Member Reviews

Let me set the scene...You have a young boy who was a slave. Rescued by a powerful man of Scotland and raised to be a warrior. All he has is because of the King and this man. All he wants is a title, a wife and children to make life complete. Things however, are not so simple for him.

She has been blessed to live a privileged life and loves all things pretty and nice. After losing both her parents she has taken up residence with her beloved sister and her husband. He is the heir to the Kincaid kingdom and she loves the Kincaid's just as fiercely as if she were born one.

Cull, the slave turned warrior has been given an assignment. Get the Kincaids to surrender their estate and fortunes to the King for their previous history of wrong doings. He is scouting, plotting and moving his men into place when he encounters Derryth, the privileged MacClaren/Kincaid. Thrown together in an unfortuneate situation he has taken an oath to keep her safe while in his camp and release her after the siege. Little does he know, she is one of those he has been sent to siege on and she will not let him hurt those she loves.

Attraction more powerful than either has felt pulls them together despite their opposite sides of the war. Through a series of events they come to love eachother but will it work? How can it work? Not only do they have people plotting against the two of them, they are plotting against each others clans. Is Cull really who he thinks he is, will he finally figure out his history and set a new course for himself?

This was a great story about life, love, loss and triumph. Check it out!

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I've read the previous 2 books and this final book does not disappoint! In this book Derryth MacClaren leaves her castle home to avoid the fighting that is sure to happen. The Wolf is determined to destroy the clan Kincaid and has his famed warrior Cull the Nameless leading the battle. When Derryth's small traveling party is captured by Cull's army, they must endure days of captivity all the while knowing that the army will attack the castle. Can they escape and warn Laird Kincaid or will they have to stand by and watch helplessly as their family and clan are in a battle to the death.

I really liked the interaction between Derryth and Cull. It was a slow buildup of sexual tension and as secrets are revealed, these two must decide if they can act on their mutual attraction or remain enemies. Ms. Blackwood teases out the details of Cull's background and there's a clever twist to the ending. Fans of Scottish romances will certainly enjoy this final book in the Kincaid trilogy.

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Excellent story, I loved this highland adventure and I couldn't put it down,

I received a copy from Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving my own honest opinion

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This third book in Lily Blackwood’s Highland Warrior series tells a familiar story, but one I did not mind retreading. The titular character here is Cull the Nameless, a man who was kept as a slave for many of his formative years before someone bought him his freedom and lead him to a life as a soldier of the king. As the story begins, his benefactor has tapped him to lead a mission to relieve the Kincaid clan of their land.

Wait, you may say, the book is called of The Warrior of Clan Kincaid, but our hero is fighting against that clan? Well, yes and no. You see, the Kincaid men are missing one of their brothers. Or rather, he was presumed dead when their parents were killed. And did I mention that Cull has no recollection of his life before slavery? I don’t mean to spoil anything, really, but it does not take a rocket science to connect the dots. You would have figured it out on your own pretty quickly, I promise. And even though it takes a little while to spell it out on page, the big reveal is in the book’s blurb, so I don’t feel too guilty for mentioning it here.

This is a premise I have read several times over the years, but Lily Blackwood does a pretty good job with it.

As Cull and his men march toward their quarry, they come across Derryth, the laird’s sister-in-law, but they have no idea of her true identity. When some of Cull’s mercenaries get a little too aggressive with her, he takes responsibility for her and decides to keep her with him at all times for her protection. Only there is no protecting her heart or his own from the inevitable. Of course, they can’t help but to fall in love with each other.

Cull is a pretty solid hero. He has had a very difficult past, but he has held onto his humanity. He is fair and just, and though he lives a violet life, he is gentle with those who need it the most. Derryth knows he is the enemy, but in seeing his softer side, coupled with the undeniable physical attraction, her fight against her feelings is a losing battle. Derryth is supposed to be a little bit spoiled, but I did not find her terribly off-putting. I am not sure it is 100% believable that she could fall so hard and quickly for a man that she knows is going to plunder her home, but Cull is drawn very well and I guess I can put that aside based on his swooniness.

This book, while third in the trilogy, holds up very well as a standalone. Interestingly, when I looked back to see more details on the first two books, I found that I had actually read the first one a few years ago. It seems I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as I did this one, so don’t be afraid to jump in to the series at this point. It will still work.

This book had good sexual tension, dastardly villains, and a satisfying ending that gave me everything I wanted. If you’re in the mood for a Highlander story, this one is worth checking out.

