I thought this was supposed to be a romance book, not a historical novel. I liked the back and forth between Morrigan and Aiden but I was lost with some of the history. The book got better as it moved along but it was a bit tough for me to get through.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Morrigan Drummond knows that she will get the justice that she wants when the man that took everything from her dies, she just needs to find him. She knows that she has to be careful as her new family has many enemies that would be quite happy to see them dead. She can't believe that she has found the turncoat and she has the chance of taking him out but that is dashed when a stranger stops her. She has no choice but to go with the men to Dalmigavie she just has to find a way to keep her face hidden from everyone as they will all want to know who she got hurt. Can anything go right, the two men from the village are here the Grant brothers Aidan & Sebastian and the turncoat. Morrigan can't believe that they are all here and that Robert Sparrow is actually dying and he wants to see her before he will help the brothers. Aidan didn't realize that he would feel anything for the woman that tried to kill his witness and he knows that he needs her help but will he be able to convince her to help them? She doesn't know if she could do what they are asking, she just wants him dead and that if she can help Aidan save two men from hanging she must try. She can't help herself from falling for Aidan but could it be even more? The country is upheaval and she worries about her family and what would happen if things change. Can she put her heart in Aidan's hands? Aidan knows that nothing will stop him from coming back to Morrigan he just needs her to stay safe. Can Morrigan let go of the past and move on with her life now? Is Aidan her future? A good read. I was lucky enough to receive a copy from Netgalley & the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

I love historical novels and I’ve read many books by this author and they always do exactly what I want them to do. I always feel transport it back in time and I’m always so invested in the story. I simply can’t wait to meet more of her wonderful characters.

I had a really hard time with this book and I only made it half-way thru the book before I had to say, "enough." I was looking for more of a romance and this book seemed to be more bogged down with history of the Scottish highlands and of England trying to gain control of them and the underhanded ways they went about undermining the ruling son of Edinburgh. This book was also about Morrigan trying to seek atonement for her father's murder and her step-mother's imprisonment and the attorney who I think was trying to help her, but by the midway point he hadn't done much and there did not seem to be any romantic entanglements between them on the horizon. I don't mind a little history with my romance, but not when at least half the book is history with no romance.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are freely given and are strictly my own.

The development of this story is slow in places, but very well described. The characters are lovable and the plot is interesting.

Aidan and Morrigan are strangers at their first brutal and unusual first encounter. What they didn't know is that they are both fighting for the same cause and destined to meet again. Unknowingly Aidan revives Morrigan's horrid past. A past that she has kept buried even when it weighs her down. She is quite positive that her future is bleak, despite all the family support. Can Aidan restore her faith in a happy future?

Aidan is patient and his sense of humour makes light of dire circumstances. He is also very good at his job, and his reasoning is quite impressive. Morrigan is hot headed, which often lands her in hot waters, but as the story develops she becomes more sensible about thinking before acting. They balance each other nicely and get their happily ever after. The manipulations are portrayed and handled very nicely. Beat the enemy at his own game.

I was kindly issued with an eARC from Netgalley and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

This was a great read and is third book in series and I recommend them all. I absolutely enjoyed reading Aidan's and Morrigan's story. Morrigan past comes face to face with her last and she is out for revenge. But that is until a handsome lawyer determined to protect his witness stops her. They butt heads but soon they come to an understanding and Morrigan is.determined to keep her distance from Aidan. However Aiden has a different plan for them and is determined not when her over.

This was a fun and entertaining read. I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

This was a wonderful conclusion to this series. I have enjoyed all of the books. This is Morrigan's story. She and the hero, Aidan Grant, butt heads at the beginning; we all know the old adage... "opposites attract", it's true in this case. Morrigan has relocated to northern Scotland with her step mother and step sister; since the tragic events that occurred in Highland Jewel. While on a trip to Inverness; Morrigan sees a man from her past and decides she needs to confront/eliminate him and hopefully, her long repressed demons along with him. Morrigan has learned how to protect herself and always carries a sgian dubh in her boot. She trains most mornings at the castle with the head of the guard. She is so focused on her revenge that she doesn't realize she's been followed. What ensues is her and Aidan's story; sprinkled, of course, with the history of the times, including the need for reforms and acknowledgement of Scotland by the English monarchy, etc.

Well, you learn something new everyday, right?! Turns out this author is actually a duo (a husband/wife team)...how cool! Wonder who writes the love scenes! 🤣

My first from them, and I was pleasantly surprised. Swoon-worthy hero ✅, feisty, strong heroine ✅, humorous banter ✅...what’s not to love?! I will definitely read more from them in the future.

Two things to note here, it’s the third in a series, but I was able to keep up, and *SPOILER* the heroine was sexually molested as a child. It is not graphically explicit but thought I should mention it.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

This was a fantastic ending to a wonderful series. I loved the characters of Morrigan & Aidan. Their story was fascinating & I loved seeing the characters from the past novels & finding out where they are now. Great read & highly recommend!

Why I haven’t read this author before?
I absolutely loved this slow burn live story.
This is one of those books that shows me again why my live for reading historical romance never faded over the years.
It was my first book by the author but definitely won’t be my last.


Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

This is another romance set during the war/battles between England and Scotland. Morrigan Drummond has fled to the Highlands after her father’s death, hoping to somehow settle a score with Sir Rupert Burney, the English spymaster responsible for his death. Morrigan is working to avenge her father’s death until she meets up with Aidan Grand, a barrister, with his own history of dealings with beauties like Morrigan, though he finds out quickly that Morrigan is different. The pair meet each other and try to convince each other that their causes are justified, while dancing around a feisty romance that seems to grow between them.

