its a buy book. Anything from this author has always rated to be a buy. However, this novel is definitely not one of her best. It would be described as a good solid read. Action in middle, too slow on start, and drag at the end. Solid characters but more action would of been great. The pace was up and down through out the book. There seemed to be many errors in the book that was not expected. Either way, I still enjoyed the story and the writing. I think Mrs Howell could of spent perhaps a little longer on this one to make it into a great read instead of a okay read. I was given this book in return for an honest review. Anna

Sir Artan Murray is persuaded to go south and find Cecily Donaldson, the niece of a dying friend and relative. She is about to be married to a Sir Fergus by relatives who want her fortune for themselves. Sir Artan discovers they plot against her, escapes their castle and takes Cecily back to the Highlands. Sir Fergus follows them, trying to get Cecily back. During the trip, Sir Artan and Cecily fall in love and are handfasted. Sir Fergus follows them and tries to get to Cecily. They reach the safety of Glascraeg and her uncle Angus, but Sir Fergus enlists a neighboring clan, to attack Glascraeg and get Cecily. Artan is badly injured and Cecily promises "to be a good obedient wife" if he gets to live. Artan recovers and instead of peace they get to sort out their feelings, promises, and ideas of marriage in order to have a future. Another great Hannah Howell book.

Highland Barbarian is book #13 of bestselling author Hannah Howell’s Murray Saga. This is a release with the original published date of 2006.
All through this book the characters of Artan Murray and Cecily reminded me of another book. “The Bride” written by Julie Garland. I found that Highland Barbarian was rather good. But then again, Hannah Howell’s Murray Sagas is always entertaining. It had a strong character development and likable characters. What I liked mainly about this book, was that for once it was the woman, in this case, Cecily who had to come to the rescue of the strong and capable man.
Highland Barbarian had plenty of drama with the main characters always in peril. This book fits right in with the rest of the rest of the series.
But the greatest thing about this series, no matter how many times you read them, it never gets old…. That and all the stories could be read as a stand-alone.

It has been quite some time since I have read a Highlander historical romance, and I was very pleased to have had the opportunity to do so. Sir Artan Murray is coerced by his mentor, Angus, to find his niece, Cecily, as she is most closely related to Angus. He agrees to find her and decide whether he will marry her, another of Angus’ plans so that the lairdship would go to Artan rather than another relative, Malcolm. On arriving at Cecily’s wedding to Sir Fergus, Artan decides that he will kidnap her and make her his wife, after hearing of plans of her uncle and aunt in the Lowlands, to wed her so as to gain her inheritance.
There was so much intrigue and action in this story with family plots and neighbouring clan feuds, to keep this story moving at a rapid pace.

I loved it and look forward to reading more from Hannah Howell!

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

another delightful installment in Hannah Howell's HIghlanders. As always, the Murray family story is an enjoyable read. We have a hero who is a strong proud warrior but also caring & kind, he's not given to flattery or sweet words and while he occasionally puts his foot is his mouth and messes up, he's also likely to say just the right thing too, in part because you can tell it honestly comes from heart. He's matched with a heroine who while at times is foolishly naive also has a spark of spirit that enchants our hero and grows as does her confidence. The attraction is instant but the love builds steadily overcoming several obstacles from both inside and outside of the couple. This story doesn't feature a large cast of secondary characters but all are well written and balance the story.

A good read. Could have ended a whole lot quicker and with less Rama. Artan had two opportunities to kill the bad guy and didn't so everyone was in preilous danger at the end.

Artan was hot and had a great sense of humor. Cecily was ok very niave at times. The bad guys were bad, but it seemed to settle fast without explanation at the end.

Good read but not great.

Received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.

This is a reissue of the 2006 novel and upon reading it today, I think that it shows its age. I felt that the plot was taken from the formula historical romance script of the late 1980s and early 1990s. My library system still owns its 2006 copy.

Entertaining story with at times amusing dialogue, although not dreadfully deep. The hero is a caricature of brawny warrior, who has almost superhuman abilities to defeat the endless stream of assassins sent his way in cartoonish fighting scenes without his kilt going askew. Well, except for the one time when he nearly died fighting ten or so opponents, because the eight sent the previous attack did not do much more than mess up his locks. The heroine is a wee bit muddled about a lot of things, which to be fair is partly due to being brought up by crazed and abusive relatives. However, it still got a bit tedious with her swinging like pendulum for and against the hero and switching personalities like undies. I do like the uncle, Angus, who is a more consistent and warm character. All in all, it was enjoyable without being engrossing.

