"Interesting historical, but not as I hoped"

Courtland MacCarrick has been working as a mercenary, selling his (and his fellow highlanders') skills of intimidation and warfare to the highest bidder. When General Pascal, whose ambition is to take over the Spanish throne, decides not to pay Courland, Pascal orders him killed instead. Barely escaping with his life by falling backwards into the river, Courtland is found miles down stream by an angel.

Only Lady Annalia Llorente isn't an angel when it comes to dealing with Courtland a giant Highlander she thinks, who fights for the man she detests: Pascal. Healing him, she hopes that he would give her aide. Attracted to each other, Courtland can't help himself when he end ups mocking Annalia who, desperate to save her brother from Pascal, agrees to a marriage contract that has more ramifications than she or Courtland know!

Kresley Cole has written a very action oriented story spanning the European continent as well as London. I love travel stories! There is plenty of action because Courtland (Court) kidnaps Annalia from Pascal who in turns puts a death warrant on her head so it is all he can do to keep her alive. Henchmen pop up everywhere to try to kill them!

However, despite the fact that the novel is fast paced because of the constant danger, I really got tired of Annalia and Courts relationship. They are attracted to each other, but he doesn't want to "take her" because as a Highlander he's not good enough for a Lady, blah, blah, blah. Annalia wants to save her brother and is bound and determined to escape from Court blah, blah, blah. By the time our couple stops bickering enough for Annalia to realize she loves Court, I had sadly, lost interest in them as a couple. Each character was interesting in his/her own right and story is a case serious opposites attract, but characters did not work as a couple for me.

What kept me reading is the curse upon Court and his family: never to marry, or know love. This is my own fault, but I really thought this meant he was also several hundred years old. After finishing the story, I don't think so; I think he is what you would expect of a Highland hero. I also find the story of Court's brother Hugh very interesting and am looking forward to reading his story.

IF YOU DARE is an interesting story, but it doesn't fall into the category of books I had to read in one sitting. Give it a shot if you are looking for a book to read when you are dealing with interruptions!

Reviewed by Cynthia Eckert
Courtesy eBOOKISLE.net
Posted February 23, 2006

Read an Excerpt

Three Scottish brothers, cursed to walk with death, become what they were fated to be: dark warriors—a spy, a mercenary, and an assassin—without homes, families, or futures. Inhabiting a shadow realm on the periphery of society, these men are damned by their fates, their actions and, in some cases, by the very people they protect. They are fiercely possessive and will do whatever it takes to defend what's theirs. If crossed, their wrath is brutal.

But the consuming desires each man has for his lady—and his fear of hurting her when he acts on them—are tormenting. Luckily, the brothers choose their heroines wisely, because it takes a very special woman to tame a dark heart.

Summary

Can a Highlander steal his enemy's bride and make her love him?

High in the Pyrenees, a band of mercenaries led by Courtland MacCarrick wages war for brutal General Reynaldo Pascal. When Court turns on the general, Pascal orders him killed. Court narrowly escapes and exacts revenge by kidnapping Pascal's exquisite Castilian fiancée.

Noble heiress Annalía Tristán Llorente despises her towering, barbaric captor almost as much as she does Pascal. Her inexplicable attraction to the Highlander only fuels her fury. Yet nothing will stop her from returning to Pascal—for if she doesn't wed him, she signs her brother's death warrant, as well as her own.

From the moment Court discovers that Anna's prim façade masks a fiery, brave lass, his heart's ensnared and he dares to defy the curse that has shadowed his life—to walk with death or walk alone. But Pascal vows that he'll hunt the two, never stopping until he's destroyed them both. If they survive, can there be love between a defiant beauty and a ruthless Highland mercenary?