Highlander Unmasked, Monica McCarty (2007)

So, I started reading Monica McCarty's Highland Guard series last year, and so got into it that I decided to explore another one of her series, MacLeods of Skye Trilogy  since I was on a MMc binge. BIG MISTAKE.  Highlander Unmasked is the second book of the trilogy, and even though it's predecessor, Highlander Untamed, was lukewarm at best, this one was inferior in quality, in general.

But first of, I've gotta say that I REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND why novels featuring Highlanders (OK, most romance novels in general) must have the hero's chest showing. Is that a pre-requisite? Is it in the book contract?

Alright, since I'm through with that, on to the story.



This heroine obviously doesn't know how to play hard to get. At all. 

I honestly really enjoyed the first half of the book, which is why I didn't rate it with a single star, but Meg (the heroine) really ruined it for me. She was supposed to be this independent, intelligent young woman, but she just came off as annoying and completely clingy when trying to capture Alex's (the hero's) heart. I mean, how many times did she need to be rejected by him for her to understand? What more did he need to DO for her to get it? Not much else, apparently, since he did everything to convince her to leave him alone, but nothing seemed to work:

1.Tell her he wasn't interested. CHECK
2.Tell her he wasn't the man for her. CHECK
3.Ignore her. CHECK
4.Inform her he had no scruples and no honor and was only after his personal gain. CHECK
5.Mistreat her and scream at her every time she got in his way (although who wouldn't?). CHECK
6.Bed her and un-enthusiastically ask her for her hand in marriage under duress and out of duty. CHECK
8.Let her know he was using her for her money and lands. CHECK
9.Tell her to marry another man.CHECK
10.Leave her without ever having the intention of coming back and never communicating with her. CHECK
11.After she followed him for the umpteenth time, tell her he couldn't promise her a future, AGAIN. CHECK
12. Tell her, again, how she was bothering him. CHECK
13. Persuade her that she HAD to marry someone else (yes, AGAIN) but a few minutes later he slept with her anyway. CHECK

I get that she was 'fighting for her man', but this was ridiculous already. I usually enjoy Monica McCarty's books, and I really like her new Highlander Guards series as mentioned above, but this has got to be one of her weakest books, if not THE weakest.   It made me ANGRY at the way the h was constantly grovelling, and grovelling, and grovelling yet again. So it is definitely NOT recommended.


Originally published in: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/279508435

Highlander Unmasked
Reviewed by Romina on Mar 13 2013
Rating: 1.5