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Highlander #1

Captured by the Highlander

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From bestselling author Julianne MacLean comes the fiery saga of three Highland warriors sworn to protect their homelandand fight for the women they love...

The Enemy in Her Bed

Lady Amelia Sutherland would rather die than surrender to a man like Duncan MacLean. He is the fiercest warrior of his clanher people's sworn enemyand tonight he is standing over her bed. Eyes blazing, muscles taut, and battle axe gleaming, MacLean has come to kill Amelia's fianc. But once he sees the lovely, innocent Amelia, he decides to take her instead.

The Lover in His Arms

Stealing the young bride-to-be is the perfect revenge against the man who murdered Duncan's one true love. But Lady Amelia turns out to be more than a pawn of vengeance and war. This brave, beautiful woman touches something deep in Duncan's soul that is even more powerful than a warrior's fury. But when Amelia begins to fall in love with her captorand surrenders in his armsthe real battle begins.

308 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 2011

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5267 people want to read

About the author

Julianne MacLean

73?books4,151?followers
Julianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the contemporary womens fiction Color of Heaven Series. Readers have described her books as breathtaking, soulful and uplifting. MacLean is a four-time RITA finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers Best Award and a Reviewers Choice Award from Romantic Times. Her novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been published in over a dozen languages.

MacLean has a degree in English literature from the University of Kings College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a degree in business administration from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She loves to travel and has lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England. MacLean currently resides on the east coast of Canada in a lakeside home with her husband and daughter.

For more information about Julianne and her writing life, please visit her website at . Be sure to follow her on Bookbub to be notified whenever her ebooks are offered for FREE or 99 cents. () and chat with her on Facebook (), Twitter (@JulianneMacLean), and Instagram (@JulianneMaclean).

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5 stars
1,852 (29%)
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155 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 426 reviews
Profile Image for Laura.
Author?14 books608 followers
December 12, 2012
This is probably my only highly-rated rant, but the one thing that bothered me, keeping this from being a 5 star book, was a big deal to me.

Last night around midnight, I read a friend's review of this book. I had it on my nightstand, so I picked it up to see what was so fabulous about it.

I read til about 1 am (I think I made it about 115 pages) before I was forced to pry the book out of my own hands and set it aside for the night.

The book was fantastic, all except for one thing.

The dichotomy that Duncan faces over his dual roles, was great. His inner turmoil was really well done. But the heroine Amelia is so incredibly naive. At first I liked that part of her since it made sense. But the more in depth we got into the story, the more she kept trying to get him to lay down his weapons and not fight anymore.

This bothers me for a few reasons. At several points, everything she has ever believed in is thrown into question. Amelia is forced to throw off her blinders of polite English society and realize she's been kept quite sheltered. She is forced to see her fiance in a new light. She is forced to see the whole of the British army, the Scots, and even her father-a great soldier, all in a new light. The minute she recognizes that her father had been a soldier, and had more than likely killed people, I really thought she'd "get" it: That fighting is sometimes necessary. Especially during the Jacobite Risings.

The reasoning was that she wanted him to stop being "The Butcher" and to start living and move on. The reasoning wasn't bad, but it was very black and white. She had no understanding at all of the fact that while she hated war, she (and he) had no choice in the matter. he might have to fight. At one point she is nearly raped by a British officer and his soldiers that she'd run to for help. I liked how she finally FINALLY understood that it was possible her precious Redcoats weren't all men of honor. I thought for sure she'd finally get over telling him to stop fighting. But no. She kept on with her telling him not to take his vengeance out on a man (her fiance Bennett) who had raped and murdered Duncan's wife-to-be.

