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!
When the demon that left Shay Logan for dead discovers her
empty grave, he comes seeking retribution and the mysterious
book he believes she stole. But he isn't the only one after
it... As a teen, Shay fell in love with the boy next door,
Cody MacBane. She didn't know that Cody was a Scottish
warrior sent to protect her-or that she was descended from
an ancient warrior clan. When Shay learns the truth, she
feels betrayed and her life unravels. But as danger lurks,
Shay is forced to return to her clan and the Scottish
warrior who's the only man she's ever loved.
Excerpt
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!"
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy