Loved it! Nothing like the way Heather McCollum describes the surroundings of the beautiful land. I love the tug of war of death and life between Bas and Shana in this book. She sees so much good in everything, while he would rather put his faith in animals. The two both struggle to trust their feelings until it was undeniable.

Every Sinclair book has been adventurous, suspicious and full of love. Can’t wait for the next one to come out!

Summary:
Bàs Sinclair is the executioner of Clan Sinclair. He was trained from a young age to be a merciless warrior and literally portray himself as death personified. But when he's faced with executing Shana, the woman he kissed the other day, he finds he can't do it. Now, the Sinclairs are on the verge of war with another clan, all while Bàs and Shana's relationship continues to blossom.

Review:
It's been a hot minute since I read a Scottish book, and I was even more exited to read this as it's set in the late 1500s. James VI is King, and much of Scotland is still controlled by powerful clans like the Sinclairs. The time period really shows because there is, uh, a significant witchcraft plot.

You know, despite the pretty intense content (parental trauma, murderous brother-in-laws, birth, clan wars, etc.) this book felt like a warm hug. A lot of it had to do with Bàs being the least threatening threatening man ever. His dad basically brainwashed him into thinking he killed his mom when she gave birth to him (Bàs literally means "death"), and that he must be a warrior and an unrepentant killer if necessary, but despite this, Bàs is actually a really nice guy. Like sure, he acts like he's basically death personified and will fuck you up if you cross him, but also, he takes care of babies (but will not hold them for fear of killing them because he is Death Personified)! He heals animals (who he names unless he's gonna eat them) like a jacked tatted Scottish Snow White! He carved a memorial for his late mother! he learned where the clitoris is from his big brothers! He's very much the gruff, strong and silent type. So no wonder his relationship with Shana is really sweet and romantic.

Shana's characterization might actually be one of the weak spots in the book. We know she's a midwife with a strong sense of familial duty (she risks her neck for her sister and nephew multiple times in the story), and that she helps Bàs realize that his self-perception about him being a ruthless monster is incorrect and genuinely harmful, but beyond that, I never felt like I really got her as a character. Maybe it's because Bàs was so unique (and troubled) in comparison... idk. I really liked what Shana stood for, as well as the her relationship with Bàs, but I just couldn't get a sense of who she was.

The sex:
Speaking of their relationship, my personal take on the sex in this book is that because of all the external turmoil (and there's A Lot in this book), sex for Bàs and Shana is kind of their safe space? If that makes sense? So it's very tender and affirming, but maybe a *little* sparse.

Overall:

I didn't mention this earlier but if you like family-forward stories, then you'll enjoy this book. At this point, all of Bàs's brothers have coupled off, and them and their wives (and their aunt) play a pretty big role in the plot. Heck, Shana even helps birth Bàs's nieces, a process described in semi-graphic detail. Plus, they're all involved in the clan skirmishes and rescue missions.

Overall, if you're a fan of Scottish romances, this is the book for you! I'm sure I'll feel even more strongly about this after I read through the rest of the series. Highland Beast has all the hallmarks of the sub-genre while subverting it in a sense because despite Bàs being a big, brawny warrior, he's actually really sensitive and genuinely a nice man. Heather McCollum managed to write him like this without sacrificing the heat or the chemistry with Shana, so kudos to her for that.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Entangled Publishing for this ARC.

*Note: This ARC review will be posted on my blog on March 25th, a month before the book is published

I received an ARC copy from netgallery for an honest review. All the opinions expressed in this review are mine and mine alone.

I am still reeling from this amazing book! Who doesn't love Scottish men? The characters are well rounded and seeing this romance blossom will make you believe in true love. This author creates the most beautiful places and these characters, that you will never want to let go!

Bas and Shana's story is truly heart-melting! I loved all of it, how their relationship slowly evolved yet they were completely captivated by each other from the start. They are opposites in every way but their differences are what makes them perfectly matched. Prepare to be swept away as this fierce scot and bonny lass discover harmony, fitting all their broken pieces together to find everlasting love. I would highly recommended this historical highland romance.

