I grew up reading historical romance and I still like an occasional trip back to that genre. Paula Quinn is one author who entices me into this genre.

In Highlander Ever After, Sina is forced into marriage with Adam MacGregor who she believes to be an barbarian. She feels like everyone she loved has betrayed her with this arranged marriage, but she goes through with it even though she's been promised to another. No one is happy about this union, including Adam MacGregor, who not only doesn't want to be married, he doesn't want to be head of his clan as well, an honor which would come with the marriage.

Sina and Adam start out not liking each other very much, but as time goes by and they get to know each other that changes, but neither of them want to admit to the other that they are developing real feelings of love.

There weren't many surprises in this story of an arranged marriage designed to forge alliances. The real charm is how their relationship progresses as they learn more about each other. I really liked that part of the story, which takes up most of the book. Some of their sparing made me smile and there was a good bit of humor in this tale that made it a whole lot of fun.

Sina is in a new world in the highlands, unlike any that's she's known, but she does appreciate the women warriors. She's in awe of them and that was a very nice touch to the story. I loved how Sina really looked at her surroundings and made up her own mind about the MacGregors and especially Adam.

When Sina is called back home, she believes that her marriage will be annulled, but Adam wants her back. The last 25% of the book deals with Adam being the "fish out of water" at court. He does a great job of handling himself, which only makes Sina love him more.

While the ending seemed a little rushed, I still really enjoyed this story. If you like a story with a slow burn as the main characters fall in everlasting love, I think you would enjoy Highlander Ever After. It's sweet and sexy. Adam and Sina are great together and there's even a dog that captured my heart. It works well as a standalone. The family tree on Paula Quinn's website helps keep the many characters in the MacGregor family straight.

An ARC was provided for review.

Paula Quinn has written some of my favorite Highlander books. She is actually one of the first historical romance authors I read. For a bit I wondered if I would enjoy this story at all, as I detested the heroine at the beginning. Sina and Adam were forced to wed at the direction of the Queen. Neither wanted this marriage, but you don't tell the Queen "no". Adam dealt with the situation stoically; Sina, however, did not. There was much crying, stubbornness and self pity. However, I began to understand her, knowing more about her past. She was taken from all she ever knew and was thrust into an entirely new world.

I loved Adam from the start. He wanted to avoid being clan chief, but accepted his destiny when it caught up with him. His presence, together with that of his tightly knit clan, could not fail to pull Sina in. When she was summoned home by the King, I felt my heart break along with hers. How could they possibly overcome their separation? Adam had a plan...

I loved Adam's entire clan. I do think that I would have been better served by reading the previous books first, as many references were made to past events. But it still stood alone okay; you won't be lost. Don't give up on Sina; she won't disappoint in the end. And Adam will make you sigh from the start.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Highlander Ever After brings Adam MacGregor and Sina de Arenberg together in a forced marriage decreed by the Queen. Sina had thought she would marry her childhood friend, William. He has been gone for three years while she waits, but Queen Anne and her father, the future king, send her to the highlands to marry Adam. Sina may appear to be a quiet, meek lady, but she has a strength that allows her to speak her mind softly and with respect. Adam, too, was a gentle, respectful man.

There is so much to enjoy about this book that is too numerous to mention. The way Adam states early in the forced marriage that he is not an adulterer and proves it many times throughout the book. He does a bit of charming, but it comes naturally to him. He allows Sina to keep her virginity stating they will be together when she is willing.

Sina shows her maturity by placing her anger on Queen Anne and her father. She realizes she may not have been as kind to the MacGregors as she should have been in the beginning. Sina goes about making amends even when she continues to believe she will return to London and eventually to William.

Sina kept stating she wanted to go home, but when granted her demand, she was thoroughly unhappy. It took Adam a while to admit his unhappiness. These two grew to love each other slowly and respectfully without adding the confusion of a physical relationship. Their HEA is a strong fought battle but worth the fight.

The secondary characters and previous characters in the series help make this even more enjoyable. Goliath and Ula are quite the pair. Sina comes to love the MacGregors over time realizing she really does not need London.

This is a great stand-alone but could be best if read in the series, Highland Heirs.

