Cronic Bookaholic

2.75 stars

This story bounced ups down so many times it made me dizzy. It started on a pretty high notes for me (Scotland, highlander, that sexy burr, the humour, the banter, the heroine's sass, the crazy new boss, lynx guardian, bear-shifters and witches... yes, there's a lot about this book that I loved!) but then they started to get repetitive, cheesy, then too much. Ups and downs, over and over it went.

As the story set in Scotland with some Scottish characters, the narration and conversation put according to their accents. I had no objection to this whatsoever - I adore their accents, see. However, this was the first time I read the characters take pride of their Scot nationality the way these brothers (the Mathesons) talked - I agree on WildAboutBones account about that HERE. On a modern setting like this, their antics were too bizarre a practice IMHO.

The MCs... I loved Bryce, I did. He's this over six feet hunk of a braided ginger-haired highlander with a penchant of wearing his kilt and nothing else, anywhere - even for riding horse sans saddle (Yesss, there's that nuts and handle flashy scene); got a great sense of humour, charming, possessive, and loved his family. But gosh he's stubborn and the way he talked to Kenzie was often way too crash to my liking. I also felt he hadn't done enough groveling for Kenzie to forgive him. He shoulda grovel more!

As for Kenzie... I tried to like her character. She's a survivor of abusive marriage, monster of a da, and a supposedly talented and powerful wiccan! And I could understand her reluctant to take Bryce back - once bitten twice shy and the whole enchilada- but girl, the way that indecisiveness of yours bouncing:
I trust him. I trust him not. I trust him. I trust him not. He loves me. He won't stay faithful. I should leave the family to keep them save. I shall stay... on and on and on the repetition pawed at my patience!! Seriously? They gave me headache!!!

The love scenes between these two were also soo mouthy. I'm not a fan of vocal and loud sex scene, so I thought theirs were a tad on the cheesy side and too bawdy.

I liked humor in a story but some of the scenes were a bit over the top for me, like the one where Bryce and Kenzie shagging on the hospital bed made the alarms of Bryce's monitors went all bonkers and half a dozen medical staffs charged into the room and witnessing their climax. I also didn't think the five year old acted and talked her age - it felt too made up to be hilariously funny.

Last but not least, Fauste, the oh so powerful villain they all so feared of. Even when they bemoaning over his vile and dangerous power, I don't think they took him (Fauste) seriously. Were they any precaution made to prevent him got to Kenzie? No. They said she had to to hear her mother's account on the tape - but did Kenzie finish watching the tape? No. Even after the attack that put some of them in the hospital, they went with their lives as they were... which led to his father easily snatched Kenzie! **head-desk** And the final confrontation?? After the way Fauste being described as very powerful and difficult to defeat, the last “battle” was anticlimactic and just too damn easy.

All in all, this was an entertaining humorous read, but personally I think this story could be trimmed a bit. I always had a soft spot for Highlander story, even ranting away (privately) all the way to the end of the pages.

Note: ARC was kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for fair and honest review.