No Other Highlander (The McKennas) by Adrienne Basso is an intriguing Medieval Scottish Romance set in 1334 Scottish Highlands.
WOW! Fast paced, adventure filled, heart -pounding and very captivating tale of heartbreak, healing, forgiveness, learning to trust and finding HEA, peace and happiness. Such a powerful and compelling story!

Lady Joan Armstrong Fraser, was an abused wife with a small son Callum, escapes her abusive husband. While, she used to be a pampered and indulged daughter of a laird, her marriage to a brute and tyrant changed her, forever. Now she only wishes to provide her son with protection, security and love. Unfortunately, she’ll get no help from her father.
Sir Malcolm McKenna has known Lady Joan since her childhood he remembers her as a spoiled princess who is both dangerous and lovely. When she steps in to protect Malcolm he sees another side to the woman she’s grown into, she is fierce, tolerate and loves her child unconditionally.

Ms. Basso has written a sensitive, complicated, compassionate story of second chances that will captivate readers and capture their hearts from the first page to the last. Can horrors from the past, find healing and learn to trust and love, leaving all the baggage as a distance memory?

I adore how Ms. Basso brings this masterfully written story full circle to provide readers with mystery, suspense, passion and love. A must read Medieval Scottish Romance!
I can’t wait to read more of “The McKennas”.
Ms. Basso provided me with a few hours of escape from realism to the world of Highlanders, clans, and the lasses who loves them. I read it in one setting. I couldn’t put it down once I started reading! Strongly recommended!
I received a complimentary copy.

Rating: 4.5
Heat rating: Mild to a bit steamy
Reviewed by: AprilR

Move over Jamie and Claire....here comes Malcolm and Joan!
Joan has gotten out of an abusive marriage and she has a beautiful son, Callum, that is her life. She is determined that she will never marry again but her life is becoming hard since her father is about to remarry someone that she cannot live with! Malcolm McKenna is everything that you could image from a handsome, Highlander warrior! His wife died and he is left with a darling daughter that everyone thinks he overindulges. The result is one of the BEST stories that I've read in a while! Adrienne Basso is now on my list of authors to read! I absolutely loved the story and found it to be a cut above most "bodice rippers"! The plot was imaginative and interesting and I loved it! I highly recommend this book to lovers of historical romance and also to lovers of Outlander!

No Other Highlander by Adrienne Basso will be available February 28, 2017 by Zebra Books, an imprint of Kensington Publishing Corp. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Excellent story. Enjoyed this book very much. Wonderful H, sometimes wonderful h, well written, well developed, exciting and interesting, with a hint of danger and a lot of passion. Well deserved HEA, looks like a series of books to come. Will continue to follow the story and author.

A definite GOODREAD! Perhaps an understatement in writing. I sincerely believe that this was a great read! The vivid story and the plot and the characters are just wow! I was totally captivated and held within as the plot unfolded. I had so many emotions while reading, feeling for the hero and the heroine as well as frustration and anger at some of the characters plots! I was involved in the story and could not help smiling as things and wrongs were righted. This author is truly amazing in the way she can write a story and hold you on the edge of the seat while keeping your heart and emotions totally involved. I absolutely loved this book. I cannot write enough to give it the emphasis it deserves for being unique, captivating and just magical to read. So buy the book, it's a definite keeper! I was given this book in return for an honest review. Anna Swedenmom

I loved, loved, loved “No Other Highlander” by Adrienne Basso! The heroine, Joan, is an interesting one. She isn’t well-liked by her people and she readily admits to her faults. She is beautiful and grew up vain about her appearance and until her abusive first husband put her aside, was not always a pleasant person to be around.

Malcolm is accused of seducing and impregnating another clan’s young daughter and has agreed to meet with the clan on neutral ground to settle the matter. The meeting host is Joan’s father where they meet again. Malcolm first met Joan when his brother married her cousin Davinia. He always thought Joan was beautiful, but cold, until he realized that she was good at hiding her emotions and putting on a front.

Malcolm realizes that he wants Joan, he wants a fiery woman who will heat his blood and not a meek, gentle wife like his first wife. He sets out to convince her that they would be good together, he will protect her young son and she will be a stepmother to his daughter.

There are some passionate love scenes between these two. I really enjoyed Joan as a heroine, if you read James and Davinia’s story, she is not a likable character – but it is refreshing to read about a heroine who isn’t absolutely perfect. Malcolm, oh how sexy he is! There is a ton of chemistry that leaps off the pages. Highly recommend this book, Ms. Basso is becoming a favorite author of mine!

I loved this book! I am totally in love with Malcolm McKenna!!!

