Rabbie Mackenzie is at a turning point in his life. His emotional distress at the loss of his fiancé and the destruction of the Scottish clans by the English has left him deeply depressed. The decision by his parents that he marry an English heiress that he has never met is the last straw. He is bitter and angry. Miss Avaline Kent is young and vapid. Neither wants this union. Rabbie is a dark, brooding character who is filled with hate for the English for the loss of his dreams. I was sorry that he couldn't feel any happiness. The tragedy of life that consumes him won't let him move forward. Bernadette Holly is a strong, proud woman. Her brutal father destroyed her chance at happiness when he annulled her marriage with a man he disliked because his father wasn't high in society. She had the determination to move forward and begin again. She wouldn't be a doormat for controlling men. I admired her. She's intelligent and feisty. Rabbie and Miss Holly battle continually. When they're together, sparks fly both from their attraction and their tempers. I loved their emotional sparring. The Highlands are beautiful and rugged. They make the perfect backdrop for this emotionally charged story. Julia London took my breath away with this historical romance. The plot is well written and deeply moving. Rabbie and Bernadette struggle with the horror of the past and the uncertainty of the future. The fact that she's English adds fuel to the fire. I could feel their frustration. I also could see them start to heal. I loved the Hard-Hearted Highlander. The ending had me in tears. It was perfect. This is my new favorite Julia London book.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read. My review is my honest opinion of this work.

I loved Rabbie!! This book was awesome! Rabbie is the perfect broody highland hero, who knows what he wants and goes after it. Rabbie and Bernadette travel a long twisty road to their HEA, but the journey is entertaining and heart-warming. This third book in the Highland Grooms series is my favorite. It definitely left me wanting to read more about the Mackenzie Clan.

Rabbie Mackenzie longs for the days before the Scots and English were at war, a time before his beloved was murdered and worse. Nearly suicidal: he doesn’t want to live, but doesn’t have the courage to die. Set to fulfill a family obligation by marrying a very young English bride, he finds little joy except when in the company of Bernadette Holly.

Miss Bernadette Holly has her own secrets and cross to bare. She works for Lord Kent, serving his daughter, Avaline as her maid and confidant. Torn between saving Avaline from a horrible marriage to Laird Mackenzie and her own haunted past, Bernadette finds solace on her long walks and surprisingly, in conversation with Rabbie.

Hard-Hearted Highlander starts a couple years after the conclusion of the previous title in the Highland Grooms series. We discover that life as a Highlander has become rough and even dangerous, as the war with England is not going well. The Mackenzies are struggling and many of their neighbors have fled to safer lands. In order to protect their interests, they strike a marriage bargain with Lord Kent. However, his younger daughter (17, to Rabbie’s 35) is a selfish child and Lord Kent is a monster, and this causes a lot of difficult and awkward interactions.

Both Rabbie and Bernadette are jaded survivors. Their backstories are similar, both losing much. Yet when Rabbie turned inward and contemplated death, Bernadette dove into her work and pushed the past away. Both live each day with holes in their souls, and it isn’t until they see past the surface into one another that they finally begin to heal.

While Rabbie and Bernadette are perfect for one another, I struggled with the story and romance between the pair. The first quarter of the book was slow moving and confusing as it was full of political maneuvering. Additionally, it took at least that long before the pair even had a civil conversation. However, the largest hurdle that I struggled with was the simple fact that Rabbie is engaged to Bernadette’s charge and friend, regardless that it is an arranged marriage and neither party wants to go through with it. Bernadette experiences tremendous guilt over her feelings and actions, which really dampened any of the butterflies she feels from her attraction to Rabbie.

Once the wedding was finally called off, the book was nearly over. Yet Rabbie still had the work of winning over Bernadette, and honestly by then, it was hard for me to stay interested in the pair. I was bothered by Bernadette’s reactions. She was so strong throughout the entire book, and then when her chance for love was in front of her, she reacted counter to what I would have thought. And the way Rabbie won her over was a bit questionable to me.

In the end, while I simply adored the couple, I didn't care much for the story behind their romance. First they involved themselves when Rabbie has committed to wed another. I understand things were different back then, but I couldn't support their actions because Bernadette felt guilty the entire time. Then when they had the chance to be together, Bernadette fell apart. Hard-Hearted Highlander may work for others, but I struggled with the romance and story.

My Rating: C+ Liked It, but I had issues

The second book in the Highland Grooms Series is a powerful heart wrenching story of lost love, tragedy and how two people make the journey back to life and love.

