“Highland Crown” by May McGoldrick is the first novel in the new Royal Highlander Series.
I strongly recommend this amazing and emotional story of survival to everyone! If you have never read or enjoyed historical fiction or romance before, then this novel will make you an instant fan!
The author masterfully sets a vibrantly detailed world, with cleaver plots interwoven with twist and turns, that carry you along with the characters through their journey of danger and intrigue. You never know who can be trusted or where your fate will take you. This exciting fast paced novel will keep you rooted flipping pages until they are gone.
This is definitely going to be a best seller and a book I’ll read again!

Historical romance first in a series. Good story with unusual hero and heroine,both strong characters. Story moved along at a rate of knots and was historically interesting.

This was not your typical Highland Romance. The heroine, Isabella, is a physician. She is on the run after being widowed. She meets Cinaed, a sea captain whose ship sinks. He is shot and washes up on shore near where Isabella is hiding. They form an uneasy alliance when she offers aid and their story is filled with political intrigue, action, and drama. The author includes a wonderful list of secondary characters that make the story all the richer.

Highland Crown by May McGoldrick is a fabulous look at Scottish resistance. There are many fabulous characters, both the hero and heroine as well as the many secondary characters are well written, unique. The story is detailed and fascinating. It provides such a unique historical perspective.

Isabell is a trained Doctor at a time when women were not accepted as such. Cinead is a man that has been sent away from his clan and becomes a captain of his own ship. One night Isabell finds him shot on the beach, and that’s were their troubles combine. The romance and adventure in this story is wonderful. It pulled me in and didn’t let go! I can’t wait for the next book.

This is a thrilling opener to a series -- and as always, the husband-wife team known as May McGoldrick spins a taut, exciting story. Almost too exciting, in that the characters were rushing from one potential disaster to another. As is usually the case with a McGoldrick book there is plenty of atmosphere and history happening along with the love story. Set in 1820, Great Britain is awash in turmoil, leading to a crackdown on supposed 'radicals' -- and that includes Scotland. There, Isabella Drummond, a rare female doctor, watches as her older husband is murdered. She is hunted by the English and escapes to the Highlands, where a shipwreck brings her to Cinaed Mackintosh, a mysterious sea captain. Their various adventures still leave them with enough time to fall in love -- and boy, are the love scenes steamy in this one. The various scenes of surgery, digging out bullets, and otherwise showing the doctor's skills add authenticity to the books, as does the background of the fierce oppression of the Scots. The book doesn't end neatly -- it's the start of a series, after all, and we'll just have to see how Cinaed's heritage comes in to play as the story moves forward. Gripping. (I received an advance copy from NetGalley. Opinions are mine.)

I received a free ARC from Netgalley.

I'm sorry, I couldn't finish it, or even make it past 25%. A wanted female doctor in 1820 is interesting but the circumstances and plot weren't my cup of tea.

This is a great start to a new series. It is lively with historical details and unexpected turns. I was engaged from page one. Thanks to St. Martin’s and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a richly, well layed out novel. Filled with adventure and romance. Isabella is a strong female protagonist who is also a skilled doctor which is rare in 1800 Scotland. I liked that she saved Cinaed without knowing him and risking capture. She builds a relationship with him based on trust and friendship. Although a slow build novel it does pick up and keeps you engaged.

This was my first book by May McGoldrick, but it won't be the last. Cinaed Mackintosh was everything I love in a Scottish hero. He was brave and strong, dependable, loyal and protective. He was a leader with a heart of gold.
With no home or family, Cinaed turned into a self made man sailing the high seas. His luck ran out when his ship smashes into a reef and he ends up getting shot while trying to save himself. Enter Isabella Drummond: widow, sister, stepmother and physician. She's also an outlaw with a price on her head. While hiding from the English soldiers hunting her down and tryng to avoid the radicals who want to find her to ensure her silence, Isabella literally pulls Cinaed from the sea. Despite not knowing whether he is friend or foe, the doctor in her can't turn her back on trying to save his life.
From there the story takes off as Cinaed and Isabella try to clear her name and return her to her sister and stepdaughter.
There is danger all around them,but it is not enough to distract them from the attraction simmering between them. I'm a sucker for couples who are powerfully drawn together despite the odds. While this book was less steamy than others I've read, the romance is emotional and touching and i couldn't wait to see how it all worked out.

I'm a big fan of Scottish Highlander stories, like Outlander, and they tend to be my go to when I'm not sure what type of read I'm in the mood for. This story weaves fiction and history, bringing events and political intrigue to life in the Scottish Highlands.

