I did not see the twist in this one coming. I loved this book! I forgot how much I enjoy a good historical romance. I will definitely be adding this author ti my TBR.

Greatly enjoyed this one. The pacing was great, characters were easy to like and the plot was actually entertaining. Scotland setting was fun and something I always love to see. The summary really grabbed my attention. I haven't read the other books in the series, but I personally didn't think that took too much away from enjoying or understanding what was happening. If anything it made me want to read the other books!

I have a love of all things Scottish. Heck, BK, my SO, can trace his roots back to Dundee, Scotland (2nd generation Scots on his mother's side). I love historical romances based in Scotland and/or have Highlander's. Ever since I had read Heather and Velvet by Teresa Medeiros, I have been hooked. So when I read the synopsis for The Warrior of Clan Kincaid, I thought "Right up my alley". And guess what, it was.

I liked the plotline of The Warrior of Clan Kincaid. Cull was indebted to the Wolf. The Wolf rescued him from a slave ship in the Mediterranean when he was a child and trained him to a warrior. Cull rose through the ranks to fight for the Scottish King. He also is loyal to the Wolf. When the Wolf says that he has the king's permission to move on the current Laird Kincaid, Cull doesn't think twice. Derryth is being sent back to her stepmother to keep her safe as the battle looms. But she wasn't safe. She was captured by Cull on the journey to her stepmother. She starts to develop feelings for Cull. It is after one magical night that she realizes who Cull is. Can she convince him to join his brothers in battle and embrace his birthright? Or is he too in debt to the Wolf to break free?

I liked Derryth. I loved seeing her transformation from a selfish little girl to a poised young woman. When she was first captured by Cull, I did get a laugh when she started using her wits to keep Cull away from her. I thought her drenching his side of the bed with cold water was funny. When she was held by the Wolf, she used her wits to keep one step ahead of the Wolf. She also revealed to Cull who he was and set that chain of events in motion. I admired her by the end of the book.

I felt awful for Cull. He was a slave until he was 12 when he was rescued by the Wolf. Then he was trained to fight for the King. But he was also used to do the Wolf's dirty work. Work that included waging battle on the Kincaid's. He didn't particularly want to do it. He wanted a rest but if the Wolf said jump, Cull asked how high. All he wanted to was to find a place to belong. A sense of self. He had insecurities from being "Nameless", which is what the King dubbed him. Which is why Derryth was good for him. She made him think about the future. 

The Wolf was an evil SOB. When he revealed why he ordered the execution of the former Laird of Kincaid, I got queasy, then angry. Love does strange things to people. What was even more messed up was that he knew where Cull was and he let him SUFFER for 5 years. The Wolf should have been hung up by his nads for that one. I loved the afterward. The author explained that he was a true historical figure and what happened to him the last night of his life. Poetic justice!!!

I felt that there was little build up to Derryth and Cull's romance and relationship. It moved too fast for me. I like at least some romance before the characters start having feelings for each other.

The sex between Derryth and Cull was super hot. Even though there was a lack of romance, it didn't mean that there was a lack of sexual attraction. The author waited and banked on that attraction until it exploded between them. Even better, the sex was great for the rest of the book. There wasn't one sex scene that was great and then the rest were stagnant. Nope, all the sex scenes were fantastic.

The end of the book was great. I did have some issues believing that Cull embraced his family as well as he did. Other than that, I loved it. I loved that justice was served at the end of the book and in the afterward!! I do wish that another book would be written about Ainsley. I would love to see what her story would be. 

What I liked about The Warrior of Clan Kincaid:

A) Set in Scotland and had Highlanders

B) The plotline

C) Derryth. Her transformation was great

What I disliked about The Warrior of Clan Kincaid:

A) The Wolf. He was an evil SOB

B) Little romantic build up for Derryth and Cull

C) Had a hard time believing that Cull embraced his family as well as he did in the book.

I would give The Warrior of Clan Kincaid an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is violence. There is no language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Warrior of Clan Kincaid. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Paperbacks, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Warrior of Clan Kincaid.