First let me say that there are parts of this book that took fortitude on my part to read, but it was worth reading through some really sad parts to a HAE. This book is about Rabbie MacKenzie the brother of the hero from "Sinful Scottish Laird". Rabbie has lost his will to live. He has watched his precious Highlands be decimated by the English after the battle at Culloden , the love of his life died a terrible death and his clan is barely scraping by. He is just going through the motions for one reason, because no matter how much he doesn't want to go on he knows that if he died his family would be devastated. Now Rabbie has agreed to marry a young English woman who will bring much needed money. He doesn't want anything to do with her when she arrives at his home. He is not even trying to endear himself and is being rude and dismissive an all around ass.

Accompanying the bride to be from England is Bernadette Holly. A ladies maid with a terribly tragic past. She and her love ran away from home to marry, defying her wealthy Father, who wanted her to marry a nobleman to help him gain access to into the Ton. Her father's men catch up with them days after they were married and drag her husband away. She is taken home and her marriage is annulled. She later finds out that her husband was conscripted into the Royal Navy and died at sea. She then finds out she is pregnant but loses the baby when her father strikes her and she falls down a flight of stairs. She has hidden deep in her mind and heart the crippling pain that has shaped who she is and what she has become.

How can Rabbie and Bernadette help each other when it is clear that the only thing they have in common is pain and heartbreak? I have read everything that Julia has written in Historical Romance, this story is darker in that Julia delves deeper into what makes these characters so special. They are both strong, intelligent characters who come out even stronger in the end. There is conflict, redemption, and best of all a happy ending for them. I am a fan of Julia's writing and think this book is a must read.

Love those Mackenzies! Well written with great characters. Bernadette Holly is accompanying the young Avaline and her family as they travel to meet Avaline's highlander fiancee. Bernadette meets the huge highlander and finds him rude and an unacceptable match for her young shy charge. Rabbie Mackenzie has drawn the short end of the stick when he's told he's to marry the daughter of their new neighbor, an Englishman to keep control of the lands. Rabbie's heart was broken when his first fiance was killed while he was away, now there is no lightness in his life and marrying the young lass was the last thing he wanted. The more the feisty Miss Holly stood up to the highlander the more interesting she became to Rabbie and Bernadette began having feelings too but because of her past she felt she was useless, Rabbie has to figure a way to get out the marriage agreement between the families and prove to Bernadette she was what he needed.

Hard Hearted Highlander moved me to tears. The third in Julia London's Highland Grooms series, this story deals with heartache, loss and grief but it balances that with hope and healing. It can be read and enjoyed either as a stand-alone or as part of the series though my recommendation is to read books one and two first both for context and because they're such good stories.
Set in the Scottish highlands four years after the battle of Culloden, this story highlights the loss of so many Scots in that battle and the desecration of the highlands that followed. Julia London doesn't stop at the ransacking and confiscation of property by the English but also highlights the impact on families ripped apart by war.
This is a complex story yet it is a story of love in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. The characters were wonderfully alive and felt very real to me. Despite the heartache that both Bernadette and Rabbie carried I couldn't help but feel for them. I desperately wanted things to be made right.
I have said before of a Julia London book that I think it's the best she's ever written but I have no qualms about saying it again. This book is superb! I loved it.

This story really gets to the heart. I could feel all the different emotions felt from all the characters. You see how differently people handle the things in life that happen to them. Bernadette and Rabbie help each other with out realizing it and then fall in love.

Hard-Hearted Highlander (Highland Grooms, #3) the third book by Julia London in this series. I enjoyed this as much as the first two. Rabbie and Bernadette have both suffered great loss...Rabbie considers no going on...Bernadette feels her hope of a happy future are gone. Rabbie agrees to an arranged marriage to Avaline for the benefit of his family. I must admit I was worried how Julia would resolve this problem...I should not have worried. I am hoping there will be another book or two because Aulay and Cat need to find their loves....

Don't go into this book thinking in your head it's your typical English/Scottish historical romance. It really isn't. I absolutely fell in love with Bernadette and by the end I even loved Rabbie. In the beginning I had a hard time liking his character and just thought he was a jerk! I fell horrible for Bernadette, especially after you find out what happened to her by her own family! There are ups and downs along with some twists and turns. Everything turns out just as I had hoped along with some extras that I never even thought of! Definitely worth reading and I am really hoping there is more in this series!