Great addition to this series. Sina saw her future at court married to someone she already cared about, what she didn’t know was that the Queen already betrothed her to highlander Adam MacGregor. Neither are to excited about this marriage but full fill their duty. As they spend time together, they grow closer and Sina learns to love her new home. What will happen when she is called back to court? Great characters with a wonder story that takes you on a journey back in time. I was hooked from beginning to end. I loved it!

For Sina de Arenberg everything was right with the world she was hoping to marry her childhood friend, the man she loved not knowing the Queen betrothed her to a savage Highlander. Sina wants nothing to do with the unsavory MacGregors, the only life she’s know is at the Queen’s court. She’s forced to leave her home and make a new life with a man she doesn’t know, and doesn’t love in a foreign country and people. Adam MacGregor is duty-bound to marry a royal heir, but he has no desire to marry, especially not a stranger. He knows he must follow the Queen’s orders so he can keep his clan safe.
The more time Sina spends with Adam and his Clan, the more she starts to like them, especially her husband. Just as she’s adjusting to her new life she’s called back to the court she loves, or does she still find the Queen’s court as fascinating and home as she once did? Has Adam become her new home and a chance at happiness? I loved that Adam never gave up on Sina even when she returned to the Queen’s court he followed her. I loved this book and the characters as they take us on a grand adventure into the Highland’s and to the Queen’s court. This my honest opinions after I voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.

Paula Quinn takes readers on a lush, provocative historical tale that is engaging and delightfully sensual.

Sina has such a close relationship with the Queen that she is completely blindsided to discover that the Queen herself is marrying her off to a MacGregor. The book itself starts off with Sina profusely crying at her own wedding. She believes the MacGregors to be savages. Bound by her honor and good name as a lady of Court, she falls in line to accept her tragic destiny.

Adam is not pleased to be married to Sina as well. She constantly walks around in fear of him. She treats him and his family standoffish. She claims to be in love and betrothed to another man. He knows the real reason for the marriage. They need the alliance and peace to keep his family safe. He is next to being Chief of the Clan. He has been fighting his duty since his birth.

Sina makes no attempt to hide her displeasure at being married to Adam. I didn’t like her character for the first thirty percent of the book. She didn’t care that Adam was in the same boat as her. She is pining away for her childhood love interest. It became exhausting. Slowly, she starts to realize that her new kin folk are kind and warm people. She realizes her husband is gentle and she wants him.

Something major happens that causes a shift for everyone including the elder MacGregors. Sina is sent back to Court. Adam, despite his concerns for his family, goes after Sina. I loved when Adam shows up and puts all the men to shame there. Everyone loves him under his fake disguise. Sina is torn between her love for Adam and her childhood friend. It is then that an important decision has to be made. Are they both willing to fight for their newfound love?

Quinn knows how to deftly weave in historical facts while keeping readers engage in the story. This story reminds me of all the reasons why I keep going with this series. It is so reminiscence of the first book in the Children of the Mist series. Robert and Davina’s (Adam’s parents) story won me over and this was exactly the same feeling. It was great revisiting them and even Kate and Callum.

I skipped over a few in the series but I look forward to going back to catch up. Readers should at least read the first series to this incredible family.

~ Samantha

1712 is an interesting time in England and Scotland's history. Queen Anne is dying with no children and her nephew George is the next in line because of the Protestant/Catholic fight between the two countries. This story is about Queen Anne's protecting a dear young relative in her court, Melusina, from court intrigue and tying her to Stuart connections in Scotland ensuring they stay loyal to England.

In 1712, Sina de Arenburg is a royal bastard, raised by an aunt & uncle and unrecognized by her father George of Hanover, prince elector of England. His aunt, Anne is Queen and Sina is now one of her ladies-in-waiting and dear friend. Sina is betrothed to her long time friend, William Standish, son of the Earl of Chesterfield. He's a cowardly, wimpy man she protected and friended as a child. He's been gone 3 years on his "Grand Tour" and has returned with cruel sexual tastes. Without warning Queen Anne has her sent to Scotland's Camlochlin to be married to Adam MacGregor, elder son of the MacGregor Clan Chief. Adam has run from his responsibilities of becoming the next clan chief planning it to pass to his very capable sister Abigail Marlow, wife of retired English general Daniel Marlow. By marrying to the next King of England's daughter he ensures his clan is safe from England's proscription laws and ensuring he's the next clan chief. This is an unwanted marriage for both of them and it's fun watching them fall in love. We get a fabulous visit with everyone we've come to love in Camloclin during the journey.