Now I have always been a huge mega fan of Hannah Howells Writings, so I was mega excited to be getting started on Highland Barbarian, I mean what's not to love it's got everything History, a brawny hot highlander with a sexy accent, a feisty heroine. on starting I realised this was a re-release that I had read a few years back. You would think this would detract from the experience, but it didn't, I was still really pleased to be getting a chance to re-read this marvellous story set in the highlands of Scotland in the year 1480.
Now a brief summary of this tale. We have Artan Murray Big brawny handsome highlander of the sexy brogue sent to collect the sweet biddable niece of his supposedly dying mentor from the lowLands, he is also distantly related to the man, in return, if he likes the lass a marriage between her and Artan will be arranged so the lairdship can be passed on to Cecily's husband.
Cecily is not the sweet biddable lass she tries to display and there is mischief afoot an arranged marriage and hideous relations with vile intentions.
so Artan decided to steal Cecily away from the danger and marry her himself, let the wooing begin.
I Loved Loved Loved Highland Barbarian every time Artan says Sile mine in his delightful brogue I melted, this was a sweet happy read that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside,
Things I liked about this book, there are loads, I so digged the Scottish lilt to the words it really transported me into the heart of the highlands.
I also adored the lack of major drama to Artan and Cecily's relationship and how he was so enamoured of his Sile from the start. Highland Barbarian is a very authentic read that makes you feel like you are living it.
stuff I disliked, well there really wasn't that much, if I had to nitpick then I really would have liked a bit more closure on the fate of Cecily's relations, I would have loved to experience their comeuppance that would have been ever so satisfying.
So, in conclusion, this is an absorbing historical romance that really does immerse you in the rich Scottish culture of the time and was a delightfully rich read.
I received an e-copy of this novel free from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

The story opens with Artan the Highland warrior being sent on a mission to bring the laird's niece, Cecily, back to visit the ailing man and his land. Artan embarks on a long journey to the Lowlands and the beautiful, red-haired Cecily. Little does he realize that her murdering guardians have agreed to Cecily marrying the conniving, whore-monger, Sir Fergus within a fortnight! The rest is an entertaining yarn of the rollicking story of Artan and Cecily! I guess that you "ken" that I loved the story and found the characters to be well-developed and engaging. This book will have you cheering for the two characters and wishing that the story never ends! Recommended for all lovers of historical romance.

Highland Barbarian by Hannah Howell will be available March 28,2017 by Zebra Books, an imprint of Kensington Publishing Corp. An egalley of this book was made available of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I read this book years ago and I loved it then, I can't say if there were any revisions to this re-released version, but I loved it just as much as the first time I read it.

Cecily is an orphan living as a poor relation on her late father's estate. She has spent the last 12 years believing that she is a burden to her guardians and has been forgotten by her mother's family. In an attempt to please her guardians, she has agreed to marry a man of their choosing.

Sir Artan Murray has been summoned to the bedside of Laird Angus MacReith. Angus wants Artan to travel to his late sister's estate and bring his niece back to him. He offers to make Artan his heir if he will marry the lass. As the second born son, this is a dream come true for Artan, but he will not agree to marry without meeting Cecily first and deciding if they will suit.

Artan arrives at Dunburn just as Cecily is preparing to marry Sir Fergus Ogilvey. When she sees Artan for the first time, she is captivated. Artan is just as taken with her. He tells her he has been sent to fetch her for her uncle. She has committed to marry and tells Artan that she must think about this before she agrees to go with him.

As Artan waits for Cecily to decide, he learns a lot of secrets. Including why Angus has not heard from the lass in 12 years. He also decides that he wants to marry Cecily - not for the promises that Angus made him, but because he wants her.

When Artan overhears the extent of the betrayal of Cecily's guardians and the danger she faces, he decides to kidnap her - for her own good.

Once Artan takes Cecily away and explains the deceit that she has lived with for years, she agrees to meet with Angus. She is not quite sure she believes the tale Artan has told her - but she decides to trust him anyway. When she learns that her betrothed is in on the deceit against her, she claims to be married to Artan and he confirms this.

They travel to Angus' holding and make plans to wed in church, but when Cecily learns what was promised to Artan if he married her - she is heartbroken. Artan doesn't know how to make things right between them and trouble is not far behind as Sir Fergus is not willing to let his rich prize go.
These two have a rough road to their HEA!

