Book: Highland Surrender Author: Heather McCollum
Series: Sons of Sinclair, book 5
Release date: October 24, 2023
Publisher: Entangledy
Book Length: 340 pages
Overall rating: 5/5 Stars
Blog Rating: 5/5 Saltire Flags

Northern Scotland 1592
Hannah Sinclair is feeling a bit of sorrow and depressed watching all her sister in laws with their bairns. She isn’t jealous as she is happy for each of them, it is just that she desires a child of her own. Yet there was no special man for her to love and she was almost 30 years old! Plus even if there was one it had to be one who wasn’t afraid of her four over protective brothers who are known as the four horsemen of the apocalypse! She felt she was surely headed for a lonely future of spinsterhood and every one of her nieces and nephews favorite Auntie. Yet she desired that special someone to love too but more than anything she wants a baby!

Erik Halverston of Norway has no choice, but to follow orders of the House of Denmark since his precious sister Iselin’s life is on the line. He will do anything to protect his sister, even deceiving the Sinclairs of Scotia. He really is not a villain, he is just between a rock and a hard place and his sister is the only family he has left and the only person he will ever love! According to his Queen he must find the Clan Sinclair’s weakest link and he feels kidnapping his Queen’s enemies sister is the answer, but he is in for a rude awakening since Hannah Sinclair is far from being a frightened, biddable, timid, lass who will obey to an enemy! Especially one who lied claiming he was a trader not a Wolf Warrior seeking to abduct her and forcing her to marry this middle aged chancellor to keep her brother’s in line! See who becomes the real prisoner in this battle of the sexes!

The attraction between Hannah and Eric is immediate, but there are a lot of obstacles in their way, for one he is trying to protect his sister who is in the Queen's custody. He is the General and leader of Wolf Warriors for the House of Denmark. For another he kidnapped a Sinclair sister and he will have to deal with four braw horsemen of the apocalypse who will not accept a man who took their sister against her will! So dealing with a dowager Queen and four protective braw highland brothers Eric will definitely be in a bad position, not to mention their wives. Will it take a warrior Sinclair sister to save him from some of his own mistakes even if he had no real choice. Will the brothers accept this or even care? Read and find out in this brilliant series finale!

In this series finale which I am sad to see end as I have loved each and every book in the Sinclair series including this book Highland Surrender. McCollum’s books have a bit of everything including true history. As this one for example has Dowager Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. She was the Dowager Queen, mother of King Christian IV of Denmark and Anne of Denmark. She was Regent of Schleswig-Holstein from 1590 to 1594. Her daughter Anne was married to King James of Scotland and James I of England and Ireland.

I absolutely love how she puts some true iconic characters from history into her fictional stories which are positively brilliant! She also does an amazing amount of research, including interviews with experts that is absolutely extraordinary! This also includes enchanting landscapes, breathtaking betrayal and heartwarming passion that includes this author's triumphant series finale! It had me mesmerized and glued to each word on every single page that definitely swept me away. Yet the major scene stealer is the two stallaways Libby and Trix! It shows how two wee lassies try to save and rescue their favorite Aunt, yet win the hearts of all of the Wolf warriors too! One of the many reasons Heather McCollum has become one of my most favorite authors in the Scottish historical genre.

Disclaimer: I received a free advance readers copy from Entangled publishing. I voluntarily agreed to do an honest, fair, review and blog through netgalley. All words, thoughts, ideas are my own.

Erik and Hannah are clearly a perfect match for each other, but events, (or rather the dowager queen of Norway), conspire against them. Erik is forced to take Hannah to Norway as the Dowager Queen mistakenly believes Hannah’s brothers are a threat to her daughter, the new queen of Scotland. There is much posturing as no one wants to step back from the inevitable battle ahead and appear weak, but Hannah tries to find a peaceful way to resolve the situation, whilst reluctantly falling in love with Erik all the while. The book is full of action, humour and interesting historical detail as well as romance. Hannah’s siblings feature heavily in the story and it’s great to see how their families are growing. The stars of the show, though, have to be Libby and Trix - two little girls who stowaway on Erik’s ship in a misguided attempt to rescue Hannah. Whilst perfectly enjoyable as a standalone, you’ll get a lot more out of it if you read the previous books in the series.

