Member Reviews
I really enjoyed Gideon and Cait's story! It was so much fun watching these two find their way to one another!
I absolutely loved this one! It was just point on for me. It was funny ,sexy , and just the right amount of mystery as to how it would end. I really can't wait for the next book. I just know it will be awesome too.
If you adore "found family" tropes as I do, you will certainly adore Highland Justice. I've also enjoyed the "retelling" (if you will, I'm not sure what else to call it) of the Four Horseman stories. This was my first by McCollum so I can't speak to the series consistency but I will talk about what stood out to me and makes me want to pick up more by her.
Her world building was dazzling in a way that I felt I was seeing movie in my head. As I mentioned I didn't read the previous books but she did a fantastic job of inserting enough information that fleshed out the side characters. While I loved Gideon being the typical ahole-with-a-soft-spot, I truly loved Cait. Her strength and willingness to protect the orphaned children, to stand up to Gideon and still have compassion enough to open her heart to him (not too much though!). I love when characters realize that they need to reevaluate their thinking in regards to the innocence and straightforwardness of children.
If you enjoy historical, Highland romance
I highly recommend you give this book - and series - a chance!
The four sons of Sinclair have brought up to act
As the Horseman of Conquest, War, Justice and Death, in fact.
This is the third book and centres around Gideon Sinclair
He's the Horseman of Justice and always tries to be fair.
When the Sinclair's conquered the MacKay Clan
He was given the role of integrating them, or that's the plan!
With his instant attraction to Cait MacKay
Then an orphan to rescue, what a day!
That's only the start of a story in which
Treason, betrayal, warriors and justice mix.
Can Cait help Gideon earn the villagers' trust?
With theft and justice, love and lust
Orphans to care for and Hogmanay to celebrate
Who'd expect the King to visit - is it fate?
If you enjoy history, mystery and romances,
With young orphans taking chances
And a determined, feisty lady lead
This is one I recommend you read!
For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
I enjoyed reading it and this is my honest review.
I absolutely loved "Highland Justice" from start to finish! This historical romance novel set in the Scottish Highlands is everything you could want in a book: action, adventure, passion, and unforgettable characters.
The interactions between Cait Mackay and Gideon Sinclair were fantastic. Cait is a strong, determined woman who will do anything to protect her family (Orphaned kids). Gideon is a ruggedly handsome warrior who is fiercely loyal and protective of those he loves. The chemistry between these two characters is electric, and their banter is filled with wit and humour.
But this book is much more than just a romance. The world-building and attention to detail that Heather McCollum brings to every page are truly remarkable. From the descriptions of the Scottish landscape to the customs and traditions of the Highland clans, every detail is brought to life in vivid and immersive detail.
Overall, "Highland Justice" is a must-read for anyone who loves historical romance novels. It's a page-turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. I highly recommend it!
Loved!
Cait and Gideon's story was just wonderful. It put me through the gamut of emotions: Gideon's initial awkward attempts to be "approachable" to his people had me laughing out loud, his and Cait's romance made me swoon (fanning myself was also frequently a necessity), hearing about how Gideon and his brothers grew up was heartbreaking, the drama of the climax had me holding my breath and on the edge of my seat, and that epilogue? Brought tears to my eyes.
Phew! Seriously, I'm like a limp noodle here from all this book put me through. I might need to take a day off ;)
I loved watching Gideon figure out how to become his own man, moving out from the shadow their father had cast over their lives for so long. His journey from the guy who sees everything in terms of black and white and is constantly spouting off "the laws" to anyone and everyone to a man who will defy a direct order from his king to keep a promise to the woman he loves was glorious. (Not to mention seeing him go from the guy who is 100% grossed out when his older brother sniffs his baby's bottom at the beginning to the man who invites goodness knows how many current and future children into his own home by the end...that transformation might have been even better. Definitely more panty-melting, anyway.)