The book is well written, steamy, funny, exciting and suspenseful - Artan is a wonderful hero and Cecily is a heroine worth rooting for.

I loved this book and would be happy to recommend it to anyone.

This is an honest review in return for being allowed to read this ARC. What highland barbarian?? Artan is nothing like that! Nice story of strength and love set in Scotland. Gotta love that aye?

Another winning historical by the Queen of historicals. Enjoyed the romance. Great writing.

This isn't a poorly written book, just not to my taste. The H is a typical Highlander hero. Tall, brawny, brave and loyal. The h is a niece to a laird, orphaned young and raised away from her uncle by evil cousins. The H has come to take her to her uncles home and finds her betrothed to a troll of a man. In addition, he's planning to kill her after he's had his fill of her physically. The H kidnaps her to save her, and return her to her uncle. A romance had begun between them, which falters then resumes on their trip home. The struggle is well written, but the h's behavior is very labile. One minute she hates her fiancé, the next she's angry at the H for interfering in her wedding. Pages and pages of ever changing moods, which was frustrating. When she finally came around the H had screwed up and had to straighten up! Fans of the author will love the book, but it's for me. Though I do love a Highlander!

I read this a few years ago, but happy to revisit this story.
I honestly don't remember my thoughts from the first time I read it, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this time around.
Love Cecily's spirit!!!

Although this Highland rescue romance gets bogged down with the unresolved plot against the heroine by her evil relatives, this is a fun and sexy read.

"Highland Barbarian' by Hannah Howell is book 13 in the " Murray Family' Series. This is the story of Artan and Cecily. This book was first released around 2006 but is now be released again with a new cover. I have read this book before and with the new cover it brought this book back to my attention. I love Ms. Howell's book and allot of her books are so good you want to read them twice. This book is easily a standalone book if you choose to do so.
Cecily is set to marry but not for love...it is an arranged marriage that she must go through. But when Artan shows up and takes her she tries to convince him to take her back. Artan is helping to take Cecily to satisfy a dying mans wish. Artan was under the impression that she was a sweet and calm girl but that isn't what he finds when he meets Cecily. But he is attracted to her and does not want her to have to marry into a loveless marriage.
Very Enjoyable read!

This novel was a good read. I enjoyed the author's writing and the plot of the story. This story is a romance novel in the Highlands, but includes some adventure.
Sir Artan Murray has trained with Angus MacReith and he is asked to return his niece to Glascreg since Angus is "dying". Artan agrees to bring her back before Angus dies. Angus has ulterior motives for bringing his niece back, which include making Artan his successor instead of his cousin.
Cecily Donaldson has been raised in the Lowlands after the death of her family. They were killed and there is much to the story then what appears. Her cousins who "raised" her want her to marry Sir Fergus Ogilvey. Fergus is blackmailing her cousins. However, much of this has been hidden from Cecily. She has been seeking approval from her family and believes this will help by accepting this marriage.
Artan travels to the Lowlands to being Cecily to her uncle and when he meets her, he has a strong feeling that she is the one for him and after he kisses her, he knows it to be true. Artan discovers the plans Fergus and her cousins have in store for Cecily and he "kidnaps" her. Artan has not told Cecily of her uncle's plans. When she finds out that Artan will be her uncle's heir when he marries Cecily, she is deeply hurt. She has been hurt deeply by her cousins and Fergus. Will Artan and Cecily be able to work past these lies?
Fergus however, has not given up that he will marry Cecily and get her inheritance. When he captures Artan, he demands Cecily give herself up to save him? Will Cecily save Artan, but more importantly, if she does, what will Artan do to get her back?
The only thing I wish the author went into detail on was what happened with her cousins and Dunburn. I would have enjoyed reading how they were able to take back the estate and go more into depth about how they were able to prove the treachery her cousins did.

I wanted to tear Sir Fergus apart for the things that he says and does. That shows the power of a well written book, when the reader wants to kill the villain.
Poor Cecily thought she was alone and only had her cousins to count on. Until Artan came along and showed her the deception that they had been hiding from her. She was so innocent and wanted someone to love her, that it was no surprise how quickly she fell for Artan.
Book 13 of the Murray Family series can be read as a stand alone or out of order with no problem.

This was my first book by Hannah Howell and I really liked it. I was a little nervous. I know she has had cheating in some of her books which is why I have avoided her work in the past. I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed this book. I thought Artan and Cecily were great. I will cautiously try more from her.