DEVIL OF THE HIGHLANDS

Author: Lynsay Sands ISBN: 9780061344770 2/2009 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON
Time Period: Northern England, 1273

They call him the Devil . . . He is the most notorious laird of Scotland: fierce, cold, deadly . . . and maybe even worse. Yet Evelinde has just agreed to wed him. Anything, she thinks, is better than her cruel stepmother. Though Evelinde should be wary of the rumors, she can’t help but be drawn to this warrior . . . for the Devil of the Highlands inspires a heat within her that is unlike anything she has ever known. They may call him whatever they wish, but Cullen, Laird of Donnachaidh, cares only for the future of his clan. He must find a wife, a woman to bear him sons and heed his commands. He has no need for beauty or grace, but one taste of his lovely bride’s sweet lips and the sultry feel of her skin arouse an untamed passion. Perhaps there’s more to marriage than he thought . . .

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Evelinde is an innocent girl who’s been betrothed to someone she’s never met and has heard horrible things about. She doesn’t know how to reconcile the ‘Devil of the Highlands’ with the passionate man her husband is turning out to be.

Cullen isn’t any of the things that are whispered about him, but he doesn’t care enough to try and change anyone’s mind. In fact, the rumors about him work out well for him because whenever he goes out to fight, people just run away. Luckily for him, however, Evelinde is learning not to believe he’s the Devil—it wouldn’t do to have her running away from him, when he just wants to hold her close…

I had difficulty with DEVIL IN THE HIGHLANDS. On paper, there’s nothing wrong with this story. It has the humor I’ve come to expect from Lynsay Sands and a cute love story. But I think the problem I had with DEVIL IN THE HIGHLANDS is that I can’t see how it’s different from any of Sands’ previous medieval-set books. I feel like Evelinde and Cullen are no different from many of the other heroes and heroines that have populated Sands’ historicals. I also saw a lot of the same scenes in DEVIL IN THE HIGHLANDS that I know I’ve read before. While I still enjoy Sands’ historicals more than I like her vampire series, my concern is that she’s just starting to write the same book over and over again. I’m willing to continue on with Sands to see where she goes next, but now that I’ve noticed how similar her books appear to be, I don’t know if I’ll continue to rush to read her newest release.

Jilian Vallade