I didn't expect to enjoy it this much but I did apparently. It had lots of action but it was well balanced with the more romantic part, at least for my taste. It was a little too insta-lovey but not enough to truly make me dislike this book. 3.5 stars

4 1/2*STARS*
Don't take your eyes off the page or you might miss what happens next. It's always dangerous to be a Queen, especially the Queen of England. Cordelia Cranfield serves the queen to bring honor back to her family. Marcus Blythe serves to bring honor and support to his family. The two meet on a mission of saving Elizabeth I and end up in each other's arms. Will the Queen grant them their dream? Descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Secret Missions, Royal Plots, and Romance

Cordy looks like Queen Elizabeth, but she is much too young to be her. How long can she fool the Highlander who abducts her? Both Marcus and Cordelia are on missions to save the royals to whom they are loyal. Her queen is Elizabeth, and his king is James. are their missions at odds, or can they work together? What happens when Marcus realizes he has abducted the wrong woman? I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to those who like historical romance full of secrets, intrigue, and adventure.

This is a first time read for me by this author and it definitely won't be my last. Cordelia was the daughter of a traitor, and to prove her loyalty to the crown, she agrees to stand in for young Queen Elizabeth I as she looks very much like her. But the mission turns dangerous when Marcus abducts her, thinking her the real queen. Marcus is a spy for Scotland and has infiltrated the French to rescue the English Queen. Marcus has his doubts about her but nonetheless falls hard for her, but she is a queen, and he knows nothing can come of it. But once her secret is revealed, nothing can stop the growing passion between them. However, there is still the matter of saving the real queen and as they work together to take on the French, the chemistry sizzles between them and they lose their hearts to each other. This was quite the page turner, and I became captivated from the very start. The characters were well-defined and interesting and I enjoyed following their story. A well-written romance filled with action, adventure, and love! Happy to have had the chance to read this!
I received a complimentary copy from Dragonblade Publishing via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

This historic romance is set during Queen Elizabeth. A time of political intrigue and hidden secrets, land our hero and heroine right in the middle.

She needs to redeem her family honor and stands in as a double for the Queen. He needs the same thing when he decides to kidnap her, thinking she is the royal queen.
You will make you turn the pages as fast as you can, following the journey of danger and action with several previous characters appearing. This was a wonderful read, as always.

Book: The Highlander & The Counterfeit Queen
Author: Heather McCollum
Series:The Queen’s Highlanders, Book 3
Publisher: Dragonblade
Print Length: 250
Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars
Blog Rating: 5/5 Saltire Flags

1574 AD
This book centers on another Cranfield daughter trying to clear their family name even though their mum was a traitor. This time it is Cordelia’s turn though she is also known as Cordy. Her majesty Queen Elizabeth wants her to switch places with her for two days as she goes on a special top secret journey to visit her cousin Mary Queen of Scots. Only a few chosen know of this secret expedition as the Queen never leaves her realm!

The reason Cordy was chosen is that she is one of the Queens ladies and needs to prove her loyalty for her mothers betrayal to the Queen. Furthermore Cordy looks like a younger, more beautiful version of the Queen. The Cranfield family name would be cleared, the family estate reinstated, Cordy would be allowed to leave court and go to Scotland to live with her sister Lucy. Of course this does not go without a hitch, as she gets abducted by a braw highlander named Marcus Ruthven, although he uses a fake surname who is a French spy! He thinks he has the real Queen and will be in big trouble if they find out she is the Queen’s doppelganger!

For Marcus, this is his family's only way of income since his drunk father also ruined his family name in Scotland. Marcus's other issue is he has carnal feelings for this English Queen although he had never seen her before. He questioned why she looked so young, her teeth were so white and skin seemed to have none of the reported smallpox scars? He just put it all aside knowing he could not make a romantic gesture to a royal Queen. However when he finds out the truth he is almost relieved he can act out on his romantic feelings!

Now Marcus works as a French spy for the King of Scotland to rescue the Queen and bring her to Scotland! This is so she will be thankful to King James and she will name him her heir. In addition, if the French do get their hands on Cordy she would be dead as soon as she reached the french soil of the evil de Medici dowager Queen! The problem is the French dowager Queen Catherine de Merci wants her people to abduct Queen Elizabeth and ship her to France and force her to marry a French Nobleman. Of course the French endorse the catholic religion and Queen Elizabeth is a protestant. So religion is one of the top reasons for wanting this kind of power and Elizabeth is the most powerful Queen of her time!