All opinions stated in this review of The Warrior of Clan Kincaid are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

I don’t think the dictionary contains enough superlatives for me to tell you how much I enjoyed this series and this book. I have never given 5-star ratings to all of the books in a series before, so this is definitely a first. The story immediately sucked me right into that time period and the lives of the people who dwell there and it didn’t let me go until some hours after I had read the last words. It is well plotted, excellently written and has very likable and relatable characters. You COULD read this as a stand-alone if you insist, but I cannot imagine why you’d want to. The first book sets up the background excellently and the second book builds and the third book – well, sadly I guess it ends it. There is also a most excellent ‘Afterward’ in the book, but I would have loved to see an Epilogue from 5 or so years down the road to see how they are all doing, how the kids, are, etc. After all – Cull had only just met his brothers at the end of the book and I’d love to know how their relationships developed. Yep – that is my one and only complaint about the book.

Derryth MacClaren has been pulled from her bed in the wee hours of the morning to be dressed in the clothes of a servant. She’s placed on a donkey and told she must leave the castle immediately. She’s still groggy but knows she cannot, absolutely cannot, leave her nine-months-pregnant sister Elspeth (heroine from the first story in the series). However, Elspeth and her husband, Niall insist she must leave. Then, she suddenly knew why she was being made to leave. “It’s the Wolf, isn’t it?” Just speaking his name caused her vision to blur and her throat to close. As she set out on her journey she was accompanied by three of Niall’s best warriors and her old nursemaid. They were to take a circuitous route to get to their destination – it made the trip longer, but should have been safer.

Sir Cull the Nameless is a knight in service to the king of Scotland. He’s the best warrior and the most honorable warrior in all of Scotland as well. Cull was a slave on a ship and was rescued by Buchan who took him to Scotland and placed him in a school to be trained as a warrior. Cull was only twelve years old when he was rescued and he had no idea what his name was or how long he’d been on that slaver's ship. Buchan has now called him to the Highlands of Scotland to perform a task for the King even though Cull has never been to the Highlands. Cull dreams of having a name, land and a family and this new mission will give him all of that. All he has to do is defeat the people at the legendary Castle in the Clouds and take possession.

Cull’s forces are encamped several miles away from the castle when he hears a commotion and heads out to see what is going on. Some of the seedier men in his employ have defied his orders and stopped a set of peasant travelers on the road. Now that they have seen his encampment, he can’t let them go until after the battle. However, one of the servants is a young woman that he knows won’t last long with the men in his camp – so, he places her in his tent to avoid her being molested.

Elspeth is frightened, but she cannot let the soldiers know who she is. They could use her as leverage over her sister and brother-in-law. She’ll play the part of a servant and learn all she can of their plans – and she’ll do everything she can to escape.

Since Cull has Elspeth in his tent, they can’t help but come into contact with each other. Some of those interactions are funny – like kittens embroidered on his tunic – and others are enlightening. He becomes more and more possessive and protective of her – and she returns that, but she knows she has to escape and warn the castle.

The way they come to trust and love is a delightful thing for them to share with us. They are both so sweet, kind and caring and their journey is not an easy one. In the end, you sometimes just have to learn to trust those you love.
I was so pleased that the author tied up all of the loose ends for the series. Everyone and everything was accounted for. That said, I would have loved to learn more of what happened to Duncan – he certainly deserved more punishment than it seems he got. Also, there is Robert – I loved Robert and would dearly love to see the author do a story for him. He definitely deserves his own HEA. As I said earlier, I would have loved to see an epilogue further down the road to see how all was going with them. Maybe, just maybe, the author will add a fourth book, even if it is a novella, and we’ll catch up with all of them and see Robert get his HEA and see Duncan get his just deserts.

I highly recommend this book and this series.

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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

A different take on the usual historical Scottish suspense and romance novel. Thought all the characters in the story were well developed and each played an important role. Derryth and Cull are two people whom the reader is led to believe that there’s no way they’ll ever get a positive outcome to their dire circumstances. The author weaves all the pieces of the puzzle together in such a way that you weren’t expecting yet feel satisfied while rooting for them along the way.

Captured by the enemy! But so far he doesn't know that Derryth MacClaren is the sister of the wife of Niall Braewick, Highland Laird of Kincaid, whose castle this army's plans to capture. Whew! She was sent out of the castle with an escort to avoid capture by the Wolf, Buchan, evil son of the King of Scotland, an enemy sworn to vengeance against the Kincaids. An enemy warrior claims her and confines her to his tent for her own safety. That does not sit well with Derryth. The mischievious woman plays some tricks on her captor, Cull the Nameless, former slave but now part of the King's Guard. Soaking his bed will be great payback she thinks. Wrong. She ends up having to share her narrrow pallet with the strong, handsome warrior she is attracted to. Cull tells her she and her party will be let go after the troops are in place for the seige of the castle. He doesn't want her or anyone in her party to alert the Kincaids even though they profess to not be Kincaid allies. Will they be let go? What about the attraction between Derryth and Cull? This can't have a good ending. Or can it?

