THE VIPER and its author Monica McCarty gave me an early
Christmas present, one that I wasn't really expecting. I
was stunned with this fascinatingly sensual book! From page
one, I was swept away into the lives of the characters and
back in time to the days of Robert the Bruce. McCarty has
created a world within the real world and one that I
secretly long to think really happened. The idea of an
elite guard of soldiers fighting on the side of Robert the
Bruce is not all that farfetched and was easily wrapped
around my heart.
I fell in love with Lachlan from the get
go. Such a strong passionate Highlander is the stuff that
dreams are made of, Lachlan fit very nicely into every one
of them. Isabella Comyn is also the stuff of legends. The
things that this woman endures throughout this book are
horrendous and gave her character depths that I have rarely
seen in a heroine. Through each step I was right there
beside her, suffering, longing, and fighting for the
freedom of her country. McCarty has written a masterpiece!
The story opens in 1306 as Isabella Comyn is locked in the
tower for placing the crown upon the head of Robert the
Bruce. Once a grand lady most beloved by the people of
Scotland, Bella's life has been lived on the run for quite
some time now. She has been hunted, captured, and punished
for crimes that she believes in. What is worse is that her
champion has turned against her. He was there at her
capture and he did nothing to stop it.
Caught in the crossfire, Lachlan 'Viper' MacRauri could
only stand a watch as the woman he would die for was
captured. As a member of the Highland Guard, Lachlan has
fought for Robert the Bruce for years. As a man he has much
to gain, land and coin have been promised to him. But
suddenly that is not enough. He has failed to rescue Bella
many times; the once proud and beautiful woman has withered
away in the tower. She has been forced into a public
display of what happens to those not loyal to England. Now
that he has saved her, Lachlan is not sure what to do about
the feelings that she arouses in him. Can he complete his
last mission and leave as planned, or has Bella become more
important than the very people he has been fighting for?
Once a traitor, now her savior Bella is not sure what to
make of Lachlan MacRauri. The passion that he stirs within
her is strikingly real in its intensity. Finding him an
unexpected ally, Bella is forced to trust that he will stand
by her this time. One step away from finding her daughter
Bella knows that she will use any weapon in her arsenal to
see her daughter once again. Can she trust Lachlan again or
will he betray the new found trust that is between them?
From start to finish this story held me prisoner. By the
time I managed to step away from the highlands I found that
I had read the whole thing in one setting. The characters
leap off the pages and into your heart. With a stunning
plot that has enough twists and turns in all the right
places, McCarty has created yet another captivating story
that is sure to please!
The war for Scotland’s sovereignty rages on—as Robert the Bruce is crowned king and the Highland Guard, his elite fighting force of legendary warriors, battle for land . . . and love. Prized for his snakelike stealth and deadly strikes, Lachlan “Viper” MacRuairi is a warrior to enlist but not to trust. His only loyalty is to his purse, his indifference sealed by bitter betrayal. All that changes when Lachlan is tasked to protect and deliver Bella MacDuff to the king’s coronation—and the proud, lushly sensual countess unwittingly challenges him to his greatest battle yet: to love again. Passionate and devoted, Bella has defied Britain’s king and her own husband to place the crown on Bruce’s head, and for this she pays a terrible price: Losing her daughter and her freedom to her husband’s vengeance. Imprisoned with barbaric cruelty, she vows to reclaim her child, even if it means selling her soul—and her body—to a dark, lethal warrior whose eyes glint like steel, but who makes her skin tingle and her breath race. Together they embark on a rogue mission with sinister twists and turns that threatens not only Bella’s gamble to save her daughter—but also her heart.
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