On top of this there are more secrets that have not been revealed to Cordy to protect his family which she feels is the ultimate betrayal! Plus she worries the Queen will think she sided with Marcus as the ultimate betrayal. Will the Queen or the French execute Cordy? Does Cordy feel betrayed by the man who owns her heart? Will Marcus be tried and convicted as a spy? Will the French finally realize all the duplicity they have gotten from Marcus? Will the French abduct Cordy and bring her to France only to realize they have a doppelganger in disguise? Do Cordy and Marcus have any type of future? Will Cordy ever see her sister again? Read and find out the answers to the many questions in this exhilarating book.

My go to author, Heather Mccollum has done it again writing another story that swept me away! This book is filled with betrayal, loyalty, self worth, duplicity, political intrigue, plotting, double crossing, espionage, passion and love and so much more! A story they will keep you on your toes with true historical icons of our history and fictional characters you can’t help but love! I personally loved the lute groupies as these secondary characters definitely made me laugh! This is sadly the third and last book in this wonderful “The Queen’s Highlanders” series. I cant wait to see what she releases next with her Dragonblade publishers.

The Queen’s Highlanders Series
1.The Highlander & The Queen’s Sacrifice
2.The Highlander & the Lady of Misrule
3.The Highlander & the Counterfeit Queen

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy and an advance reader copy from Dragonblade publishers. I voluntarily agreed to do a fair review and blog through netgalley. All thoughts, ideas and words are my own.

Buy Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Highlander-Counterfeit-Queen-Queens-Highlanders-ebook/dp/B0BZJ73F5L

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-highlander-the-counterfeit-queen-heather-mccollum/1142214035?ean=9781960184610

It's difficult to find a better descriptor for this tale other than "delicious". The story line is complex and well crafted absorbing the reader. The world-building is evocative and the characterization is complex and believable. This is a great novel that has inspired me to look further into Heather McCollum's catalogue. Highly recommend.

This book really takes off from the start! Cordelia dresses up like her Queen to throw those off from the real Queen Elizabeth, but she is apprehended by Marcus, who turns out to be a spy. He eventually realizes she isn't the Queen and they take on the French together.

This is a romance, but it has a lot of action scenes and almost feels like a spy thriller. Both are much appreciated and kept me intrigued.

Cordelia got a bad rap in previous books due to her mother's bad deeds, but she is a force to be reckoned with. I loved her lute playing and hiding in plain sight. Plus she managed to snag a brawny Highlander!

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

Alright gather around. Gather around people. Ahhhhhhhhhh!Ahhhhhhhhh! I’m doing the happy dance y’all.
Can I say what an amazing book this is. Instantly from the first page this story shot off like a rocket. I was riveted by all the secrecy, the spying, the near captures by French rebels, people galloping around on horseback imitating the Queen. And then there’s the deceit. What else is there?!
Well there’s this little wee thing that we call romance. And oh what a romance it was. It was hot. It was passionate. And it was pure lust. It’s that kind of passion that could only be ignited by fire, setting the room ablaze with some fast hard pounding climatic release that you could feel down to your toes.
The scene were Marcus steps out of the tub dripping wet. He’s described as a well sculpted statue of a man. He says to Cordelia, “big and long isn’t it?” I fell out. I completely fell out I tell you.
Never have I been so ready for a man when I read those words. For get about combing the rest my hair. Those knots will just have to be there. I would swan dive to the bed and somehow magically bounce flat on my back naked and ready. My arms and legs spread ready for his feasting.
No joke I tell you. Cordelia, Marcus, Queen Elizabeth I and Mathew are straight hilarious. At least that’s what I thought. My favorite character from the book is Mathew. Most of you know that we all may have a friend like Mathew.
This team and other characters carried this book with some terrific entertainment to the end. The plot was very logical and believable for this story’s time period. Most of the characters worked very hard for the same conclusion to the plot. The book has realism, as well as some historic information to back up some of the characters actions. I love how the writer shared moments through the book on how strong and resilient Queen Elizabeth I was.
She was very smart. She was made of sterner stuff. She held her throne as best as she could. I was thrilled that the Queen participated in most of the action scenes. My favorite moment by her is when she’s up in the tree and snatches her wig.
Believe me when I say there is a whole story that leads up to this moment. Yes the Queen had her fun, but it was the love story between Marcus and Cordlia that brought the excitement, the steam and the entertainment. With these two characters I thought the writer did a wonderful job at telling their background story, explaining the actions Cordelia and Marcus took to save the ones that they love. The pain, the fear, the hope and emotions are told very well. I understood the story through some great dialogue and superb narrative writing.
I love a page turner and this is one them. I give this story two snaps and a, “Mathew if you get one ounce of dirt on that dress it will be the cold and dark dungeons for you’, the Queen shouts as she’s chases him on a horse named Lancelot, while only wearing a fur rug. Until next time my fellow readers read on. I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The third and final book in the The Queen's Highlander series. The Highlander and the Counterfeit Queen will keep you spellbound as Queen Elizabeth has one of her chambermaid's, Cordilla (Cordy for short) change place with her and sends her on a simple Marcus but simply is the wrong word! Cordy meets a highlander, Marcus who rescues Cordy after injury. Cordy and Marcus find themselves on a journey fraught with danger, political intrigue, and kidnapping. Heather McCollum has given readers a book that is well-written, filled it with great cast of strong willed characters that come off the pages and pull you into this emotional ride that keeps you involved until the very end, sizzling passion, with secrets and four enjoyable friends they meet on their journey that adds some humor for tense situations. A very enjoyable story.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily reviewing it.