Then it all shifts to Kensington Palace when the Queen dies and King George calls his daughter home. The marriage is still unconsummated, although they'd decided just before the summons comes. Now Sina is unwilling to return home but must and Adam walks away. It takes him a few weeks to figure out he's unwilling to let her go and dear Great Aunt Maggie cooks up the idea for him to pretend to be the grandson of the Duke of Hamilton, a lowland Scot so he can safely go to court and bring her home. Wow such action, adventures and intrigue. I loved the switching of the settings in this story so I got a taste of both of their lives. Sina must make a choice, which life does she want? Read the exciting story and decide. Thank you Forever Romance and Paula for this delightful story to review for you.

Even though my love affair with Scottish historical romance has waned in recent times, Ms. Quinn is one of the authors who can rekindle that old enchantment. Adam MacGregor believes he's not worthy to be his father's heir even if he is the oldest son. Yet when called upon he marries a stranger to keep his clan safe. This story will really show the world Adam's true mettle as the MacGregor heir....
Sina is hungry for affection and family. Daughter to the Hanoverian prince who is to be Queen Anne's successor she has been a lady to Queen Anne. When she is dispatched on an errand to the highlands she hardly expects her errand to end up in church and a forced marriage to the MacGregor heir. Given that she's in love with an Englishman, this is not the turn she expected her life to take and she has no qualms expressing her unhappiness to any and all.
she certainly cries a river of tears and makes herself and everyone in her near vicinity unhappy until she is taken in hand by Adam's mother, aunts and sisters and finally finds the family she always craved. Also she discovers that Adam himself might not be so bad after all. Before she can settle down, the queen dies and she's recalled to court by her father who is now King.
Now the story really gets interesting and picks up pace as Adam realizes that he truly wants Sina to wife and will do what it takes to bring her back to the highlands. Since there is no love lost with the new King, Adam comes to court as a Scottish nobleman ready to court his wife and win over her father. Will Adam achieve his objectives or fall foul of ambitious English courtiers?
The author does an excellent job of giving us a peek at the historical realities of her time period. The characters are wonderful three dimension and most particularly the MacGregor clan who readers know from earlier books are all large as life with the author giving her readers an update on the life and happenings of these characters. All in all this is a great chapter in the MacGregor clan history that I enjoyed very much.

Highlander Ever After by Paula Quinn is book 8 in The MacGregors: Highland Heirs Series. This is the story of Melusina 'Sina' de Arenberg and Adam MacGregor. I have read the previous book (and Loved it!) but feel this can be a standalone book.
Sina has lived in Court most of her life and has become a Lady in Waiting to Queen Anne, in addition she is to marry a man she cares for. But then in a blink of a eye she is taken to Camlochlin Castle in the Scottish Highland and expected to marry Adam. Adam is the oldest of the Clan Chief so he is used to doing his duty. But when the Queen orders him to marry a Sina he is taken back but knows that he can do no less than to marry her. The two are so different being from different cultures, so things start out rocky. Then they start finding their way but another upsetting turn has come their way.
Loved their story!

Endearing characters but lackluster plot

I would like to thank Paula Quinn, Forever/Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review. *if applicable

Spoilers

This was a nice story, but I don’t think it lived up to its full potential.

The central conflict was great—Adam and Sina being forced to marry for political reasons. They were caught between a rock and a hard place for the entire book, which created excellent tension, intrigue, and stakes and made me sympathize with them and their impossible situation.

The problem is, the tension from that predicament spiked in the first couple of chapters, then the rest of book coasted on its momentum. Save for when Sina was summoned back to London, the tension gradually relaxed until I knew how it was going to end, and it was just a matter of reaching that end. It wasn’t necessarily that the story lacked enthusiasm or energy, it just felt as if it hit its highest point immediately and the rest of the book meandered through minor conflicts.

I found Adam and Sina as endearing as Quinn’s other characters, though I don’t think we dug as deep into them as we could have. We explored their motivations to some degree, but I was left with questions, especially in regard to Sina.

