Edit to add steam stats 11/17/21:

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes

Spoiler

celibate – hasn’t been with a woman since his wife died ten years ago
Pg 132 – kiss
Pg 187 – lots of hot kisses and almost sex that’s interrupted by him discovering bruises on her body
Pg 247 – dry humping against a tree orgasm for her, followed by sex against a tree o for him
Pg 281 – her on top sex, followed by him behind her sex, both o
Pg 320 – blowjob
Pg 334 – missionary sex (a bit more flowery prose here)
Pg 374 – brief kiss
Total pages - 381

Initial review 2/23/20:

Safety warning:

Spoiler

death, murder, torture, verbal/mental abuse (implied)

This is book 4 in the highland guard. I think this book would be okay as a standalone, but I do recommend reading at least The Chief (book 1) because it sets up the whole highland guard, the members, and their purpose. Then I also recommend you read book 2, The Hawk, because it's still my favorite, it's soooooo good, and I believe the heroes are cousins from that book and this book. And then read book 3 because it's good too lol. Yeah just read in order.

I really enjoyed this book. I think it's my second favorite of the series so far. I still think the Hawk beats it out but just by a tad. I love McCarty. I love her mix of action, history, tension, and melting kiss and sex scenes. This story spans 3 years or so, but doesn't feel like it has a long division of the characters.

I think you would like this story if you like
big, lethal, green eyed highlanders
second chance romance (both hero and heroine have bad marriages in their past)
lots of action and sexual tension
aren't opposed to reading about torture and death. It's here, and makes the story feel so real
'older' characters – Bella is around 30 and Lachlan is mid 30's
Basically if you've read McCarty, you kind of know what you are going to get. I love her as an author.

Lachlan is a bad boy mercenary. He has a reputation that he would sell his mother if he could make coin and happily turn his back on her suffering. It's all a mirage people, and I just adored Lachlan and felt his pain and reasoning for the life he has chosen.

Bella has been suffering in a horrible marriage with her daughter Joan being her only bright spot. She knows where she stands in this war between England and Scotland and does what she feels is right, crowning Robert the Bruce, thus making herself a traitor to the crown. I also recommend you read up the real history on Isabella MacDuff. It's just fascinating.

I don't usually love characters that have a past marriage, but I really enjoyed this story. I remember reading The Chief and loving it so much and I heard it was the best in the series. Then I read The Hawk and I loved it even more. They are all so good. I have been spacing them out and I think I'm going to keep doing that. Because I'm picky. And I go through streaks where I don't like anything. But I know I can come back to McCarty. And I'm going to be so sad when I get through all her books haha.

I give 5 stars