Malcolm, the heir to the McKenna clan and widower, has been accused of taking advantage of the daughter of another clan, ruining her and leaving her with child. As much as Malcolm cannot believe this, he can't be 100% certain he didn't sleep with the woman. He knows he would have never made promises or taken an unwilling woman, but he honestly can't remember as he had been in his cups at the gathering. He needs to see the woman in person. His father agrees to set up a meeting and suggests the clans meet on neutral ground. Malcolm knows he needs to new wife and a mother for his daughter, but he will not be forced into another unsatisfying marriage.

Lady Joan Armstrong is the disgraced daughter of the Armstrong laird. She has been set aside by her loathsome husband and has returned to her father's home with her young son. Joan is portrayed as a shrew and she kind of is, but she has changed from the young, spoiled princess that made her cousin Davina's life miserable. Being married to the abusive Laird Fraser changed her. She now keeps up the persona of a shrew to hide and to keep herself safe from another unwanted marriage.

When Malcolm arrives he is struck anew by Joan's beauty and spirit. He acknowledges that she is a shrew, but he is drawn to her anyway. Joan tries her best to understand her unwanted attraction to Malcolm and is determined to stay away from him. But fate has other plans for these two. Malcolm saves Joan more than once and she in turn saves him. When Malcolm is confronted by his accuser, he knows that he never met the woman, let alone fathered a child with her. Joan figures out the truth and helps Malcolm clear his name and ends up married to him!

What ensues is a truly delightful story, it is well written, flows nicely, has steamy love scenes, great secondary characters, some action and a truly lovely ending.

This book is the second in the series, but could easily be a stand alone title. I gladly recommend this book and am looking forward to Kathrine's story!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book of love, family, friendship, and redemption. Author did an excellent job of winding all the lives of different characters while being true in the depiction of historical Scottish clans. I truly hope that the author continues writing books of this caliber for years.

Scottish Highlands, 1334: The McKenna clan flourishes under a family of warriors, fierce and righteous, faithful to their own until the last. But to produce an heir, the widowed eldest son must risk his heart again . . .

Lady Joan Armstrong Fraser was once the indulged and pampered daughter of a laird. But marriage to a brute changed her. When he sets her aside, she has only her wits and her beauty to protect herself and her child from the chaos of her former home. She will have to find another husband—a man whose strength is more than a weapon against the weak. A man she can trust . . . if such a man even breathes.

Sir Malcolm McKenna has known Lady Joan since her childhood, a spoiled princess as dangerous as she is lovely. But when she steps forward to protect him against a false accusation, he discovers a character stronger than he guessed—and an attraction he yearns to explore . . .

Malcolm McKenna has been accused of devirginizing a woman, promising her marriage and then disappearing. The woman is the daughter of the McPhearson laird and he’s so mad now that his daughter has given birth that he’s put a price on Malcolm’s head. When Malcolm hears about this he’s shocked! Though he was drunk during the fete that this liaison supposedly took place, he thinks he’d remember deflowering a woman! Malcolm’s father, Laird McKenna, decides to meet with the McPhearson to work out the issue. They decide to meet on Armstrong territory as it’s neutral territory.

Joan Armstrong is a woman who married a monster. He was brutal and abused her both verbally and physically. He finally put her aside and got an annulment stating that she was insane. She doesn’t like the stigma of insanity but she’s certainly happy to be out from under his thumb. Unfortunately coming home with her two-year-old son isn’t a happy reunion. Her father doesn’t want her there because of the embarrassment Joan has brought to him and the family/clan. She tries to do all she can to help but it’s never enough for her father. She knows she’ll never remarry so what will she do if her father does remarry - she’ll no longer be needed. When the McPhearson’s and the McKenna’s show up Joan is happy to look after them but being on the outside of the discussion she sees what no one else does – that Malcolm’s truly wrongly accused. When the truth comes out the McPhearson wants Malcolm to marry his daughter anyway but in a stroke of inspiration Malcolm states he’s already engaged to Joan.

To say that Joan’s not happy about Malcolm’s declaration is an understatement but Malcolm is attracted to her and knows that he can care for her and her son. He finally talks her into agreeing and they head off to McKenna lands. Joan has agreed to marry Malcolm but will she ever be able to trust a man again and open her heart.

This was a great story. I loved Joan and the love she had for her son. She’d had such a bad marriage and she truly deserved happiness but she never thought it would come to her in yet another marriage. I loved how Malcolm slowly brought her out of her shell and was so patient with her. He knew that she’d had a rough go of it with her previous husband and though he wanted to bed her he took things slow and easy with her. He was a good man through and through and he made a great hero. Once Joan opened up a bit we got to see that she was a good woman as well. I thought that the pair were perfect together and was so happy when everything worked out.

Besides Joan’s husband and his dastardly deeds during one portion of the book there really wasn’t a villain involved in No Other Highlander. I really enjoyed the story being relationship driven and not having to worry about a whodunit as well. The book was fun and funny as well as touching and emotional which to me was a good mix.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

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