Revenge sweeps in!

I do love warrior women stories and this one, part of Martin's Mercenary Maidens series is no exception.
Having trained as an assassin now is the time for Sylvi to find those who murdered her family. On the trail things don't go quite as planned.
When Sylvi's blade misses its mark, her target Ian Campbell more than amply repays the mistake, even if it does take a long time for that trust to cement.
Sylvi's fellow trainees are every bit as lethal, all in different ways.
I veered between putting this into the Highland historical fiction category or straight up fantasy. Either call, I loved this novel. We have lovely assassins, betrayers, rabid villains and an agonized hero.
An excellent finish to the series.

A NetGalley ARC

Love this series!!!! I just love this author! Her books are amazing. Her characters really stand out. Must read series!

Whew! Get ready for passion and adventure! I hope you like your heroines tough and complicated, and your heroes vulnerable, atypical and, into consent. Not your traditional historic romance, but I mean that in the BEST way. Take a few evenings to savor this book with its unique passion, adventure, and intrigue.

A good solid story with a strong heroine and excellent romance. I found Highland Wrath to be an exceptional story.

Highland Wrath by Madeline Martin is the third and final book in the Mercenary Maidens Series. This is the first book that I have read by this author/series and I don't feel like I was missing anything. Highland Wrath is solely focused on Sylvi and Ian, with very little mention of what happened in the other two books. The story follows Sylvi and Ian in their quest to right wrongs done to them, for Sylvi it is avenging the death of her family and for Ian is reconciling his place in the world after losing people very close to him.
That being said, I will definitely need to go back and read the other books in this series and by this author. Not because I need more background (see above, I don't) but because this book was amazing. Highland Wrath had everything: action, sorrow, loss, love, growth, steamy scenes, victory, just everything. The main character Sylvi is introduced as an angry, cold, vengeance fueled assassin. The other main character/love interest is Ian who is portrayed as light hearted, flippant, and arrogant. By the end of the book, both characters grew tremendously. I will say that I LOVED Ian, he was not the brooding alpha we all used to reading about. Ian was the ice breaker character, he was constantly making me laugh as well as the other characters. My only complaint is that the story line could drag at some points but overall it was a quick, very enjoyable read.
I received a copy of this story through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

This was the final book in the series. A very different series about Women as Highland spys. Sylvi was in the previous books and was a real badass. I couldn't wait for her story and it didn't disappoint.
She meets Ian when she is hired to kill him. Instead they end up working together to find the man who killed Sylvi's family.
I was starting to feel the book was starting to drag when it took an unexpected twist. So stick with it. Its definitely worth it.
I look forward to the next series.

Highland Wrath is the store of Sylvi, who has been training to be a warrior since she was a child, and witnessed the murder of her entire family and Ian, who is also a skilled warrior, but not the sword for hire that he wants people to believe, Now as beautiful, strong, intimidating woman, Sylvi has finally met the person that can bring her to the man she has been searching for, the one who haunts her dreams, and drives her ambitions, the man with half an ear. It is a story of revenge, heartache, family and learning to love again.

I really enjoyed Highland Wrath, it was great to see such a strong leading female character, and more of a funny guy. I would definitely recommend it, and I know I will be reading the other books in the series.

This is the third book in the Mercenary Maidens series. I enjoyed reading this book but think I would have appreciated it more had I read the first two books in the series.

This story focuses on Slyvi and Ian and relied heavily on the opposites attract trope. I liked beta hero Ian quite a bit but found Slyvi a bit harder to warm to.

Game of Thrones fans will enjoy all the political intrigue in this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Sylvi had trained hard with a mysterious woman known only as My Lady she was ready to kill and take her revenge. Sylvi trained for one reason only to find the killer with only one ear that had decimated her entire family leaving only her. Sylvi would not only make him pay but kill him too. As Sylvi comes upon a man in a room she attempts to try to kill him. As they are fighting though Sylvi can’t help but be intrigued by the charming man also known as Ian Campbell. Ian also is captivated by the woman wanting him dead. Instead of fighting though they decide to join forces to find the man with the missing ear and kill him. As they learn to trust each other not to kill one another they find the attraction is strong between them could it be love or is it a recipe for disaster leading to both their deaths in the end?
Ms. Martin has written another great woman spy action filled novel with wonderful characters and a plot that moves quickly which also holds me breathless until the very end. The women are strong and know how to fight and don’t need a man to save them what is there not to like about that? Sylvi is a great female protagonist sure she is bent on revenge but there is also a compassionate caring side to her. She loves deeply for people especially the women that live with her. Sylvi has her own style which makes me want to wear a ribbon around my neck too. Sylvi even finds Ian’s silly charming charisma endearing even though I got a little annoyed at him. I guess I found his humor misplaced at times and Sylvi’s stone cold persona needed a little shaking up but at times I wanted Ian to be a bit more serious. Ian was a total opposite to Sylvi’s yin being her yang so I guess it was okay. Still I loved the story because of the women in it and was happy that Sylvi got her reckoning and happily ever after. The only sad part was this appears to be the last book in the mercenary maidens and I am so not ready for it to end. I do look forward to other stories that Ms. Martin writes and will definitely read them!

