💪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💪BOOK📚REVIEW💪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💪

Book: Highland Legend
By Kathryn Le Veque

Series: Scots and Swords, Book #3

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Release Date: July 27, 2021

Book Rating: 5/5 stars
Blog Rating: 5/5 Saltire Stars

The Ludus Caledonia
Edinburgh, Scotland 1488

The hero of this novel is Magnus Stewart, known as The Eagle, who is the illegitimate son of the Duke of Kintyre and Lorne. Readers of the Scots and Swords series like myself met him in previous books. He is another top rated fighter of the Ludus Caledonia even though he is small in size compared to the other fighters, but with lightening speed which is often airborne! Luckily for him his opponents the bigger the were the harder they fell! Yet his life had not always been favorable, as Magnus was taken captive to Culroy castle and treated brutally by his UncleAmbrose and his spoiled cruel son and heir Conan. While living as his Uncle’s prisoner, plus due to his small size Magnus had always been bullied and horribly abused by his relatives and people residing at Culroy. He only received his freedom seven years ago, but he still believes the horrendous lie he had been told by his Uncle Ambrose allowing him to believe he was unwanted by both of his parents. His black hearted Uncle also convinces his father that Magnus despises him in return for being illegitimate and not marrying his mother. It was all lies, due to his royal bloodlines, as his Uncle was so very jealous of Magnus’s father. Ambrose convinces both father and son they are unwanted and unloved, so even at his release Magnus still believes he had no place to go but the homeless streets of Scotland! Luckily when he was found on the streets by the correct people seven years ago, they taught him how to fight and become a warrior at the most popular fight club in Scotland!

Lady Diantha Marabella Silva y de Mora, is only trying to get back to her family. Both Magnus and Diantha were raised in the same abusive household with no friends, confidence or self esteem. Diantha only was taken there when Magnus was a couple weeks away from leaving his Culroy prison. Even though Magnus had also been abducted, at least he luckily got out of that horror through hard work! He is now a well paid and admired fighter at The Ludis Caledonia. He is also now a bit arrogant, egotistical, yet some might call vain, but for very valid reasons. As women swoon at his feet, the crowds worship him and throw obscene amounts of coins at him too.

Diantha is of Spanish descent and just wants to get back to her family. After a chance meeting with Magnus in a local shop, she decides to seek him out and ask for help. She doesn’t ask for a free service as she offers to work for him to do any helpful chore, like to wash his clothing, clean his cottage and even educate the people in his village to teach them to read and write. In many ways it was worse for her, her family just gave her away to Ambrose due to his empty promises and threats, she didn’t even know any English and due to her bloodlines and wealth she is being forced to marry his Uncle’s cruel son Conan . In many ways they are both two lost souls, that have both had horrible childhoods by the same people so they understand each other on a completely different level. In addition they are both very attracted to each other, but word is the Uncle and son know where Magnus is living. Both Ambrose and his son are up to more schemes, bad behavior, and deception, thinking Magnus can be bought and will betray and ruin his father. Will Diantha be caught? Plus love is in the air-will the mistrusting Magnus open his closed heart? As the attraction between Magnus and Diantha grows, will he bring her to her foreign homeland of Navarre and let her go? Or will her evil betrothed and his father steal her away? Read and find out.

Kathryn Le Veque pens another magnificent tale in her third book in her Scots and Swords series that I absolutely loved. It is definitely a heartstring puller, bringing so much emotion and
empathy for both the hero and heroine of this story. It’s another captivating, fast paced, paging turning masterpiece filled with everything from deceptive villains, murdering fight club competitors, drool worthy warriors, and a damsel in distress who needs saving and a beautiful love story. I have read every book in this series and have to say this was my absolute favorite. A book historical romance readers don’t want to miss. A book I highly recommend!

Disclaimer: I received an advance reader’s copy from Sourcebooks Books I voluntarily agreed to do an honest, fair review and blog through Netgalley. All thoughts, ideas and words are my own.