And Cait? I don't even know if I have the words to do her justice. She's a kick butt heroine who yes, could have learned to trust a teensy bit sooner, but it's hard to judge her too much knowing what she'd been through already. She stands up for those she loves and believes in throughout the book, and by the end that includes Gideon and OMG I was there for all of it.
I haven't read the first two in this series yet, and for the most part that was okay, except the whole (second brother) Joshua-is-supposed-to-be-dead part of it was a bit confusing. (He's dead as far as the king knows, apparently? But it seems like a lot of other people know he isn't, so...?) It wasn't super important to this story, but it did play a role in the last 25% or so. If nothing else, it will inspire me to read the first two books sooner rather than later ;)
Hopefully I will before Bas's book comes out, at least!
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Gideon is the Horseman of Justice. He is committed to justice and to making the Sinclair clan the strongest in Scotland. He never breaks the rules and is very black and white in his judgment. Cait is a widow and the caretaker at the orphans home. Her and Gideon are brought together when Gideon discovers her dancing in the forest and saves her sister from a fall in the rushing river. When Cait steals from him to buy medicine for his sister, she realizes she has taken more than money. When she tries to return it to his room he catches her and puts her in the dungeon for her crime. Something makes him go easy on her, which is not like him. The rest of the story is their journey to acceptance and love that includes treason, betrayal, and commitment. I have loved all the books in this series and can’t wait to read Bas’s story. He has always been my favorite of the Four Horsemen.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC. All opinions are my own.
Chieftain Gideon Sinclair’s whole life is built around justice, and decisions and judgments are very black and white to him. Cait Mackay, a widower whose husband was abusive, has dedicated much of her life to selflessly caring for abandoned or orphaned children. Cait makes a bad decision with good, but misguided, intentions when she picks Gideon’s pocket. The contents include an irreplaceable family ring which he must have back, and so she is destined for a collision course with this implacable man. Sparks fly when they meet, but Gideon the man of justice is conflicted as he knows Cait for a law breaking thief who stole his ring. By this point, the intrigue and romance are well underway.
I enjoyed Heather McCollum’s Highland Justice. I really like Scottish Highland historical romances, so this scratched that itch for me. However, I found the writing to be a bit clunky and the story was difficult to get into. It needed more polishing to better draw the reader in. Highland Justice book is the third in the Sons of Sinclair series, and that did not detract from my reading experience as someone new to the books. However, ultimately my suspension of disbelief was stretched too far. Still a different and solid entry in this genre. I give this a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Oh Gideon. Gideon... Gideon... Gideon. I feel like out of the brothers he needed the most work to get over himself and not just because he's the only one that seems to buy into their dads idea that they are the four horseman. He's just so stuck in his ways and he doesn't understand people. Honestly the fact that he basically had to be 'taught' to be a normal person by his love interest was wonderful. Lot of moments where I couldn't help but laugh.
Cait Mackay really suited Gideon. He needed a woman who would not put up with his nonsense but also be patient enough to explain to him why others don't see the world like he does and that not everything is black and white.
Something that really made this story stand out is how much attention was on making connections with others and to learn to trust others judgements. One of my favourite ways this book did that was through Cait who was raising orphans. Through these kids Gideon began seeing what changes he had to make but also what parts of him were good as they grew fond of him.
I honestly can't get the image out of my head of a church door stapled over with new laws every time Gideon had a new whim.
This is definitely a fun romance with some good spice!
I received a copy via NetGalley and the Publisher. All opinions are my own.
This was my first Scottish historical romance. I have to admit it did take me a little bit to get use to their dialogue. Once I got use to that I really enjoyed the story. I am used to reading regency romances, so this was a fresh change. You get some back story from the other two in the series, so you do not have to read them first (I did not) and I didn’t feel like I was lost at all.
Cait was a strong female character who wasn’t afraid to stick up for the ones she loves. She also had a soft side for the way she care for her children. I liked how guarded her heart and make Gideon work for her affection. They had great chemistry and the banter/conversations were great. There were a good number of intimate scenes woven through the conflict of the town to make it a well balanced romance in my opinion. I look forward to going back and reading about the other brothers in this series.