After losing her husband, Isabella is on the run as there is a bounty on her head. Cinaed is the captain of a ship that sinks near the place Isabella is currently being hidden. He is shot as his longboat is headed to shore and washes up nearby. Isabella and Cinaed's story is packed with drama, action, humour, sexy times, suspense and some wonderful secondary characters like Jean that you grow to love as well.

I look forward to the other books in this series.

Let me start by saying that I’m not super familiar with Scottish History – I do find it really interesting to read about and know some bits and pieces – but it felt like the authors did a lot of research and it really felt like they retold it in their own way as well. I loved the settings we visit. And all of this, in combination with the writing made this a really enjoyable read. It was fast-paced and the writing is quite beautiful, I have to say.

I really like the lead female character, Isabelle. She’s such a strong character. For one, she’s a physician, which isn’t really something a lot of woman have accomplished becoming in times like these. So I already love the fact that she’s managed to accomplish something huge like this. And everything that follows after the moment her husband gets shot and she needs to flee, proves how strong she really is even more so. There’s a lot being dumped into her path and she manages to handle everything quite well. I love how feisty and determined she is.

Cinaed is definitely swoon worthy material and I loved his development throughout the book. Seeing as how we meet him, as a stranded Sea Captain, to who he turns into at the end – no spoilers here, lol – it really has me excited to read more about him. I find him so interesting! And aside from the ‘part’ he has to play in all of it, he’s wonderful when it comes to his character traits. He’s so caring towards Isabelle, not afraid though to speak his mind as well, and still leaves her enough opportunity to be herself, instead of pushing her around what a lot of men back in the days did to their woman in these lands. So yeah, I really loved everything about him haha. He’s strong, he’s a fighter, he’s a lover. Gimme more!

There are soms twists present – well, one really – I didn’t really see coming and this huge one at the end, has me really curious and excited about the second installment. Like, really excited!! I can’t wait to see what’ll take place in the next one and what new path the story-line is going to take.

To me, it felt like the romance between Cinaed and Isabella wasn’t As well developed as I’d hoped for at times. I love these two characters together though – they remind me of Claire and Jamie from Outlander a Lot for example and they are #CouplesGoal – but I would’ve liked it more if the intimate scenes between the two would’ve been a bit more extended.

It sometimes felt a bit rushed written-wise and in those moments I couldn’t get a good feel on the romance development though. To me, there could’ve been a bit more focus on the romance but that’s just the romantic in me that craves for romance haha. Overall, I think these two characters are a great match and I’m really excited to see their romance/relationship develop some more in the next installment.

Aside from the huge plot twist at the end, I have to say though that most of this story is quite predictable. There’s nothing wrong with that really, because it still was really enjoyable and fast-paced and all that, which is the most important thing to me; that the writing is good, that the characters are well-developed and that the story-line is interesting and it’s fast-paced. But it’s the reason why I couldn’t rate it 5-stars though so I just wanted to collaborate a bit on that.

CONCLUSION

I thought this was a good first book in a new series. It starts off quite strong, it’s a bit more calm in the middle so there’s room for character and story-line development and it ends really strong again.

It ends in a way that you want to continue reading – preferably right away haha – so that’s definitely a good thing. I’m really excited about the second installment and can’t wait to see how the story continues.

This is a book I’d definitely recommend giving a try if you’re into Historical romance fiction, like reading about Highlanders and if you’re a fan of Outlander. It has just the right amount of History, romance, plot and good writing.

Highland Crown by May McGoldrick is an exciting tale of Scotland in the 1800's. There is an introduction written as if by Sir Walter Scott. The story itself begins with the unrest in Scotland over British rule. The reader is introduced to Isabella, a young female doctor, in hiding after her husband, also a doctor, is killed in an uprising and a bounty has been placed on Isabella's head. The place where Isabella is hiding is located on the Scottish coastline and a violent storm has caused a ship to crash. Now the reader is introduced to Cinead Mackintosh, captain of the ship getting his crew off the boat and then blowing the boat up so that the cargo wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. Isabella and Cinead are thrown together in a truly interesting adventure culminating in a satisfying ending. This is one of the best tales of Scottish history I could hardly put the book down not wanting to miss what was to happen next.

Highland Crown is an amazing romance with historic events woven into its fabric. Although an excellent book, in no way could it be considered a light-hearted read. The history of Scotland is extremely difficult due to English oppression. Isabella and Cinead have a very unique courtship and supposed marriage as she cares for him after his being shot. She is a trained doctor, trained by her father and attending the medical school of which he was a professor. Cinead is a smuggler, smuggling arms for the Scottish cause.