Scots and Swords series
Book 1: Highland Gladiator
Book 2: Highland Defender
Book 3: Highland Legend

Buy Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Highland-Legend-Scots-Swords-Book-ebook/dp/B08KHTPFR7

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/highland-legend-kathryn-le-veque/1137754116

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/highland-legend

https://books.apple.com/us/book/highland-legend/id1534951386

https://www.bookbub.com/books/highland-legend-a-sexy-thrilling-action-adventure-highland-romance-scots-and-swords-book-3-by-kathryn-le-veque

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kathryn_Le_Veque_Highland_Legend?id=2ZoIEAAAQBAJ&hl=en&gl=US

Magnus Stewart, aka "The Eagle" is the bastard son of a duke, and his royal blood has never been anything but a curse. Among the mystique and riches of the legendary fight club Ludus Caledonia, Magnus battles his way to the top. Lady Diantha de Mora in desperation seeks his help. When Magnus reluctantly comes to her aid, his fate is changed forever in one night. With enemies at every turn, it'll take muscle and a miracle for them to make it to the Highlands alive. There Magnus can reclaim his destiny, as Diantha reclaims his heart.
This is the third book in the series & I thoroughly enjoyed it. Another very well written book by the author, the characters are wonderful & the descriptions so vivid. The pace is very good I’m glad I started it early in the day or I would have been burning the midnight oil as it was so hard to put down I loved both Magnus & Diantha & oh my that chemistry! I highly recommend it
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Highland Legend is the third book in the exciting Scots & Swords Series by Kathryn LeVeque. Often these “Gladiators” use the legendary fight club as a way to release their rage and angry over situations that were beyond their control. Magnus Stewart, known as The Eagle is one who has done that. Now it is time for him to use his fighting ability to help another.

Diantha de Mora is one in need of such help. Magnus and Diantha have an instant attraction but build their strong relationship while on the run. Both have issues that need to be resolved from the past and present for love and real life to have a chance at succeeding. A thrilling historical romance set in the 1,400’s with its harsh and often unforgiving lifestyle. This book will keep you reading from beginning to the end.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really don’t know what to say about this book other than Wow. This is a well-told story set during a time and place where the conditions were harsh and often brutal. Ms. Le Veque took an arrogant, selfish, self-centered man and turned him into a worthy hero by adding love to the equation. Although Magnus was intrigued by Diantha’s beauty right from the start, it was her quiet strength, honor, and compassionate nature that appealed to him and made him fall in love with her. I couldn’t put the book down, but I didn’t want it to end, either.

My first story of the series and I had a little bit of difficulty figuring some things out, but overall it was a fast-paced, action packed, lusty story. I enjoyed it and will likely check out more of KLV’s stories.

This author appears to be a one hit wonder for me as I keep trying to find their next #1 hit but keep falling way short. This is a DNF for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jumping right in, I really loved how the author brought the feel and essence of Roman gladiatorial fights to the pages, it is so descriptive and I think this is where Kathryn LeVeque shines. I feel like I am watching Gladiator or the like. So, really well done there.
I thought the backstory of Magnus to be really interesting and the use of a Spanish female lead a nice choice.
While I noticed many reviews didn't care for Magnus' boasting of himself, I felt it actually suited the role because any competitor in a sport such as this will think he (or she) is the greatest, it's the only way they keep doing what they do well.
Now because of this boastful character who partook in all the spoils a winner of these fights would get, I found it really hard to believe that a woman such as Diantha would derail him. Even if he is in love with her, he wouldn't loose focus being as trained as he was and being so in love with himself, he probably wouldn't be able to devote much to her. However, they do have a sweet romance.
I do agree with many others that they story felt told instead of being experienced. I don't feel like I went on a journey with the characters and experienced what they did, I was instead told it and many times it was like, oh and by the way, this is this and that is that. I didnt really favor the writing style.
I felt like Diantha was given a back seat to the rest of the characters in here even though she was the love interest.
I also found the mix of actual historical figures mentioned (like King James is one) interwoven with fictional characters (like Magnus' father being his brother) a bit confusing. It may have been better to make them all fictional,
And lastly, the setting did not do it for me, I just had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that they were in Scotland.
Overall I do recommend this book for an entertaining read.
I was given and advanced copy in exchange for my review

I found it hard to get into this book, for a few reasons but mainly because there was just so much information dumped on the reader in a short span of time. Possibly I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to read this book, because I have read this author previously and enjoyed it. However, this go round, I wasn't invested in the characters. I got halfway through and realized that we had spent very little time with either of the two characters together. I saw more of the relationship between Magnus and his friends than with him and Diantha. In fact, at the 50% mark, he still wasn't all that interested in her or she in him, at least from what I could tell. Beyond recognizing she was pretty, I didn't see a spark at all.

