Lynsay Sands always writes a great romance, and Claray and Conall's story is no exception.

Claray was betrothed since birth to Bryson, but he was supposedly killed alongside his family at a young age. On a visit to her Uncle, there was a terrible plot afoot to marry her off to a loathesome man against her will. She was dreading her fate that seemed inevitable, and at the last minute The Wolf/Conall/Bryson swoops in and rescues her by kidnapping her and spiriting her away with him and his men. Along the way she rescues various creatures and her inner animal lover comes out in full force, and as her personality comes out more it's hard not to love her as well as see how Conall is falling in love with her as well.

Naturally there is suspense as attempts are made on Conall's life, reminding them all of unsolved mystery of Conall's family tragedy. I won't say too much about the conclusion but needless to say the mystery is solved, and the truth is shocking.

Fortunately, the betrothal was fortuitous and we realize the two are meant for each other, wrapping it all up beautifully with a HEA.

Highland Wolf is classic Lynsay Sands. She has a wonderful ability to combine humor with intense passion. I loved Claray as a heroine. She was spunky and passionate. The Wolf/Bryson/Conall was an interesting hero. His attentiveness to Claray and her penchant for collecting animals was incredibly sweet. Overall, an enjoyable read just like all of Lynsay Sands books!

I've read Lynsay Sands books before but "Highland Wolf" is one that I am not sure on how to review. In some parts it was a sweet highland romance and in others there was some twists and turns that I was not expecting. Claray, the heroine was likeable but seemed immature and too pure in character. Then there is Connell who is alluded to being this invincible hero. Their marriage happens early in the story and thus begins the twists and action. There was a bit too much going on in the plot for me and at times some things became unbelievable for an HR. This one fell a bit short for me but I do welcome more reads from the author.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Im not quite sure what I just read.
This was such a simple book with simple problems , but then it got real dark and then it got resolved so quickly.

I think the heroine was so immature I often thought she was dumb .

All the animals being so full of personality like a cartoon was annoying .

Overall I don’t understand the purpose of this book

Ever since I read LOVE IS BLIND by Lynsay Sands, I was hooked on her stories! For me, it's a no-brainer to grab her latest historical as soon as it's released, because I know that even though she rarely deviates from her tried and true recipe, I will always finish reading with a big smile on my face.

Claray and Wolf's story is no exception. Yes, our heroine is a magnet for calamity with unknown villains lurking around the corner, requiring the gruff hero to become her protector while falling for her many charms and yes, that unknown villain is predictably someone close to the hero/heroine when finally revealed, but it's all the bits in between that make a story by Ms. Sands so good.

When you read a story that can literally make you laugh out loud or bite your nails in anticipation, it doesn't matter if some bits are predictable, because there is comfort in that as well, especially these days.

I remain Ms. Sands biggest fan and look forward with anticipation to whatever new tales she weaves in the future.

I really loved this book and it was such a fun Scottish highland romance. So Lady Claray MacFarlane is being dragged to the altar by her greedy uncle when she is rescued at the last minute by the Wolf who is a famous mercenary and who is actually Claray’s betrothed who she thought was killed as a child. Oh man this was just so much fun and just so cute with Claray pretty much being a Disney Princess who befriends all the injured animals on the journey back to her father’s land. There is some mystery involved with them fleeing from the man Claray was gonna be forced to marry as well as the murder of The Wolfs clan when he was a child that is still unsolved but it is pretty much in the background until right until the end. It is mostly the characters falling in love and fixing up Connall’s family home and getting his clan back together since he has been working as a mercenary since he was 16 in order to make enough money to fix everything up and keep his people feed until the harvest is ready. While this is part of a series you didn’t need to read any of the others for you to enjoy this book and I will be reading the previous ones in the series because I really enjoyed reading this.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

This year's LS medieval Scottish historical takes one step away from the Buchanan brothers, but we are still in their overall social circle and within the world first established in An English Bride in Scotland. This has all the hallmarks of this kind of book from LS and I enjoyed the typical murder mystery, roadtrip, and marriage of convenience tropes. This also has an additional "cartoon" like element with the animals that the heroine has tamed, which added to the overall comedic tone. Overall, this delivered the lighthearted historical hijinks that I look to LS for every year!