I get that she was looking out for him, and she wanted him to be safe, she wanted to help him save his soul from the dark. I liked that-but she never relented. She cost him a good friend, and while he'd always been divided on how to gain peace for Scotland, or at least his role in that endeavor, Amelia had helped him realize he didn't want to fight anymore. I think that's such a naive viewpoint for that time period, especially by a Highland laird who was nicknamed the Butcher. Idealism is one thing, but the idea that she was okay letting her ex-fiance continue raping and killing and murdering made me so angry! She had almost been raped and yet she was willing to subject other women to that? Duncan only wanted a fair fight with Bennett, and she wanted to let him be. When Bennett actually came to get her back, she felt if she told him she was happy with Duncan, that he would only want what was best for her and go on his merry way. Are you kidding me?! This was towards the end when Amelia had become more worldly and supposedly grown up. she even admitted she saw lies in Bennett's eyes, yet she still was all "let the courts take care of him." Even her Uncle told her he'd probably get acquitted. She still couldn't trust Duncan to do his duty to Scotland, to protect his people, to be laird. She actually told him she would only marry him if he laid down his weapons!

I really enjoyed Duncan...until he got to their destination (won't spoil because you might guess the twist). I felt like he changed from this very sure warrior to what Amelia wanted him to be. I'm very big on respecting one's partner's wishes, but also not changing yourself to be what they want. I felt that's what Duncan did.

The witty banter was fun and cute, but felt way too contemporary. Many authors have well-written historicals without the accents, so it's not that I necessarily need a Scottish accent, but I don't want to read an historical romance that feels modern.

Moving on, the book is very easy to get caught up in. The story is an enjoyable one, and I liked the constant teasing of Amelia by Duncan.

"How long was I asleep?"
"Over and hour," the Butcher replied.
"An hour? Surely not."
"Aye. You were moaning my name and saying 'Oh Duncan, yes, Duncan, yes, yes. Again, again...'"


and at the beginning when he steals her from her bed, he gags her. Behind the gag she is trying to tell him that she won't scream if he takes it off. His response to her unintelligible sounds?

"What was that? You think I'm very wise? Aye, I think so too."

So my final verdict? I really did enjoy this book, up til the end. And I would absolutely recommend it to others, I just had that one thing that really bothered me. But I still rated it a 4, which makes it a good book for me. I read it straight through- lack of sleep and lots of coffee were side affects of this book :)
Profile Image for Kristina .
1,042 reviews854 followers
September 21, 2023
I had to remind myself several times that this was written in 2011. ?
So I think its kind of a rule in this trope that the female main character is a Mary Sue Englishwoman; delicate, blond and naive af. Amelia was that in spades. She was extremely underwritten and one dimensional. I honestly dont know what Duncan saw in her. She claimed to be deeply in love with her fianc, the villainous Major Bennet, but less than a week later shes in love with Duncan. Fickle much? I dont blame her though, who wouldnt jones for this guy? Muscular, masculine, tortured, brooding AND kilted, he carried an axe and a broadsword and frequently hauled her over his shoulderum yes please. This guy checked all the boxes. If youre looking for some barbarian Scottish brawn, this hero fits the bill. But other than him, this story wasnt very engaging for me. Its narrative came in two parts: the first half, which was an exciting kidnapping romp through the Scottish wilderness with the Butcher of Scotland. Mary Sue was both turned on and afraid for her life, which is a fun time for this genre. Then the second half of the narrative took place at the Earl Of Monteiths castle, and it was very boring. Unfortunately all of the sex took place during the boring part and as a result the smut was boring too. I just feel like if you are going to give us a rough and tough Scottish brute, and name him the Butcher, he should be a beast in the sack, yanno? Also if Im listening to an audiobook with a Scots accented narrator, I want to hear him do some dirty talk. Throw a few f bombs around, make him talk about his cock. I dont want him to call his dong his passion wtf?
Anyway this one underwhelmed me. I dont need deep stories in these, I dont need historical accuracy, but Id like a decent heroine who I dont want to roll my eyes at and a handful of dirty sex scenes. Is that too much to ask? I feel like my bar is pretty low.
Anyway, three stars because this is what it is and Ive read way worse.
Profile Image for UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish.
1,097 reviews1,739 followers
November 22, 2015

I read Captured by the Highlander when it was a new release and had made some notes at the time, and marked it as a 4 star read, but then never got around to writing the actual review, so Im doing that now.

