I just finished reading Highland Ruse by Madeline Martin! LoVeD It!
I love a good story with depth and grit. This story has suspence, tragedy and loss, unity, selflessness, redemption, and a surprising ending. I enjoyed the different characters and can't wait for more.

I highly recommend Highland Rose. I loved the characters and the storyline.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋💋
Second in the Mercenary Maidens Series , this one centres on Delilah Canterbury, an ex mistress of the kings, turned out by him and society after spending one night in his bed .
Having no prospects and nowhere to go she is recruited by Sylvi and taken for training in Scotland, five years on she ready to prove herself in her first solo mission.
Her job is to stand in for Elizabeth the betrothed of a Highlander , Laird MacKenzie ,as it’s possible the young lady’s life is at risk .
Using Delilah as a decoy , the team hope to capture and bring to justice those who wish her harm and deliver the real Elizabeth to her future husband
Things run as expected to begin with, she’s abducted by Laird Kaid MacLeod and his friend Donnan, but after learning of the reasons behind their plot she finds it hard to carry out her duty and bring them to justice .
The adventure that ensues is both heart-stopping and pulls no punches , from dramatic fight scenes to emotional reunions, this book runs at breakneck speed and is so difficult to put down .
It’s a wonderful sequel , it’s highly enjoyable and you will be sad to see it end , I was .

I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review

This book had me wondering till the end if these two unlikely people would find happiness together. The suspense and connection between characters was great. Highly recommend this if you like suspenseful romance set in Scotland.

"Highland Ruse" is the first book I've read by Madeline Martin and I liked the story. Delilah is masquerading as Elizabeth while Elizabeth rides to her betrothed's home. Delilah and the maid ride around in Elizabeth's carriage for about a month when they are finally kidnapped by Kaid - which they were fully expecting.
Kaid believes Elizabeth to be a traditional noblewoman with little or no feelings or empathy. Initially, that is what he gets when he kidnaps Elizabeth, until the real woman begins to make an appearance. Kaid actually likes Elizabeth and is shocked when he learns he has been duped, he shared his deepest hurt with her and she revealed herself to be someone else entirely.
I liked Kaid and the chemistry between him and Delilah was off the charts. Delilah wasn't a favorite character, she was hard and cold, and it took some time for me to warm up to her. The Mercenary Maidens idea seems a little far-fetched for the time period. But the story was enjoyable and I would like to read more by this author.

This story will keep you guessing what will happen next. You will be turning the pages to see what the next adventure will be and if the laird and the lady can over come their hurts and open to love.

DISCLAIMER ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN—- Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!This is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Highland Ruse. Kaid was stubborn and surprising and Delilah was daring and strong. OK lets me honest they are both stuborrn. Delilah left England after being cast off by the king and became a sort of female mercanary.... that wasn't touched on too much what these group of women are but that as close as I could gather. I am trying really hard to leave spoliers out of it.... Ok heres a small jist Kaid thinks Delilah is his enemies bride to be, which is exactly who she is pretending to be so he kidnaps her to try to bargain for peace. Why does it make perfect sense that the highlands would kidnap someone to barter for peace? Anywho obviously eventually Kaid discovers she is not his enemies intended and tries to convience her to help him save his people.They both complimented eachother extremely well and I liked how although the story centered around them we were still given substancial side glances to other characters. PLEASE LET THE NEXT ONE BE ABOUT LEASA AND DONNAN! I haven't looked up any information about the next one yet because I wanted to put this review out but I REALLY hope we get to follow those two next.



Here are some key points to remember. It is the second book in a series however, it is well equipted to hold up as a stand alone.

Overall review

Character creation - 5 I thought that not only were the characters believeable but that they were well developed and each had their own distinct personality

Plot - 5 - I think it would be more of a 4.5 hoever I have no problem stretching this to a flat 5 -- The story line moved along nicely and was beautifully done but there were some things I think should have been elaborated on a bit more or at least more credance given to

Addiction Level - 5 it never left my hands. I was answering phone calls and continuing to read at the same time

Over all it was a strong 5 the characters were amazing and I loved the story line even if I think there should have been a bit more potatoes with the meat *COUGH* Torra at least *COUGH*.


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Highland Ruse is the second book of the Mercenary Maidens series. It´s a full story and I rather enjoyed reading it. The plot has several unexpected surprises that made the book interesting. The beginning is thrilling but as the story develops I was a bit disappointed with the main characters. Delilah loses her strength and Kaid can’t overcome his anguish and fears. I don´t think I’ll read the other books of the series.

I really did enjoy this book and I hope their is another book. Kaid MacLoed loses his father and some people during a raid. But for revenge he discovers his enemies betrothed is traveling through Scotland and he is going to abducting her will give him the leverage he desperately needs to end the slaughter and bring peace to his clan.Delilah Canterbury is pretending to be a Scottish laird’s betrothed to get just again Kaid. It was a great read.

