Christy English | Why We Love Highlander Heroes

There are so many reasons to love Highland Heroes...Before we explore that, I want to introduce you to my Highlander, Alexander Waters.

As HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOT begins, Alexander is trapped in Almack's, dressed in satin breeches, trying to marry off his sister to an unsuspecting Englishman. While no gentleman is ever completely at ease in Almack's, the realm of white-clad debutantes and imperious patronesses, Alex is especially uncomfortable because foppish Englishmen and large Highlanders simply don't mix.

Alex and his brother Robert are from the region of Scotland half a day's ride north of Aberdeen. Their country seat is Glenderrin, which boasts a refurbished castle of stone, a river, called a burn, that runs close by, and a deep lake, or a loch, that unfortunately holds no beast like the famed Loch Ness Monster. Their land yields both oats and sheep, but neither can keep the Waters family afloat. Their money comes from trade with Nova Scotia, both in furs and timber.

Alexander is a sea faring man, who has just outfitted a ship to sail to the West Indies. But when he meets Catherine Middlebrook in the Almack's assembly room, all his plans change.

Like all Highland Scots, Alex is a proud man who loves his homeland. Though his mother is English, she became part of the Waters family and clan when she married their father. Alex doesn't identify with his English relations at all, but he does rely on them for help from time to time while he is in London. While Alex has worked hard to learn to speak proper standard British, in moments of duress and passion, he slips into his native lilt, much to Catherine’s delight.

There is something about a tall man with broad shoulders that makes every woman smile. All the Highlanders I've known, whether in fiction or in film, have been such men. Even now, a smile comes to my face as Gerard Butler comes to mind...

Photo of Gerard Butler by Billy Farrell/BFA NYC/Sipa USA

But there is more to a Highland hero than just good looks.

Integrity is one trait a Highland hero always possesses, and Alexander Waters and the Waters men all have integrity in abundance. When they give their word, they keep it, whether to each other, to their sister, or to the women they love.

Courage is another trait that all Highland heroes share. After years of defeat at the hands of the English, they have learned to look loss in the eye without flinching, and to see the world as it is. That clear-eyed courage helps them to see a way around difficulties when they arise. Whether it's a mortgaged estate or a house on fire, a Highlander is the man to deal with the problem.

A Highlander loves his family. He is loyal to his clan and to his kin, whatever the cost. Alexander and Robert do not shirk from their little sister's needs, but take her south to London to help her find the future she seeks. Or in Mary Elizabeth’s case, the future her mother has planned for her. A close knit group, a Highland family stands by each of its members, and protects them. Once a woman marries into a Highland family, she takes on her husband's clan, and not only her husband but the entire family owes her protection. A woman who marries into a Highland clan, as Mary Elizabeth's mother married into the Waters family, gains more than just a husband.

Photo of Jamie Frasier by Starz

Of course, my favorite hot Highlanders are Alexander and Robert Waters, but as the author of their novels, I am biased. But beyond my own gentlemen, there are more than a few Highlanders in fiction that are sterling examples.

Jamie Frasier from the wonderful Outlander novels is one of my personal favorites. With men like Claire's Jamie, and Catherine's Alexander in the world, we have plenty of Highlanders to love.

Giveaway

Who's your favorite Highlander and why? Leave a comment below and be entered for a chance to win a copy of HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOT.

About Christy English

Ever since Christy English picked up a fake sword in stage combat class at the age of fourteen, she has lived vicariously through the sword-wielding women of her imagination. Sometimes an actor, always a storyteller, Christy works happily with Sourcebooks Casablanca to bring the knife-throwing women of her novels to life. A banker by day and a writer by night, she loves to eat chocolate, drink too many soft drinks, and walk the mountain trails of her home in western North Carolina.

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About HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOT

He's the terror of the ton...

The plan is simple:
1. Descend from the Highlands to face the aggravation of a London Season;
2. Foist his wild sister off on some gullible English lord;
3. Retreat before the ladies of the scandalized ton can get any ideas.

Determined to see his hellion of a sister wed, Highlander Alexander Waters is willing to face anything-even the English. He just didn't expect his own rough manners to cause such a riot...or for a blooming English rose to catch his eye.

Gently bred Catherine Middlebrook must find a respectable man to marry or her family will be ruined. She won't allow herself to be distracted by Highland barbarians...no matter how her body may thrill whenever Alex is near.

Catherine wasn't part of the plan, but as their battle of wills escalates, Alex comes to realize this "proper" English girl is as wild as the Highlands themselves...and nothing will stop him from having her.