No fault of the authors, but this wasnt the story I was expecting it to be because I had assumed it would be a continuation of Ms. MacLeans The Rebel, but it didnt seem connected at all. That said, I definitely enjoyed this book while reading it, but now, months later, Im not able to put my finger on exactly why. Nothing stands out as compelling or memorable but still I do remember finding myself caught up in the tale and not wanting to put it down. I enjoyed Duncan and his loyalty to his clan and his need to do the right thing, regardless of how much it cost him. Amelia, on the other hand, just didnt do it for me. She struck me as a idealistic, spoiled woman who never understood that freedom is not free. Those were the times; brutal, barbaric, uncertain peace sometimes had to be bought with blood. In my opinion, her naivety bordered on stupidity and I just never really got past that.

Maybe one day Ill re-read the story and write a more in-depth review, but for now this will have to do.

Profile Image for Jen.
1,655 reviews1,146 followers
December 30, 2015
So, I had decided that since I had finished my book challenge, I was going to do a re-read of a series that I have loved in the past. I am so glad that I chose this one, and I have discovered that sometimes I need to go back to the basics in my romance reads. This book has reminded me why I fell in love with the romance genre to begin with! Main reason #1; Scottish Highlanders!!! Need I say more?! LOL
I love everything about them! They are passionate, loyal, and fierce lovers! Hell, I need to go to Scotland....Heh heh!

In Captured by the Highlander, we meet "The Butcher" who ends up finding his enemy's fianc and decides to kidnap her and keep her until he can meet with his enemy and kill him. He is using the heroine for bait, and this book follows them through many trials through the Scottish country side. What "The Butcher" didn't anticipate was developing feelings for this woman. After all, not only is she his enemy's betrothed...but she is also English...

If you are a reader like me, who has recently become frustrated with the books that I'm reading; then I strongly suggest giving this series a go. I love everything about it, and I am moving right into Book #2! This has reminded me of why I fell in love with historicals. If you are looking to give something new a try, then definitely give this a chance. Julianne MacLean is a brilliant author, her descriptive words create a scene that leaves you feeling as if you are sitting right there with your characters. She is hands down, one of my top faves of writers in the historical romance genre!
Profile Image for Izzah ?ңۺü ? Duchess of Cabria? .
1,019 reviews216 followers
January 7, 2025
Heroine is the definition of a ninnyhammer

I honestly don't know how I finished it. The heroine was truly an emptyheaded idiot.

"You shouldn't fight, you know?"

"Justice can be achieve through the courts."

"It's amoral to kill."


??The year is 1716

This might not mean much for non-historical aficionados, but SHE is the daughter of a duke, that was also a Colonel that fought at Sheriffmuir, SCOTLAND.

It's okay if it still doesn't ring a bell for you. She, on the other hand, ought to know things are a wee bit unstable in Scotland at the moment ?

Regardless, after being told what the men he's been chasing have done, her tune should've changed. It. does. not.

How about you and your haughty morals go to the graves of the victims of femicide and tell them how the courts will bring them justice?

Also, the character assassination of Angus was truly despicable.

2 for the hero, heroine is going to the infamous hall of fame for heroine with the least awareness.
Profile Image for DaisyGirl.
1,205 reviews68 followers
February 6, 2012
This was the first novel I read by Julianne MacLean and, sadly, it will probably be my last. The first half of the story was engaging and I like the author's writing style. Unfortunately, the story unraveled around page 160 with a stunning revelation about the hero that was too incredible to be believed. Thereafter, it was nothing but a slow and painful grind that was a struggle to finish.