Highland Wrath is book three in the Mercenary Maidens series. I have enjoyed all three books and this installment does not disappoint. Sylvi is the mysterious trained assassin who wears a ribbon around her neck. She is a battle hardened warrior until she is sent to kill Ian Campbell and finds herself attracted to the light hearted rogue. This story is a very complex look at a person’s response to trauma and the repercussions that follow. Sylvi has experienced devastating circumstances and survived. But her heart is plagued with wanting revenge. Will she choose love or will she choose revenge?
Martin does an excellent job of delving into Sylvi’s psyche. Her obsession with avenging her family slowly eats away at her and affects her decisions. There are some wonderful romantic scenes. I really enjoyed the hero’s character as well. His light hearted banter moves the story along.

Loved this story!! And the series!! There was a lot of danger and vengeance with enough secrets to keep me interested. I had been waiting for Sylvi's story so I could learn about her past. I was not disappointed. She was strong and passionate, and dedicated to revenge for her family's deaths. Ian made a wonderful partner for her with his own passion and trust in Sylvi. Together they made a wonderful couple.

I received a copy of this story through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

📚🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿📚Book⚔️Review📚🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿📚
Highland Wrath By Madeline Martin

Book:Highland Wrath
By Madeline Martin

Series:The Mercenary Maidens, Book #3

Reviewed by: Barb Massabrook (of)
Tartan Book Reviews
Purple Tulip Book Reviews
Celtic Barb’s Tartan Book Review Blog

Heat Rating:🔥

Overall Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

MARCH 1601
INVERNESS, SCOTLAND

The heroine of this story Sylvi watches her family get slaughtered and murdered when she was a child. Sylvi by some miracle who was also attacked survived. Since then Sylvi is obsessed with paying back those responsible for destroying her family. An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth etc. as she wants her vengeance for the malice and evil treachery done to them. Since then Sylvi has her eye on the prize to pay back to those responsible for ripping her heart out and killing her loving family. Now Sylvi has been training ever since to become an assassin. So she can attack and assault and be trained by My Lady. Which is the one who can train and turn her into a fighting killing machine. Now she takes jobs as an assassin and kills others as well.

Her current job is to kill Ian Campbell, the hero of this story. She is to bring the body to those who want him killed. The problem is it isn't as easy as it sounds to execute the life of Ian Campbell. Then Ian opens Sylvis eyes to some realities. As Ian has refused to become his father's heir and suggests his brother take it. He doesn't want to become the brutal man his father is. Plus Ian's father commited a horrendous crime that made Ian not forgive and leave home. Now Ian is attracted to Sylvi even though she nearly murdered his in his slumber! Yet he trusts her like no other. As he seems to fall for Sylvi the moment the lays his eyes on her. As for Sylvi she is not easy to trust or open her heart easily but eventually does. Then she and Ian find they have much in common and much to love. Yet can these two broken souls last? As Silvi realizes revenge does not give her the sweet taste of satisfaction she has craved since she was eight years old.

Will these star crossed lovers romance last? Or will this ride come to an abrupt stop due to Sylvi’s misery and unhappiness. As she not feeling resolute and thrilled after getting her retaliation.

Madeline Martin pens another masterpiece in her third book in her powerful Mercenary Maidens. A book you can read as a stand alone book or in series order. Again this author writes another fast paced riveting adventure, with non stop action. It is also topped with vengeance, treachery, betrayal, murder and mayhem. Plus a beautiful love story of two heartbroken souls. They seem to need each other to put the pieces back together again. In addition A breathtaking setting, intricate character and devine and delightful dialogue. Plus the phenomenal plotting will make you gasp with anticipation- not knowing what will happen next!

A definite book readers don't want to miss! I highly recommend Highland Wrath by the amazing Madeline Martin.