I related to Adam because he resented the expectations, pressure, and responsibilities that were laid over his shoulders the day he was born. Apparently, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to be laird—though being responsible for so many people did intimidate him. He just actively refused because he wanted to feel as if he had a choice in the matter.

And I was kind of disappointed, to be honest. Maybe I just got the wrong impression, but from the other MacGregor books I thought Adam didn’t want to be laird because he wanted to be/do something else, not just that he didn’t want to be laird on principle. I thought his book would be a struggle against convention and expectation until he found a way to be free to do whatever it was he was longing to do. But no, Adam’s arc was realizing that it was useless to run from fate and that being laird wouldn’t be so bad. I would have appreciated it more if Abby had become laird and if Adam had finally been allowed the freedom to live his life the way he wanted.

Sina was a good heroine, strong and independent. If any reader doesn’t like her because she resisted the MacGregors so vehemently—to the point of being a bitch—then that reader isn’t making an effort to relate to her situation, to her helplessness. I think don’t think I’d have acted any differently if I were her. I’d have grieved the loss of the life I’d dreamed of, and I’d have resented the MacGregors for being complicit in the marriage. Who cares if they didn’t like it any more than she did—they still did nothing to stop it. She tried to run, tried to stall, tried to refuse to say her vows, but she was outnumbered.

It occurred to me that forcing Adam to marry against his will was rather out of character for the MacGregors. Rob himself said he’d never not let his children marry for love, yet there they were… They seemed to live well enough as outlaws for the last several decades, would they really be so afraid of continuing to do so? Camlochlin was supposed to be hidden and hard to get to, though I don’t think that was mentioned in this particular installment.

Speaking of Camlochlin’s isolation—just how big is Camlochlin? I guess I always imagined it as a keep and a small village all comprised of MacGregors and their near relatives, perhaps a few dear friends. An intimate and exclusive population of about a hundred or so. And I thought that the young adults traveled a fair bit, visiting other relatives, and that’s when the young men had the opportunity to lose their virginities and bed women.

But this book inadvertently highlighted how many women were interested in either bedding or marrying Adam. At his wedding to Sina there was a group of several young women who were blatantly grieving the loss of his eligibility; one of them propositioned Adam and he vowed he would not commit adultery. It’s implied that Adam’s already lain with a number of women, as have his brothers. So Camlochlin has to be sizable with a large portion of non-relatives, right?

But then there’s this passage from the book (Sina’s POV): “…[Adam] was the most strikingly beautiful man she’d ever seen. She wasn’t the only one who thought so, but the majority of the women in Camlochlin were his relatives. It was nothing like this, with every available lady in the palace vying for his attention.”

So yeah, I’m confused. Either Quinn hasn’t explained Camlochlin well enough, or the inhabitants are inbreeding. Or maybe—hopefully—there’s something about Scottish culture at that time that I’m not understanding.

Anyway, back to Sina as a character. She was likable and sympathetic, but her background and motivations weren’t fleshed out well. We knew enough to understand that she struggled with self-worth due to her illegitimacy, but that was about it. I don’t recall getting an explanation for why she repressed her spitfire personality and covered with a cool, polite veneer. Maybe it was to earn her father’s favor, to show him that she could conduct herself with propriety, and thus wouldn’t embarrass him if he declared her his daughter. But at what point did she decide to repress part of herself? What happened to make her think she needed to?

Also, I needed a much deeper delve into her relationship with William. It was pretty much described as an unhealthy codependent thing—but how did it come to be? She fought his bullies with him as children, but how did they go from childhood friends to adults who thought they needed each other to be emotionally stable, to survive? And how did a relationship like that survive a three-year separation? Three years is a long time, but they acted like only a few weeks had passed, like they couldn’t have changed at all. The dynamics of their relationship had the potential to be deep and complicated, but Quinn barely scratched the surface.

William ended up being the villain—surprise, surprise—and it’s such a shame he was a superficial character. There was so much to unpack there. I wanted to know what had happened to him in life to make him feel as if he had no control over his own decisions, as if he was always under someone’s thumb and suffocating. Due to that helplessness, he sought power—and found it by raping and abusing women. I assume, anyway; regarding William’s villainy, Quinn wanted to have her cake and eat it, too—she wanted him to be this depraved madman but didn’t want toown that darkness, depicting it as rumor, euphemism, and ambiguous actions. Not that I wanted a graphic rape scene—god, no—but I would have appreciated it if she committed to the choice. And why was Sina different? Why did he seem to respect her, love her, and not want to exert his power over her, too?

