HIGHLAND MOONLIGHT

Author: Teresa J. Reasor ISBN: 1601540507 6/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: THE WILD ROSE PRESS
Time Period: Scotland 1328

Seduced and shamed by Alexander Campbell, the warrior to whom she is betrothed, Lady Mary Mac Lachlan flees to the Campbell stronghold of Castle Lorne and demands sanctuary from Alexander's father. Though Alexander seduced Mary for her own protection and his men’s, his actions have greater repercussions than expected. His betrayal destroys Mary's trust and his belief in himself as a man of honor. Determined to heal the breach, and claim Mary—who now carries his heir—as his wife, he follows her to Lorne and finds himself brought before a council of arbitration on charges of rape. When Collin Mac Lachlan, Mary’s father tries to coerce her into testifying against Alexander, Mary refuses. But when violence threatens to break out between their clans, Mary is forced to wed him to fulfill their betrothal agreement and save him from the executioner. Amid the hostilities between their clans and the wounds inflicted on her heart, can Mary find the love and happiness she's always craved or will she discover she's been chasing a dream as illusive as Highland Moonlight?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS: ^Plus!

Teresa Reasor has completely reestablished my faith in the medieval romance. Not only was this book among the best I have read this year, I am going out on a limb and giving it a higher score than I have ever given a book! I am granting HIGHLAND MOONLIGHT a Top Pick PLUS.

From the very onset of the story, I was completely enthralled with these characters' lives. Mary is so gallant, so very strong in the force of terrible men, so able to stand up for herself that she made me want to weep. I felt it every time she held her tears inside and visibly forced herself to hold her composure. It is as if I felt the pain that she was going through, right to my very bones.

Mary has been hurt and treated unjustly, betrayed by a man that she loved. Now she has no idea how she can ever forgive him, for Alex has shamed her as if she were no better than an animal and he makes no excuses for his behavior. He simply is not the man that she thought he was, and his betrayal hurts her far worse than anything else that she has ever had to bear.

Alexander is a wonderful, wonderful man. He is a beautiful hero and deserves every ounce of love that he can squeeze out of Mary. For Mary is mistaken in the beliefs that she has about him, but there is no way for him to tell her that without causing her more pain. At the risk of losing her forever, he protects her in the only way he knows how—he deceives her. Alexander is determined to try and make Mary feel desirable and worthy of him, even though he knows that his own actions have caused her distrust. He is sensitive to her needs and treats her with patience and understanding, even while she is cursing him to hell and back for his misdeeds. The way he took care of his love simply took my breath away.

Never before have a I read a book that actually made me physically cry at the end of it. I might have gotten teary eyed a time or two, but when I read the last page of this book, there were actual tears streaming down my face. Beautiful, sensual and breathtaking, HIGHLAND MOONLIGHT takes the idea of medieval romance and reinvents it right before your very eyes. This book is an absolute MUST READ for lovers of historical romance.

Kristal Gorman