Bas Sinclair has been brought up to play the part of the Horseman of Death. His father convinced him he brought death . Because of that everyone is afraid of him, even he believes it.
Shannon Drummond is a midwife on the run with her new born nephew.
This historical romance, set in the Scottish Highlands is the fourth book in the series, and to understand the back story its better to have read the other books. The brothers who have been trained as the "Four Horsemen" each have their own separate stories, but they are strongly linked.
There is a lot of emotion and action in all of them. This one in particular you will need tissues for. Death can be just as welcome as birth. Add in a Scottish king who is worried about strong armies, treason and witchcraft and it makes for a very enjoyable book.
I loved it.

Highland Beast by Heather McCollum is an enchanting and heartwarming journey featuring the last son of the Sinclairs, Bàs, and Shana Drummond, a mid-wife accused of witchcraft and murder.

Bàs Sinclair and his brothers are known as the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse. Bàs wields an ax and sword while wearing a human skull mask. He brings swift justice as the clan's executioner, dutifully keeping up the ruse that he's the mighty Horseman of Death. But he is much more than the feared harbinger of death he was raised to be. Away from his family and clansmen, he can be himself, a softhearted and gentle warrior who loves animals. Bàs is an endearing hero with plaguing insecurities who I quickly fell in love with!

As for the heroine, Shana Drummond she is a young woman in need of protection. Bàs and his loyal animals quickly become her sanctuary. Shana's bravery and compassion challenge Bàs to conquer his demons and dispel his self-hatred. She sees through the carnage to the charming highland warrior he truly is. Shana is a strong and relatable female lead who I admired.

Bàs and Shana's story is truly heart-melting! I loved how their relationship slowly evolved yet they were completely captivated by each other from the start. They are opposites in every way but their differences are what makes them perfectly matched. Prepare to be swept away as this fierce scot and bonny lass discover harmony, fitting all their broken pieces together to find everlasting love.

A highly recommended stand-alone historical highland romance by the talented Heather McCollum!! 5 STARS!!

Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for providing an advanced copy of this book due for release on April 25, 2023; all thoughts and opinions are my own. Reviews appearing publicly include safety spoilers/content warning.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review! Highland Beast comes out on April 25, 2023. Heather McCollum is a new author for me and I am 100% obsessed with how she writes!! I now need to get the rest of the books in the Sons of Sinclair series and anything else she has written. The storyline about these brothers who were raised to be the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is such an original idea. Bás and Shana were a wonderful balance for each other and I love a good tortured loner MMC. I loved seeing all of the brothers interact with each other and even though I haven’t read any of the other books, everything was easy to follow and made perfect sense. This book had everything I could possibly want from a historical romance! There’s intense conflict, longing, conspiracy, and the romance is AMAZING! Seriously, I loved everything about this book. No negative things to say. If you’ve been wanting a fantastic historical romance read then you need to get this book!!

This is the story of death and the midwife. Well, sort of. Bas and Shana have an interesting first meeting as she sees him as her and her nephew's savior and he has grown up thinking of himself as Death, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The story grabs your attention from the very beginning as the dichotomy with Bas saving so many animals, yet considering himself Death is intriguing. Shana is the perfect match for him as she is strong and fierce, especially about those she loves. The story has action, suspense, love, sorrow, life, death and eventually a happy ending. And if that isn't enough to interest you, then consider Bas has a pet wolf that saves people.

4.5 rounded up to 5

I love reading Heather McCollum’s books. They are a real treat for anyone who loves reading Highlander romances.

‘Highland Beast’, the 4th in the ‘Sons of Sinclair’ series, is about Bàs, the executioner of clan Sinclair, and Shana, a brave and compassionate healer. Opposites attract, in terms of professions, is an understatement here. With an endearing love story, fun bonding and ribbing between brothers, and a dash of action and royal politics from the 16th century, Highland Beast is a must-read.

