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Heart of Shadows

Heart of a Higlander Series, Book 1

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Heart of Shadows

By: Rebecca Ruger
Narrated by: Stewart Crank
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About this listen

Orphaned Isabel Fitzhugh is fourteen when she first comes to Wolvesley by the sea, traveling with her cousin to see her wed to the formidable Liam MacTavish. She's unimpressed, with both her current situation and her cousin's husband. She thinks he is aloof and arrogant, well deserving of her cousin. But then Liam intercedes on her behalf against a mean-spirited tormentor and everything changes.

Liam MacTavish is quite happy to ride away from his new bride in the spring of 1296, thrilled to rise to the defense of his beloved Scotland. He doesn't return for five long years, many of those spent in an English prison, renounced by his own father, left to rot. He finds Wolvesley not at all as he remembered, derelict and all but abandoned, save for the redoubtable Isabel—whom he barely recalls-and an improbable cast of characters.

Both Liam and Isabel are tormented by grim shadows from Wolvesley's past. Isabel's fierce independence and easy smiles hide a far greater tragedy than Liam can ever imagine; Liam's savage mien and coldness suggest he knows nothing else. Can they overcome the past, leaving behind the cruelty caused to each of them by the same person?

Contains mature themes.

©2021 Rebecca Ruger (P)2022 Tantor Historical Historical Fiction Romance Middle Ages
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I was really enjoying the book, however halfway through the heroine did start annoying me & so did Dugan/Dougal?! (it kept sounding like both, so I'm not sure)!

All of the issues became of her own making... even if all she understood/heard, was "when I get back, we're making use of my bed"... it's not only implied, but stated that he's both planning to return & that they'll be together...

Her moving out of the keep, would only have made sense, IMO, AFTER their argument NOT before & especially not if she really thought he WAS dead!

Dugan/Dougal's actions, reactions & insolence made NO sense whatsoever... Liam had been back for months by that point & in all that time, he was never cruel to any of them & especially not towards Isabel, the opposite in fact... so him accusing Liam of being nasty was both annoying & nonsensical!

Comparing scowling with being abusive is ludicrous...

He himself told Isabel that she should tell Liam about the past, yet he holds Liam to blame when they ALL know that he'd been held captive & if they all thought he'd been dead, he'd hardly been having a wonderful time of it... so, both Isabel & Dougal's attitudes really started rubbing me the wrong way!

It got so bad, that I genuinely didn't understand why Liam kept trying... save her & send them off on their merry way 🤷‍♀️

definitely worth a read/listen

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Quite a bit of angst and misunderstanding but love conquers all in the end. The narrator did quite a good job.

Quite enjoyable

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loved Stewart Crank as narrator, his variations of each character in the book was outstanding, making this book an enjoyable listen.

love the dislike to love characters

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An enjoyable story based around the rebuilding of a diminished clan. A resilient and capable heroine. A scowling intense hero. A new narrator for this author, but he's as good as, if not better, than the usual Tim Campbell.

Enjoyable easy read

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