Deeply enjoyed this newest installment of the Highland Brides series. With Claray and Conell, we move to the 3rd generation amongst the families seen this far, though Claray and her Buchanan cousin Alick are the same age—just about the age of Annabel’s daughter Annella. Claray, imperiled by her Uncle’s scheme with a man set on marrying her, is rescued by a mercenary known to many simply as the Wolf, who was sent by her father and cousins when news of her plight arrives at Buchanan while he’s there. It isn’t long before the mercenary who’s fought to earn what he needs to restore his home to its former glory is enthralled by this kind, capable lady with a penchant for rescuing beasts of all kinds.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, and am looking forward to seeing Alick’s story, and perhaps even the next generation of Buchanans, Sinclairs, and McKays (particularly as Annella is mentioned in such a way that I suspect her to be the next heroine). I’m never disappointed by a Lynsay Sands book, but the Highland Brides series may just be my favorite. There’s some appearance of the McKays, and of Aulay and Alick, Highland Wolf taking place 6 years after Highlander’s Promise. But largely this engaging story follows Claray’s rescue and her love story with Conell centered around the rebuilding of Cornell’s ancestral home.
Quite steamy, with strong chemistry between the hero and heroine from the start, and hard to put down mid-read.

How hot is this cover?!?! Loved the premise! Saved from the alter by a Highland warrior, Claray ends up instead in the arms of her once-believed-to-be dead betrothed. Hunted by an unknown attacker, Claray and her Wolf journey to the warriors once-grand familial estate, now a moldering, overgrown castle. The danger of never knowing when an arrow will strike adds mystery to this story, while the steamy scenes and Scottish brogue leaves the reader wishing for her own highland hero. I think anyone who loves Scottish romance and Highland scenery will really enjoy this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for early access to Highland Wolf!

First, I am a huge fan of Lyndsay Sands! Love, love,love her work. From historical romance to modern day vampires and everything in-between. I've come to expect three things from her stories : incredible laugh out loud humor, a heart warming romance, and a wild adventure!

While I can honestly say Highland Wolf does have all three, the choppy rushed feel of the story detracts from those qualities; it gives the story a disorganized and cut and paste feel to it.(sadly disappointed)

For example the beginning of the book starts with our heroine Claray being forced by her greedy uncle to marry an evil neighbor clan chieftain, then she's rescued by our hero the "Wolf!" ,
This legendary warrior whose might and skill is lauded by minstrels far and wide. But instead of a fight ensuing they run away. ( And I can't recall a single fight scene, so would have loved seeing the wolf earn this praise a little.) In the process of running away we discover that the "wolf" has been using a fake name to keep his real identity a secret. He also happens to be her presumedly dead betrothed, who hasn't wanted to marry her and has in fact been putting it off. Even after meeting her he still doesn't want to marry her, that is until one of his men starts to flirt with her and then it's like instant "we're getting married, you're mine."
So they finally make it back to her home and family, and conveniently enough her father has arranged for the wolf's family to be there . They marry in the prose of making it harder for the evil Chieftain to kidnap Claray and kill the wolf. Who is also dodging the killer that wiped out the majority of his clan when he was a boy, hence why he was using a fake identity.

So the set up is : protagonist= Claray and the wolf. Antagonist= 1.) evil neighbor chieftain who wants to kidnap, marry and kill Claray and her family to gain control of their land. 2.) Person who killed a huge majority of the wolf's clan and who possibly still wants to kill the wolf.

Thinking that by wasting no time for the evil Chieftain to catch up, the wolf rushes them into marriage and along with his family travel to his long ago abandoned castle and lands.

It's here that two attempts are made on our heroes lives. There is build up and the readers are lead to wonder who the attacker is, is it the evil Chieftain or the clan killer?! Lots of build up. Our heroine Claray is even wounded. But then ...

