Review - - Highland Defender

Highland Defender

by Kathryn Le Veque

Scots and Swords - Book 2

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date: January 26, 2021

Reviewed by PJ

Ashamed of a decision he made in battle that cost good men their lives, the dark Highlander Bane Morgan escapes to Edinburgh to forget his past. But the more time he spends away from his Highland home, the more he's filled with regret and despair.

Lucia Symington knows something about despair. Forced to work off a family debt for a clan with little moral compass and a particular hatred for her, Lucia loses herself a little more each day. When a chance meeting with Bane gives them both a glimpse of what their future together could be, Bane pledges himself to the Ludus Caledonia, the warrior training club where he can reconnect to the fire for justice that still burns within him. The Highland Defender has returned...only to discover that his quest to free his lady could cost them both everything...

PJ's Thoughts:

Combining adventure and romance, Highland Defender is another enjoyable story in Kathryn Le Veque's Scots and Swords series. Le Veque has become one of my favorite authors writing in the medieval era. Her characters, settings, and situations, even the Ludus Caledonia (the Cal), appear fresh, original, and authentic to the time.

Bane and Lucia were both sympathetic characters in whom I quickly became invested. Battling depression and survivor's guilt, Bane had given up on life but, most importantly, on himself when he first encountered Lucia. A good, honorable, and loyal man, he had made a decision guided by the pride and arrogance of youth, and was still paying the emotional price. Lucia was not in the best of situations herself, though better than Bane. Her situation had come about due to her innate sense of honor but had begun deteriorating to the point where her life could easily be at risk. I really felt for these two and the situations they were in. I liked them and was cheering for them to overcome the hurdles in their path. 

The first part of their story is slower paced but the action picks up by the half-way point. I especially enjoyed the fight scenes at the Cal. I also appreciated that the author had no easy or quick fixes for Lucia and Bane, taking the necessary time for each of them, Bane in particular, to rediscover their inner strength and courage to overcome the obstacles life has given them. It made their decisions, their bond, and the conclusion of their story, that much more satisfying.

There is a strong secondary cast surrounding Bane and Lucia in this book. I especially enjoyed a young boy and an elderly laird who have a profound impact on the hero and heroine. There is also a particularly nasty villain. Actually, two. Without giving away any spoilers, I'll just say that justice was very sweet. 

This is the second book of a series but can be read and enjoyed on its own. I will say, however, that having read book one, Highland Gladiator, it was fun to catch up with several characters from the Cal and learn more about some of them. It has only made me more excited for book three. 

Review - - Highland Gladiator

 

Highland Gladiator

by Kathryn Le Veque

Scots and Swords - Book 1

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date: August 25, 2020

Reviewed by PJ

 

When Lor Careston's quiet Highland village was attacked and burned, he felt helpless against the raiders who destroyed his home. Seeking revenge, but lacking the fighting skills he needs to execute his mission, he sets out to find the Ludus Caledonia—a mysterious fight guild that turns men into warriors.

Lor trains hard, proves himself in the ring, and earns a place with the very clan that decimated his home, having decided to set his plan for revenge in motion from inside the clan. But his plan didn't include Isabail Keith, a fiery lass who prefers broadswords to embroidery and isn't afraid to stand with the warriors of her clan. Lor thought the Keiths were his enemies, but when Isabail is threatened, he'll have to decide what he's willing to risk for the woman who has captured his heart and the clan that has become his home.

PJ's Thoughts:

Kathryn Le Veque takes readers to Medieval Scotland for an emotional saga of clan feuds, a special place that trains only the best warriors, and a man and woman destined to love only one another. I couldn't put it down.

Le Veque created such a perfectly detailed sense of time and place in this book that I was immersed completely into the lives of those living in the fifteenth century Scottish Highlands. Her characters are fully formed, fully engaging me in their lives. I loved Lor (an endearing hero with a transformative journey) and Isabail (a formidable, take-no-prisoners warrior in her own right) and their sweet, some might say, destined romance. I experienced their journeys with them, laughing, crying, cringing, and loathing (a particularly despicable villain). I may have cheered at the way in which the author served up justice in the case of that despicable villain.

The first half of the book was a bit slow while stages were set and characters formed but by the time the action picked up around the mid-point I was fully invested in both Isabail and Lor and the challenges they faced. Surrounding the main couple is a vividly depicted cast of secondary characters who propel the story forward, helping to reveal characters' hidden depths, of Lor in particular. I enjoyed the brotherhood at Ludus Caledonia and the friendships Lor formed there. Isabail's family provided splashes of humor, with siblings who show pesky brothers have been around in every century, and a father whose reaction to a question from Lor had me laughing out loud. Then there's Lor's grandfather who adds a particularly poignant secondary story line to the mix. 

The tag line for this series is "Gladiator meets Fight Club in the Scottish Highlands" which sets pretty high expectations for this lover of Scottish historical romance. Le Veque met my expectations in this emotion-packed story that left me sighing with satisfaction and eagerly anticipating the next book in her Scots and Swords series. That book, Highland Defender, is scheduled to be released January 21, 2021. 

Have you read any of Kathryn Le Veque's books yet? Do you have a favorite book or series?

Do you read Medieval romance? Which authors writing in that era do you most enjoy?