I liked Morrigan. She was a woman of many layers, who tends to attack first and question later. Though she has risen from the depths of her past, however, they still manage to haunt her. Aidan is a real gem of a man. He is able to use his innate sense of human nature to guide actions to just where he wants them. He is also just what we all want and seek in a man. It was fascinating to watch this romance grow and flourish amid the backdrop of the Scotland-England battles. The book presents a good insight into this not-well-known side of history. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book three in the Royal Highlander series. In this one we get Morrigan's story. I hadn't been a fan of her's from the beginning. She did however get better in this one. We did finally get her back story that explained why she is so surly most of the time. I did enjoy the story.

A decent enough read, even if I didn’t find it particularly captivating. It’s best to have read the previous books in the series (which I did, but still found myself lost a few times).

First of all i want to say I immensely enjoyed reading Highland Sword. The story let me feel like I was a part of some very important historical event. It kept me in a loop of hope, frustration and wish for the better.
This book was a masterpiece of nultiple stories beautifully entwined together. The one couldn't exist without the other.
I love historical romance and this one with all the intrigues, fighting for the rights of Scotland, fighting enemies, who were always steps ahead was no exception.
I fell in love with Aiden Grant and wanted to push Morrigan over her boundaries to finally except her feelings for Aiden. But that's just it, this is a great story with great characters meant to stay in your memory forever.

Highland Sword is the third installment of McGoldrick’s Royal Highlander series and this time showcases Morrigan a character we meet in the first and second book but that doesn’t really have a voice until now. Each book can be read as a stand alone however there would be certain details that the reader may feel lost on. I felt that this novel relied on information from the first two books more so than the others with even a mention of the Pennington family – another series all together.
Overall I enjoyed Highland Sword but it was not my favorite. I thought that the chemistry between Morrigan and Aiden was missing, although I liked their witty banter, the romantic tension and sparks didn’t seem quite there. There was also quite a bit of historical information in here which while necessary and needed, did not need to be mentioned so much and so often. I found much of it to be repetitive. The characters are all well done and fully explained, the editing is good and the structure overall is complete, no inconsistencies. The research and homework done on this series is truly evident and I appreciate that.
I do recommend all of May McGoldricks books, I think the writing team are awesome. I loved Highland Crown and feel that the Royal Highlander series needs to be read together in succession to fully understand it all. I’d love to see another book from this series as it is a fascinating historical period… perhaps Fiona’s story!
Thank you to St Martin’s Press and the author for an ARC copy.

** I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
The blurb for this book sounded fantastic. However, I didn’t realize it was part of a series. It felt like this was a continuation and not a standalone that is connected to the other books.
The story that opens the book seemed to start in the middle. Although that wouldn’t always bother me, in this story it ruined the book for me.
Although there were things about the book I enjoyed, big parts of the story drag and make it hard to trudge through.
This was not a book for me.

Highland Sword is the third book in the Royal Highlander series by May McGoldrick. A slow burn historical romance that pulls you in from the beginning and leaves you wanting more with each page you read. The characters have an undeniable chemistry that leads to them slowly falling for each other. Full of drama, heated exchanges, love, and steamy romance makes this a must-read for fans of historical romance!

I was excited to read Highland Sword. I was excited because this is Morrigan’s book. I wanted to see who would be brave enough to tame her. I also wanted to know more about her. She was rarely mentioned in Highland Crown. In Highland Jewel, she was mentioned, and she did have a couple of scenes that showed how strong she was. Highland Sword more than delivered on that.

Highland Sword is the 3rd book in the Royal Highlander series. It cannot be read as a stand-alone book. You do need to read Highland Crown and Highland Jewel to understand the different backstories in the book. Also, Cinead’s story is fully explained in the first book. The author does explain it here, but it goes more into depth in Highland Crown.

Highland Sword has two, sometimes 3, POVs’. The book is split between Morrigan and Aidan, with Cinead and sometimes his mother’s POV thrown in. The transition between Morrigan and Aidan’s POV’s was wonderfully written. I had no issue following the book went it went back and forth between them.

I loved Morrigan, but I did wonder why she was so standoffish with people. I liked that she didn’t care about going against what was considered the norm for that era. She was independent, and she was handy with just about any weapons, including her fists. I wondered what made her that way. I got my answer and I was horrified. It was then that I understood why she was the way she was.

I liked Aidan. I wished there was more focus on him being a barrister. Seeing how the law worked back then fascinated me. I wanted to know more!! There were points in the book where I thought he was a pushover, but, in hindsight, he wasn’t. He allowed Morrigan to do what she wanted (well, except the last thing she did), and he made sure she was safe.

I wasn’t a fan of how Aidan and Morrigan met. But I wouldn’t say I liked how it was escalated. A knockdown fight between a man and a woman? Nope, not my cup of tea. The romance angle of the book was super slow in getting started. And even after that, I was left halfway wondering if they would break out into a fight again.

I was disappointed to read that Highland Sword was going to be the last book in the Royal Highlander series. There were a few people who I wanted to see get their happy ever afters. But, in the author’s note, there was a hint about more books in that world. I will be anxiously awaiting those.

The end of Highland Sword was sweet. I liked that Aidan and Morrigan got their happily ever after. The epilogue also saddened me.

I read the author’s previous two books in the series and loved them, but this one left me cold. I just couldn’t get into Morrigan and Aidan’s story at all. I thought perhaps I just wasn’t in the headspace you read, but I picked up another book while I was struggling and struggling to get through this one and read it within 24 hours. For whatever reason, this book just didn’t work for me. I am going to give it another try in a few months and see if it clicks then, because I was truly looking forward to reading this book and don’t want my memory of it to be that it was a slog to get through.

I really liked the other two books in this series, but I just could not get into this book. It felt like it jumped around too much and started out very slowly.