I have agreed to give an honest review in exchange for this ARC. This is a story of so much pain brought about by events, that even though the characters are fiction, were real. I believe it takes you into retrospection and helps you look at the events of your own life. Good read

I just finished reading “Hard-Hearted Highlander” by Julia London. I received my free copy via NetGalley with the understanding that I would post an honest review. I liked the story. Although I found quite a few edit errors in the ARC which I expect will be corrected in the final edit process. I don’t think this is one of her best works. It seemed rather slow a few times. But then, I have been battling a very harsh cold with a brutal cough which may very well be coloring this review. I do recommend you give this book a read after you read the other two books in the series.
Wild Wicked Scot (Highland Grooms, #1)
Sinful Scottish Laird(Highland Grooms, #2)

London has out done her self with this and especially with Rabbie, she has created a highly complex and scarred man and I think that he is the best of London’s heroes to date. This story is heart wrenching, you go through so many emotions while reading this there are highs and lows that keep you on the edge of your seat.

This is an absolute masterpiece from Julia London, I don’t have enough good words to say about it. This has to be read, it is definitely a five out of five. Just amazing!

Full Review at Chicks Rogues and Scandals
https://chicksroguesandscandals.wordpress.com/2017/04/14/review-hard-hearted-highlander-highland-grooms-book-3-by-julia-london/

This is the third installment in Julia London’s Highlander Grooms series. As with the first two, Hard-Hearted Highlander is a bit different from the usual Julia London romances in that, at least to me, it is less light hearted and jovial. In this series she is dealing with Scotland at the time of the Jacobite uprising where The Highlanders lost just about everything and their people to the English plundering.

Rabbie Mackenzie is the “hero” for this book. The love of his life, Seona, has disappeared and feared dead at the hands of the pillaging English. Heartbroken and full of despair, he sees no reason to go on, except that his family has arranged a marriage of convenience for him with an English girl. This arrangement will hopefully make the Mackenzie clan prosperous once again. However, Avaline, his intended, is so young and timid. In fact, neither one wants this marriage, but there is nothing to be done, the deal has been struck. Instead of his intended, Rabbie is very attracted to Avaline’s governess, Holly and she to him. Oh, but Holly has her own problems as well.

I totally enjoyed this tormented tale of hopeless love. Once again, Julia London creates characters and a plot that are believable and interesting. She never disappoints me with her knowledge of the time period she is writing about. A solid 4 stars!
Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for this advanced copy.

The third in London's Highlander series, this is by far the least pleasing. None of the characters are particularly likeable, and there are tons of secondary characters that don't get fleshed out. The readers end up as confused as the poor girl engaged to be married to the brutish Scot. Maybe skip this one and hold out hope for his brother's story.

Summary

Bernadette Kent, is a woman having little and no choice but to work as a governess, due to past scandals and the pain she has experienced. Bernadette has learned some rough truths of life, and one of them is that woman have no choice in life especially in what they wish in life or who they wish to marry. Now its Bernadette’s job to make sure that her young charge and friend learn to accept her upcoming marriage that she has no choice in. Bernadette understands why Avaline who may be kind but is shy and practically shakes in fear of her new fiancee. Rabbie Mackenzie accepted the upcoming marriage at a painful time in his life. Now he has no choice but to bind himself to a girl that is barely out of the schoolroom and has no strength or courage. But his life comes alive again when he banters with independent Bernadette who fights him on every turn. But soon the opposition they both feels turns into something passionate and eventually into a softer emotion….love. But their relationship is forbidden and not just to society, but both Bernadette and Rabbie understand each others pains of the past and could help heal each other…
The Hero

Rabbie Mackenzie has suffered some of the worst pains. He lost the woman he loved and most of her family in a very painful way and ever since has continued to grieve his loss of her and has merely existed. Rabbie reluctantly agreed to a marriage for financial gain on both parties. Once Rabbie meets his future bride, he regrets his agreement but refuses to go back on his word. Rabbie is a proud highlander who has suffered some great losses in his life. But he looks out for his family and other Scots who need his help to survive with the recent joining of Scotland and England which has practically starved and decimated the Scottish people. What I truly loved about Rabbie was his protective nature toward his people. Now he can be a jerk quite a bit especially in the beginning. He has a very rough exterior, but I truly loved seeing the change in his character as he learns to let go of the past and learning to love again.
The Heroine

