This is the book to read when you have that wicked craving but have limited time to fully satisfy it. Not only did I love it but it introduced me to Julianne MacLean who is a new author to me and had me downloading more of her books. So all in all I’m a very happy reader who is now “funk free”

THE REBEL opens up to scenes where our hero Alexander is kicking some serious butt on the battlefield as he defends his rights and King. As victory becomes inevitable and the battle over, he’s surprised by a quick attack from the enemy who refuses to back down. With no other choice but to defend himself and fight, he’s intrigued and shocked to discover the “man” he just knocked unconscious isn’t a man but is in fact a beautiful woman. Hell bent on revenge, Elizabeth throws herself at Alexander, not caring that she is greatly disadvantaged. She has lost everything and the only family she has left is her uncle. Kept prisoner by a now amused Alex, neither can deny the sparks that fly between them as they open up about what is happening around them. This is a great short story as Alex vows to deliver Elizabeth to her uncle and departs, leaving the woman who is no longer his prisoner but whose heart he still holds. For me there were great sigh moments and it’s a great Highlander teaser.

I enjoyed the characters from the story and although I wasn’t able to see all the development that I get with full length stories, there was still enough depth that I was able to connect to both of them. I loved the spunk of Elizabeth and the tenacity she had to throw caution to the wind and fight in a man’s battle. I loved that she snubbed her nose at taboo and she followed her heart. I REALLY enjoyed the way that Alexander responded to her. He had the right amount of smolder and cheekiness to him, that cockiness I’ve come to expect from my Highland warriors and my only disappointment was that although I loved watching them clash and the way Alex flirted, I would have LOVED seeing them “clash and spark” together through a heavy make out session (Highland kissing is HOT) . I will say though that I loved Elizabeth’s first impressions of Alex – how there was “no justice in the world” that a man like him could hold such divine physical perfection. They really were a great couple and I would’ve loved to see much, much more of them.

I really like the writing style of the author. She knew she had limited time with the story and the way she wrote and developed the plot, grabbed me from the beginning. There was such a great pull to it and for someone who loves to be able to “see” what she’s reading, I had no trouble doing that. I’d recommend this book to anyone new to Highlanders and wants to get a glimpse of just why women are so addicted to them. There’s a reason why we all go ga-ga over a man in plaid and I can’t wait to read her upcoming Captured by the Highlander set to be released this March. Happy reading!!


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