***CAUTION: SPOILERS*** Let me start by saying that right off the bat, I fell in love with Duncan, the Butcher of the Highlands. Duncan is a hero and tireless warrior in the Scots' bid for freedom and an end to English tyranny. In short, Duncan is your typical Highland warrior ... yum! Half way through the book, however, the story takes an abrupt turn when it's revealed that Duncan leads a double life as the Earl of Moncrieffe. The problem is that Duncan's two natures are too incongruent to make his duality believable. On the one hand he's supposed to be this fiercesome Highland warrior (i.e., a man who's dedicated to the protection of his clan, who puts the clans needs before his own, and who values family, loyalty, and honor). As the Earl of Moncrieffe, however, Duncan lives as a wealthy "gentleman" who many Scots believe to be a traitor that panders to the English for his own personal gain and to increase his landholdings. To me, this dichotomy made Duncan more akin to a fraudulent con artist than Robin Hood. Ugh, so not heroic.

Another huge problem for me was Amelia, the naive and selfish heroine. Frankly, I found it hard to relate to her and harder to like her. Her constant demands to Duncan to lay down his weapons and eschew violence (while in the midst of war, mind you) were ridiculous. Her petty jealousy over Duncan's desire to obtain justice for the gang rape and murder of his fiancee (who's Angus's sister) was sophomoric and minimized the atrocities committed by Richard Bennett (Amelia's fiancee). Bennett was a rapist and murderer who unabashedly killed women and children, yet she found his actions more palatable than the rebels' desire to exact revenge and stop Bennett. Amelia's continued defense of Bennett and repeated efforts to spare his life were disgusting. Further, Duncan's increasing willingness to appease Amelia's demands just grated on my last nerve. My respect for him plummeted as he slowly compromised his values, beliefs, and integrity in the name of love (which was really just lust).

Lastly, I resented the author's break with Angus's character towards the end. Throughout the story, Angus is depicted as a steadfast warrior determined to exact revenge against Bennett on behalf of his sister. Despite being lifelong friends and brother-in-arms, Angus is often at odds with Duncan as the story progresses because Duncan sides more and more with Amelia, eventually promising her to spare Bennett's life. At the end of the story, we're supposed to believe that, in a fit of anger, Angus betrays Duncan and turns him in to the English. I mean, come on nothing could be more out of character for Angus. Truly, he would have slit his own throat before he gave ANYONE to the English, let alone Duncan (who, by that time, had killed Bennett despite his promise to Amelia). Depicting Angus as nothing more than a bloodthirsty savage hellbent on killing was a pathetic last-minute attempt to reconcile Amelia's lack of sympathy for Angus's plight to obtain justice for his sister and a sad cop out by the author.

This book started out really strong and I had such high hopes. But overall it was a very disappointing and frustrating read for me. Fans of Highlander romance novels are better off reading Monica McCarty, Maya Banks, or Margaret Mallory.
Profile Image for Katrina Passick Lumsden.
1,782 reviews12.9k followers
July 14, 2013
This is one of those books that I sort of hate to like. The Butcher is awesome. Reading about him was fun. Amelia, on the other hand...

I understand an author's desire to have a character go from a naive, sheltered idiot to a less gullible, stronger heroine, but reading Amelia's prejudices against Highlanders and her unwavering praise of British soldiers made me mutter, "Really, bitch?" This would have been much more enjoyable for me if Amelia hadn't been quite such a simpleton.
Profile Image for Ocano de libros.
840 reviews92 followers
November 1, 2021
Duncan MacLean, conocido como el carnicero escocs se propone vengar la muerte de su prometida a manos del coronel ingls Richard Bennet, pero en el momento del asalto no encuentra a Bennet sino a su futura esposa y decide que ella ser su baza para dar con su venganza.
Creo que tena tantas ganas de leer algo sobre highlanders que por eso me he enganchado totalmente con esta serie, tambin ayuda la manera que tiene la autora de ambientar y construir unos personajes acordes con la poca, por lo menos me han parecido ms reales.