The Warrior of Clan Kincaid is the third book in author Lily Blackwood's awesome Highland Warrior series. Each book in this series has been filled with thrilling action, intrigue and sweet loving. This final chapter in the Kincaid's saga is no exception and I found it to be the best of the three. All of Lily Blackwood's characters are well-developed and realistic. They practically step off the page and make you feel that you are a part of the story. I loved the strength of character of Derryth MacClaren and the honor of Cull. See for yourself how exciting it is to step into the Highlands with the Kincaids and enjoy this adventure. I highly recommend it!

I always promise a fair and honest review whenever I am given the privilege of reading and reviewing an ARC. Disclaimer: I watch for Lily Blackwood's books because she is such an amazing storyteller. That having been said, if there was anything that I found not up to snuff, I would say so. I have not yet found one of her books that is less than top notch. She has such a way of incorporating history with awesome characters and weaving them into your heart. I have read all of this series and loved them all.

It's only few days, that I finished this book and already some parts of the story is fading from my memory. To be honest I have to think hard even to remember the names of the characters.
Beginning of this book was promising, but after few chapters I everything went down hill. The main female character was a damsel in distress and acted plain stupid. The main male character...nothing interesting about him either.
The story was so anticlimactic, that I couldn't believe my eyes, when I reached the end. I thought there will some huge battle, or at least some war scenes, but nothing happened. Literally, NOTHING HAPPENED.
Oh, by the way, don't even get me started on the parts like "branding her as his own" or "...almost sexual about her kneeling at his feet"...
Do not recommend, there are far more better books.

Lily Blackwood keeps on writing 5-star books, and if she keeps this up, I'm going to have to do a post on my blog just to sing her praises. It will be mandatory. I have to say that this book is my favorite of the three books in the Highland Warrior series, and with all three being phenomenal books, I thought it would be hard to pick a favorite. The reason this one wins is the fact that it gives me a new book boyfriend, Cullen Braewick, who is written as a brawny alpha male with a soft heart who has no known family but takes care to ensure those around him are treated as such. I loved him to pieces.

Enslaved as a young boy and set free by a lord to fight for the king, Cull has grown up surrounded by violence. Loyal to the one who set him free, he fights with honor and discipline, rarely giving in to his emotions. That all changes, however, when a young woman is almost raped by his soldiers, and he saves her without thought to the ramifications. Thinking she is a child, he soon learns she is grown and has all the attributes of a beautiful highland lass. But he has a mission to complete against the rebel Kinclaid clan, and she and her companions could prevent him from succeeding, so he takes them all prisoner. Funny thing is, Derryth MacClaren doesn't feel like a prisoner, and as she grows closer to Cull and realizes what a good man he is, loyalties shift and their love is put to the test.

Derryth and Cull have absolutely mind-blowing chemistry. From the very beginning, I could tell their relationship would be tempestuous and passionate, and it certainly was! Derryth is adamant that her family be warned of the oncoming attack Cull and his men plan, but Cull's kindness towards her and her companions make it difficult for her to decide what to do. She wants to stay with him, as no one has ever made her feel safer, but she knows she has a duty to her clan to protect them. Cull starts out with this very intimidating wall around his heart, but over time it crumbles as he falls in love with Derryth. I enjoyed how they overcame their conflicts, as neither hurt the other so bad that their differences could not be overcome. Although a major confusion towards the end was concerning to me, as I thought this would turn Cull in to a man I didn't like, instead his innate goodness really shone through. He was still the alpha male, but he also admitted when he was wrong and was determined to save those he loved. Couldn't ask for a better hero!

I sincerely hope Lily plans for another book in this series, perhaps for Robert Stewart, a man very deserving of a happy ending in love. Can't wait to read what's next!

Lady Derryth MacClaren is being forced to leave her sister's home because an army was spotted and might attack. Elspeth, Lady Kincaid her sister is trying to reassure her that she has to go home for her sisters. As Derrryth and her party are leaving and are half way to their destination, they are attacked by soldiers. Derryth is saved by the leader and taken to his tent for protection.
Cull the Nameless only wants a family. He is working his way up in the King's army to achieve his goal. He thinks Derryth and her party are peasants and will hold them until they attack the Kincaid's and then release them. As Cull and Derryth spend time together they develop affection for each other and Derryth decides to stay with Cull, until they both are betrayed.
While Derryth and Cull struggle to trust each and learn each other, information about Cull's life emerges.
I feel that Derryth learning that she is only good for being beautiful and could not help to fight was awake up call to her. She wants to be better than she was and tries. Cull just wants a name and she help him find it.
This was a great read and I recommend it .