If he had been more developed as a character, as an antagonist, if his relationship with Sina had been more developed, it would have made him a stronger and more compelling villain. But he was hard to take seriously. Therefore, his actions in the end were non-threatening. The end in general was rushed and predictable and meh.

Overall, the characters were a little disappointing, the plot a little bemusing, and the characters endearing but not given their dues. I wish the MacGregor series had concluded on a better note, but one thing I am satisfied about is revisiting so many characters in this book, seeing them all happy and thriving.

I’m sad to say goodbye to the wonderful MacGregors, but I’m looking forward to Quinn’s new trilogy, Hearts of the Highlands, which is set further back in time. They aren’t listed on Amazon or Goodreads as of writing this, but her website gives brief descriptions of each and says the first one, Heart of Ashes, is due out already in January 2019! Provided they stick with that date, I imagine the second and third will quickly follow, either one in the summer and the last in the fall, or one next fall and the last saved for Spring 2020. I love medieval-era Scottish romances more than I love regency-era Scottish romances, so I'm pretty excited!

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First I am going to say something that might sound critical, but it will be followed up by praise, so hang in there. There is a sameness to the Highland Heirs books. With slight twists on character backgrounds and the conflicts that arise within and without the relationship between the heroine and hero, each book in the series takes a predictable path.

So why do I keep reading this series? That is easy. Paula Quinn is a master storyteller with the ability to grab my reader’s heart and give it over to witness a new MacGregor couple in the making. Her characters are strong and bold and passionate and make me want to follow their tale to the ultimate happy conclusion. With plenty of bumps and jolts between the initial meeting of the couple and their happily ever after, the result is a can’t-put-it-down historical romance that often manages to make me tear up at least once. Sometimes more often.

This time, in Highlander Ever After, the bleary eyes came when one of the dogs endeared himself/herself to Sina or Adam (and me). I’m sure dog lovers will appreciate the beast Goliath.

I have read many of Paula Quinn’s McGregors Highland adventure/romance books, include several in the Highland Heirs series. Each and every book is full of passion and heart combined with just the right amount of adventure to make a truly great tale. Highlander Ever After is no exception.

Highlander Ever After by Paula Quinn is a dashing bold romance. It was filled with action, betrayal, loss, and a blossoming relationship. Sina, the daughter of the new King, was sent to marry a man she didn't love. She fought her way until the time of vows. Same with her newly betrothed, Adam. Adam is an Englishman and a Scotsman. He is the only tie that would bring peace to the Scottish clans and the Englanders. Adam vowed to try and make his new wife love him. That he does. And she falls...but then he finds a letter she wrote to a friend whom she loved. Adam lost it. He does not fight for her. He lets her back to her father. But deep down both he and Sina love each other. It was a heartfelt tale. Emotions broke out everywhere. Kept me engaged until the last page. Danger of war, lies to protect those they love, and betrayal by those whom were friends can be found in this read. Overall, I recommend Highlander Ever After to all readers.

Highlander Ever After is book number 8 in The Macgregors: Highland Heirs series.

I have read all the books in this series and yes it is best to read the previous books in the series.

Anyway, I very much enjoyed this book. I like Sina and Adam. The story is very well written and like all the previous books I have read by Paula Quinn, I just couldn't put this one down.

This series will be one I will be reading again in the future.

I am giving this 4 out of 5.

Highlander Ever After by Paula Quinn will be available online and in stores on December 18th, 2018. You can pre-order right now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

When I requested this book, I did not realize this was the 8th book in the series. It isn’t necessarily required to read the others, but I was a little lost about characters. Sina is an English noblewoman who has bee betrayed by her friend Anne, who also happens to be the Queen of England. She is sent against her wishes to marry a savage Highlander. She is devastated because she has been waiting three years for her betrothed, William, to return to her from gallivanting the British Isles. She fights hard to hold on to,her promises, but discovers that these people are kind of hard to hate. She might actually be happy here if William or her father don’t come to retrieve her. Her husband, Adam McGregor is next in line to be chief, but he doesn’t want it. He wants to run around, pillage, and woo women with no commitments. He doesn’t see love in his future, especially with an uptight English woman straight from the queen’s court. There are many lives at steak with this marriage, including the chance of war breaking out. Will Anne and Adam clearly see how they affect so many possible outcomes?

