Hot and steamy! Hannah Howell's Highland series is such a welcome read. Love the characters and the suspense.

This is the 15th book in the Murray series. James is trying to get his lairdship that was stolen back along with his daughter and his property. He comes in disguise as a woodcarver to be able to see what is going on. He is also wanting to win Annora. This is a 5 star read.

This book was exceptionally good. I love Hannah Howell and all her highlanders, Highland wolf was a great story with fantastic creativity and a plot line to please the masses. One of my new favorite books for sure..

Laird James Drummond was accused of murdering his wife three years ago. He’s been on the run since then and he’s decided that enough is enough. He needs to get into his keep and find out what really happened. The man who took his keep from him is Donnell McKay and he’s evil. His cousin, Annora MacKay, is there to take care of Donnell’s child, but she has a feeling that all is not right in what her cousin says about the child being his.

James disguises himself as a black-haired Frenchman who does woodworking. He wants to do such a good job that Donnell will invite him to stay in the keep and that way James will be able to be near his daughter and find out the info he needs. He didn’t plan on falling for Annora, but he does. James has to eventually come clean to Annora about who he is, and when he does, she agrees to help him bring Donnell down.

I really liked this book when I read it back in 2014. This re-read was not quite as enchanting. In fact, I thought it was just ok. There were so many times that I rolled my eyes about things, it got a little old.

First James’s disguise was ridiculous. How did he ever think this was a good idea? He was only gone for three years – even with a black wig, how would no one recognize him? I find that hard to believe. Then there’s how easy he got into the castle. Look, I understand that Donnell was completely full of himself and absolutely sure that he could take all comers, but he knew the new woodworker for about a minute and a half and invited him in. Annora’s “ability” was another issue. I seriously had to go back to figure out when they’d mentioned it. It was so very small and not at all like the rest of the Murray clan’s abilities. I thought it was just a stretch.

The daughter was cute and I liked her a lot but that couldn’t hold the story for me. I wasn’t engaged in the book, or the romance and I struggled to finish it. The story dragged and I couldn’t find the my happy place while reading. I know everyone is different, so you should probably read this one for yourself. Like I said, I really liked it the first time around so you might too.

Rating: 2 out of 5

New author for me. It took me a little while to really get into the story. Some parts seemed really slow to me but it picked up towards the middle/end. Overall I enjoyed the characters and thought it was an ok read. I love highlander stories and will probably check out more in this series and by this author.

Highland Wolf is the fifteenth book in the Murray Clan series by Hannah Howell. While reading this books as a series can give readers some early understanding of the characters and relationships, each book can stand well on its own. I have read several books from the series, but far from all of them.

Annora MacKay senses a disturbing evil in Dunncraig Keep, the estate acquired by her cousin, a cruel and ruthless man. Only her affection for the tiny girl he claims is his daughter stops her from fleeing. Then a mysterious woodcarver arrives at the castle, and she cannot stop thinking about him. James Drummond, once a laird, now an outcast, wants what was stolen from him; his good name, his lands, and his child. His disguise for getting into Dunncraig is step one of his plan, but the enticing raven-haired woman who cares for his daughter is an unwelcome surprise. For he has come seeking justice, not love.

Highland Wolf is an entertaining read. I liked Annora's character, she had a nice mixture of strong and sweet and made good choices. I liked James as well, although I feel like I was less connected with him than Annora. He was strong but compassionate, and like most men in the Murray clan throughout the series, it is he acceptance and care for others that gave him the tools he needed to come out on top. I thought the intrigue and danger was well done, although some moments did feel a little over the top. I liked the growth of relationship between Annora and James. Even though there was instant attraction, both tried to be smart about the danger involved in forging any kind of relationship. I also liked how much of a role little Meggie had in the story, and how important she was to the major players.

Highland Wolf is exactly what fans of the author and series will be looking for. There is danger, love, and a touch of something special in the characters. Not the best highland historical, but an enjoyable read with plenty of action and emotion.

I did it again, I requested a book in a lengthy series when I had not read any of the previous books. Not only that, but this is a re-release of a book published in 2008. Well, it proved to be a good decision. I had no problem following this story, in fact it can be read as a standalone story.