La historia se ambienta en Escocia, a?o 1716 donde tenemos al bando de los jacobitas y el del ejrcito ingls, entre conspiraciones y revueltas Duncan por sobre todo est decidido a vengar la violacin y asesinato de Muira. Conocido como el carnicero escocs y temido por los ingleses se lleva como rehn a Amelia Sutherland.

La novela comienza con un secuestro y el odio mutuo que se profesan los protagonistas y como poco a poco se van conociendo y de ello va surgiendo la pasin y el enamoramiento. As que podemos descansar de ese amor instantneo, nuestro protagonista tuvo un gran amor que perdi y eso lo deja claro, nada de cegarse por la protagonista y si te vi, no me acuerdo. Me parece bien este aspecto, aunque la autora ni siquiera desarrollara la relacin Duncan C Muira aunque fuese un poquito.

Duncan es el tpico highlander de manual, aunque con ciertas variaciones, en un primer momento nos lo presenta como poco ms que un salvaje, pero con el tiempo le vamos conociendo y nos llevaremos alguna que otra sorpresilla hacia el final. ?l est cegado en su venganza, pero a la vez se va enamorando de la inglesa, esa muchacha que comienza a despertar en l los sentimientos que crea perdidos.

Si bien al principio Duncan...
Profile Image for Vallsykes.
1,076 reviews13 followers
July 27, 2013
Meh...this one did not keep me on my highlander/historical romance happy cloud
I dont want to marry a warrior. I want to marry a gentleman.
In that one line, the heroine completely lost me. Though, she somewhat redeems herself at the end(thank goodness), her idealism and judgment led her to think and act naively & it got on my damn nerves at times.

The hero, Duncan: I could not reconcile his sudden love of and need for acceptance from the heroine with his renowned warrior persona, yet his conflicts and backstory were believable and saved me from putting this book down because:

1. more than once, the dialogue didn't match the character or the time period.
2. attempts at banter/taunting from the hero to heroine were seriously a miss.
3. the feel of the highlands--the speech, added color of secondary characters, and immersion of the heroine into Scottish culture--was something I thought was either missing or not incorporated effectively. Just sayin'


All in all, it was an alright story that had some truly attractive elements which had potential. Because of this, I still rooted for this couple!

The next book's hero is a highlander who betrayed Duncan even though he was supposed to be a best friend. I might want to see if Julianne Maclean will be able to redeemed him in my eyes:D


3 reviews
May 30, 2012
when i first read the plot of this book i was like "Woo! it's great... i am about to love it" but right know, after i've finished it, i am about "Okay i was good, but it could've been better"

As i start reading the book i loved Duncan's character. He was as i was imagine a warrior would be, but then as the story went ahead my opinion about him fell apart.
okay i see love makes weaker but seriously!? You can't change everything that you are all in the name of love and especially for someone who doesn't seem to understand who you are and what you've through...i didn't like that part and to be true it also disappointed me!!

As for Amelia's character: She really got on my nerves. She was spoiled and she didn't understand a thing about Duncan's past. I tried to like her, i really did, i always tried to look on the bright sight side of her actions but finally i couldn't do that any more...

I am sorry if my review is a little mean but that's my point of view...
i don't regret reading this book but it's gonna take 2 stars from me!

