In my opinion, Lyndsay Sands is the best there is in writing Scottish Romances. This book was just as good as always. She has such wonderful characters. They are funny, loving, intelligent. In this book she had me laughing, crying and a little surprised at the twist it took. I always love it when a book surprises me and keeps me on my toes. This book has it all.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I love this series by Lynsay Sands. They are always a fun time and I appreciate how many of the characters that we get to see are interconnected. If you appreciate lighthearted happily ever afters with a bit of family drama thrown in, this is a book for you!

Highlander’s Return
Lynsay Sands

Lynsay Sands is one of the best as her fans can well attest. Whether it’s her historical romances set the Scottish Highlands or her profusely, prolific and never ending paranormal series of Argeneau Immortals (vampires) that you follow, she’ll surprise you. This one is short and I’ve read it before. It’s still enjoyable, entertaining and an easy read. If you’ve never read anything by her and you want to start with a short historical this would be a good introduction. If you’re like me and have eagerly awaited her next release for the past 27 years, then you have been blessed with an enormous amount of talent, imagination, humor and romance from one of the best authors of these genres. As you have probably guessed I’m a HUGE fan. Happy reading!!

This was a fun and sweet read. The characters are well written and the story is well paced. The spice is just the right amount while still having a strong storyline filled with a mystery. I enjoyed Anella being a strong and confident FMC and even better, that’s one of the main reasons the warrior highlander Graeme had “instalove” for her. Who can’t appreciate that? I didn’t know until after the fact that this book is part of a series (which I will be reading next) as it is strong as a standalone.
Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

Beautiful, emotional, funny, and passionate. Lynsay Sands never disappoints me with her writing. The characters are well written and Graeme and Anella's story is swoon-worthy. While it is part of a series, you can read this as a standalone.

Another wonderful read by Lynsay Sands! Graeme left home several years ago to travel through Scotland as a mercenary. Now his brother, William h clan chieftain is dead and he must return to his clan. Now everything has changed. Will the sweet lass he left behind be the same or will she have changed too? Read The Highlander's Return is a great read!

A classic Lynsay Sands highlander tale with mystery, insta-lust, and smart heroine (hero wishes lol)!

Graeme is the second son who has been away as a mercenary for years, but returns home to be laird when he learns his brother has passed. When he arrives, he is immediately taken by his brother's widow, Payton, who he only briefly met six years ago. She's nothing like the demure, weak woman her brother (his comrade) painted her as and her strength, no-nonsense attitude, and appearance quickly makes her someone he respects.

With his father incapacitated, his older brother missing since the wedding, his mother a b*tch, and his younger brother too young, Payton took over ruling the keep and people for the past six years which Graeme uses to convince her to stay so he can woo her.

But as they find a passion and respect with each other, the question remains: why did his brother/her husband disappear the night of the wedding? And why are mysterious accidents taking place now? Who would want to kill Graeme?

Despite being the 12th in the season, you don't have to read the others to understand/enjoy this one. You will see some familiar faces (I can't believe we're in the next gen!) and familiar themes.

Thus, I once again enjoyed the predictability of Lynsay's books, the humor, setting, and passion between the leads.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Feat: mystery, insta-lust, married for convenience/compromised/wants to (yes, all at once), medical field FMC

3.25 stars
2.5 spice

OMG I loved this book and this series. Lynsay writes such incredible characters and settings. Such a great book to read. i didn't want to put it down.

The Highlander's Return is the 12th offering in the Highland Brides series by Lynsay Sands. You don't have to read these in order, but they do reference back to previously introduced characters. You'll ger everything you have come to expect from Sands...romance and laughs.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital review copy.

This is such a fun historical romance read! Highlanders, Scottish accents, larids and ladies, a fiery FMC, Insta Lust, spice, and an mysterious assassination plot -- This is a fast paced read that might have you reaching for more.

I loved that every time the MMC thought he had the perfect plan to convince the FMC to marry him that something would happen and he would be at the misery of his hormones and completely fall into her arms.

The mystery assassination plot part was amazing! I guessed the big bads before the reveal but still enjoyed the reveal and the motivations for the assassination plot.

I had no idea that this book was the 12th in a series but I think that it can definitely be read as a stand-alone.

This was another great story in this series. You have a strong willed woman who is determined to do everything her way. Things go a little different than she planned when she met Graeme. One look at her was all it took to know his life was about to change drastically. Will Graeme be able to woo her and keep her alive after someone is determined to kill her and maybe even him too? I was given a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series!

Graeme Gunn has returned home with his brother’s body. Having to tell his brother’s wife the news isn’t going to be easy. Anella MacKay Gun has spent the last six years being the Laird, Chatelaine, and healer for the Gunn clan when her husband disappeared on their wedding night. I loved Anella. She is feisty, intelligent, and strong enough to care for the entire clan. Although, she could do without her mother-in-law’s vicious and demeaning temperament.

Lynsay Sands is a maestro at writing a story that captivates you from page one. I loved the characters, the story, mystery, and intrigue that were so well written, I couldn’t put the book down. Graeme is a true hero. Not only because he’s a superior warrior, but because he is willing to listen and change. He’s not perfect, but when he falls for his new wife, he has to be everything for her. I enjoyed their banter and the steam the two generated. I loved the supporting characters and would like to see them all get their own stories. And this cover is swoon-worthy. The Highlander’s Return is the twelfth book in the Highland Brides series, but it is a complete stand-alone. Although once reading this you’ll want to find out all the fun and mayhem from the first eleven books. Don’t worry, they are ALL worth the read.

Awesome, fun, and very sweet. Really reminds of the old school romances. A lot happening, a sweet love story, and the bad guys are very bad. I really enjoyed this book.

You can always count on Lyndsay Sands for fairly high-heat medieval Scottish romances combined with some zany antics and a possible murder plot, and The Highlander's Return is no different.

It does feel like there are two distinct halves to this book: Part one mostly consists of Annella wanting nothing more than to return to her ancestral home now that she's been widowed by Graeme's brother, except Graeme wants to marry Annella so he tries to "compromise" her by having her brothers catch them in the middle of the act (to be clear, her brothers are completely fine with this). And Annella is totally down for some no-strings sex but less so marriage after her first husband abandoned her and getting a taste of independence as a widow and chatelaine. It's light, it's humorous.

The plot really picks up about midway through the book post-marriage: you get the classic post-marriage communication issues, then there are multiple murder attempts on Annella and Graeme, and there's still the mystery of Annella's first husband's disappearance all those years ago. Because books clocks in at around 234 pages, the multiple resolutions felt quite rushed.

The sex:

Another Lynsay Sands classic: couples who are ready to go at it any time despite the number of creative injuries they have, and in this case, Annella and Graeme brave burn scars and arrows being shot at them WHILE they're having sex.

Overall:

This book wasn't for me, but I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, light-hearted Scottish romance.

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 3.75/5
Heat Level: 3.25/5
Publication Date: September 24th

There is nothing better than a yummy highlander and a strong heroine to keep me reading and add Lynsay as the author…it’s a win. I feel like I am transported back in time when I read her books. It has passion, chemistry and so much more. You feel like you are fighting right along with them.

Awww, this book is about the daughter of the first couple in the series :)

Sands' Highlander series is great. I find it so ffunny, especially this one. In this book Annella has been serving as Laird and Lady Gunn since she married at 16 and her husband William left her right after the wedding. Her mother in law has been treating her horribly but otherwise the rest of the people think she's done a great job.

Once Wiliam's body is disovered and Annella is a widow, she starts thinking about going back home to Mackay. Meanwhile William's brother Graeme comes back from being a mercenary to take his place as the next Laird. He decides he wants to marry Annella but has to convince her to stay. The hilarity ensues when he decides that his friends and her brother need to find them together so that she can be compromised. Annella keeps foiling their plans by taking him to other random locations.

There is also an overarching mystery, as happens in all of the books in this series, which gets solved a bit early but in this book the mystery seems to be not as important as their relationship as in the previous books. It really could be the end of the series, which would be sad, but it's had a good run - 12 books and 11 years. Can't wait to see what Lynsay Sands has coming next.

I recieved an advanced copy and am giving an honest review.

A Lynsay Sands Highlander novel is one of the reasons I adore this sub genre of historical romance so much. From her brawny (quite often cinnamon role) MCs and strong FMCs, I am always, always, always drawn into the story. She brings the perfect amount of drama, sibling shenanigans, and we know someone is inevitably going to be poisoned or possible shot by an arrow.

I loved how Annella was painted as the sweet demure sister Payton described and the moment Graeme sees her she is sewing up a knife wound and hitting the man over the head with a pot in order to get him to stop squawking. I couldn't stop laughing at Annella deciding to seduce Graeme, when he was attempting to woo her. And after a successful seduction she would not marry him out of honour because she had been the one doing the seducing. Setting Graeme to try and get them caught in a compromising enough position to get Annella to marry him. And her poor brother Payton was dragged into it and promised that he would only be catching them part way to a full compromising. It made me actually giggle when the attempts were foiled more than once.

Lynsay Sands was the first highlander romance author I read and since then few authors have come close to the level of joy reading her novels brings me. I truly hope this is a series that keeps going and going because we definitely have some characters who I would love to see have books. I am looking at you remaining single Buchanan brother Alick and Payton MacKay!

I have really enjoyed Lynsay Sands' highlander series, so I am delighted to be able to read The Highlander's Return early. Although book twelve in a series, this can be read as a standalone.

This book is filled with mystery, sexy highlanders, a strong FMC, humor and a hot romance. This had one of the most hilarious opening scenes that I've read in a book. Annella was such a spitfire! I loved her so much. Graeme is a warrior returning home for the first time in six years, and from the moment he meets Annella he's a goner. I loved how Graeme fell first because he sees how awesome Annella is. I love that! These two had great chemistry. Their romance was hot, hot, hot! The spicy scenes were really good.

I liked the mystery of who was trying to kill Graeme. It added excitement and suspense. I thought it had a satisfying conclusion as well.

A great historical romance that readers won't be able to put down!

Book REVIEW: The Highlander's Return

This might be one of the funniest openings of a Lynsay Sands Highland Bride series. I couldn't stop LOLING!

Annella is the daughter of the hero Ross MacKay from A Highlander Takes a Bride and she is a spitfire. I enjoyed watching how she entered the clan as a scared young woman and then took over managing the clan so well to the point that everyone loves and cares for her in return. It was so wholesome to see the dynamics between Annella and her people. Her husband left her on their wedding night and fled the COUNTRY never to be seen again, until his body was found six years later by his younger brother Graeme.

When Graeme returns, he is instantly impressed with Annella and knows she will be his wife, because she is strong, competent, and knows the ins and outs of being a laird. What else could a man ask for? However, Annella absolutely loathes all of the Gunn family. Her husband abandoned her, her mother in law is completely abusive, and the youngest brother keeps calling her an annoying nickname that she asks him frequently to stop. Because of all of this, Annella just wants to go home. The second she finds out her husband is dead she is thrilled and immediately begins packing…in such a perfect and humorous scene.

Which is soon followed by many more humorous scenes of Annella and Graeme hooking up because Annella wants to have a good time, only every time Graeme plots with her brother that he will catch them and force her to marry him and they are in a different location than Graeme and Payton planned for.

This has all of the classic Lynsay Sands moments: getting caught in compromising positions, arrow wounds, sick beds, the need to be carried about, secret passages, and the overall same shenanigans as all of the others.

But the plotting is also where the book began to fall apart for me. Sands books have previously had such strong family dynamics and the fact that Annella is raised by the hero and heroine of previous books made me think that those familial bonds in this one should be even stronger. That absolutely was not the case.

Graeme manipulating Annella is one thing, especially with all of the chaotic ways his dumb man logic advised him to go about it. But what hurt was seeing how Payton immediately sided with Graeme OVER HIS SISTER. He was in on the plans to force Annella to marry Graeme, as opposed to supporting his sister, who has been miserable for six long years and just wants to go home to her mom and dad. I get that he is a side character, but this really had a huge impact in my enjoyment of the story. Whereas his parents felt the opposite!

Even though Annella was enjoying the pasties and finally got to see her parents again, who then cared for her and nursed her back to health, I was really just rooting for her to go home. Annella is never NOT trapped at Gunn Castle even after six years. Graeme literally would not let her go home.

I'm also not sure why her parents came to visit and immediately asked Annella if she wanted to leave, and she said she couldn't because she was married and her mother and father, both, separately, said it didn't matter, they would get her out. That was incredibly endearing. Though, I'm not sure why they never wrote to her nor visited IN SIX YEARS. They only showed up after her second time trapped in an awful marriage.

This did not feel like the same romance in earlier books, but it was interesting because the hero had ALL of the work to do and Annella needed to heal and experience her sexual awakening.

4.5 stars - Once again, snaps to the cover design artist for understanding the vibe correctly & channeling it so well. This is campy, this is fun, this is murderous - just all around a great example of this flavor of book from LS