Sir James Drummond, foster son to the Murray clan, has lost everything. He was the Laird of Dunncraig Keep, the father of a young daughter and a married man, who was betrayed by his wife. Three years ago his wife was found burned to death and her cousin Sir Donnell MacKay accused James of her murder. He was declared an outlaw and Donnell took over Dunncraig Castle while James went into hiding. He has told everyone that Margaret (Meggie) is his daughter, and has brought his illegitimate sister Annora to the keep to be her nursemaid. James, has decided that it is time to return, clear his name and reclaim Dunncaig Keep.

This is a well written, fast paced book, with more steamy love scenes than I am normally comfortable with. There is also some violence, abuse and rape, so if these are triggers for you, you might want to pass on this book. I enjoyed the characters in the story. Meggie was a precocious young thing who seemed a lot older than her 4 years. Annora was a devoted woman, who was trying to keep Meggie safe as well as keep away from some of the randy men in the castle. Donnell and his men were written as characters to detest and that was achieved quite well. Of course James was the hero. He was willing to get caught and sacrifice himself to reclaim his daughter as well as bring peace, fortune and comfort back to his home. I found that there was a good mix of action, love, mystery, deceit and characters to make this an enjoyable story. Of course there is going to be a happily ever after for James, but how will that play out? Read this story to find out.

James and Annora were a well matched pair. The story line was very well written, with great action and keeps you hooked.

I enjoyed this book. There were some weird things...like a dye job and an eye patch would hide a former laird's appearance so much that no one would know who he was! The characters are interesting. Donnell and Egan are the evils and James and Annora are the love interest and the goods! I hate spoiling stories in a review. Suffice it to say that James must conquer Donnell and Egan and reclaim his keep! There are a lot of twists and turns in this story...you'll enjoy it!

Only one start, because for some reason this book didn't get downloaded.
Thanks to Netgalley for this free copy.

I cannot remember the last time I struggled so hard to finish a book. My problems with Highland Wolf kicked off at the very beginning and then only intensified as the story continued. I did a little research after reading a review copy and discovered this is book 15 in a long running series and it is a reissue from 10 years ago. Interesting, but neither was the real root of my problem.

The simplest explanation is that I thought this book was boring. I liked the setup well enough. James was the laird of Dunncraig Keep but was framed for the death of his wife three years ago. Now he is posing as a woodcarver to get close to his enemy, reclaim his land, and rescue his young daughter. Meanwhile, Annora is the bastard cousin of that enemy. She takes care of the little girl to earn her keep and she has grown to love her. She hates her cousin and his awful men, but she wants to protect the little girl and will not leave her.

I like a little bit of Scottish brogue in my highlander books, but it was out of control here. Every bit of dialogue was seeped with it and I don’t just mean “doonae” or “och” now and then. People “ken” everything or they “suspicion” it. It got very old very fast.

My next issue is how it obliterated my suspension of disbelief that the laird of the keep can just walk back in the door and be unrecognizable by everyone except one person simply by dying his hair and putting on an eyepatch. This is ridiculous. Oh yeah, and he pretends to speak with a French accent. Eyes are rolling all the way to Scotland. His biggest concern is whether someone will see him naked and recognize that the carpet does not match the drapes.

The love is totally insta. And the heroine, who is a virgin, jumps in the sack with James with virtually no hesitation because she “has a sense about people.” I’ll come back to that in a second. These two are getting horizontal in what feels like every single chapter. And you know the book is boring when you have to start skimming through the love scenes. As for Annora’s Second Sight, it served very little purpose. It was just some random little supernatural element. In what was not a supernatural book.

The character of the dead wife was twisted and turned to suit the story. I thought it was a bit of a stretch to see her through her husband’s eyes and then be torqued so dramatically. The villains were completely one note. Almost all the women were whores (The book’s word, not mine.)

It was a real struggle. Surprisingly, to me anyway, this book was beloved by other readers, at least back in 2008. It has almost 2000 ratings on Goodreads with an average of more than four stars. So maybe your mileage may vary. But I would not recommend this one.

