Book: Highland Raider
By Amy Jarecki

Series: The King’s Outlaws, Book #2

Release Date: March 9, 2021

Publisher:Oliver Heber Books

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Scottish War of Independence , 1307

This book starts as Angus Og MacDonald, Lord of the Islay also known as Fairhair. At one time this nickname was given to Angus as a young lad meaning fair, small and weak, but mostly for his golden hair and bonnie face. Now, Angus grew into an attractive, fierce, brave, strapping, brawny man with a kind heart- though this nickname still stuck. However the Lord of Islay agrees to keep the newly crowned Scottish King, “Robert the Bruce” safely hidden from his English enemies. This is also so the corrupt hammer of the Scots will not be able to seize, capture, torture and execute the Scottish King! Except this now makes Angus, Lord of the Isles, and clan MacDonald traitors and fugitive’s from the English!

Now Angus and his men must keep the English King and his venomous fleet off their scent! So they make haste, on a quick voyage seeking security in Ireland. Yet they arrive in Ireland in the middle of the Battle of Loch Ryan. This is during the Scottish war of Independence on February 9th and 10th. Clan MacDonald is ambushed by the English and were slaughtered, even King Robert’s brothers were taken prisoner! The Bruce, fears his brothers will have the same fate as William Wallace! All their battle plans were ruined he is furious, blaming Angus for everything in grief and anger as if he didn’t feel guilty enough! Anya O’Cahan was to marry her guardian, Lord Chahir 0’Doherty, Earl of Ulster, She really hated this idea. She felt men were the lucky, having a life of adventure, not having to answer to others or worry what others thought. Men did not have to cross their T’s, dot their i’s, or curtsy at the appropriate times. Anya just wanted a little excitement and freedom in her life before she is chained down and forced to marry her guardian. As he is a man she did hardly knew and did not love.

Chahir 0’Doherty, Earl of Ulster, had been her guardian since her father passed away two years earlier. Anya is hoping he would meet and fall in love with someone else and break it off! It was basically a business agreement only getting married for her dowry, basically her net worth. It seems in Ireland everyone else can get married for love but the highborn lassies! It was only about money, property and titles and Anya felt this whole marriage agreement was totally unfair and unwanted! Anya wants a little freedom before taking these marriage vows, but ends up in the middle of a battle! Being terrified she hides on what she thought was a local fisherman’s boat, but she ends up being a stowaway on her enemies birlinn! On top of that-the sea craft is taking in water and falling apart!

Angus MacDonald soon realizes they have a stowaway who is drowning and he saves her life, even though she basically attacks him. They are stranded for a couple days on this cold, windy, deserted, isle with only fresh crabs to eat until they get rescued. As their Birlinn is destroyed in the storm. It was his brother Angus’s deceased older brother and former Lord Alastair MacDonald, who killed Anya’s father, Lord Guy O’Cahan! He had no idea who Anya is at first until he is nearly killed by the English who Anya flags down not realizing the English were out for blood!

This is when Anya confesses her identity and Angus feeling very much the fool! If his people hadn’t come at the precise moment and won this battle he would have been killed! Elizabeth de Burgh, Robert the Bruce’s wife is Anya O’Cahan’s best friend, so Angus’s is surprised when King Robert claims Anya is now his political prisoner. Angus had planned on returning her to Ireland to her people and her soon to be betrothed.

Now Angus is at his home at Dunyvaig, King Robert needs to use Anya as a pawn and that could be for years! He wanted to send her to this hidden cold Eynhallow monastery, in the care of the frugal monks where Robert the Bruce’s political prisoners were. It would be colder and windier than the deserted isle they had been stranded on! Plus the monks would give her little to eat and little to keep warm. Each day would be a struggle making her work from sunrise to sunset. Now Angus’s mither suggested she stay with them on Dunyvaig with a guard of course. Of course Angus knew his mither must have an agenda of her own, what it was he had no idea.

Yet under his roof at Dunyvaig the attraction between Angus and Anya grows stronger and stronger. She learns all the rumors about the Fairhair Angus is untrue. Now the King needs Angus to fight with his men and since Angus won’t be their to guard he wants Angus to send Anya the frugal monks at Eynhallow monastery in Orkney. Well Angus won’t do it as he knows how difficult and hard luife would be for this Irish Noble lass. Plus she could be a political prisoner for years! What will King Robert do when he realizes one of his allies has betrayed him? Will Anya now move forward with her Guardian’s marriage agreement? Though Angus knows they can’t marry because of politics and each allied with a different King. Will both Angus and Anya open their hearts and love each other forever or go their separate ways never to see each other again? Read and find out!

