"The first in an outstanding trilogy of Scottish romance"

In "My Wicked Highland," book one of her new trilogy, "The McDonnel Brides," Jen Holling takes a look at life as a witch in the late 1500's Scotland. It wasn't a pretty time for life in general, but if a woman had been blessed with the ability to do magic, she had to keep it to herself or risk being burned at the stake. It is this time of danger and its inherent romance that is the setting of this exciting foray into a fascinating adventure in reading.

Isobel McDonnel has spent the last twelve years living in England, exiled there by her father after the discovery that her mother was a witch and had been burned. Isobel has inherited their mother's gift, with Isobel's powers lying in her ability to see events before they happen by a touch of her hand. Now finally, after the long years of separation from her family, Isobel is finally to be taken home to Scotland.

Lord Philip Kirkpatrick has been commissioned by the chieftain of the MacDonnels of Glen Laire to bring his oldest daughter home to be married. When he discovers that the beautiful red-haired lass is a witch, he vows to protect her until she reaches her family. However, he fails to remember to protect his heart and soon finds himself falling in love with the gentle young woman with the special abilities.

As Isobel and Philip make the grueling trek home to Scotland, they encounter many hardships as they attempt to help a couple find their lost daughter, and are forced to flee for their very lives. Along the way, they also find a love that comes from a deep respect for one another, as well as heated passion that flames threaten to burn them both in a very different way than expected.

This is an engaging beginning to what promises to be a special series of stories. Holling's characters are warm and believable and their romance plays out to a satisfying ending that encounters absorbing twists and turns of its own.

Reviewed by Sharon Galligar Chance
Posted June 2, 2005

Summary

With Scotland in the grip of a nationwide witch hunt, Isobel MacDonell is hiding in England. But when Sir Philip Kilpatrick arrives to escort her to her betrothed in the Highlands, Isobel must face a harrowing journey through a land of fear and suspicion. Soon, however, Philip grows reluctant to deliver Isobel to the noble intended she has never met. Isobel has charmed her way into his heart...and yet her determination to use her magic to solve the dark mystery of Philip's tortured past could destroy them both.