Rating: B

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I did not read the first two books in this series, but I don't think that caused any problems. I enjoyed the story line and the characters were very well written. Very captivating story that grabs you from the beginning.

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3.5 stars

This was an uneven read for me. Some parts I just loved, others were somewhat problematic. I think this series is best read in order. It worked ok as a standalone, as I read it that way, but it’s clear that it is a highly connected series.

The writing is very engaging. That is what is going to drive me to try more by this author. I liked the characters, and I thought the romance and attraction well written, though maybe a bit too fast-paced. I had some issues the plot and love scenes, however. I had trouble buying into the fact that the hero persisted in assuming the heroine was a peasant, despite how she was traveling on horseback and with an entourage. I also thought the command of the army by the hero felt inauthentic. The love scenes were going well until <spoiler>womb clenches shaft — THE PENIS DOESN’T GO INTO THE UTERUS. THIS WOULD BE VERY PROBLEMATIC!</spoiler>. Otherwise, it would have been a much better read for me.

This was a first for me by this author, and I will be checking out the first in this series at some point.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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All I can say is WOW!!!!! This is literally the best historial fiction book I have ever read. I loved every single thing about this story. The characters, their friends and family, the story line, the drama, the suspense, even the HEA all had me hooked from the very first word. Ninety-nine point nine percent of the time I read free e-books. This book, I would pay for 100 times over! This is one book that will stay on my device forever!!!!! I wish I could give more than 5 stars!

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This is 3rd in a series, but I didn't feel as if I had missed anything by not reading the previous books. That said - I really want to go back and read them now!

Cull - what a fabulous hero. I fell a bit in love with him. He was a pure alpha male, without being a total jerk. The chemistry with Derryth was amazing. I couldn't stop turning the pages to continue their road to happy ever after. This story had it all - strong lead characters, great villans and wonderful chemistry.

This was my first by Lily Blackwood, but will not be my last.

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Transport yourself back in time to the Scottish highlands. This book definitely was everything you could possibly imagine. Derryth fled in the middle of the night to avoid the one person who would hold her captive. In her attempt to escape she is held prisoner until a battle can commence. Meeting the Cullen the Nameless is something she never expected and trying to save her kinsman is all that matters. Trying to be brave where before she was considered a spoiled brat changes in the blink of an eye. Finding out who Cull really is was a stroke of fate but can she stop a battle that would claim the lives of the innocent kinsmen she refers to as her family? Definitely a great read!

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Kindly provided with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review....

What's not to like about gorgeous highlanders ?
This was Cull and Derryth's tale and wow they so deserved their HEA !!
Quite the interesting manner these two met.....captive and rescuer. I assure you there's no Stockholm syndrome going on here ;0). Its just an unlikely pair coming together in a situation that was less than desirable and forging friendship and ultimately true love.......sigh with happiness x

Fantastic plot, pace and characters. From start to finish you are captivated into this medieval master piece.

Many thanks for this opportunity and 5+++ Stars from me xx Well done Lily, damn fine job x

Later peeps xx

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This is the first book I have read by Lily Blackwood, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My thanks go to the publisher for inviting me to read and review prior to publication. My opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

The story is fast paced with a good bit of action and suspense. It pulled me in from the beginning and kept me engaged to the ending. The writing flows beautifully with just the right amount of description to give me a true sense of the time period.

The heroine is engaging and has all the characteristics that a medieval lady should have. While a woman of her times, she is loyal to her family and those in her care. She is willing to put their needs before her own. I truly wanted her to find her happy ending.

I loved the hero immediately. He is honorable, and while he desperately wants to achieve the lands promised to him, he will not hurt others to accomplish it. He clearly cares deeply for the heroine and is willing to give up his dreams for her.

The romance between the hero and heroine starts as a slow burn and becomes combustible. The sexual tension between the pair is excellent. They are well suited for each other, and I am thrilled they found their happily ever after.

If you enjoy a great medieval romance with wonderful characters and an exciting plot then you will love The Warrior of a clan Kincaid. I look forward to reading other books by this talented author. Happy reading!

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Lily Blackwood is one of the queens of historical highland romance! She crafts a historically immersive world you can almost reach out and touch. You can clearly visualize what it was like to live in that period. She makes it that much better by throwing in a couple of fabulous MCs’ in a plot that keeps those pages turning!