Since book 1, I’ve been intrigued by Bàs. With a name that means Death and burdened with the duty of carrying out executions, he immediately earned my sympathy. I watched as his brothers and their wives tried to coax him out of his hard shell, and I was ready with my popcorn and tissues to see that shell break finally in this book. Heather McCollum’s brilliant storytelling kept me engrossed from start to finish.

Highland Beast was a beautiful end to the Sinclair Brother’s Horseman saga. One by one, we saw how the brothers broke away from their father’s misbelief. The author did not disappoint, telling a wonderful story of Bàs as a young emotional boy broken down to become his father’s ‘Horseman of Death’ while secretly keeping his true self alive.

The plot was an addictive page-turner with great chemistry between Bàs and Shana and funny banter between the Sinclair brothers. Be warned that Shana is involved in at least two explicit childbirth scenes, which were pure comic chaos. There is mild angst as Shana has to get over the horror of Bàs almost executing her, but she forgives him eventually.

What I loved about this book was how at first, Shana tries changing Bàs’s name, but in the end, she realizes that a name, doesn’t make a person. He is still a loving, caring warrior who takes in injured animals and protects his own. The depth in that simple acceptance speaks volumes. As Shakespeare said, “What’s in a name?”

Highland Beast was a brilliant and thrilling end to the Sinclair brothers’ saga, and I can’t wait for their sister’s story next.

Book 4 of the highland brothers. This one is Bas, or better know as Death of the 4 horsemen. Liked this one, as well as the others in the series. Nice to see the way the family is growing. Look forward to reading the sister's book next. Enjoyable author, story and characters. Highly recommend.

ok hear me out, an (almost) virgin executioner who is secretly an inner softie, collects animals, is scared of holding babies and thinks he's unlovable beyond redemption. That sound? That sound is my ovaries spontaneously combusting when I met Bas, the Horseman of Death. I mean ... I need to collect myself, this gentle giant has completely undone me.

Shana is the PERFECT heroine for him, as the bringer of life (a midwife), she throws the shackles off him, convincing him he IS worthy of love and she's just the woman to do it. There are so many heartwarming scenes in this book, a death, a birth, a storming the castle. The amount of crying I did during this book was really embarrassing but beautiful because it's FOR LOVE 😩😭

I read this as a stand-alone (but you best believe I will be reading the rest of the series now) and while it can be read alone, it would probably be much easier to keep track of all the characters if you'd read those books too. I cannot WAIT for Hannah's book, she charmed me so much here.

But Bas and Shana are the stars here, and the romance is the main thing, as it should be. There is an aristocracy coup/overthrow subplot as well as some villainous types, which weren't my favorite parts of the book. If you're looking for pure soft and fluffy, this isn't it, as Shana gets into a bit of a bad situation at the dark moment. But rest assured, there is a tearjerker of a HEA.

Bas' transformation arc from feeling deeply bad and irredeemable, unlovable, to him feeling light and free and loved was just everything I love about romance. Did I mention that he takes care of injured animals and there's a scene where he beats a man for hurting a horse. He's too good for this world, y'all. 🥹 The fact that everyone is terrified touching him will cause them harm has kept him mostly a virgin (except for one time a girl was dared to) so this definitely has "losing your virginity" vibes for him and it was SO delicious and hot. The love scenes are poignant and on page and so fantastic, yes yes YES.

Loved the novelty of an earlier time period than regency for a historical and LOVE a warrior in a kilt, always. Five giant stars from me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

I had a great time.
A very nice story.
I found the character very endearing.
I was really in to the story, the character

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I haven't read the other Sons of Sinclair books (yet) and this novel worked well as as stand alone.

If you're looking for a steamy romance that includes highlanders, this book is a perfect read. I read this in roughly two days b.c I couldn't put it down. The characters of Bás and Shana were wonderfully written and fully developed. The chemistry, tension, and dialogue were everything you want in good romance plus there were some perfectly steamy love scenes. The plot was fast, interesting, and kept me turning the page. It's split POV which works really well in this story.

