The Highlander’s Dangerous Temptation by Terri Brisbin

The Highlander's Dangerous Temptation by Terri BrisbinMost historical romance transports me to a different culture where the rules of engagement tend to be a little rougher with the men as the driving force, and the hearts and souls are less sheltered than in the modern world. Not so The Highlander’s Dangerous Temptation. Not only do the women lead this particular charge, but Athdar, the male lead, is older in both years and experience.

He carries within him a seed of madness, or so it would be considered in the late 1300s when this was set, and a deep, all pervading sorry that draws Isobel to him. She wants to help him heal, and to get him to recognize the sharp attraction between them despite his vow never again to marry after two wives and one betrothed died young and her father’s animosity toward him.

Athdar’s sister helps Isobel manipulate the situation until Athdar is forced to recognize Isobel, but it doesn’t happen exactly the way she’d expected, nor does she understand what has happened for all that it won her the prize she’d been seeking–Athdar’s marriage vows.

This novel has not one but three main threads running through it, each uniquely tangled with the next, and all compelling. The first is Isobel’s decision to claim Athdar for her own no matter what he or her father has to say. The next is Athdar’s belief he’s cursed but for what cause he cannot remember, which is one of the factors drawing Isobel to him over any other. And the third is the curse itself, and Isobel’s efforts to uncover the truth behind the tragedies that follow in his wake.

While I enjoyed watching Isobel piece together the situation when Athdar himself has no recollection, I found the last thread seeded a bit too heavily and so knew who was the villain in the piece from early on. However, the other two threads were strong enough to counter this lack of surprise (though I still had the anticipation of just how things would come to a head). I found Athdar’s childhood trauma and the consequences of same compelling. It’s not often the male main character in a romance has all the signs of true madness, what we would call post-traumatic stress syndrome now, but it’s well played, plausible, and a direct influence not just on him but on the events around him.

And the love story… Well, let’s say the connection between Isobel and Athdar was obvious, the tension well drawn whether they were bandying words or exchanging forbidden kisses. Their attraction grew visibly over the course of the pages and many obstacles thrown in their way. This is not a “behind closed doors” book by any means, but the consummation is well written and comes as a culmination of the events they’ve enjoyed and suffered both. I admit I found their games of chess as an odd form of foreplay, but it works surprisingly well, and suits the characters perfectly.

The Highlander’s Dangerous Temptation is a late member of series of Scottish historical romances, but Athdar and Isobel’s story is self-contained thanks to a quick prologue and carefully offered backstory that makes me want to learn more about what happened in the earlier novels. With this as an example of her writing style, I’m thinking Terri Brisbin will be on my lookout list going forward. She offers strong characters along with moments of passion, seduction, and humor making The Highlander’s Dangerous Temptation a fun, entertaining read while the PTSD thread offers a little more complexity than usually found these romances.

P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This entry was posted in Book Reviews, Reviews and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

Share Your Thoughts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.