Whoosh! We the reader are delightfully informed that antagonist #1 (that half the story is built around mind you) is dead. Yep, our heroes never see him again. One of the men sent on an errand comes back with the tale of his demise. Apparently he lost interest in the main character pretty fast, decided to kidnap her sister instead, forcibly marry her, ( cause apparently that's the only plan he has!!) , the sister escapes and runs to another neighbor chieftain to safety, and THAT chieftain kills him. ( Is the sister getting a book, cause that story might be a good read).

Not to be out done, the wolfs storyline loose ends are also tied up, and at least we do get to be there for that. Turns out it was his boyhood care taker / secretly religious zealot with severe hang ups with sex, that's the clan killer. A character that is hardly even introduced at all, and her warped and twisted son, who happens to be the heroes second in command.

First, I feel like you can't just throw out a random unconnected ending, and second other than Claray having a moment of worry over enjoying martial sex with her husband as the path sending her to hell., There isn't a religious antithesis tone to the story. So the ending just didn't work for me. I get wanting a surprise ending, (love surprise endings), but I would have liked to have been able to be able to go back to scenes and be like " I totally see that now!" , "It so makes sense she's the clan killer!".

I just didn't have the enjoyment with Highland Wolf that I have had with literally every other book I've read of Lyndsay Sands (which is a lot! Like almost all of them!). A couple recommendations that are similar to Highland Wolf, that I love by Sands would be The Deed, and The Perfect Wife. Hilarious, fun and in my opinion way better!

I want to first thank NetGalley and the author for allowing me to get the chance to read this before being published.
I love everything in Scotland, and lately, I have found myself drawn to the historical aspect of the Highland warrior. Conall portrays that wonderfully, but with a loving heart. It was nice to finally read a book and the main love interest wasn't an instant jerk with an outer shell. He comes across as protective, and aware in the beginning until he begins to get to know Claray. He accepts her quirks without a second glance, which it seems that nowadays most people find them to be deal breakers. They work really well as a couple, and I enjoyed the storyline of this book. The beginning and end were the most interesting to me, as they seemed to pack more information into the story. In the middle, I found days where I wasn't as motivated to read it because the characters and plot line seemed to thin a little bit. Claray was such a sweet and docile character in this book until the last few chapters, and that kind of took me by surprise a little, but I loved it.
Overall I did enjoy this book, and it would be a nice, easy read on vacation or on a weekend. I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates highlanders and Scottish storylines.

Lady Claray MacFarlane is about to be forced into a bad marriage by a scheming uncle. While he is dragging her to the altar, the Highland Warrior known as the Wolf rescues Claray and sets off to take her back to the MacFarlane family home. Claray’s father has kept a secret from her letting her believe that the man she was betrothed to had died along with his clan family. Conall has long known who Clarey is to him;however, he did not want to claim his intended bride until enough money could be earned and skilled troops retained to help rebuild the MacDonald clan home. His true name is Bryson Conall MacDonald, but Conall had hidden that identity for years.

Conall is forced to not only rescue Claray, but eventually reveal the truth to her. Claray is not a little stunned to learn all that has been kept secret for decades. As they journey to Claray’s clan home, the couple becomes acquainted with each other’s habits and in Claray’s case, quirks when it comes to rescuing all manner of baby animals. Because of her proclivities with animals, Claray does not eat red meat which seems unlikely for the time period. Conall has spent years fighting in the rough and tumble world of mercenary soldiers so he has some adjustments to make in order to become a husband and eventually a Laird as well as a father.

Claray and Conall have more than one enemy who would see them dead including whoever was responsible for poisoning all of the MacDonald family when he was a boy. The whole premise as to why that terrible deed occurred and Claray’s feelings about not be allowed to enjoy the marriage bed seemed a little farfetched and silly to me, but I enjoyed Claray and Conall as characters. This is book number ten in the Highland Brides series so fans will know what to expect; however, it be can be read as a standalone


Reading Progress

The Highland Wolf tells the tale of Claray, a twenty-two year old who has believed for twenty years her betrothed is dead, and Conall, her betrothed who has been training to rebuild his clan since it was destroyed twenty years before.