Rating: C-/D+

Since I read the Highland Devil, I wanted to read on about the Murray Family in the Highland Wolf. I hadn't realized it was a republishing, but it is easy to read even if you haven't read all the twenty other books. This one is about James Drummond, who was the lair of Dunncraig. He was wrongly accused of killing his wife by Donnell McKay and had to flee for his life, leaving behind his little daughter Meggie. Donnell has his niece Annora McKay watch over the little girl, who he claims as his own daughter.
James is convinced he can find out who has framed him and why, by going undercover as a craftsman into the keep. As a woodcarver, he tries to infiltrate into the keep and find out who is still loyal to him and who are part of the team of traitors of the McKay's. Annora can sense emotions from people, but she has always kept this ability hidden for everyone. When she feels the rage coming from the new woodcarver, she wants to find out, why he is as enraged as he feels. But she has to be careful, because her cousin and his second in command, Egan, are vile and brute men, not opposed to raping women. When Egan tries to rape her, James comes to the rescue. Soon, they find they have a common interest: Meggie. But can James trust a woman of the McKay clan? And why does a woodcarver has an interest in a small girl? Both are wary, but they can't deny their mutual attraction. Threading very carefully, are they able to uncover the truth?
A gripping tale with a lot of plot twists (and I mean a lot). Keeps you on the edge of your seat. So four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Ok, this one started a little slow for me but after the first couple chapters i was hooked. This book features James who was wrongfully accused of murdering his wife and has been on the run for years. Now he's back and he's looking to take back what is rightfully his. He just needs the proof. Annora has gone to her cousins keep to help take care of Meggie, while there she realizes something isn't quite right and she sets out to find out what it is. The two grow closer trying to uncover all the mysteries of Dunncraig. This story was good but a little slower than other books by this author.

Nothing will stand in his way…

No one does a historical romance like Hannah Howell. Even a good re-release version. I got the chance to read Highland Wolf. It was to my surprise that I read this title before. It's not too many historical romance of Hannah Howell that I haven’t read.

In Highland Wolf, James Drummond is out for revenge on the man who has taken everything from him. His honor, his home, his people the evil Sir Donnell Mackay even took his daughter. Though, if it wasn’t for Annora Mackay a distant cousin of Sir Donnell little Margaret (Meggie) would have been sold off to the highest bitter. The chemistry between James and Annora was sweet. With the danger that I come to aspect from all of Hannah Howell’s titles, the intrigue from Highland Wolf kept this story interesting enough to keep on turning the page.

I read this book a few years back and loved it then...and I loved it now too! Hannah Howell knows how to write a good exciting historical you can't put down!

❤️❤️ out of 5
Do you ever read a book and just flat out call BS? That’s exactly what I wanted to do with this book. The plot line was so thin I could poke holes through it and it just made no sense and there was no explanation! So I spent most of the book utterly bewildered as to how anyone was buying into it and wondering when it would be over.
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Our hero is considered an outlaw having been accused of murdering his wife, but after 3 years on the run he is ready to reclaim his life and his child by infiltrating his keep in disguise. It is here he meets our heroine, cousin to the current laird and the man who framed him for murder. Their connection is instant and together they try and bring down the corrupt laird.
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My frustrations: is dying ones hair and putting on an eye patch a real disguise when entering the keep YOU WERE LAIRD OF?! How can a complete stranger take over as laird- JUST HOW?! I spent the book so confused by these two things I couldn’t enjoy it and was glad to have finished it.

The Murrays #15, Originally published in '07 this edition has a new cover, I love the new cover. I liked this one more than the last Howell book I read. This one was just fine to pick up and read even though I haven't read the first 14 books. I truly enjoyed how this one played out and the characters were well written. Three years ago James Drummond was accused of murdering his wife; cast as an outlaw he went into hiding biding his time before he can come back prove his innocence and claim his land and his daughter. Annora MacKay the poor relation who was born on the wrong side of the sheets was moved Dunncraig Keep to take care of her cousin's daughter.

Donnell MacKay is a selfish brute of a man who worries more about fancy living than the tenants of the Keep and village, his second is no better. Annora knows something is not right with Donnell's story and even though he tries to alienate her from the rest of the people they still like her and trust her more than they like Donnell. James needed access inside the keep to search for proof that he was framed. Under the disguise of a French woodcarver he easily gains entrance. With the help of Big Berta, the cook, James starts his search but Annora is there to tempt him. Once Annora finds out the truth about James she starts to help which pays off for they soon discover the truth but they still need concrete proof for the King's man to take action against Donnell. Their timetable is forced to move up when Donnell announces that Annora has to marry his second in command. James having already fallen in love with her won't let that happen.

Overall, it was a good read. I liked the characters and the plot. The romance between James and Annora pretty much instintaneous the sparks flew and by the time they gave in the chemistry between was combustible. Meggie, James' daughter, was adorable and wise beyond her years. Big Berta is a force to be reckoned with. It had a heartwarming and funny ending.