She saves his life, he saves hers. They have a strong bond having been through the life changing events thrust upon them. Going on around them is the difficulty of the Scottish people fighting for their lives. Isabella forms a close bond with Jean, an older lady to whom she has been taken to for hiding. Isabella’s step-daughter and young sister were spirited away for their safety. All of this having occurred following the death of her husband. Isabella is being hunted by every one for the reward offered for her capture.

In caring for Cinead, they find themselves in a home in which he was raised for a time. He was basically an orphan, but had family in his fellow clan members. The way McGoldrick kept their tale alive with the connection growing quickly between Cinead and Isabella is one you do not want to miss. You will stay riveted to this book to find out what is going to happen next.

“They’d known each other for only a short time, but life was short with no guarantees of tomorrow.”

Isabella Drummond is a trained physician in a man’s world. Fighting hard to garner the respect so rightly deserved, she treats those that come to her in need of her care. But unbeknown to her, some of her patients are part of the Scottish rebellion and her husband is one of them. After a skirmish between the British soldiers and the rebels, Isabella finds herself a widow on the run from both the British and Scotts for information. Hidden away in a small village along the shore, she meets Cinaed MacKintosh, a wounded sea captain with secrets of his own. Together Isabella and Cinaed fight for their lives while falling in love in the wilds of the Highlands.

While reading Highland Crown, I found the story more of a work of historical fiction rather than romance. The characters are well developed as well as the conflict that surrounds them, but I found the romance a little lacking until I changed my reading point-of-view and thought of this not as my typical historical romance and more of a telling of two characters fighting for what they believe in and finding solace in each other’s company. Highland Crown is the first installment in May McGoldrick’s Royal Highlander series. While there is an ending, there are questions still left unanswered. Overall, Highland Crown is an enjoyable well written historical that I would recommend.

Highland Crown
Royal Highlander #1
By May McGoldrick
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Isabella Drummond is smart and beautiful, but that's not the only things she's got going for her she's also a trained physician who is wanted by both the British Government and Scotish Rebels. She has come to the Highlands desperately trying to survive. Then one night she sees a man shot from a long boat. The man washes up on shore almost dead and as a doctor she decides she has to help him no matter the danger.

Cinaed Mackintosh was cast out of the only home he knows as a child and had to work for everything he ever has. Because of this he is a fierce soul who's only allegiance is to himself until he meets Isabella the beautiful physician that saved his life. There is just something about Isabella that makes him want to protect her and he will protect her with his life if he has to. Now, the only way Cinead can keep her safe is to seek refuge at Dalmigavie Castle, the Mackintosh family seat. But when the scandalous truth of his past comes out will he still have a chance with Isabella? How much with these two ill- fated lovers have to go through before they can find their way home?

This is May Mcgoldrick at their best. This book was absolutely fantastic. Almost from page one this book sucked me in leaving the real world to fend for itself around me until the hold let me go at the end. I'm almost speeches. There was so much great chemistry between Cinaed and Isabella that it made me feel as if I was intruding on a real couple at times. The flow was wonderful and there was never a dull moment. There was so much action I never knew what was going to come next. I can't wait for the next book to what they do next.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I was quickly pulled into the lush landscape of this tale. The balance of historical events with fictional pazazz made for the perfect bit of escapism I look for in the romance genre. In my opinion, the balance of historical fiction to romance was more heavily weighted to HF.

I found the characters to be both relatable and interesting to follow. I for one did not see the twist presented at book end. Typically a cliffhanger ending irks me. In this novel I felt enough was resolved that the ending succeeded well in its purpose of hooking me into looking forward to the next installment of Isabella and Cinead’s journey.

Thank you netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary ARC of The Highland Crown. All thoughts/opinions are my own.

Highland Crown by May McGoldrick is a fantastic historical romance. Ms. McGoldrick has provided readers with a well-written book and a stellar cast of characters. I got such a kick out of Jean, probably because I'm turning into her. Isabella was in hiding with a double bounty on her head. Cinaed's ship sank and he was shot as his longboat was headed to shore. Isabella and Cinaed's story is packed cover to cover with drama, action, humor, steamy sexy bits and suspense. I enjoyed reading Highland Crown and look forward to my next book by May McGoldrick. Highland Crown is book 1 of the Royal Highlander Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The story idea was pretty awesome, especially with actual history included in the story. Cinaed was a strong hero who would do anything to protect his people. Isabella slowly developed into an extremely strong woman who knew what she believed in. What I was disappointed in was how the story ended. It's not a cliffhanger exactly, it's a "Happily Ever After-for now" ending with unresolved major parts of the story. The part after the book says we'll get the rest of the story in the next 2 books which are about the girls. Sadly this is my biggest pet peeve when reading. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

Remarkably well done. Engaging characters, interesting history and genuine conflict rooted in history and relationship dynamics. Look forward to the continuation of this excellent tale.