This is definitely a book to be devoured! This is the second book In the extraordinary (The King’s Outlaws) series. This is Angus and Anya’s story which is absolutely brilliant from start to finish. My favorite type of read is weaving true Scottish history with a highland fictional romance! Plus having my hero Robert the Bruce in the book just made this an absolute delight to read!

Yes the setting was absolutely amazing, the dialogue blew me away, both the main characters and some of the secondary characters like Rory/Wolfie and his witty banter with Anya was hilarious too! The plotting was so brilliant that I was gasping for air! I truly never knew what to expect next.

This book is definitely another Jarecki Jewel! It is a riveting, awe-in spring, page turning, Scottish-historical-adventure, filled with true history of actual battles and executions during the Scottish wars of independence. No matter if you are a lover of Scottish history or Scottish romance, this book is pure perfection in my honest opinion! I was absolutely swept away in the exhilarating story!

You do not want to miss this book as I can’t recommend it enough!


Disclaimer: I received an advance reader’s copy from Oliver-Heber publishing. I voluntarily agreed to do an honest, fair review and blog through NetGalley Booksprout. All thoughts, ideas and words are my own.

Buy Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Highland-Raider-Kings-Outlaws-Book-ebook/dp/B08FGKJSHP/ref=nodl_

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/j/amy-jarecki/highland-raider.htm

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/highland-raider-amy-jarecki/1137457085

https://books.apple.com/us/book/highland-raider/id1526997988

https://www.booktopia.com.au/highland-raider-amy-jarecki/book/9781648390623.html

https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Highland-Raider/Amy-Jarecki/9781648390623?id=8137278575321


https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Amy_Jarecki_Highland_Raider?id=xiP3DwAAQBAJ

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-highland-renegade?utm_source=walmarthybrid&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign

Angus MacDonald, Lord of the Isles is a staunch supporter of Robert the Bruce. He’s invited him to stay at his castle and escorts him under a flag of truce to see Ulster his wife’s English father to garner support to rescue her. They are attacked under the flag of parley and barely escape with their lives.
Anya Chathai finds herself outside castle when the fighting starts and she hides in a boat only to find herself in the enemies’ hands. She quickly realizes she’s landed into the hands of Angus MacDonald better known to his enemies’ as “Fairhair the Terrible”, the brother of Alastair MacDonald the who killed her father making her an orphan and Ulster's ward. A captivating story of two enemies who are attracted to another, drawn against their will and try to fight it all the way. I love their witty banter as they Anya is held captive at Angus’s home. She starts to see Angus as an honorable Scot who lives by his principles, who loves his Clan and his country. Angus knows he can’t fall for his enemy, there at war and no good came come of it, it’s better to let her go while his heart is still intact. Will he realize love is worth fighting for? Can he rescue her from the clutches of her guardian before it’s too late and she’s married to another? I have voluntarily read and reviewed the excellent story filled with Scottish history where two enemies’ who against all odds fall in love.

Taking place during the Wars of Scottish Independence, Amy Jarecki pens another fascinating story that will have you hooked from start to end. Not only are the English and Scottish at war, battles are also happening between the clans and between the Scottish and the Irish, all in the name of ruling over more lands! This is Angus and Anya's story and with him being Scot and her being Irish, be prepared for sparks to fly!!

I loved this story, so well written and researched. I've always enjoyed reading about Robert the Bruce and his time in history. I also love it when an author mixes real history with their imagination, it makes for quite a story:) Angus has something to prove to the Bruce and will do battle with all his might to show that he and his army are needed. As for Anya, finding herself a prisoner with Angus as her jailer, she proves her mettle and although they fight the attraction between them, with a few twists and turns, they finally have their HEA.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Loved it! The story of a lord drom Scotland falling love with his enemies daughter.

Really enjoyable, a great quick read. Well written and well researched.

My only negative, which is probably just a me thing, I struggle when accents are written out. Especially in this case, because it was really only Angus that was written that way.

*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC.