"Superb reading experience for lovers of historical romance!"
Scotland, 1456 Cormac Armstrong remembers Elspeth Murray as the nine year
old girl who helped save his life when he was but a lad at
seventeen, on the run since being wrongfully accused for
the murder of his lover's husband. Now, ten years later,
it's Cormac's turn to save her from a kidnap and rape
attempt. Helping her to steal away from her captors, they
end up for days alone on the road. Try as he might, Cormac
cannot deny the strong attraction he feels toward Elspeth
and gives into the seduction of her charms. He feels torn
to take what he craves with Elspeth, and yet he wants to be
honorable toward the woman he has vowed to be loyal to. Elspeth has fantasized about Cormac since she met him years
ago and seeing him again only makes her more determined to
seduce him into revealing his feelings for her. However,
she is dismayed to learn he is still very much faithful to
Isabel, the lover from his youth, a woman who has remarried
and become a widow again. Elspeth is convinced she will
change Cormac's mind about staying faithful to Isabel, and
she plans to seduce him every chance she gets. Of course,
being a beautiful woman with plenty of charm, seducing
Cormac doesn't take long at all. The real challenge is to
make him realize the true nature of the woman he is pledged
to, for he blindly refuses to see Isabel for the woman she
really is. HIGHLAND VOW is a superb reading experience for lovers of
historical romance. Hannah Howell has given her fans a
stirring tale about a woman with selfless devotion and a
man bound by his honor. The plot is definitely an engaging
one, with enough twists and turns to leave the reader
guessing. Elspeth is a beautiful woman who lost her heart to Cormac
at a very young age. The lively banter and her tempting
behavior make her a delightful character especially when
she's trying to seduce Cormac or foiling his attempts to
find satisfaction elsewhere. I particularly enjoyed the
scene when Elspeth waylaid the barmaid and spoiled Cormac's
plans of a quick tumble to get rid of the sexual tension
created by Elspeth's seductions. Ms Howell has depicted
Cormac to be a highly honorable and courageous man with a
wonderful sense of humor, and he's definitely handsome and
virile. The only thing I'd want to point out against Cormac's
character is that his sense of honor went a bit too far at
times. Isabel, the woman he has vowed to remain faithful
to since his youth, is depicted to be an evil woman and it
seems everyone in the story knows this except Cormac. He
is totally blind to the fact that the woman is not sincere
or innocent like he believes her to be. Even the scene
when he has proof of her true nature, when he has heard and
seen enough by his own eyes, his anger didn't seem enough
to me. I suppose I expected him to be livid, but his
reaction seemed lukewarm to me. Despite my annoyance with Cormac's character in certain
places, I still found HIGHLAND VOW to be a wonderful story
of undeniable love, honor and blind devotion. With its
scenic background, rich and lively characters and lush
descriptions, HIGHLAND VOW is certainly a tale worth
reading!
Reviewed by Leena Hyat
Posted October 8, 2001
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