Bernadette hasn’t had a easy life. Bernadette once fell in love and managed to elope, but she learned a painful lesson when her father annulled the marriage, and forced her fiancee to a ship to work and died a few months later and Berndatte lost even more than that….and she knows that she will never be able to have the family she always dreamed of. But it hasn’t hardened or made her bitter. She still has a sweet nature, and I truly adored how passionate she was especially in defense of Avaline. Her character isn’t easy to read, because of the way we are introduced to her and sets a certain tone of the story. I did enjoy her character and seeing the way she overcomes the ghosts of her past and find the happy after she deserves.
Plot and Story Line

Hard Hearted Highlander is a wonderful romance that has a strong angsty beginning. What I truly loved about this book was seeing the growth and changes in our characters. At the beginning of the book, there are shields around both Bernadette and Rabbie. These shields are because of some painful experiences these two have had to struggle through. And I understood where they were coming from but they tended to bicker and banter like children and there were times it could be amusing, but other times I felt a bit frustated but then I don’t think I was in the mood for a angsty romance. But it didn’t take very long to get into the frame this book has set. Now we have another character Avaline. I will admit there are times I learned to like her, but honestly she drove me nuts. She was fearful of everything and was so weak in so many ways. I understood why she was the way she is….her parents left much to be desired. However she does get some backbone. I really enjoyed the way this story progressed and didn’t quite turn out the way I expected and I liked that. There are some predictable moments, but other moments that happily surprise you. What made this book so wonderful though was the ending. Because man…this author had me crying and laughing in the same moment which is rare. And yeah I fell in head over heels with this couple pretty quickly especially in the way you see how they help each other emotionally. It really brings these two together in such a poignant way.
The Cover

What a beautiful cover and so perfect for april, I love the spring tone of the purple and their embrace is so passionate
Overall View

Hard Hearted Highlander is a simply fantastic romance that is full of fun yet angsty bantering, an emotional whirlwind of desire, grief and brings a perfectly satisfying story!!

For all highlander lovers this is a terrific story. We have a naïve teenager, a worldly governess and a handsome highlander. The makings of a really satisfying read. Rabbie is still mourning his first love and is fighting a severe depression when he agrees to help his family and clan by marrying an English debutante who lives on the adjoining land. Avaline wants no part of the brooding, unlikable Rabbie but is being forced to marry. Bernadette at first dislikes Rabbie but eventually understands his despondency and falls madly in love with him. This is a triangle that seems totally without a happy outcome. That the author, Julia “fantastic” London, pulls off a HEA is because of her superb storytelling skill.

I guarantee you will like this one and come back for more from this author. All books in the series are connected by cameos of previous characters but can definitely standalone. Read them all, you’ll thank me.

The Highland Grooms Series:
1. Wild wicked Scot
2. Sinful Scottish Laird
3. Hard-Hearted Highlander

Wild Wicked Scot will make you believe in fairy tales and grab a part of you didn’t know you had.
Starting in England 1706 we meet a prim and proper lady, Margot Armstrong. She is the proper lady who knows she will marry a well to do young man and live happily ever after. Or so she thinks....her father has other ideas.
In comes Arran Mackenzie, a Scot who is anything but a gentleman. When they met Arran has a ‘dark, unkempt beard,’ dirty clothes and terrible manners.
The sparks fly when they meet, but not good ones.
This is where our story starts. Father decides that a match with these two would be advantages for both England and Scotland. Much to Margot’s dismay. After they marry and she is taken to an old castle in Scotland. After leaving and going back to England for 3 years she has decided to come back.
After much arguing, loving and adventures you wonder if they will finally ‘live happily ever after.’ Getting to the end is the most fun I have had reading a book in quite awhile! The twist and turns and the suspense kept me reading. In fact I didn’t want to put it down.
If you enjoy being surprised and intrigued, Wild Wicked Scot by Julia London is just what you are looking for!

Between the fact that I love Julia London and book 2 in this series was a 5-star read for me, I was very excited to pick this one up. The first 60% was fabulous. I loved our wounded curmudgeonly hero and the palapable dislike/sparks with Bernadette. But the last section veered off into, well, I'm not sure. More of a melodramatic tone, perhaps? Whatever it was, that section didn't work for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQN books for a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Very cute! Didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did :) Thanks to the Publisher for the review copy!

A little slow to start but once we got through the angst of the sheltered character things really took off. I was happy when the two main characters finally sparked off each other and got together. Hopefully there will be another book in the series and I can meet them again.