EMBRACE THE HIGHLAND WARRIOR was an amazing roller coaster of an adventure! Not to mention one heck of a romance. This is the second in Anita Clenney's series. As a lover of all things Highlander, this book fed my craving! From the beginning I was swept away into the life of Shay Logan.
Growing up knowing who you are and who the boy next door was, life was shattered for Shay nine years ago when she was told nothing was as it seemed. The boys next door were part of a group of warriors who had been sent to America with her to save her life. Her dead parents weren't really her dead parents, her aunt was never an aunt, and she had a gravestone somewhere with another name on it. The love of her life, Cody MacBain, had lied to her time and time again. Now, nine years later, Shay has come home to face her demons, so to speak. She has run from everyone and everything long enough. But nothing has kept Cody's face, or her love, from her heart. Murder is haunting Shay's every step. It seems that her clients, her neighbors, and now maybe her friends are being killed. Is the killer after Shay or just a book that her long dead father may have stashed away?
Keeping secrets from the woman he loves has never been easy. For Cody MacBain keeping secrets is not what he does best. When Shay walks back into his life Cody knows that it is time to come clean, with the lies, with the secrets, and with his heart. Keeping Shay safe has become his number one mission, only now they are both getting hit from all sides. His family and his friends have all gotten caught in the crossfire and the one safe haven in Cody's life has been breached. Can he keep Shay alive long enough to tell her the truth or will their enemies succeed?
This was an action-packed adventure that kept me spinning on the same whirlwind that Shay and Cody had to have felt. It was one thing after another with barely time to breathe in between. The plot had so many twists and turns that I never knew what was going to hit next. In some stories this type of plot gets confusing but I thought that Ms. Clenney did an excellent job of keeping everything in line. It was very entertaining to watch Cody stumble his way through some things. Shay's conflicting emotions about her life and the things that she discovers was very genuine. There were some very real spots where I wanted to sit down and cry right along with her for all her losses. Another part of this book I loved was the other warriors. I absolutely adored Ronan and his mischievous ways. I am looking forward to seeing his story. I really loved how all the other characters played crucial roles to the story, yet didn't distract from it. For me, they were there, I was interested, yet they didn't overshadow the story of Cody and Shay. Ms. Clenney gave me just enough on the others that I will be back for more!
Cody sighed. Might as well get it over with. He removed the shackles, returned them, and bent over her. "Shay, wake up." Her eyes flew open. She planted both hands against his chest and shoved, knocking him on his back, then sprang on top of him. "How dare you handcuff me to a bed?" she yelled, punctuating each word with a shake that rattled his brain. He didn't fight back. She had to get it out of her system, and he didn't blame her. He'd be more than pissed if someone shackled him. She landed a fist into his stomach, and the breath rushed out of him. Okay, enough was enough. He captured her hands and rolled, trapping her under him. "Get off me, you oaf." "I'll get off when you stop beating the snot out of me." She let out a war cry and lunged for his throat, teeth bared. Intrigued, he hesitated a second too long, and she sank her teeth into his neck. A jolt of desire shot straight to his groin. He'd never been one for the rough stuff, but damn! He pulled back before she could do more than leave a bruise. He trapped her legs with his and held her hands above her head, letting his full weight press her into the soft mattress. She still struggled but could move only enough to get him excited.
"I'm sorry, Shay. I had to do it. It was too dangerous to let you go traipsing through the woods. I had to keep you safe."
"What if he was hiding in one of the other bedrooms and sneaked in here while I was handcuffed to the bed? You left me so I couldn't even protect myself."
"Lach heard him out in the woods, but that's why I locked the door, just in case. If this guy had broken it down to get to you, you would've screamed, and I would've come running. I was never far from the house." He'd heard every name she called him.
Her eyes still flashed fire, but her breath was steadier, and she kept glancing at his mouth. He thought that was a good thing. He wondered if she'd calmed enough not to hit him, because he should move. She had to notice the effect all the wiggling around was having on him. He felt her hips push against his, and he groaned. He relaxed his grip and lowered his head, letting his lips touch her chin. He kissed his way to her mouth, and she head butted him in the nose.
While the stars exploded in his head, she shoved him aside and bolted out the door. He jumped up and went after her as she pounded down the stairs. He caught up with her outside. She was swinging her purse like a whip, headed for the car.
"Where are you going?" he demanded.
"Get away from me."
"You can't leave."
"Watch me." She opened the door. "I'm tired of people hiding things from me. I thought you were going to stop. Now you're handcuffing me to the bed."
"I explained it to you."
"Don't touch me," she said, jerking away when he grabbed her arm.
"You're not leaving."
Shay straightened her shoulders. "You can't stop me."
He grabbed her, tossed her over his shoulder, kicked the car door shut, and stomped up the steps.
"Put me down!" Shay kicked and twisted, cursing at him. He dumped her on her feet inside the door.
She blew her hair out of her face, and as soon as she could see, she threw a punch at his chin. He deflected it and grabbed her arm. "Stop hitting me."
"How dare you throw me over your shoulder like some kind of caveman," she spat, trying to wrench her arm free. It didn't work, so she used her knee.
"Ah, not there." Cody trapped her knee. "I made the mistake of letting you leave here nine years ago without listening to me. By God, I won't do it again. You'll listen if I have to sit on you," he growled.
She drew back her other arm, and before she could throw the punch, he had her on the floor and was sitting astride her, pinning her wrists to the floor. She bucked and twisted, but he held her down. "We can do this all night if you want, but you're going to listen to me this time."
"Listen to more lies? You're still hiding things from me. Like the fact that you have Nina's entire house under surveillance. Like the fact that you've got a Bat Cave in your basement. Like the fact that you were in Scotland when the stalking started."
"You think I'm your stalker?" he yelled. "Me! I'm trying to keep you alive. We're all trying to keep you alive. That's what the clan's been doing your whole damned life, trying to keep you alive! And just like always, you're making it hard as hell. Your father wasn't a bloody spy, and that thing in your living room wasn't a man!"
© 2003-2026