There are so many subplots in this book, it just all became a bit too much for me. Story was too dense for my liking, but it might be one I just need to come back to later. For now though, it's an average read and not one I would rush to recommend.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋

A wonderful book full of action and intrigue just as all good KLV books should be.
Her characters have so much personality and style, her descriptions are second to non, and the chemistry between her leading ladies and their men is addictive.
Can’t get enough of this series, I really hope she writes more, 3 books just isn’t enough.

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

I love historical romance, but this is the first story I read set in the 1400s gladiator ring.
Ludus Caledonia is a type of gladiator arena where fighters come to make themselves famous and rich. I liked that they were treated well and each character had a developed personality and not the usual over-sexualized idea. There is a bond between the fighters and friendship as well (all those pranks were funny). Then comes the heroine of the story, a Spanish woman who was taken from her home and promised to marry the son of an evil duke. I felt that her romance with the hero wasn't all developed, it was more of a background story. It all revolves around the hero, his problems, and the rest of the warriors. Also, as a Spanish speaker, I found the dialogue in Spanish lacking.
It made me want to read the first two books. So I will probably get them soon. :D

Interesting plot and some wonderful characters! Kathryn le Veque always writes great historical romance dramas and Highland Legend is no different. A pleasure to read as usual.

The Highland Legend by Kathryn LeVeque was stupendous! Magnus and Diantha was a love story worth reading! The history involved and the great characters brought you back to the series but each book has such a great love story too. Thank you, Kathryn.

It's the first book i read in this series and I found it quite entertaining even if I'm not a fun of the style of writing and found the hero a bit too boastful.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Highland Legend was a very entertaining read. I love historical romances, but I hadn't read romance books that were set back in the 1,400's, so this was something new for me.

Something I really liked about the book was the way the fighters were given many human and natural traits; usually, they are only sexualized or treated one-dimensionally, with no substance at all. In this book, however, we got a first-hand feel for the fighters and how they interact with each other. I think the way their brotherhood and loyalty to each other were portrayed is definitely my favorite part of the book. ​

Dianthe was such a strong female character. Being a Spanish speaker and being of Spanish descent, I was so excited to see my heritage represented in this book. I found myself being so interested in her and the other fighter wives because they had such strong backgrounds and so much to be explored.


For the least fun parts:

It seems as though the main focus of the book was Magnus and his friends, not Magnus and Dianthe. She was the real definition of a secondary/supporting character. We heard about her problems and issues, and it seems as though it would've been best if her stuff was taken care of during the epilogue but instead, she was left to fill in the background.

My second issue was a bit bigger, and it had to do with the use of Spanish. It felt as though the Spanish phrases weren't revised. For example, the answer to "¿cómo estás?" is "bien", not "bueno." Additionally, the word "querida" is used to address females, not males; otherwise, it would need to end in an 'o'. The frequency with which this last word was used made it really hard to focus on the story, as it was a huge distraction. For the future, it would be good to invest more time in research and talk to native speakers of the language trying to be used to avoid any grammar, conjugation or any other mistakes of the sort that could distract from the plot.

All in all, it was very entertaining and enjoyable read, especially when one needs an easy and light read

This one was just okay for me. I think dialogue could have been emphasized more frequently. A lot of telling was added. I think I also had a hard time seeing the relationship with the main couple. Just something felt off for me when I read this book and I can't really place the reason why. I will plan on checking out at least the other in the series.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I think this book suffers from over description that further emphasizes the telling than showing aspect of the author's writing style. All furniture and things mentioned were always accompanied by the place they were bought from and it's so annoying to read. There's a lot of telling instead of showing and it's so prominent and noticeable that it just takes me out of the story. The hero is also so pompous and self-absorbed that made me despise him instead of root for him. I mean, I like it when characters know their worth, but he is more talk than do and I'm not impressed.