The Mercenary Maidens
By Madeline Martin

1)Highland Spy
2)Highland Ruse
3)Highland Wrath

AMAZON BUY LINKS:
AMAZON: https://amzn.to/2zS69ts
NOOK: http://hyperurl.co/hwnk
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googleplay: http://hyperurl.co/hwgp

I received this book from the publisher that I voluntarily agreed to read, review and blog through netgalley. All words, ideas, thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’ll start this review by saying Sylvia, the heroine, was my favorite type of Highland lass. This girl’s got game, folks. Stealthy, warrior type assassin skills meant she could definitely protect herself. Set on a course of patient revenge, she’s had to wait years before finally stumbling upon the trail of her most hated enemy. Not to worry though, she’s made plenty good use of that time by training her mind and body to be a lethal weapon.

Ian Campbell, the hero, was a complication she didn’t see coming. Paid to steal his last breathe, she ultimately ends up hatching a plan to save it. Surprisingly these two end up having each other’s back and losing their hearts to one another in the process, all while fighting and pursuing bad guys.

Ian was pretty much enraptured by Sylvia the moment he laid eyes on her, despite death staring him right in the face. This alpha good guy hero found she got his blood pumping and gave him a sense of purpose his life had been missing. Though his flirting seemed to fall on deaf ears at first, she slowly but surely realized just how committed he was to helping her right a wrong and being her protector.

It was poor Percy, an associate of Sylvia’s, that really got the rug pulled out from under her. She was the shy/extremely beautiful one who also had the brains to match. You see, apparently she was the mastermind of some cool gadgets that often helped this posse of female fighter power team out of some tough spots. What happened to her left me reeling and even ticked. I just think the author went too far to use that as a setup for Percy’s own drama. She could have used something less permanent and painful in order to open a door so Percy’s perfect man could waltz in and sweep her off her feet.

Liv, another female friend/associate, isn't left out either, folks. Though her romantic wrap up doesn't receive much of the spotlight.

Karma ends up dealing with a certain someone who decides to betray this gang of banded together by loyalty team of avengers.

With most of the storyline revolving around Sylvia, I was surprised the last 20% morphed into another subplot involving Ian’s family. Sure, there was a common tie, but I felt the storyline was ready to come to a close. Instead, more explosive drama/fallout from the past continued to happen.

Book 1 - Highland Spy
Book 2 - Highland Ruse
Book 3 - Highland Wrath

Title: Highland Wrath, Series: The Mercenary Maidens (Book 3), Author: Madeline Martin, Pages: 300, stand-alone but part of a series, warrior type heroine set on revenge, alpha good guy hero, very steamy scenes, non-virgin main couple, flashbacks of bloody violence, some graphic, bloody violence, attempted rape scene, not your average tea sipping type Scottish romance.

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review, nor is there any affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley.)

Highland Wrath by Madeline Martin is book Three in The Mercenary Maidens series. This is the story of Sylvi and Ian. I have read the previous books (and loved them!) but you can make this a standalone book if you choose to do so. For those of us who have read the previous books we have been wanting Sylvi story. Sylvi's family was attacked and killed when she was just a very little girl, she too was attacked but survived. Since that survival she has been working her way toward revenge. Sylvi has been learning how to fight and kill to get that revenge finally getting accepted by 'My Lady'.
'My Lady' is the opposite of that title and Sylvi has been wanting to be trained by her. Now all these years later Sylvi has turned into a fighting/killing machine but still not getting her desire for revenge. When taking a 'job' to kill Ian she finds him a hard man to kill but then learns he might be the key to getting her revenge.
This series has put the heroines is strong roles that you sometimes don't see in romance books. They are equal to the men but there is still the great romance story that we love.
Who recommend this book greatly...loved it!

Though this title is part of a series, it reads well as a stand-alone novel. The characters are all larger than life and not entirely believable, but it does not detract from the enjoyment due to the high levels of action and escapist drama.

We meet our heroine Sylvie as she is shadowing the one who is to become her mentor as a female warrior through the back alleys of a Scottish town, having survived hard-scrabble the assassination of her entire family. The first time it is from Sylvie's point of view; near the end of the book we hear it in the journal entries of that mentor, herself deceased. It's a nice touch, but this entire genre is that sort of thing, a confection of wish fulfillment and coincidence that readers want to suspend disbelief to follow.