This is Book 2 in Madeline's Mercenary Maidens series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the story of Delilah Canterbury and Kaid MacLeod. Said desperately needs to save his clan from a vicious and heartless laird from a different clan. Kaid needs the help of Delilah to succeed, but there are many obstacles in their way.

Will Delilah agree to help him? Will an attraction form between them, or will they hate each other? Will Kaid be successful in what he needs to do, or will he and his clan be destroyed?

Read this very well-written story with very interesting characters to find out. The story moves at a very nice pace, and it has suspense, intrigue, humor and romance all rolled into one exciting and entertaining story. Highly recommended!

Dishonored by a king at 15, Delilah could not go home. There were too many children there to burden her parents.
Sylvi is the leader of a group of women that have skills that no man can guess. She takes Delilah under her protection and teaches her what she needs to know to become one of her women.
When Lady Elizabeth is sent to Scotland to wed, there is fear of abduction so her father hires Sylvi’s group to ensure the lady gets to Laird MacKenzie safely. They decide to substitute Delilah for Lady Elizabeth and send both in different directions.
Kaid MacLeod is bend on peace with Laird MacKenzie. He plans the abduction and it goes off without a hitch. Delilah is kidnapped and she just needs to delay Kaid until Lady Elizabeth reaches MacKenzie.
A great story with deceit, honor, and love. Wonderful descriptions and adventure. Madeline Martin does it again with an exciting tale of Scotland Highlanders!

Such an amazing story. This could totally be read as a stand alone. Amazing from start to finish. Delilah is so brave and fearless when on a secret mission posing as another woman. Kaid just wants to do right by his people and kidnap the lady but several unexcused turns has them both second guessing their missions.

Highland Ruse is overall a well-written and satisfying story. It has a strong-minded, independent heroin, Delilah. It's hero, Kaid, is a fierce leader of his clan.
This is Book 2 in the mercenary spy series, which is about a group of female spies.
Delilah is hired to impersonate a lady of the Court, Lady Elizabeth, who is on her way to meet her betrothed.
Kid kidnaps Delilah, thinking that she is Lady Elizabeth. He is trying to seek Justice first people and prevent further Warfare.
The adventures begin from the there with a lot of action, drama, and a chemistry that is so hot between Delilah and Kaid.
The characters in this book World developed in the storyline load. I really enjoyed reading it and look forward to the next one.
I received this book free in exchange for a review.

Delilah started out life as a poor person, of sixteen children she was number 8. She got the chance to train with Sylvi and she jumped at it. Laird Kaid MacLeod was a man with nightmares and needed to abduct Delilah, AKA Lady Elizabeth.
This is one complicated plot, there are so many threads, I don't know how the author kept them all straight. It was one marvelous tale with battles, abductions, and trying to get to a place of relative safety. There are some sad spots where you just want to cry. The characters are very realistic and the descriptions are wonderful. The way the castle seemed to float atop the loch like a some magical apparition, all smooth stone and block construction. I loved the relationships that developed between the main characters. I could not put the book down. It is also very racy.

This story starts off really well. It's intriguing, the characters are all put in a predicament that is at odds with all of their personalities, and it makes for an interesting dynamic between them all. We learn a lot about all of the characters, and as the story starts to pick up and get interesting... It just devolves into the same old romantic tropes.

Delilah starts as an intriguing, somewhat mysterious, tough woman who can handle herself. And even though Kaid seems to respect her independence and strength, as far as their romance goes, Delilah becomes just like any other regency maiden, with seemingly no self-agency. I found it really disappointing.

The Highlands setting is romantic and the atmosphere is really brought to life in the landscape, castles, villages and voices of the characters. But I think that's all that saves the latter part of this book.

The first half is worth 5 stars, but I was just so disappointed in the contrived way that everything falls together in the ending.

Delilah and Kaid were wonderful characters. I liked their kindness except when Delilah was going to turn them in. I was relieved she changed her mind. Their interactions and personalities were very likeable. The descriptions in the book were confusing meaning how things were happening were not clear. I could not picture some of the fighting since the descriptions were not clear to me. Also I wanted more knowledge of Percy and the team. What was their goal besides protecting Elizabeth? Also why was MacKenzie so brutal. I would have liked more background on hi a motives and was he brutal to other clans or just McClouds? It was enjoyable thanks.

I enjoyed the first three quarters of the book and I found it did a good job of building up the characters stories. The last quarter felt rushed and I didn't enjoy it as much.

My heart broke for Delilah in the beginning! I was glad to see how strong she became! The chemistry between her and Kaid was hot! I enjoyed all the twists and turns in this book!!

An interesting tale set in the early 1600s. Although it starts at the Royal Court in London the action is really set in Scotland. The story is credible and easy to follow. The heroine l falls for the hero whom she is suppose to capture. After a particularly hard battle to seat the correct Laird of the opposing clan both heroine and hero agreeable to have a fairy tale ending.

Although this story is not set in a timeline that I would normally read I found it both interesting and enjoyable. I have rated this book 4 stars.

I obtained an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.

What a good historical romance. I liked the plot and character. Solid writing and storytelling.