“When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching—they are your family.”
—Jim Butcher, Dresden Files

Welcome to the Ludus Caledonia, an elite training compound where worthy men may sign on years of service to become highly trained warriors. Magnus Stewart has hidden the truth behind his royal bloodline and has fought his way to becoming the top gladiator known as “The Eagle”. Magnus is a proud man that struggles with opening up to his fellow fighters about his past, but when he’s in need of assistance to protect the woman he loves, Magnus discovers he’s not alone in this world…the Ludus Caledonia has become his family…a clan of powerful fighters who would lay their life down to defend one of their own…

Diantha de Mora remembers Magnus from her youth. Both being held hostage for political reasons, their younger years were filled with misery and loneliness. While Magnus was released from his bondage, Diantha finds herself betrothed to a man that is beyond cruel. Seeing a way to save herself, Diantha escapes and flees to the Ludus Caledonia begging Magnus to help her get back to her homeland. An agreement between them is reached, and over the next few weeks, Magnus finds the chip on his shoulder whittled down by this beautiful woman that sees so much more in him than just a fighter…

Is it possible for these two lost souls find a home with each other and in all places a fight club? Dear reader, I’ve so enjoyed Kathryn LeVeque’s Scots & Swords series, and in her third installment, we have a sweet romance between Magnus and Diantha, where true love does indeed become legendary! “I love ye…Ye have been mine since the beginning of time and ye’ll be mine until the end of all things...” If you are a fan of her medieval romances, be prepared for the same epic adventure and swoon worthy hero! Highly recommend!



**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

This third installment in Kathryn LeVeque's Scots and Swords series is an enjoyable story of two very different people finding their way to each other.

Magnus (pro-wrestler--I mean elite fighter name of the Eagle) is the Ludus Caledonia's top fighter. Undefeated, he's arrogant and cocky, and he doesn't much care about others, aside from his fighter brothers. All that changes when a chance meeting with Diantha in Edinburgh brings his past life as a duke's political hostage to the fore. Diantha had been and still was another of the duke's hostages, but after running into (literally) Magnus at an apothecary shop, she's determined to make her escape as well. She manages to get away from the duchess and into the Cal (the fight club's nickname) and from there convinces self-centered Magnus to help her find work so she can buy passage back to her Spanish homeland.

She moves into Magnus' fight club village cottage and becomes his de facto wife, cooking and cleaning for her keep. It's not long before the two fall in love, but their future is uncertain as long as the duke and his men are trying to track her down.

LeVeque does a very good job making Magnus likeable in spite of his ridiculous hubris. Diantha too, is hard not to love, though I wish we'd seen more pluck from her; she comes across as rather timid and frail. I think it would have helped had there not been so many subplots leading up to the main one: Magnus' and Diantha's pasts as hostages, their true parents, their captor's wife's hot and cold behavior... And let's not forget the odd scene toward the beginning where Magnus meets a strange old woman. I wanted instead to see more of Magnus and Diantha learning about each other, and I wanted the conflict with the duke to be more developed. As it is, the bad guys never really present much of a challenge.

Overall though, I enjoyed this novel very much.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

Magnus Stewart is the bastard son of a Duke and has suffered for it most of his life. That was until he was taken in and trained by the best fight Guild in Scotland. Now he is the best warrior they have. He glories in the adulation of the crowds, and has put the past far behind him.

Diantha de Mora has been an unwilling ward of the Duke since she was a child. Now she is betrothed to the heir ,but there is no way she can allow any marriage to happen.

This is a great historical romance / adventure where both our lead characters have been deceived by the same powerful man. The humour and the fights are a huge part of this story. Our hero's ego is massive, with good reason. Our gentle heroine just wants to find a way home.

This is part of a fantastic series. Each book could be read on it's own, but the series is best read in order. I have read and loved all of them . There is so much depth to all of the characters. This time we even get a little insight into Clegg, the man behind the games.

I can easily see this growing into a much bigger series.

I loved every page.

Marcus Stewart has pulled himself up from being treated badly, beaten, and lied to most of his life, to a premier gladiator. He fights and fights well. He has been alone most of his life until he came to Ludus Caledonia. Now he has friends that would give their life for him, as he would for them.
Diantha Marabella Silva y de Mora is a lovely young woman who was stolen from her father by lies. She had been held at the duke's house the same time he was. So, when they met again at the apothecary shop, they realized they knew each other. He was smitten with her as she was with him. She knew it was time to sneak away to freedom. She had to find him. She knew he would help her.
Marcus was a beautiful man and Bee (Diantha) knew it. It was charming even with the violence. He was strong and she was demure, they were a lovely couple. There are some twists to keep you busy and interested. The author has been a treat to read. it has been a wonderful plot with worthy characters. I have all her books and have spent a lot of happy hours reading her books. Thank You for the chance to read your books.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.