At thirty years of age Hannah Sinclair is still a maiden, her four warrior brothers having frightened all men away from her. Desperate to have a child of her own, she forms a plan to seduce a stranger to their lands, however Erik has a hidden agenda and Hannah quickly finds herself abducted and on her way to Denmark. I loved Hannah’s strength of purpose, her clever brain and the camaraderie between her and her brothers wives. Erik and her brothers were typical warriors who wanted to fight and kill first, then think later. It is only at the intervention of Hannah that no blood is spilled and her insistence that sometimes you must fall back to move forward, sparks an audacious plan to free the Sinclair family of future Danish plots.
I’ve not read any of the other books in this series but although the secondary characters featured heavily, there were never any obscure references to previous happenings to leave the reader at a loss or throw one out of the storyline. Nor was the reader peppered with unnecessary information about them - a true standalone book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the fifth book in the Sons of Sinclair series and I highly recommend reading the series in order. Watching her brothers all find love and start families, has Hannah wanting children of her own. But with four fierce, protective brothers that is not very likely. So, when Hannah sees Erik, a traveling trader, she sees the perfect opportunity since Erik will not be in the picture by the time her brothers realize she is pregnant. Too bad Erik has his own plans where Hannah is concerned! Can the two make their very different plans come together and still accomplish the same goals?
One thing I really enjoy about Heather McCollum's romances other than a great story is how much history she includes in each book. There is a nice balance between the plot and bits of history to keep the story moving well. Obviously, the historical bits are slightly embellished but still it makes for a good story.

This series is like potato chips - quick, fun reads that I enjoy.

Abduction as a pathway to love isn’t generally a trope that works for me. In this story, however, the plot is set up in such a way that works a bit better. However, this one wasn't my favorite - much of it was fine and enjoyable, but some of it just didn't work for me.

*While each book can be read as a standalone, family dynamics do come into play.



Thank you to Entangled: Amara and Netgalley for the DRC

The Sons of Sinclair series was definitely different. 4 brothers who were raised by their father to be warriors, each representing one of the 4 Horseman of Revelation. The first 4 books were about each of the brothers. This is book 5 and about the only girl in the family, Hannah.
Hannah has watched each of her brothers find live and happiness. Each are now married and have started their own families. Hannah is now approaching 30 and has no prospects in site. All are afraid of her brothers.
Then a stranger from Norway appears, Erik, a silver trader. Hannah is attracted to him. She decides to have an affair with him, in hopes to become pregnant and have a child of her own.
But Erik is not who he seems to be. And the adventure begins.
I enjoyed this series and thought this was the perfect ending to the series.
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I have been waiting for Hannah's story since we met her in the first book, and our Hero's first glimpse of her didn't disappoint. Not only does he see her in a wet shift, but she holds a bow on him while her brother's wolfhound keeps an eye on him. Then there is a scene with a squirrel.. that had me and our hero laughing out loud.

I loved getting to see what all the wives of the horsemen have been up to and seeing their growing families. I really liked how Hannah set out to get what she wants.. although it might have led to a bit of a kidnapping across the ocean.. in which all her brothers, their wives, and a whole bunch of the clan set out to get her back.. and beat Erik's face in. Libby and Trix were completely adorable, and I loved how all of the stuff with King James and the force behind the kidnapping all worked out. Those Horsemen are some wily dudes.

I can't wait to see what Heather McCollum is going to come out with next!

A worthy romance in the Sons of Sinclair series, filled with honor, duty and an unexpected passion on both sides. I enjoyed Erik and Hannah's story, an entertaining journey and a future filled with hope and love.

Hannah Sinclair is in search of the happiness her brothers have found with their wives and families. She thinks she might have found found it amounts a Norse stranger who has come to Scotland visiting Gringoe castle.

Erik Halverson has lost everything and everyone except his dear sister Islelin that is dear to him. One of the Norse’s fierce Wolf warriors he has been given the task to find the weakness of the Sinclair Brothers after his sister has been kidnapped by the Dowager Queen Sofie.

On the Isle, he discovers the beautiful Hannah is not only her brother’s weakness but could be his weakness too. Erik and Hannah share an adventure together that not only strengthens their bond but gives let’s you see how he will be able to love again.

I made it to about 20% and dnf. Nothing wrong with the book or writing at all. It's more of a not feeling the genre right now thing.

Being the sister of the Four Horsemen is not easy. Hannah is overly protected by her brothers, approaching thirty, and has decided she wants a child. Her sister's in law decide to help her with her choice of Erik, who is there to trade and leave. Unknown to the group, he is being blackmailed and kidnaps her in order to get his sister back. Things go haywire when her nieces, Trix and Libby, sneak aboard the ship to save her only, but are too late. There is a storm, misunderstandings, attitude from the girls, and some soul searching. The story has a lot of characters, which at times was difficult to remember which wife went with which brother. The book is humorous, action filled, and just a tad devious at times.

This was an okay book. It’s funny, sexy and not too deep of a read. It’s well written and a decent amount of research is done to be believable. Pretty steamy scenes and honestly very little plot development for characters.
As a Scot, I was happy to read something representing Scottish history and I love romance.

Would recommend to someone who wants an easy wholesome read that isn’t too serious.

Enemies to lovers

One of my absolute fucking favorite tropes.

A headstrong woman who knows what she wants and how to protect herself.

Absolutely.

I’ve read a few of the other books in the series and just like the others, this didn’t disappoint. I absolutely love Hannah and I’m so glad she was given the chance to shine and have her own book.

Thanks for allowing me to read an advance review copy of this book. My opinions are my own. I would have rated this higher if the book was my taste... I do feel bad for rating it one star.