An entangled web of political intrigue & heady attraction!

Sticky webs of deception mask secrets and political intrigue breeds treasonous scheming as mistaken identity draws two irredeemably together.
In this well written, fast paced, intricately plotted adventure. Blanketed in a chemistry radiating romance, between two engaging, resourceful and courageous heroes in Highlander and spy, Marcus and the Queen's Lady, Cordelia (Cordy), who become romantically entangled in a haze of witty banter, simmering attraction, close calls, regretful deceit, unravelling secrets and heated intimacy as he mistakes her for Elizabeth Tudor in his attempt to rescue her from the French. Both on a dual clandestine misson, one for the monarch they serve and another to cleanse their family names, in a desperate bid to rid themselves of the stain their parents have dangerously burdened them with.
I really enjoyed this fun, hot bed of intrigue and intricately woven plot of threat laced twists and highstakes turns, that had me captivated by the underlying warmth, humour, craving of hope and rich moments of touching romance that threaded throughout it. With a host of subcharacters to hype up the enjoyment by providing plenty of laughs and internal conflicts, as you attempt to root out who can be trusted and who can not. I even loved the snippets of historical facts and tidbits of insight into the Elizabethan era, inserted at the beginning of each chapter, and the impressions of many who had met Elizabeth I.
Fabulous escapism, where not having read the first two in the series didn't once effect my enjoyment of this one, it just gave me a desire to read what I can only imagine will be two great reads too.. loved it!

With plots, counterplots, treason, and spies, this Tudor adventure romance is fast-paced, and exciting and kept me enthralled until the closing chapters. I loved the main characters as Marcus abducts Cordelia, thinking she is the Virgin Queen, only to discover that she is a decoy, which is just as well, given his growing feelings for her. The supporting characters in this novel were also entertaining. Whilst this book is about an attempt to kidnap the Queen and is suspenseful, there are also a number of hilarious passages that made me laugh out loud. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the way in which the main characters were unable to prevent the magnetic attraction between them, in spite of the lies that were told and questions they raised in each others' hearts and minds. The book comes to a successful conclusion with the perpetrators justly dealt with. I received a copy of this book as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

A time of political intrigue and hidden secrets, land our hero and heroine right in the middle.

She needs to redeem her family honor and stands in as a double for the Queen. He needs the same thing when he decides to kidnap her, thinking she is the true royal~

What happens next will make you turn the pages as fast as you can, following the journey of danger and action with several previous characters appearing. Sit back and enjoy!!

This historical romance is set in the time of Queen Elizabeth 1st. Its full of political intrigue, secrets and danger. Both our lead characters have problem parents that have landed the whole family in trouble. It's down to them to restore the name and maybe save an important life.
This is part of a series, but easily read alone. You might meet characters from the previous books, but not enough to spoil it. Action packed from start to finish.
I loved it.

3.5 stars rounded up

I really loved the first half of the book and was thinking it was the best of the series. However, the second half had the same issue that several of the other books--too much focus on the plot and not enough attention to the romance. Both characters are great. The plot was great. The romance fell flat as it got brushed aside to focus on the court happenings.

Thrilling romance amid court intrigue!

Cordelia's got a bit of an albatross around her neck thanks to her family's legacy, so she's determined not to mess up her chance to prove her loyalty to the queen by acting as her double. Marcus at first has no idea that the woman he's dealing with isn't the queen, so their initial introduction to each other is fraught with misunderstandings.

Ultimately, these two embark on a quest to save the queen while also facing their undeniable chemistry. The romance is wonderfully heartwarming and sensuous, with a very satisfying HEA.