Book 3 of this series is a perfect fit, my fellow Scottish romance book loving friends. Though each book is a stand-alone, I highly recommend you read them in order to get the full history/backdrop of the underlying clan connected theme.

Cull, the hero, came across at first as a take charge, nothing stands in his way, war heart hardened hero, who could not allow himself the luxury of caring about pretty much anything or anyone. Well, except for serving his King and country, and a man by the name of Wolf. He felt he owed that well-known and feared laird special allegiance as he has been his mentor/father-like figure since Cull was a young lad rescued out of unimaginable circumstances.

Derryth, a suspected but unconfirmed enemy of Cull’s, knew the legend and nefarious deeds of Wolf all too well. Just hearing him mentioned filled her with fear for her family. She finds herself directly in the path of Cull’s current main mission. Used to a pampered, easy life, this gal has to dig deep and find her backbone in order to survive and help protect those she loves. Despite being a sweet, beautiful, damsel in distress, she’s got resolve, folks. She eventually breaks down Cull’s walls and becomes his undoing, but in a verra good way.

Despite coming to her rescue, it was difficult to witness Cull speaking to/treating Derryth so harshly in the beginning. She takes it on the chin though, and he soon softens towards her.

There are some unexpected twist and turns and a couple of predictable ones, as well. Overall, I definitely stayed engaged and enjoyed seeing this warrior hero get back the life he unknowingly had stripped away from him and find true love in the process.

Title: The Warrior of Clan Kincaid, Series: Highland Warrior (Book 3), Author: Lily Blackwood, Pages: 320, stand-alone but part of a series, good guy/war heart hardened hero, heroine is kidnapped, some violence, attempted rape scene, enemies to lovers, no cheating, no love triangle, virgin heroine, eventually very steamy scenes, cameos of previous characters.

Book 1 - The Beast of Clan Kincaid, (Niall & Elspeth), 5/31/16, Pages: 318
Book 2 - The Rebel of Clan Kincaid (Magnus & Tara), 12/6/16, Pages: 320
Book 3 - The Warrior of Clan Kincaid (Cull & Derryth), 7/31/18, Pages: 320

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review, nor is there any affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley.)

I really enjoyed this book. This book is about Derryth MacClaren is on the run from a vicious nobleman known as the Wolf. The Wolf has vowed revenge against the Clan Kincaid. But a surprise attack leaves her vulnerable, Derryth ends up in the hands of an enemy. Cull has no memory of his past. Cull is really Cullen Braewick, the youngest son of the slain laird. I like the plot of the story.

This book is a real page turner. It's full of emotions, passion and suspence.
I loved how the characters were written and the historical setting.
The book is well written and keep you hooked since the beginning.
Recommended!
Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this ARC

The Warrior of Clan Kincaid (Highland Warrior, #3)
by Lily Blackwood

An absolute superb read! One that enhances the already fantastic series!
From book one to book three and beyond, you will be captured, entertained and just held in thrall as the stories unwind. what a marvelous way to spend my time then to read a book that totally engrossed my mind while teasing all my senses and keeping me buried until the very end. Each of this series has many wonderful things to be written about it. I cannot say enough how entertaining and different each book has been. This one was just a wonderful surprise and it just got better as I turned the pages. So if you want a super read... get all three of this series and sit and enjoy! I was given this arc via NETGALLEY. All opinions are given by myself and this review is written voluntarily. Regards, Anna Swedenmom

And there you have it! The first trilogy I've read in a long while where I loved every book and wanted to own all three. The Warrior of Clan Kincaid was an excellent, tightly plotted story that brought together all lingering threads that remained for the mystery of the slain Laird Kincaid. I read it in two days which I have not done in several months. It felt good!

Derryth is the half-sister of Elspeth. The story opens when she is forced to leave her home to avoid The Wolf. Unfortunately, she is later captured by the very man employed by The Wolf. Cull the Nameless is a ferocious warrior who still retains a strong sense of honor. Authors toe the line when they have captor/captive romances. There is always a risk of Stockholm syndrome or a creepy nonconsensual feeling. Fortunately, this is NOT the case here.