Derryth is the younger sister of Elspeth; the wife of Niall Braewick, head of the Kincaid clan. Derryth is living with Elspeth and brother-in-law. She’s been happy and is loved by many. But trouble is brewing and when it’s suspected they’ll soon be under siege, plans are made to send Derryth away to keep her safe. So, she sets of with a group of protectors chosen by Niall.

Unfortunately, during their journey a group of mercenaries, hired to fight for the king’s army, attack them!

Sir Cull the Nameless leads the division of the king’s army on a mission to defeat the highlanders seen as enemies to the king. Especially, the Clan Kincaid. As the army approaches their enemy, Cull gives strict orders that travelers are not to be attacked so as not to raise the alarm.

When he finds his mercenaries attacking a group of “peasants” with a young “peasant” girl in danger of getting raped he’s furious. Not knowing the group is from the clan Kincaid, Cull takes them all into custody; and to protect Derryth from the soldiers he brings her to his tent.

And so, starts the dance between captive-captor and the inevitable attraction that burns between them!

Derryth is a slightly spoiled, charming young woman. She’s kind, smart and has a strong will. At first, she’s unsure of herself but she adapts to her captivity and becomes resolved to help those she loves. I loved her fierce loyalty and determination. I found her to be courageous and I truly enjoyed her character. She was the perfect match for Cull.

Cull is an honorable man indebted to the man who bought him out of slavery as a young boy. He has no memory of his life before that. As a result, he has no clue who he is other than Sir Cull the Nameless, a soldier trained to fight in the King’s army. But he’s desperate for an identity. He wants a name, land and children of his own. His sole focus is to move through the ranks to achieve that goal. Little does he know that his supposed savior isn’t who he thinks he is…

When Derryth finds a telling tattoo under Culls arm his world is turned upside down. Suddenly Cull the nameless most definitely has a name! What will he do? Will he exact his own revenge? What will that mean for him and Derryth?

This is a great story full of intrigue with twists and turns that I found thoroughly enjoying. The romance was sweet (though a bit fast for those who aren’t fans of insta-love). The plot’s well-developed and told at a perfect pace. The main characters were fabulous; however, while enjoyable, the secondary characters tended to be a bit bland at times. That’s the only reason I dropped the review by a star.

Thank you, Lily Blackstone for another amazing highland romance 😉 I’d recommend to anyone who loves big sexy highlanders!

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I received The Warrior of Clan Kincaid by Lily Blackwood from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This is the first time I have read anything from Lily Blackwood and the third book from her Highland Warrior series.
Derryth MacClaren is sent in the dead of night from her home in the mist of a vicious attack to keep her safe. However, she is captured by Cull and claims her as his prize. Cull has no memory of his family or past. Only that The Wolf saved him from a slave boat and gave him a chance as a warrior. As Derryth and Cull spend time together, attractions develop and there can be no denying their feelings. But, as Derryth and Cull grow closer together, The Wolf, strives to keep them apart and to keep Cull's history from him. As the truth comes to light, Derryth is afraid of losing Cull to The Wolf and his family.
I enjoyed the book... once I figured out what was going on. I would highly recommend reading the first two to understand the characters. Cull was a fair and honest hero and Derryth was temperamental in the beginning. From Derryth's musings, I think she was spoiled and not very independent. But, Derryth grows and matures as the book continues.
The ending sneaks up on you. It reads more as a summary of what happens. I enjoyed the book but would have preferred more time and pages on the ending than some of the filler during the book. All in all, an enjoyable introduction to Blackwood and her writing. #TheWarriorofClanKincaid #NetGalley

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This is the third volume in the series about the three Kincaid brothers who lost their clan after treason and were separated by the warriors in charge of their protection. In the first volume the first born, Niall, took back the clan by wedding one enemy’s daughter. In the second Magnus discovered he wasn’t the illegitimate son of another enemy. It’s time to meet the third brother.

Cull was freed from a slave dealer by the last (and most powerful) enemy. He has no memory before his slavery, and thanks to the one who freed him he has become a powerful warrior for the Scottish King. He’s here to apply the royal justice against the Kincaid brothers of whom he doesn’t know anything, and the enemy promised him a name and lands, big thing for him who is called Cull The Nameless. He’s a honest hero, decent, perhaps a bit obtuse at times, but who doesn’t enjoy violence but only justice. When he discovers he has perhaps been duped he doesn’t hesitate to search for answers and refuses to take the law into his own hands, preferring to refer it to the king.

