Cover Image: Highland Beast

Highland Beast

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Member Reviews

I really enjoyed Bas and Shana's story! Watching these two fight for their love kept me riveted until the very end.

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God this book was such a freaking let down 2/3 of the way through it went from - strong independent woman and competence kink for days to too stupid to live and a horrific weird witch accusation scene that was the first time the violence in this series felt unnecessarily graphic. Also... Kerrigan Byrne can pull off the darkest back stories and I really wish McCollum would stop emulating them.

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This was a great escape read and it hooked me from the beginning. I must go back and start at the first of the series.
Many thanks to Entangled Published and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Historical Romance: This is the 4th book in this series of Sons of Sinclair. Bas and his brothers have been groomed by their father to be the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Bas “role” is horseman of Death. He is tasked to execute Shana who kidnapped her nephew from his crazy father. They grow close and fall in love. The basic premise is learning to overcome and learning to truth your heart and people you choose as your family. The supporting characters were enjoyable and made the book fun with appearance of brothers. I liked this book because it had the whole gambit for HEA (love, trust, deception, humor, passion, etc..) I have read a few books of this author and a fan. I will look forward to reading the 1st book in the series.

**I received this book from NetGalley and publisher for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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This series has been very interesting! I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the premise (the brothers being the “Four Horseman of the Apocalypse”), but I have really enjoyed each book. Heather McCollum is definitely moving up my list of favorite Highland Romance Authors!

In this story, we follow Bàs (which means “Death”) and Shana. Bàs is the executioner for his clan and believes he is responsible for his mother dying while giving birth to him (because his absolutely AWFUL father told him so). Shana, however, is a widowed midwife, who is helping her sister escape her abusive husband, who wants to unalive her sister and the baby she had from an affair.

While escaping, Shana is found by Bàs with her nephew and he helps her. She leaves in the middle of the night to rescue her sister, but is caught by her brother-in-law’s men, who claim she murdered her sister and her baby. Bàs is sent to execute her, but refuses since he knows the baby is alive (and currently back at his clan’s keep).

This starts a bit of a war between the clans and Bàs must enlist the help of his brothers (the other “horseman”) to protect Shana, her sister, and nephew.

Bàs really struggled with his guilt over his mother’s death and the deaths of the people he had been tasked to kill as executioner and I loved how Shana made him see that he was not the embodiment of death as his father (who I pray is roasting in the fires of HELL) told him. There were also some really moving conversations about life and death and how beautiful they both can be that added depth to the story.

Bàs and Shana were a lovely couple and I throughly enjoyed the time I spent with them in the Highlands. ☺️

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A great story in which the hero has a tortured past and grows to be the executioner is summoned to kill a midwife for crimes she did not commit and finds that he cannot do it. Shana is a strong heroine and fights for what is right, together they make for an interesting couple. Enjoyed it 4 stars

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Amazing story with just the right amount of dirty. I loved all the characters and couldn't put it down! I'm so excited for the next installment of this family's story!

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I couldn’t have chosen a better book to start this series. Yes, I know it’s not the first, but after reading it I find myself attached to the Sinclair Clan.

Bàs grew up being groomed to be an executioner, the Horseman of Death, by his father. And that was all that he believed he was, until he found an injured woman and a baby in his forest.
Shana is given a mission by her sister and that’s how she found herself in the middle of the forest, with a newborn in her arms and surrounded by wolves. The next thing she knows, she wakes up in a cabin with a squirrel on her head.
Both of them have secrets and are not fully open about who they are. And this is where we start this book.

Bàs was by far my favorite character in this book! His love for animals was my downfall.
I really loved the translation guide upfront with several words in Scottish Gaelic that we would find throughout the book! It made the reading experience more fluid.
McCollum’s writing style is nicely paced and very easy to read. I really enjoyed the quotes from books that she probably used for research during the writing process.

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Bas, a brute of a guy with a good heart, had a hard hand dealt as a young boy. His father, blaming him for his mother's death, names him Death and forces him to step into a role that goes against his nature. As he grows up and into a hunky yet tortured guy he finds solace in animals and stays away from most people. That is until he meets Shana.

Through a series of events, all fantastically written, the reader follows the story of Bas and Shana. Can Shana move past the persona that Bas has been forces to uphold. Can Bas move past the ghastly cards he was dealt? And together can they find happiness together?

Great slow burn with the teeniest amount of spice.

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I think this is my favorite of the Sons of Sinclair books, at least so far, there's one to be released. Bàs and his four brothers are, according to their father, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse and Bàs is Death. After the death of their father, most of his brothers have laid down their mantle, but because Bàs is the clan's executioner, he still sees a lot of death. Bàs lives alone in a small cabin because most of the clan is afraid that he's basically walking death. His only real friends are his animals which he cares for immensely, he has wolves, dogs, a cat, a goat, coos (cows), and a squirrel.