I'd actually give this book a 4.5-star rating

I understand this is the last book in this excellent series and I’m sorry to see it end. It has been an excellent series with wonderful characters. This addition to the story is well-written, well-plotted and the characters are memorable – not to mention that it includes nice visits with former heroes and heroines.

In the first few chapters, I thought I didn’t like Sina at all. However, as I thought about it, her reactions were very true-to-life. She was a young lady not accustomed to anything other than court-life. She was betrothed to a man she loved and all was right in her world. Then, in the dead of night, she is taken, at the order of Queen Anne, to be married to a Highland savage. She was just taken – no time to pack or even say goodbye. As soon as she arrived, she was expected to marry a man she had never met but greatly feared. She showed quite a bit of spunk trying to fight the marriage but finally had no choice. Was she unhappy – you bet! Did she make everyone aware of her unhappiness – you bet! Could she have had more sympathy for Adam -- yes she could have. Adam was in the same situation as Sina, he was forced into the marriage as well, but at least he didn’t have to leave his home, family, friends and live in a place where everything and everyone made you afraid. So, I came to like and respect Sina even though I thought the thing with ‘loving’ William went on a little too long.

Melusina (Sina) de Arenburg is a Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Anne (last of the Stuart monarchs). She is also the illegitimate daughter of the future king, George (first of the Hanoverian monarchs). Sina and Anne have become close during Sina’s tenure as Lady-in-Waiting – at least Sina thought they had. Then, when Anne had Sina gathered up and taken to the Scottish Highlands to be wed to a Highland savage, she couldn’t believe Anne would betray her like that. When she arrived at Camlochlin Castle she was terrified, but not so terrified that she couldn’t at least try to get out of it – but – to defy the Queen. Oh! What a dilemma. Well – she might have to marry him, but she didn’t have to make it easy on him and she surely didn’t have to consummate the marriage.

Adam MacGregor is the oldest son of the clan chief. Adam is tall, strong, handsome as sin, and loves his life as a single man. He has no ambition to follow as clan chief and is actively promoting his sister to fill that role. Then, a coach arrives with a female aboard and orders for him to marry her. Although Adam has no desire to marry, especially not a stranger, he knows he must follow the Queens orders so he can keep his clan safe. The MacGregors have been proscribed, but they have been mostly left alone because of the MacGregor’s relationship with Queen Anne. This marriage is Anne’s way of keeping the MacGregor’s safe after she dies. Adam sucks it up and decides to make the best of the marriage. Since they have no choice but to wed, they might as well make the best of it and try to be happy. Well – he might as well try, because apparently, Sina has no intention of cooperating.

I loved watching Adam slowly but surely wooing Sina. Who could resist him? He’s wonderful, thoughtful, caring and interested. Sina fights the attraction, but it is useless. Just as Sina comes to the conclusion that she cares, Queen Anne dies, Sina’s father becomes King and he demands Sina’s return to court. How can Adam let her go when she has come to mean so much to him? How can Sina leave when Adam has come to mean so much to her? Again, they have no choice.

Half of this novel takes place at Camlochlin Castle on the Isle of Skye in the Scottish Highlands and the other half takes place in London. It was fun watching Adam show up all of those dandy London Lords. Could Adam win over the King and leave London with his wife? You’ll definitely be rooting for Adam and Sina to find their HEA.

I hope you’ll enjoy the book as much as I did. If you find yourself disliking Sina in the beginning, just remember who she is and what has happened to her – and – put yourself in her place. Would you handle that any better than she did? I wouldn’t.

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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

Highlander Ever After, by Paula Quinn is a captivating historical romance.

Sina de Arenberg has served the Queen as a lady-in-waiting, while she waits for her fiance to return. However, her father and the Queen have made other arrangements for her to instead marry a stranger...a highlander.

Adam MacGregor is destined to be clan chief, yet he's determined to live without these obligations as leader. However, his plans and future are not his own, and he's duty-bound to marry Sina. Neither want to marry and they are quite difficult about the situation, which provides entertaining dialogue and events.