Thank you @entangled_publishing @netgalley and @heatherdmccollum for the gifted copy
** thank you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me an early copy in exchange for my honest review **
I liked the premise of this book, it looked intriguing, but it felt a little flat to me. At first, I was engaged with the meet-cute and the whole grumpy-sunshine trope but the main conflict of it was not exciting enough for me, and took too long to get there. The characters were good, Cait was compassionate, and even though been through a lot in her past she trusted Gideon fast. Gideon was smart and thought of the world as black and white, smart and intuitive which made him very stuck in his ideas but the best part was, that he was a reader, who doesn't want a strong burly man to hold us in his big arms and read to us? haha . Overall, the story was good enough to keep me entertained and finish the book but I wasn't a fan of the pacing. I give it 3.5 stars.
Unfortunately I found this book to just be okay, and not a new favorite I was hoping for, as I adore Highlander romances. It may be that me not getting invested in the story is in part due to the fact that I haven't read the previous books in the series, so I was kind of thrown into the already established plot, and it took me awhile to understand what's happened before the events of this book, but I do think that the stuff that bothered me would bother me even if I read the previous books.
By the middle of the book events began to feel repetitive, and I thought the author was trying too hard to make the heroine this independent, different, strong woman, so she ended up being annoying and unreasonable. I just didn't buy it. The hero was no better, I didn't get his reasons for being so attracted to the heroine from the start, it was too insta-love even for me, and I usually love that stuff.
I liked their dynamic of learning from each other, especially the hero learning to let go of his Horseman of Justice persona, to instead see things as more morally gray.
Overall it was an okay read, and I totaly see why this could appeal to a lot of historical romance readers, especially the ones who love to occasionally read a HR that is not set in Regency or Victorian era!
Thank-you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Amara for the chance to review this ARC.
I hadn't read the rest of the books in this series but I was happy to find that this was easy to follow without it!
I will be going back to them since this was a lot of fun!
I liked Gideon and Cait and what they do for one another.
The development they have.
Overall this was a great read and I really enjoyed Heather McCollum's writing!
Sons of Sinclair Book #3, Highland Justice, is a slow-burn highlands historical romance read. Gideon Sinclair is one of four brothers trained by their maddening father to be the Scottish equivalent of the Horseman of the Apocalypse - Gideon's fate Justice.
Gideon finds himself face-to-face with a fiercely smart, courageous women who softens his broody exterior. Cait having endured a harsh marriage finds herself widowed and helping those these less fortunate, especially children after the Sinclair cleansing of the village. Cait's love and admiration to those she is not blood related makes Gideon question the rules of the land. How can make her, and the whole village believe he will do what is right for the betterment of all under his clans rule?
Together, they slowly begin to build a relationship built on trust. It's only when a young ward of Cait's is taken into custody for thievery that Gideon's justice is tested to determine if there is a future for her and him.
I am incredibly excited for Bas' story - Bas’ fate Death. Sons of Sinclair can be read as a stand alone books. Thank you Entangled Publishing and TLC Book Tours for the complimentary copy.
I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book.
Cait runs a home for orphans since she was widowed.
Gideon is tasked with bringing the the MacKays under Sinclair laws.
I liked the relationship between Cait and Gideon and how Cait changes him for the better.
I couldn't put the book down as Gideon fell for Cait.
This was a great book all the way through and I can't wait for Bas's story.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of Highland Justice by Heather McCollum.
This is the next book in the Sons of Sinclair series and it centers on Gideon, the third of the Sinclair brothers.
I liked how Cait changes Gideon and helps him grow as a character. Cait also learns to trust in someone after having managed on her own for a long time.
There was enough going on in the story to keep you reading. This was a good addition to the series. I liked that all the brothers appeared in the story and we get to see how their lives are progressing.