The secondary cast of brothers and wives added comic relief and didn't deflect from the plot at all. I definitely Can't to read the other novels in the series.

4.5/5 stars (rounded to 5)⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this arc!🫶🏼

I really enjoyed this story as a whole. Bas was a very swoon-worthy hero with all his animals! Him and Shana together made a very cute couple, although some of their moments fell a little flat for. I definitely got tired of Shana always mentioning how he was Death. Like girl please get over it!!!!🫣

I liked how she was able to let Bas heal from his trauma with his father in the ending, but I felt like Shana’s trauma was brushed over. I wanted more about her past life and everything that happened.

The subplot of witch-hunting was interesting without overshadowing the rest of the story. How the third-act conflict was handled was really good, in my opinion, because there was NO MISCOMMUNICATION 🍾🥳

I am looking forward to Hannah’s book next 🤩

Highland beast is about Bas other wise known as Death who is the youngest of the Sinclair brother. In the previous books you learn more about him how they grew up. Shana who is a midwife is perfect for him. She sees the other side of him.

It's a wonderful read the sadness and grief is well balanced with humor and the hope of love. Bas and Shana are wonderful characters. Through the dual POV you can get to know more about his experience.

It can be read as a standalone but seeing as it is the fourth book in a series it would be recommended to read the other books first.

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death…

Bas' Sinclair and Shana's story is one full of action, suspense, love, sorrow, new life, and death.

Old Chief George Sinclair loved power, wealth, and his wife Alice. He felt Scotland was his with his son's behind him, because they would represent the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse! When his precious wife died giving birth to their 4th son, the Chief went a little mad! Declaring Bas', meaning death, as the Horseman of Death since he felt his birth killed his mother.

I'm not going to put any spoilers in my review because I don't want to ruin it for anyone, especially people following this series. But what I do have to say, is that this is the best book in this series! My emotions were everywhere. I was sad, I laughed (Especially where Joshua is concerned), I cried, and I cheered! Bas' was not Death even though that's what he grew to believe. Thanks to Shana's trust and belief in his honor, which she did question with him being an executioner, he became the person he always was inside. With his brothers and sister, and especially Beo and his beast friends standing tall beside him!

This is the 4th book in the Horsemen of the Highlands series by Heather McCollum. You get to see all of your favorite characters back in action, and maybe some new additions too!

First off, naming your child “Death” is such a horrid thing to do. He never experienced a childhood, having to learn to fight at age 5. And kids were too scared to even play with him. And he turned into such a rough, rigid man with a squishy heart that helps injured animals. He even has his own menagerie of creatures (where can I get a wolf?!)
Shanna is so strong and fierce, protecting her family to the death. When Bas rescues her, she turns from a frightened doe to a lioness. I love their interactions with each other. And how she gets to see how sweet the man really is behind his title “the Executioner.”

This was an interesting read due to the different elements that the author added to the story. I find that most historical romances follow a couple of general formats, and while this one did as well, it also threw in some different elements that made it stand out from other historical romances and will help me remember it this one when other stories details fade. That being said, it still felt like something was missing from the story to keep it from being a really good read - or maybe it wasn't what was missing, but what was added? Some details seemed slightly out of place for the time period that the story was taking place.

I give it 3 stars.

Thank you #NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.

I received an arc of this book. This is my opinion on this story.
I loved this book. The hero in this story was so conflicted. He is the 4th of brothers to get a story. Their dad was a little mad after his wife dies. He names his sons after the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse in the bible. The hero in this story is named after death.
The heroine is a midwife who hates to let death win. She helps him realize that he is more than an executioner. This story had it all. Romance, steam, angst, humor with a happy ever after.
Heather Mccollum writes another great story.

An excellent story from start to finish, loved the characters so much and emotionally heart lifting. Bàs and Shana are perfect together. I was immersed in this world and couldn't wait for their happily ever after.