I appreciated how the story immediately began with action that brings Claray and Conall together. Immediately, they begin to learn about each other, including if one has a penchant for hurt beasties, and grow to care for each other. With that care, comes lust neither have ever experienced before. Fortunately, they are already betrothed!

The story focuses on their relationship and adapting to the changes that come their way, especially as Conall must finally take back his rightful name and position. With Claray at his side, you will find passion and love.

You'll also find familiar faces! Claray's cousins are the Buchanans, who if you've been reading the rest of the Highland Brides series, are a prolific family. Sands even brings us back to the first book with Conall as the nephew of Annabel and Ross MacKay. Seeing these familiar faces will make you want to reread their stories and immerse yourself in Sands's world.

"That was when he'd realized that she'd somehow slipped into his heart and made a home there." (because what highland warrior doesn't have a heart of stone until he meets his love?)

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with a e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

Claray and Conall have my whole heart.

Claray is essentially a Disney Princess in the way that sh finds animals that are injured or abandoned and she raises them back to health. Conall, also known by his mercenary name The Wolf, is a strong and silent type, until Claray of course.

Conall saves Claray from being married off against her and her fathers will to another Laird by her uncle and on the journey from McNaughtons back to father's land MacFarlend they get to know each other a bit better. I wish there had been a wee but more tension between the two during this time, but it's still super cute.


This was a one sitting read for me and I just loved how well it flowed. It was simple, fun and easy to read, like I said I wish there was more tension but other than that I adored this read.

Another great book in the Highland Brides series. I enjoy the humor and the intrigue. Claray was a fun character!

I love Lynsay Sands. I can always count on her to give me a good romance. This book is no exception. I really liked The Highland Wolf. It has the classic Lynsay Sands writing style and story telling.

Claray was an endearing character with her animal rescues, and her humor. Conall was super dreamy and protective. The steam was off the charts. The story was really good, and the mystery aspect was well done. It caught me off guard when it’s finally revealed who the villain was. Overall, you can’t go wrong with a Lynsay Sands historical romance. It’s worth the read.

Three stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had unintentionally read the second book in this series, To Marry A Scottish Laird, last month and I definitely still had Highlanders on the brain. Highland Wolf is the tenth book in the Highland Brides series and features the same clan of zany characters throughout the collection. Our heroine, Claray, certainly got the memo on being out of the ordinary when she stared stuffing woodland creatures down her dress. As the story progressed, our fair maid amassed a rabbit, stoat, fox, and even the eponymous wolf. She also proclaimed to be a vegetarian, but the majority of Scotland wasn’t afforded that luxury of not consuming meat and it came off as a strange anachronistic writing choice. I don't believe that was common practice in the 1700's, so I suppose Claray earned her "not like other girls" status?

While the heroine was an airheaded Snow White wannabe, I didn't have any qualms with our hero, Conall. If you'd like to use his nickname whispered throughout the highlands, you may call him...the Wolf. As strange as his love interest grew to be, I loved how quickly Conall developed heart eyes for Claray. He went total goo-goo over her and wanted to protect her at all costs. He accepted her strange habit of collecting injured creatures and paid it no mind like an absolute champ. Some readers claim immediate infatuation as "insta-love", but I recognize authors have a finite number of pages to tell their stories. If the couple falls in love quickly, that means there is more time to advance the plot and further develop the character's relationship. If Claray and her Wolf "caught feelings" at a relatively quick pace, who am I to stop them? "On all levels except physical, I am a wolf."- probably Conall.

Highland Wolf was a nice and easy historical romance that assuaged my fondness for the Highlander archetype. All it takes is a Scottish burr, nicely pleated kilt, and a wayward sporran to turn me into fangirl mode. I've been reading Lynsay Sands for a decade and she has consistently delivered on lighthearted romances. I hope to read more books involving this wild clan and their highland brides tying their tartan knot. I may have lost my invitation from Claray in the mail, but I'd be willing to reconsider if Conall hand delivered it. Ya ken?

THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS, SO FAIR WARNING, UPON READING THE REVIEW.
Highland Wolf is a story that I really was eager for, I mean I simply adore this author so much, and even though her books don’t always work for me, as the level of engagement has been less than say some of her more backlisted titles which were some of the books that really had me falling in love with her writing in the first place. I mean I might be the only reader that thinks that her writing now doesn’t feel as “magical” as some of her earlier writings but I still adore her books and will always read them, I am a bit of a Lynsay Sands “STAN” because I will always support and love her work even if they don’t quite wow me as that had done years ago. But I will say that Highland Wolf had the same magic and delight as the first few books of the series had for me. I was in love with this book and it completely swept me away and when I can read a book of this length in under two hours, well you know how much I actually loved it haha

Highland Wolf is a sexy highlander romance that features:

Bryson MacDonald- Warriors, orphan, parents killed when he was young, claiming his clan and his betrothed

Claray MacFarlane- Betrothed to Bryson (Callan), lover and defender of animals, vegetarian, kidnapped by uncle

In Highland Wolf, we begin in the story with Claray MacFarlane. Claray was once betrothed to Bryson but when his family was murdered and much of his clan disbanded, she had thought that the future was lost to her including that family her father never filled grieved and their memories still haunt him to this day. But now Claray’s uncle is trying to force her into a marriage that she doesn’t want and is fully against her father’s wishes, and Claray has been raised to be strong and fight for herself. But she might have little choice if her uncle forces the issue. But then she gets rescued by the “Wolf” who carries her off into the woods and heather and not realizing that this man is her original betrothed, the boy many thought to have “died” alongside his parents. But he is very much alive, determined to start anew with his bride and rebuild his clan. But their lives are in danger and only together will they be able to find out why and who has been behind everything all of this time.

Highland Wolf was such a wonderful story and from the beginning of the book, I was totally drawn into this one here. I just couldn’t seem to get enough of it and I COULDNT put this one down. Now as much as I love this family and this series, it’s been a while since one of these books by this author has really pulled me in like this so BRAVO to Lynsay Sands for cultivating such a story here. I really was captivated by everything happening in this book here and I will say that in historical romance and most especially medieval eras, there is something about arranged marriages in romance that I just gravitate towards and this book really was perfect in every way. I absolutely adored the characters. The hero is so stoic, serious all of the TIME, and is a bit of an alpha male, but not overbearing or controlling at all and the smexy times that are relayed in this story were so well done. It is one of the sexier romances I have read in a while. I was highly impressed with this one here and eager to see more.

The heroine was such a delight though. I really love how well she balances out the hero. He is definitely more bitter and serious at times. I mean if you look at what he went through in his younger years, losing everything and having to work in secret for so long. So it does make sense that his personality would be a bit darker than you normally see in this authors’ heroes right? But the heroine was fun. She has such a passion for saving injured animals, or those that are abandoned and has a whole menagerie, and seeing how she captivates all the men around her into caring for these animals was hilarious. She just has this charm surrounding her personality that is so intriguing. And you just love seeing what she delivers here right? So I was highly intrigued into seeing how she really fit into the story and as you get to know her character and what she brings to the table with this marriage, you see how much that “The Wolf” truly needs a wife like her. They really together bring so much to the relationship that is valid.

Overall I found Highland Wolf to be an exciting, laugh-out-loud adventure-filled romance that delivers in its beauty of the highlands, the depths of love, and the brightness of sensuality.

Really enjoyed reading
Action packed almost from the beginning.
Would recommend

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I know the whole kidnapping of a bride on her wedding day isn't for everyone. So keep that in mind. But it's a highland warrior doing the kidnapping, and the bride really didn't want to marry the groom anyways. In my book that is called a win freaking win. Give me all the highlander angst who will do anything to keep the woman he's fallen for!