I felt this book was standalone, but I feel it would be better a better experience to read them in order.
Sinclair synchronicity!
All the right requirements here for a scintillating Highlands Historical Romance. 1550 Northern Coastlands o a Scotland. Brawny brother of the Sinclair highland chieftain, Gideon Sinclair, is one of four brothers, all trained by an unforgiving, maddened father, to be the Scottish equivalent of the four Horseman of the Apocalypse. Gideon is Justice. As their Aunt Merida tells them, ‘“You we’re all raised engulfed in his madness.”’
Only when Gideon’s unyielding exterior meets a fierce, feisty woman is he softened, and softened, and softened then some. And with the orphans Gideon fosters his heart slips a little more into buttery whimsey.
Mind you Cait Mackay is no pushover, and the many talents she has are eye watering. I’m not even going to mention the fate of the bed! (Oops, I just did!)
Oh! And these two might have to contend with King James, with treason and murder, and finding love. Enemy into Lover and Marriage of Convenience trope blends to make a satisfying and intriguing tale.
An Entangled ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
✨Thank you to Net Galley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC of this book!✨
I admit that it took me a bit to be “sold” on the setup of this book, but once I got drawn in, I was ✨in!✨
Gideon was the ultimate grump who felt the weight of expectation and thought he couldn’t let himself be “swayed” by emotion… until he met Cait.
Cait was the perfect balance to Gideon’s grumpiness and stodginess. She absolutely brought out the best in him. She had a spine of steel with a soft heart and I loved her. Watching Gideon’s heart of stone melt into a pile of goo for Cait had ✨me✨ melting.
The Hogmanay scene where he gives gifts to Cait and the children she cares for was just… 🥺🥺🥺. I was a puddle on the floor.
Also, Cait’s special “skill” was so cool! It’s not something I’ve seen used in books before, and I thought it was unique. I’ve actually seen this talent performed in real life and it is just as mesmerizing and beautiful as the book describes.
The tension and steam were pretty top notch, too. I mean, they literally break a bed!!!! 😂🤣😍🥵🔥
HOWEVER, my one complaint is that Heather McCollum TEASED us with the mention of rope play and I WAS SO EXCITED!!! But, it was never actually used. That was fine, but I got my hopes up for a second that I would get a spicy rope scene in a Highland Medieval romance and that was going to elevate this to Favorite Books of All Time status. 😂🤣
ANYWAY, this was still a fantastic read. The pacing and plot kept things moving along and I completely believed the development of Gideon and Cait’s feelings. I already added the first two books in the series to my Audible library and cannot WAIT to get to them. I’m also very intrigued by Bás and am really looking forward to his story.
I admit I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I expected a fun, ok read, but Heather McCollum really surprised me. I will definitely be going through her backlist. I even kind of want a physical copy of this book for my bookshelf.
This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.
It was fun to watch as Gideon went from kind of a robot that followed every rule and never deviated until he met Cait. When she was caught returning stolen money, he actually lessened the punishment.
From there, they are in a game of back and forth fighting their attraction and each growing to know the other.
There is also some intrigue thrown in when the King shows up and unexplained events start causing trouble.
I did not read the previous books so this one caused me to want to read them and also wait for the next book in the series and see Bas find his HEA.
This is the third book on the Sons of Sinclair series and I liked it but I didn't love it as much as the first two books in the series. Gideon Sinclair is the hero and he is the Horseman of Justice he sees the world through a lens of black and white. He has a very high moral compass but Cate Mackay the heroine makes him think differently and makes him break every rule he's ever set for himself. These two characters were perfect for each other they created a perfect balance in their relationship. I loved how Cate was such a strong female lead she wasn't afraid to tell Gideon what was on her mind or when she thought he was wrong. This book was a slow burn but it definitely picked up towards the end. I cannot wait for Bas's book he seems like such a tortured character it's going to be interesting to see how Heather McCollum has his story play out.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review