(P.S sorry about my English i'm from Greece)
Profile Image for Monique Takens.
616 reviews10 followers
March 28, 2021
Ik heb de Nederlands talige uitgave gelezen : Een lady in de val - Candlelight Historische roman 1029
Ik heb een hele week gedaan over het lezen van dit boek omdat ik het eigenlijk te druk had om er lekker voor te gaan zitten . Daardoor kwam ik niet goed in het verhaal , waarschijnlijk had ik dit boek 4 sterren gegeven als ik het wel achter elkaar uit had kunnen lezen .
Profile Image for Romance_reader.
233 reviews
May 28, 2019
Average highland romance. didn't care for the heroine. H was ok. 2.5 stars.
Profile Image for Jenn.
1,034 reviews255 followers
December 3, 2015
Duncan "The Butcher" MacLean is the fiercest warrior in all of Scotland. He's known for his savage ways and being a brute. "The Butcher" is a very well known name through out the country. Many fear him as others try to write his legendary tales off as make believe. No one knows his true identity, except a select few. He wants to avenge his beloveds life and he wants revenge on his sworn enemy. What sweeter way to accomplish that then by stealing his sworn enemies betrothed right out of her bed?

Elizabeth is an Englishwoman who barely lost her father the month before in battle. She wants protection and someone to care for her. So she is sent to the fort where her betrothed is staying at, as he too is in the military, and plans to wed him there. While she's there she is also under the protection of her uncle, her dad's brother.

One night she awakes to The Butcher standing over her with an Ax ready to chop off her head. She cries out and The Butcher realizes that he's about to behead an innocent woman and not his enemy. He decides that he will take his enemies betrothed away in a different sort of conclusion then what happened to his betrothed. Elizabeth tries to show no fear as she braces herself to be brave and do as The Butcher wants.

They go on a long journey with some of his men trying to make her betrothed come after them. He's also trying to make it to Lord Moncreiffe's castle. This is where he hopes to draw his enemy out and to share with Elizabeth that once and for all, he is right about her betrothed being a vile and dishonorable man for the crimes he commits against the women and children of Scotland.

During their time together, Duncan and Elizabeth grow fond of each other and there's a spark of passion ready to explode as well. They fight it before they give in. While Elizabeth is under Duncan's care, she learns a lot of things about life, herself, him, her betrothed and politics between their countries. She also learns that it doesn't make a difference how a man dresses, it's whats underneath the exterior that counts. Her life will never be the same again, as Duncan's will change just as drastically. He will learn some valuable lessons along this journey too and how to love again.

I really liked Duncan's friends, Fergus and Gawyn. I think it will be interesting to see Angus, Duncan's other friend, in book 2. I look forward to seeing a different side of him. I definitely want to see how he ends up being tamed.

One last thought; I really enjoyed the twist the author threw in to this story line. I thought it was clever.
Profile Image for Mysti.
1,855 reviews196 followers
August 9, 2023
I started this in May and quit after the first 15 minutes. I went back to listen to the audiobook again and should have listened to my first instinct. This sucked donkey balls.

Duncan aka The Butcher (warrior) kidnaps Lady Amelia (na?ve twit, prude, just f*cking dumb) while seeking revenge against her fianc, who raped and murdered his fianc. During their trek through the woods, they start to "like" each other. Boring. I think at like 70% they finally have boring sex. Then she leaves him because he killed the guy. She's just so stupid. It's a complete snooze fest. The characters aren't interesting. Especially her. There's no passion between them.

I'm actually DNF at 87%. That means I spent 8 hours listening to this crap before finally giving up.

I tried my best but just couldn't find anything enjoyable about it.
Profile Image for Laurie Garrison .
725 reviews174 followers
April 15, 2011
This is my first time trying a book by Julianne MacLean; I loved the writing style, the storyline and the flow of Captured by the Highlander. I started reading this early one morning and couldnt quit until I had I read it all. The surprises added to the story were marvelous and the action was tense at times. I was very impressed with the author and I will be reading more of her books in the near future.

I liked reading both the hero and heroine. Amelia is brave and Duncan is somewhat of a brute, but they find an attraction for each other that neither one can stop.

I also liked the other hot highlander men and cant wait to read their stories. I highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for ?Karlyn P?.
604 reviews1,269 followers
May 13, 2011
Got 20% done. DNF for now, the modern language dialogue is driving me batty. Not what I am in the for right now. I may try again later as so many did enjoy it.
Profile Image for KatieV.
709 reviews481 followers
August 24, 2014
This is the first thing I've read by Julianne MacLean and possibly the last.