Eventually Sylvie is granted her vengeance, when she has become the leader of a band of feminine warrior-spies under the protection of the Scottish crown. But it is entwined with magnetic attraction to Ian, runaway heir to Clan Campbell, who she's supposed to kill.

Though they are able to fake Ian's death, a tremendous number of killings become the consequence as they become allies on this quest to rid the land of a psychopath's plot to debase the country's currency at the expense of hundreds of innocent lives.

Though it's bloodier than I usually prefer my erotic romance, the happy endings are contagious for a number of other members of Sylvie's band, and it's all skillfully managed by Martin.

"How much did they pay you to kill me?" This is a highly emotional charged story with fantastic and passionate characters that held me spellbound until I turned the last page. A group of women who have all trained to be mercenaries with our heroine Sylvi taking the lead in this amazing tale. Since she was left on her own at a young age, Sylvi's focus has been revenge. When one of her for hire kills is Ian, she ends up saving him so that he can help her in her quest for the men who killed her parents. Ian has a few demons of his own and as he stays with Sylvi more is revealed about her life and his own. Working with the other Mercenary Maidens, they begin their quest. But there are hard truths that come to life and suspense that will keep you holding your breath as you turn the page. Action, adventure, betrayal, heartbreak, Agnes Jowls (yes have to read to understand that one!) and some intense moments of happiness and sadness set the stage for this to be one of the best books I have read this year. I truly am sorry this series has come to an end, but I know there will be many more wonderful books by Madeline Martin to keep me going!!

I am a lifetime reading fan of historical romances, the gothier the better.
My first time reading a Madeline Martin story. It won't be my last. Smart, sharp convos always have me coming back to read more of an author who can do it right.
And who doesn't love a good tale of a wrath filled shieldmaiden assassin who encounters a charming Highlander (almost-ish) mercenary in her life's quest for vengeance of the death of her entire family?
Not this reader ;)

"Theirs was a careful dance of discretion and inescapable curiosity. The most delicious kind."

I liked this one. As I didn't read the first two books in the series, I can say that you wouldn't need to to enjoy Sylvi and Ian's story. As a matter of fact, I feel that their backstories unfolded just enough to keep the overall multiplots moving quite well and added to the moody, mysteriousness feel.
While this was very much our heroine Sylvi's story of stark loss and character growth (nice), Ian's quick wit and charm kept me entertained. I could NOT help picturing Ryan Reynolds charming wit...and maybe even him in a kilt...maybe. Probably.
But Ian was not a typical highlander for me. Ay, he had the swagger, the charm, the kilt, but he was more Beta strong to Sylvi's Alpha keen, IMHO. A fresh take that I did enjoy.
Rating this a solid 3.5*
For me Sylvi's journey was strong, intense, and poignant, which made up the first half of the read and was well on it's way to a 5* read.
I won't tip the last half of their story, because a LOT happens and it would surely spoil it for you!
Let's just say that Ian was clearly adrift when Sylvi and he "met." Finding Sylvi was a lifeline for him very early on. Yet every step they made together toward her goal, every clue revealed, brings more unknowns into his future. For me those plot points were not as sharply focused or as believable in plausibility as Sylvi's, but nonetheless made all the loose ends come together satisfactorily.
I would recommend this series and author.
Oh! That cover rocks, am I right?!
#highlandshieldmaidensrock
*ARC received through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.*

Highland Wrath is Sylvi's story. This is the first one in the series for me and I was very impressed. A strong very independent woman who does not let peiple close but when they manage to get close to her they are hers to protect.

Sent to kill a man, Sylvi has no idea just how her life is gonna change. Ian is a very charming man eho is drifting through life. He may be a Laird's son but those expectations are just not what he can handle.

A laid back man, a fierce controlling woman hell bent on vengeance.... these two are going to set out on a journey that neither really could predict. It was an insanely good read and i know it took me awhile to read thanks to work but really good.

This is the final story in the Mercenary Maiden's series, and this one was was so exciting and so enthralling that I could not put it down. It is VERY rare that I get highly emotional when I read a romance story (and I read MANY romance stories): however, I found myself so involved with Sylvi that I got very emotional and I actually cried.

I absolutely loved this story! Sylvi and Ian's stories will engage you right from the start. The story is very well-developed, the characters are complex and exceedingly interesting, the story moves at a good pace and is full of suspense, drama, emotion, wonderful humor and excellent action. I highly recommend this book! Very well done, Madeline! This book thrilled me!!!!

Funny book with great characters. Loved it from the start. Humor without trying to be so much in your face. Great chemistry.