Derryth is the half-sister of the heroine in the first volume. She has the feeling she serves no purpose as a woman and has decided to implicate herself more in the castle’s existence. She’s nice but a little too easily angered even if she knows how to control it.
The attraction between them is fast even if they try to resist, especially Derryth because she knows Cull is her family’s enemy (he doesn’t know her real name), but the feelings come too quickly. Fortunately after some event the story is spread on several weeks so we can believe in this couple.

I didn’t really understand the logic for the hero of the first volume, where Derryth is at the beginning of the novel, to send her home with a handful of guards, in a two days travel, because there are perhaps soldiers ready to attack. If there’s a threat she’s more secure inside the castle than on the road isn’t it? Well what was bound to happen happens, they’re captured – well, if not, the couple wouldn’t have met…

At the end Cull is recognized by his brother and the big bad guy is punished, without big battle or blood. However there’s a hole concerning a traitor we don’t know in the end what happened to him, which I find frustrating. But the whole seemed floppy and I was less thrilled by this last volume than by the previous ones in spite of its evident qualities.

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The Warrior of Clan Kincaid (7/31)
Lily Blackwood

Cull is a King's guard and the most celebrated warrior in the land. However, he comes from humble beginnings. He was bought from a slave ship as a child and raised to be a warrior for Scotland.

As he leads a small army to lay siege, on a castle his men capture a group of travelers. This is where his path crosses Derryth, and a rocky courtship ensues.

I really enjoyed reading Cull and Derryth's story, even if I kept tripping over Derryth's name. The characters are well developed and act accordingly. The story has plenty of interesting double-crosses to keep the reader engaged.

This is the third in the Highland Warrior series and now I'm going to have to find the other stories to read.

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Cull, a warrior for the Wolf, kidnaps Derryth and her protectors because he's not sure which clan they are from. To keep her safe, he sent her to his tent and acts as her protector. Cull has the mark of a slave or so he thinks, he's a man without a past. Derryth plots an escape and fails. As she agrees to abide by Cull until he's able to set her free, sparks fly between them.

They fall in love, but he cannot make her fully his without permission from the Wolf, the man to whom he owes his life, but Cull is ultimately loyal to the King. When the Wolf's order to attack a clan seems suspicious, he waits for orders from the King. They do not come, and Cull is forced to make a hard choice.

Derryth is fooled by a missive and finds herself kidnapped again, and this time she has no protection. Cull will do anything to save her, and in doing so, he learns of his past and the truth of his marking. Derryth and Cull will have to find trust and forgiveness to forge forward in love, but will it be in time?

**received an ARC from netgalley**

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I thought this book was okay. It was a fast easy read for me that I felt had a few too many cliches but hey it was still fun.

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We find ourselves in Medieval Scotland with the author telling the tale of Cull the Nameless and Darryth "Kincaid".....

Ok, so this story was, for me, an empty love story and nothing more. There was no substance to the story line, a lot of loose ends, and the Epilogue didn't fit into the rest of the book! I wanted to like this book and there were parts that had me completely hooked, but it felt more like a balloon to me.... pretty on the outside with nothing on the inside. There was nothing new or exciting about this book, and I'm positive I can go through my shelf and find at LEAST half a dozen other books exactly like this one.

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3.5-4 stars, I can't decide.

I didn't realize when I received the ARC of The Warrior of Clan Kincaid that it was the third book in the series, but it worked pretty well as a standalone.

I was immediately hooked to the story. Derryth is a high-spirited girl and I love her sassiness. I especially love when she went head to head with Cull and stood her ground, eventhough he was a big scary dude. There's a bit of a forbidden attraction going on, since Cull was the enemy of Derryth's clan and had plans to invade their home, but it worked pretty nicely. I shed tears at the scene when Cull asked Derryth to choose him.

The only thing that bugged me was the bit where Cull discovered that he was actually a Kincaid felt a bit rushed. It was probably at 90% mark of the story? It didn't really have the impact that I wanted.

Overall, it was entertaining. I was surprised that I was able to finish it in one sitting because I was in a blah mood. Anyway, Robert needs his own book and HEA, yes? Yes.

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Rescued from slavery, Sir Cull the Nameless repays his benefactor by becoming one of the Kings own guard and his best and most trusted warrior. He hopes soon to win the right to lands and a family of his own.
Derryth MacClaren is not happy about being sent to safety when trouble arrives. Unfortunately the route they take is the wrong one. Our heroine is a lot stronger than she believes.
Our hero has suffered all his life and will soon discover the ulterior motives behind it all.
An exciting highland adventure, full of great characters.

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