The flow and writing were good, it was just the heroine. I generally try not to be too hard on the heroine and use the 'tstl' tag judiciously. In this case I almost created new tags for 'self-righteous-b' and 'she-needed-to-grovel'.

Lady Amelia is a self-righteous prig engaged to Lt. Bennett of the fabulous English Army. He'd once saved her father in battle and therefore gained favor with her father and herself. She's captured by 'The Butcher' when he breaks into the English fort to kill Bennett who had left on his usual campaign-o-terror in the highlands.

The hero, Duncan aka 'The Butcher', was betrothed to the daughter of the Laird of the McDonald clan. The McDonald supported the Jacobite rebellion, so Amelia's fiance decides to rape and murder his daughter (Duncan's fiance) then return her head to her father in a box. This is what starts the reign of 'The Butcher'. Duncan and his best friend (fiance's brother) want revenge. So, they go on a campaign of terror against the British soldiers in Scotland with the ultimate goal of killing Bennett. It's not all about personal revenge either. Bennett is raping and burning his way through the Highlands. He's not keeping it to the battlefield. He needs to go.

It's revealed right-off that Amelia is very prejudiced toward the highland Scots as any good English aristocrat likely was. She also had a traumatic childhood memory of seeing English soldiers (guarding her and her mother on a trip to Scotland to see her father) killed by a band of highlanders. Her father was an Earl and an officer in the English army occupying Scotland. It's notable however that the Scots who made the raid did not harm her or her mother. They kept it between the men.

She quickly begins to realize that Duncan is not the heartless brute she'd imagined. They are both instantly attracted to one another and she "claims" to learn a lot through her interaction with him and the other Scots she meets. However, she has a bizarre reaction to the news about her fiance. She's never properly horrified at what the man did to an innocent woman or concerned with what he's still doing in Scotland. Personally I think she's just jealous of the poor dead woman because Duncan loved her and still such a snob that she doesn't truly see the Scots as people. I believe that's why she was so insistent that Duncan set aside his revenge and go through the courts like a "civilized Englishman" instead of using vigilante justice. As the daughter of a celebrated and respected officer, I would have expected her to understand Duncan's warrior side. But, no. She never makes the connection between him and her father. She doesn't see Duncan as a soldier. She sees him as simply a rebel against the English crown.

I had no complaints against Duncan. He was a great and very hot hero. I just don't see why he was so desperate for Lady Amelia's approval, but feel it probably had to do with some childhood trauma of his own. She didn't deserve him, IMHO. Ok, yes, she does make up for her idiocy somewhat in the end, but her insistence that the rescue plan involve no one getting hurt made me roll my eyes. I realize that she would have been sheltered from the realities of war by her father, but she supposedly learned a lot (something she kept saying but never proving).

This book makes me remember why I love the older HRs. There was so much less time spent navel gazing in Emo-land. Highland Scott warriors don't need to go there. EVER.
Profile Image for ? Elle  Jae ?.
277 reviews21 followers
October 13, 2023
The Butcher, a highland warrior, hell bent on revenge, sneaks into a castle to kill his enemy, and finds a beautiful sleeping lass, our heroine instead, and captures her. He drags her through the highlands, intending to use her as bait, because it turns out she is the betrothed of his enemy... and after some close quarters, he realizes she's not what he expected of a English lass, and she's quite beautiful (of course). He's also quite a physical specimen of Scottish hotness, and add to that he's kind as well as being a fierce warrior (killer of dozens of men). And the chemistry between them is something neither can resist... Shenanigans ensue.

Ensnared by his super sexy highland man parts, our innocent heroine learns about desire and passion. She also learns and grows, and as far as these bodice rippers goes, doesn't do any of the normal eye rolling things.