I really enjoyed how the story snapped along and Derryth grew from a selfish young girl into a brave woman who knew what she wanted while Cull finally found the home and family he desperately wanted without having to compromise his code of honor.

While some may think the romance developed quickly, I thought it still felt organic and real. I liked how little truths and character traits were revealed by actions, the threats to the character felt real and not contrived, and the sex scenes were great.

My one niggle was that I thought Cull was waaay more accepting of the truth of his heritage than I expected. I know he was searching for a place to belong, but the reconciliation with the family was the only plot point that felt rushed.

However, despite this one drawback, I thought this was an excellent installment and worth the wait. I will buy it when it comes out and will definitely be reading this entire trilogy again. It's my favorite linked trilogy that I've read in a long time.

I cannot wait to see what Lily Blackwood/Lily Dalton comes out with next!


Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read and provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Warrior of Clan Kincaid by Lily Blackwood is one that I could not stop reading. The plot was intriguing from the start. I was curious about the the young boy who was a slave as a child and the spoiled young woman. How their paths crossed was a tempt of fate. In the previous plots before this one, readers are aware of the trouble from the villain aka Wolf. Wolf sought to destroy the Kincaid clan due to a personal feud. One that was his caused by his own doing. A woman scorning a man is seen repeated here. Yet there is much more to the tale than sympathy for the cast of characters. 

Romance, action, adventure plus hot Scotsman are inside this book. I loved the heroine. She was a spoiled lady but willing to suffer for the ones she loves. Not wanting to leave her family behind, Derryth is sent away to prepare for her sister and husband to come over...yet, their plan goes bad. They traveled only a small distance before they are trapped. That's where the tall, handsome, yet unemotional man awaits. Taking them prisoners. The banters between Cull and English Guard and the Scotswoman is fun to follow. I was laughing, and devouring up every detail. Overall, I would recommend Lily Blackwood's novel to all readers.

I seem to have stumbled on this series a little late as clearly there are characters here who have previously had their story told but nevertheless I did find this worked as a standalone for this reader.
Derryth is a young privileged woman who seems used to getting her own way but when danger to the Kincaid family seems about to come barging through the gates she is sent away to safety. Now there wouldn't be a story if something didn't go wrong and Derryth is captured by the Kings men and struggles to keep her identity secret.
Cull only remembers being a slave so he has unwavering loyalty to his saviour the Wolf. Saving what he thinks is a child from rape gives him unexpected headaches when he quickly realises that the peasant is a female, beautiful and about to test him in ways he never expected.
I'm very disappointed that the synopsis of this gives away what is only revealed at the end ! I know spoilers are unfortunately given when reviewers get over enthusiastic but honestly I wanted that little nugget to be a surprise. However I did enjoy seeing Cull start to challenge everything he believed in and of course the romantic scenes when the couple"choose" each other, sigh. A satisfying romance with enough historical detail to set the scene.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair.

We have now come full circle with the Braewick brothers of Clan Kincaid. This is my favorite book of the series. Cull is a warrior but is kind and sympathetic. Derryth is feisty but also kind. An enemies to lovers story that will have you cheering for them to be together. Their interactions are fantastic and it feels like you are right in the middle of their arguments. I loved this story.

So, the reveal of the brothers is done but I have a question – what happens to Robert? I need him to have a story. A spin-off series?

This is the 3rd book in this series, I have not read any of the others. It is fine as a stand alone book.

This story follows Cull, who is a Kings Guard warrior. He was bought as a boy off of a slavers ship and is currently in the Highlands at the behest of Buchan, AKA the Wolf, AKA the man that purchased him off the ship. They are planning an attack on the Kincaid's. It also follows Derryth, her brother in law is the Laird Kincaid. She is there visiting her sister when they realize there may be danger. So they send her off dressed as a peasant to return to her family.

On the way there they are attacked and Derryth is nearly raped, but Cull comes to the rescue. Derryth and her party are held by Cull and his army. They say they can not let them go until their attack is finished, not knowing that this group is actually made up of Kincaids.

While being held Derryth and Cull become more and more attracted to each other, one thing leads to another...

I enjoyed this story, it was a quick easy read. I appreciated that the author didn't type out words phonetically with a Scottish accent (that drives me nuts). It was good, just not great.

Derryth and Cull's story was such a good book. Derryth shows her strength after being captured by the enemy. Cull was born a warrior and together they are a powerful match that this book leaves you rooting for them and some tears and laughter as you read. I had never Lily Blackwood's prior books. I will definitely be keeping her on my must read list.