I really love this author's writing style, how effortlessly we're drawn into the situation and how easy it is to feel immersed in history. The attention to detail is remarkable and it's obvious that the author did a tremendous amount of research.

I highly recommend this enchanting story for anyone who enjoys historical romances. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Queens, Secrets, Turbulent Adventure:
This political tangle of a story starts out with Cordelia honoring Queen Elizabeth's order for her to change places with the queen so she can go unnoticed on her own secret mission. This turns out to be not the best laid plan, but it certainly turns into quite a turbulent adventure for Cordelia and Marcus the hero and spy of this thrilling story.
The queen's plan is a disaster waiting to happen but yet it is quite intriguing and captivating with all of the twists, betrayals, a tempestuous passionate romance that takes your breath away. At times my heart raced, panted, along with many "Oh No;s". I laughed out loud at the comment of " Bloody thank you, Lord!" Just to funny at the moment.
Mostly a story of saving the queen with some romance added in for us romance readers. I would have enjoyed a little bit more romance for my taste.
A happy and rewarding ending along with a small update from a few previous characters that we got to know from the beginning of this series.
✔The cover was very pretty and enticing.
✔Mature reader advisory:

Daughter of a traitor, Cordelia Cranfield seeks her freedom by proving her loyalty to the Queen Elizabeth & since she looks like a young version of queen, she agrees to stand in for her on a delicate mission. But the simple masquerade turns treacherous when a Highlander abducts her. Spy for Scotland, Marcus Ruthven has been tasked with infiltrating the French to rescue the English queen, whisking her away to Scotland so she can be thankful and name King James her heir. They work together to evade the French as well as their growing attraction. When Cordelia is revealed, the dam she and Marcus held against their passion for one another, shatters. Missions ruined, emotions raw, they must work together now to save the real queen.
The third book in the series & it’s easily read on its own. Another very well written page turner with wonderful characters, lots of action & great chemistry between Marcus & Cordelia. I loved both Marcus & Cordelia both trying to prove themselves & I devoured this engrossing read in a sitting. Their road to a HEA certainly wasn’t easy but the author with her deft touch made it an enthralling one
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I loved ❤ this book's storyline. It is typical highlander romance with captivating characters and entertaining story. I loved ❤ the hot & steamy scenes. I loved ❤ the ending too. Awesome job.

Summary:
Cordelia Cranfield is a lady-in-waiting determined to prove her loyalty to the crown and finds herself enlisted to impersonate Queen Elizabeth I to save her from a deadly plot. Marcus Ruthven is a Scottish spy tasked with kidnapping Elizabeth, but then finds himself unexpectedly attracted to the "Virgin Queen". Cordelia and Marcus must work together to foil Catherine De' Medici's plot to keep Elizabeth under her thumb permanently.

My review:
I personally enjoy historical romances set outside Regency England, so I thought the Elizabethan England setting was novel and had a lot of potential. Same for the spy plot that had enormous geopolitical ramifications due the ongoing tensions between Catholics and Protestants in Europe. That being said, I think the excitement and intrigue came at the cost of the actual romance of it all, to the point where I have to wonder if this qualifies as a historical romance.

I liked Cordelia and Marcus individually. Marcus is your classic gruff-but-honorable (and biiiiiiig) Scottish hero, and Cordelia is a heroine who's ready to face anything thrown her way. A true patriot. And I thought their relationship was built up really nicely in the first half of the story starting from when he rescued her, culminating in them having sex for the first time. I thought it was hilarious how *conflicted* Marcus was about being attracted to the "queen", especially when there were so many clues Cordelia wasn't an imposter: her lack of pockmarks, intact teeth, and her looking about TWO DECADES younger than the queen to name a few.

Unfortunately, the second half of the story had Marcus and Cordelia separate was vast swarths of time, and their romance felt tossed aside in favor of the spy/kidnapping plot. By the time they were reunited, the romance felt forced and I had to wonder exactly what made them want to spend the rest of their lives together.

The sex:
It's funny to read about a man beating himself up over lusting for the Virgin Queen, but as Cordelia eventually spells out to him, she's not the queen. And she ain't a virgin either.

There was one sex scene, and it was written really well! Definitely more on the romantic end of things. I have a theory that because Heather's books (the ones I've read at least) are always so intense and high stakes (compared to a romance set in the regency era), the sex tends to be more tender and affirming in order to contrast.

Overall:
This book wasn't quite for me because the plot overshadowed the romance rather than the two being more intertwined. I would, however, recommend this to anyone looking to dip their toe into non-Regency romances with low heat and a lot of drama.

Thank you to Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.