His wolf alerts him to trouble and he finds an injured Shana a newborn baby in a tree. Shana is a midwife and traveled to the highlands to help her sister give birth. Her sister Ivy has begged her to run away with Ivy's child because the child isn't her husband's. Bàs provided her family protection and works to secure their permanent safety.

Bàs and Shana are opposites, as said in the book, he brings death while she brings life, but love bridges that gap. Bàs begins to believe he has more to offer than fear and death, and Shana realizes death isn't always violent, but can bring peace. Together these two save each other mentally and physically.

I've never thought about how tough it must've been to be an executioner. You never know who will be put on the block next so you live on the fringes scared to make connections. It seems like a very lonely life and Bàs definitely portrays that loneliness in spades. This was such a beautiful story and I've enjoyed the entire series, I definitely recommend checking it out.


Tropes: Widow, (basically) Virgin MMC, Wounded MMC, Forced Proximity, Opposites Attract

Triggers: Death/War violence, death of a parent, child, and husband (in retrospect), emotional and physical abuse, imprisonment, childbirth

Steam Level: Mid-High

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I was totally convinced that I read more of Heather Mccollum’s Highlander stories. But alas, it was the Highland Conquest of Alyson Mayne. Same title, different story. Nonetheless, this Highlander story was definitely also very interesting. Bas is a very sensitive soul, whose name means Death. He has been drilled all his life to execute those, who are deemed guilty by his brother. Shana is on the run with her sister’s son. The chief of clan and her sister’s husband will kill the little boy, once he finds out that the boy is not his. Therefore, Shana’s sister has begged her to flee with the babe. When meeting the gentle giant Bas, she doesn’t know that he is the executioner. So, when she is caught days later and brought before the executioner to await her fate, she can’t reconcile the cold and heartless Highlander with the man who helped her only days before. Bas has never questioned the executions he had to do. But now, he knows the woman who is supposed to be executed is innocent. Can he stop the execution, without starting a war? Find out for yourself in this wonderful read about family bonds, expectations and free will. An absolute germ. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

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I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I didn't want to put this book down.
Bas was named death by his father after bas's mother died in childbirth. That is all Bas has known, being feared as one of his father's biblical horsemen. Until the moment he rescues Shana and the baby with her.
I loved how sweet Bas was from the beginning, from picking flowers to caring for animals. I loved seeing his was his mantle of death to bring comfort to the dying and learned that he was more than the title given by his father.
I liked Shana and Bas together but Bas was by far my favorite in the series.
Looking forward to the last in the series Hannah's story.

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This is a great book if you love Scotland and romance. I know many people are fans of those two things because of Outlander. It’s a historical romance you’re sure to enjoy.

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I love the Sinclairs and their world and wish I could be part of it!

Highland Beast is the fourth book in the Sons of Sinclair series. It is a series, but the books can easily be read as standalones.

In Highland Beast, Bàs Sinclair is a cold and brutal warrior known as Death and for being an executioner. Shana Drummond is protecting her sister when her brother-in-law calls on Bàs to kill her. Shana only knows him as a kind warrior that sheltered her when she was on the run. The couple tangle and reconcile as Bàs deals with the person he ultimately wants to be.

I enjoyed this book just as much as the others in the series. Bàs is my favorite hero so far because he has a tough exterior, but has many internal struggles to deal with before he gets his HEA.

It was fun visiting the Sinclair family again and seeing where they’re at now with marriages and babies. As much as I love this book, I can hardly wait for their sister Hannah’s story, which is up next!

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Does Bas, the Horseman of Death have a soft side? Will a woman ever love him? I am so glad that Bas got his own story so that we can see beyond that Skull mask.

This book is a bit about opposites. Bas is the executioner and Shana is a Midwife helping bring life into the world. Shana helps her sister's newborn son by running away from the evil Oliphant Clan Chief. Bas helps rescue her and the baby from a pack of wolves in the wood.

Can Bas and his Sinclair siblings keep Shana and her family safe? During all the time with Shana, it is nice to see Bas really open up to her. Can't blame him for having a bit of a complex in being blamed for so much death, but he really loves his animals since they treat eachother better than people. Of course, just like the previous books, the romance gets pretty firery when life and death merge.

This could be read as a stand-alone, but I really enjoyed seeing all the family again in this book. I hope Hannah finally gets her own book soon!

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

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This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

This is part of a series and yet can be read as a stand alone. I have only read one of the previous books in the series and didn't feel like I was missing anything.