Even though it's the eighth book in The MacGregors: Highland Heirs series, it's still easily read as a standalone. However, I recommend reading the rest of this book series!

Highlander Ever After is geared towards those who enjoy reading historical romances, particularly focused on highlanders. :)

Note: I received this book from NetGalley, which is a program designed for bloggers to write book reviews in exchange for books, yet the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I have been reading Paula Quinn's books for years now, and while I liked the her first few books, this is the first of her newer ones where I truly feel she is having a comeback on my bookshelf! I loved, loved, LOVED the history tie-ins with this book, as she has done with all of her others, and the side characters are just as interesting as the main characters. The dogs alone win me over - Ula and Goliath are the sweetest! She has truly created a family at Camlochlin, and I want to be part of it too.

Per royal decree, Melusina de Arenburg has been torn from her home in England and forced to the altar to wed a savage highlander, Adam MacGregor, and neither party is very pleased with this news. Adam because he has no desire to become Chief, but with this marriage, it seems a sure thing. Melusina because she already has a betrothed! An unlikely duo forced together first appears unlikely to succeed, but as time passes, Melusina can't help but fall in love with Adam's family...and Adam himself. Just when they are feeling the first bud of romance, however, Melusina is ordered home, and Adam must fight for the love he never expected.

I was really worried when I first read the synopsis, because I hate love triangles. Truly, they are in my top three of least favorite tropes within a story. However, the author pulled it all together where you know it's there, but you also recognize that it's disintegrating before your eyes. While Melusina continues for a large portion of the story (we're talking halfway through the book) to insist she loves her betrothed, William, she also realizes that her fate is sealed. She sees the wonderful qualities in Adam and begins to wonder if what she feels for William is really love or just comfort. I would have liked her to have been a bit more willing to see what she had with Adam sooner, but I also understood that she couldn't give up on the "love" she thought she already had. Adam was truly a gem among men, considering the hysterics he had to put up with from Sina in the beginning. Yes, his temper got the better of him a few times, but he stuck up for her among his fellow men, and that really touched my heart. He had all the reasons in the world to complain about Sina to his friends, but instead he recognized that she needed to belong. Her feelings really mattered to him. Adam was a really amazing hero.

I'm really excited to see where Paula Quinn goes next with her books! This definitely re-engaged my interest in her writing, and I'm eager to read more.

**I received a free copy via NetGalley and this is my honest review.**

I loved Adam and Sina's story!!

Commanded by the Queen to marry, neither Adam nor Sina wanted anything to do with the marriage. Adam was not ready to marry and Sina was in love with someone else. But as they spend time together, but realize that their initial impression of the other was false. But just as their feelings start to change, Sina is called back to court when the Queen dies. Now her father will decide what her future holds. Will it be with the man that she is starting to fall for or the one that she thought she wanted?

This was a great addition to the Highland Heirs series. It was fun watching Adam and Sin get over their animosity and come to care for one another. I'm excited to see what Quinn has in store for us next!

Highlander Ever After (The MacGregors: Highland Heirs, #8) by Paula Quinn ...Thank you Paula ...this book really took me in and keep me there...and thank you to the publishers and #NetGalley for allowing me to preview this book. Ordered to marry by Queen Anne .. Adam MacGregor and Sina deArenberg are not pleased with their situation. Then add in a large bunch of loving highlanders and a few dogs ...least of all Goliath ... and maybe Sina and Adam might change their minds... Then Sina is ordered back to London...There is drama, laughter, lots of tears, love, deceit, danger, steamy sex ...all on the way to a HEA.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Romantic Funny Wonderful characters Steamy Action-packed Easy-to-read Happily Ever After Entertaining Page-turner

I’m always on the lookout for a new romance series to read and I really liked the premise of this one.

I liked Sina and Adam. They’re more alike than they think and it was amusing to watch them get to know each other. I loved all of Adam’s family and the tight knit loyalty. On Sina’s side, it was Poppy I loved the most.

Plot wise, it was a bit slow. Scenes started to feel repetitive and unnecessary and at one point I did skim sections of them while at court.

Overall, it was a good story with characters I liked. I am mildly intrigued about the previous books and just might to back and read some of them.

**Huge thanks to Forever for providing the arc free of charge**