If you can get past the *sorttta* problematic beginning/premise, in that she is his stolen and held captive, and early on he touches her and kisses her despite her protests... then this is a very satisfying kilty-pleasure read.
Profile Image for Fran (with the book addiction).
557 reviews20 followers
February 23, 2022
3.5 stars.
I got completely distracted by this book and sucked into it. For that alone I added a star. It started off fairly strong and its clear that Maclean can write. For me though all the character justifications were wrong and the heroine really grated on my nerves. I just kept asking myself but why? all the time. The flow of the story was stilted as the authors manipulation of the characters was so apparent to the reader and it almost felt like her characters didnt want to comply.
Im unlikely to try another in this series unfortunately.
Profile Image for Nabela.
10 reviews1 follower
July 12, 2020
I read book 2 before book 1 and though I preferred 2, book one was also pleasant to read. I do recommend!
Profile Image for Tee.
120 reviews55 followers
January 16, 2021
I just could not stand Amelia. She was such a self-righteous, self-absorbed B with an Itch. Except, well she was completely and utterly ignorant of the world and everyone in it. All her opinions of the world was because her father told her so. She had no mind of her own and it made for a terrible heroine. I truly do not understand the appeal she held to Duncan.

Amelias stubborn faith in people was so misplaced, it went from possible virtue to downright stupidity. As a result I think I have my first TSTL character of the year. Amelia absolutely refused to lose her naivety and wisen up to the world around her. She also absolutely refused to consider anyone but herself. Everything had to be about her, not the man clearly grieving and hurting from losing someone he loved.

All that plus a ton of repetitions made this a not so great read. Every couple of page in the book seemed to recycle the same conversation.

I am, however, pretty glad the author did not write this book from Amelias POV. It would have been such a miserable lens to borrow. Third person close POV was just the distance I needed?.

As to Duncan, any possible character build about his hatred and vengeance crap crumbled in such a silly way that it just made him seem dumb. The contradictions in his character also did him a huge disservice.

Regardless, this was a fast read, very laid back, and good for passing time or good for when youre in-between books.
Profile Image for Hbeebti.
2,039 reviews50 followers
March 5, 2011
I really really like this one. This is about a highlander named Duncan aka The Butcher and an English women named Amelia.

Simply The Butcher storms a castle for revenge of someone he loved that was violently murdered by a soldier. He enters the bedchamber to slay the foe only he's not there , but his betrothed is. Needless to say he kidnaps her to get his revenge. There is a lot of sexual tension and a lot of anger on both their parts. Her for being kidnapped and him because of who she is and what she represents. They both struggle with their feeling for each other and at times even hurt each other. Neither trust the other.

By the end of the book something happens that I did not expect which makes me look forward to the next book. Which is about his jerk of a friend Angus. Could Not Stand Him!!! UGH!! He was so nasty to Amelia through the whole book. I mean it makes me wonder was he always like that or did it happen because of a tragedy? IDK .
Profile Image for Kari.
878 reviews83 followers
April 18, 2014
I loved the actual writing but the heroine's attitude of "let's make peace not war" bothered me sometimes. Considering the time period, it was unrealistic to ask the hero to drop his weapons. Also, the way she berated him for wanting to kill the villain - who was a rapist and murderer - was absurd. And the fact that he actually listened to her, ugh. Her ideas were good, just didn't make sense considering the circumstances. I do want to read the other books in the series.
Profile Image for Mslvoe.
1,736 reviews163 followers
April 6, 2012
The 1st novel from Julianne and I'm satisfied. I think Eloisa James has recommended this book in her FB. I was surprised I can read it within 1 day. The story was wonderful and brilliant! Definitely a KEEPER.
Profile Image for Ana Hunter.
22 reviews2 followers
April 1, 2016
Echaba de menos a mis jailanders. Y me ha gustado mucho El Carnicero de las Highlands
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