So, this book is about the youngest of the Sinclair brothers - Bas, known as the Horseman of Death. What a terrible burden to put on a five year old boy that he is death and that his first execution was when he killed his mother during childbirth.

Good thing that Shana runs into Bas before his next job come up. They spend a few days together and really start to like each other and Bas is glad that Shana does not know who he is and is not afraid of him like every other woman.

So much anguish, emotions and history to deal with between Bas and Shana. It is almost non-stop action, intrigue and betrayal so you can't put the book down.

I loved that the other couples are actively involved as they are a family and there are the three wives and the sister, Hannah - all strong women who are there to help.

Really looking forward to the next book with Hannah and a Viking!

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Bàs Sinclair finally learns he can be more than just the Horseman of Death in Highland Beast. The quiet and somber youngest Sinclair brother stole my heart from the first Sons of Sinclair story and I was so excited to read his book. And who else could be a match for a man they call Death than a midwife who brings life into this world?

Shana Drummond doesn’t fear Bàs and doesn’t buy into all the whispers that his touch can kill. Shana has known death, heartbreak, and fear but she has survived. On the run and desperate to save her sister and nephew, she finds refuge with Bàs. Shana is strong, smart, and determined, but even she can use help sometimes. And Bàs…the poor man was raised since childhood to be Death, to be feared, to be a monster. He hides away from the world that would shun him, more at home among the beasts. I adored Bàs who was kind, considerate, and so tortured it could break your heart. Shana sees the true man for all he is and won’t stand for him treating himself as a monster when he’s got a heart of gold. They made a good match and I liked when they were alone together because we got to see their chemistry.

I struggled with rating Highland Beast because there’s a lot I like about the characters. Bàs and Shana make a good couple, but I would have loved more time for them to explore and develop their relationship without the interference of others. As much as I love the Sinclair family, they tended to take over the page. When you add in Shana’s sister and the plotline involving her evil husband and a baby in danger, not to mention politics, intrigue, and accusations of witchcraft, then you have so much going and so many vocal characters that it pulls focus from our less flashy protagonists. The story moved more slowly than I’m used to from Heather McCollum, which was a pity since I was so excited for Bàs to get his happily ever after. At the end of the day, I liked Highland Beast but didn’t love it. I was looking for the spark I so enjoy in McCollum’s writing, along with more focus on the central characters.

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Highland Horseman of Death

Bàs Sinclair is the youngest of the Sinclair brothers and prefers his solitude in the woods with his animals. He and his brothers, whose stories precede this book, are called the Four Horseman. Bàs was dubbed the Horseman of Death and he puts fear into those who get on his bad side or incur his justice.

Shana Drummond is a widowed midwife and her sister and newborn son are in danger. Shana’s brother-in-law means to kill his own son and Shana takes him on the run to save his life. While escaping one danger, she runs right into another and Bàs ends up saving them from the wilds in the woods. They share a special moment and even a kiss before Shana has to leave him in secret to help her sister.

When they are reunited, it’s a precarious situation and they have to trust each other like they’ve never had to trust anyone before.

Heather McCollum has created a great Highland series and this book was a gem to read. Full of action, danger, suspense, betrayal and romance. This story is quite captivating and the character development was on point. Overall, a great book that can be read as a stand-alone but the entire series is worth reading.

I received an advanced review copy of this book for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I never realized how much I love a Scottish historical romance, but here I am, in line for everything I can get! I've read others in this series and I loved them, but I'm a sucker for Bas! I mean, who doesn't love a broken/damaged guy when we know we can fix him? If you like historical romance, this is your next read.

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Another great addition to this series. Throughout this whole series, Bas has been the one brother we hardly know much about so I enjoyed getting to know him better. And of course, Shana is another strong woman able to see who he truly is despite his infamous reputation.

Bas Sinclair was raised to yield justice across the Highlands. It's ways heavy on him and it leads him to live separate from his family, especially now that all his brothers are married with children. At his little homestead, he lives surrounded by animals, his wolf, dogs, cat, horse, cows, and now a squirrel.

His wolf alerts him to something in the woods and what he finds is a woman and baby hiding from a pack of wolves that roam the forest. He takes them in and learns that Shana is a midwife and the baby belongs to her sister, who begged her to run with the baby.

Shana takes off to look for her sister leaving the baby with Bas.

When he's called to execute someone the last person he expects to see is Shana. He manages to save her but her cruel brother-in-law will not stop spreading his lies about her, garnering the attention of the king.

Bas is willing to go to war to keep Shana safe because despite it all he's fallen in love with the woman who was able to change the way he sees himself.

Thank you so much to the author, Entangled and NetGalley for this ARC to review.

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