The Highlander's Bride (Zebra Debut) by Michele Sinclair Edition:  Kindle Price: $2.42
4.5 Light Yet Serious at Times, October 26, 2012  This review is from: The Highlander's Bride (Zebra Debut) (Mass Market Paperback) The Highlander's Bride (Zebra Debut) by Sinclair, Michele This is the second novel by this author that I have read and while it didn't capture me as much as "The Christmas Knight" did, it still stands out as a good example of a historical romance. One that has its very steamy interactions, has many humorous moments and has a lot of fiery Scottish fighting and making up! This is another of the authors' relationship/character driven plots and there is a bit of action towards the very end. Conor McTiernay has vowed that he will never marry. He sees no need since he doesn't think any marriage will ever be as good as his late parents, he has many brothers to keep the line going and he can get his `relief' with just about any of the clans lasses. He has also been taken in by women who just want him for his wealth, title and strength. None have wanted him for pure love. Until he is coming home from a brothers wedding one fall, and comes upon a dirty, disheveled and very angry Englishwoman who seems to have been beaten within an inch of her life. Laurel Cordell has just escaped a fate worse than death. In Conor and his clan, Laurel sees a way to hide from her problems until the weather changes in the spring and she can escape to another country. Conor can't seem to trust or put his faith in Laurel even when she does her best to make his life easier. However, he will learn. Moreover, he will learn that not every woman wants him for what he has; he will learn that there is one woman out there that will want him for what he *is*. A sexy, virile and caring man who just happens to like being the *Laird* all the time. I have read many romances that use this tactic to define the couple's relationship. The author will use constant arguing and bickering, make the male protagonist overly controlling and the female protagonist overly self-sufficient and snippy. In this case it actually works. The characters really seemed like real people that I might know in my day-to-day life. (if I lived in the 13th century!). The author has a good voice and a good grasp of the era of which she writes. There is only one issue that rankled a bit - Ms. Sinclair would sometimes use a phrase or word that I don't think was used in this century.