Sir James Drummond is a wanted man for murdering his wife. He has been on the run, in hiding for three years for crime he did not commit because a disreputable man wanted what he had. James has had enough, he is ready to take back his property, but more important to him, his five year old daughter. He has a plan, a plan to enter Dunncraig in disguise to find proof of the villain, Donnell's guilt. Only be did not plan on Annora. Annora is Donnell's cousin, though raised as a lady, She is illegitimate. She acts as nursemaid to James' daughter, Meggie. Annora and James are attracted to each other almost immediately. Can James find the evidence he needs to free himself or will Donnell and his henchman catch him first? The run lays a great storyline, but then I have never read a Hannah Howell book that was not great. I love revisiting this era and the wonderful Murray family (yes, James is an adopted Murray). I did read this when it was first out in print. It was a delight to reread and well worth the time.

Wow, another amazing book by Hannah Howell! Once again this book drew me in from the first page on to the very last. I was in for a rollercoaster of emotions, being upset, swooning, crying, being scared and - so much more.

Annora and James were a wonderful couple and when I wasn't fearing for their lives or their health or...everything else, I was cheering them on and hoping for them to find love and happiness. Both of them were much in need of both. With Donnell MacKay and his ruthless hold on the keep that he stole from James years ago set against them, with his cruelty towards each and every one who speaks up against him, things start to get really tough, especially when Donnell's man Egan joins the party and wants to marry Annora...whetehr she wants him or not.
James has been on the run for years but with his daughter and his love's lives and happiness at stake, he can't lose, he has to win back his keep and clear his name!

An amazing story, captivating and brilliantly told, Highland Wolf is definitely one of those books that I'll read again from time to time - like most of the books by the author, actually. I haven't found a book by her that I didn't love. This book is a stand-alone even though it is part of a series. You don't have to read the other books in this series in order to understand it but you'll probably end up reading them anyway because they are just so good.

It wasn’t until I started reading my recent NetGalley ARC, I picked up on the fact this is a re-release, my fellow Scottish romance book loving friends. So check your shelves and memory banks for the previous 1/8/2007 first publication. If you are a fan of this popular Scottish romance author, you might have verra well already read this tale already.

One handsome, hot for revenge, and just as eager to claim what was taken from him, Laird James Drummond (aka Rolf Levengeance) dons a disguise and master plan to earn his honor, freedom, and clan back. An unexpected obstacle though is a verra bonny lass known as Annora, the loving caregiver of his young daughter, who was also stolen from him. Knowing her abusive, evil cousin was likely behind all the allegations James claims only bonds this couple even more closer together.

No, you don’t have to speak French to pick up on the irony of the last name the author choose for James coverup identity. I had a momentary eye-roll but then just went with it, folks.

What was uncomfortable for me to witness was James giving in to his blinding attraction for Annora and becoming biblical with her around 40% into. Knowing it was going to cause problems for her, sensing her hesitation but continuing to seduce her left me rather unsettled. I wanted to tap him on the shoulder and say, “Hey, I think the lady is trying to tell you this isn’t such a good idea right now, buddy. Back off for now. Save it for later.” However, after that first smexy encounter Annora seemed to be all on board for a sneaky, behind closed doors affair, regardless of thinking they would never likely have a HEA. So, really, if she was OK with it, who am I to be overly concerned, right? Good thing for her James was determined from then on to keep her forever.

Another silver lining is we find James was not in love with his deceased wife, who’s past history became pivotal to the storyline.

At 50% into it, the repetitive, lengthy conversations among a growing list of cameo appearing characters popped up rehashing the same topics in thick Scottish brogue. It started to keep the plot from progressing, folks. From then on it mostly moved at a snail’s pace until the inevitable, nail biting, smackdown conclusion. Not that I didn’t enjoy seeing the bad guys get what was coming to them, it just caused me to zone out at times until the showdown finally started to happen.

Overall, I did like the main couple and were glad they got their HEA. It just seemed to feel overly drawn out and move at a slower pace than I expected. This version appears to be about 40 more pages than the original 2007 one.

Title: Highland Wolf, Series: Murray Family (Book 15), Author: Hannah Howell, Pages: 384, re-release with new bookcover, stand-alone but part of a series, very graphic steamy scenes, some violence, attempted rape scene, mention of previous deceased wife, strong/resilient virgin heroine, perilous situations. Rating: 3 - 3.5 stars

(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.)