While I made it almost halfway through the book, the story was not for me. Others may love this book and I hope they do. It is set in Scotland and involves members from the previous books. I found the content of the book to not be my tastes at the moment, specifically the talk of pregnancy. I understand the time frame in which this story is set makes it very appropriate but I am not the intended audience for such topics.

The characters themselves seemed very well thought out however I didn't see much personality from the male character and I enjoyed that the wives had their own things going on outside of the main characters.

I've loved reading the Sons of Sinclair series so I was really excited to have the opportunity to read "Highland Surrender" this weekend and it definitely did not disappoint.

The author does a fantastic job creating characters that are likeable, well-developed and so easy to connect with.

After reading about the Sinclair Brothers I was glad to see that Hannah was given a book of her own and her chance at finding happiness. If you love a fierce FMC I think you're really going to love Hannah's character!

While each book can be read as a standalone I would recommend going back and reading the entire series because the Sinclair family and books are fairly interconnected. Their family dynamic plays a pretty big part in why I loved this series so much.
Having plotlines filled with tension, action, angst and swoon-worthy romances didn't hurt either.

I would absolutely recommend adding this book to your TBR if you love Historical Romance.

Thank you Hannah McCollum, Net Galley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 STARS!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This book was pretty quick to capture my attention. We have some great characters that ramp up the interest and hold it throughout.

In some spots, it felt like this was part of a series of books. Come to find out it is, but that didn’t detract from the story. But you certainly know you have other connections that are an off-shoot and connected to the main characters in the story. However, I would classify it as a stand-alone.

When it comes to Highlander romance, you definitely get a lot of the history of the time as it pertains to the characters and their developing story. I have to say in this one I did lose track of all of the historical interactions of who’s supporting who, who is protecting who, who’s at war with who. It left me confused a few times.

What I really love about Highland Surrender is the connection between the main characters. It was one of those lust at first sight that grew into so much more. McCollum did us right with the romance portion along with the heat and steam.

While there are a lot of characters to keep track of, most of them secondary, there are still many opportunities for the main characters to interact alone. This book does have a lot of action and continual activity which keeps you engaged. There were a few places in the beginning chapters that bugged me with repetitive thoughts, but that was gone by about 1/4 in.

Overall, Highland Surrender has plenty of steamy romance and passion, and it certainly satisfied that Highlander itch I needed to scratch.

I have read a couple of books in this series now and they are always just a good time. The characters are funny in a kind of ridiculous way and their relationships between all the brothers, sisters and wives are just an enjoyable read. I was interested to see how the only Sinclair sister would go with her own story, and she didn’t disappoint.

I loved Libby and Trix and they absolutely stole the show. They were welcome comic relief and made the war hardened warriors seem a bit more human, and therefore, likeable.

If you’re looking for big, brutish men, brave, strong willed women and a family that will go the end of the earth for each other, then this is for you. Also there’s weird words that make me giggle to myself.

Thanks to #NetGallery and the publisher. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
POV: Dual
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5
Age suggestion: 18+

While this is the last book in the series Sons of Sinclair, it can definitely be read as a stand-alone. Although - getting to read of the four brothers' escapades as the Four Horsemen finding their wives is certainly a great prelude to discovering how their sister, Hannah, finally finds love. As Hannah yearns for the love of a child and despairs that it will never happen as her brother guard her fearlessly and scare off any suitors, she comes upon a man who makes her heart beat quickly and her pulse quicken. She decides that she doesn't need a husband, but only a "donor" and plots her seduction. Unfortunately, Erik Halvorson already has plans for the abduction of Hannah in order to trade her to rescue his sister, Iselin. What ensues is a growing love story that has the whole Sinclair family involved in rescuing both Hannah and Iselin and learning that love needs to sometimes step back to go forwards and to be able to trust. Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC. Entangled: Amara, for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #HighlandSurrender

Full of action and romance! I liked the fast paced plot of this series finale.

The first 4 books went through each Horseman finding his bride, it was finally sister Hannah's turn to find happiness.

Erik from Norway was sent on a mission from Sophie of Denmark with his Wolf Warriors to bring back Hannah in exchange for his sister. Of course this gets complicated when he and Hannah get close.

I liked Erik's character, but he seemed so conflicted and wishy washy sometimes. I just wanted him to fully stand up for his girl. At least him and Hannah got pretty steamy.

This could be read as a stand-alone, but it was helpful to have read the previous books because a lot of previous characters were in this one. It helps with understanding the deeper personalities of the characters, especially Bas.

I enjoyed this series and am hoping to enjoy the next!

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

Barbara’s rating: 4.3

This was an absolutely perfect ending for the series and exactly the right man for Hannah Sinclair! We’ve watched Hannah through all of the book when her warrior brothers – known as the Horsemen – found their own HEAs. Those warrior brothers are overprotective of Hannah – to the point that she is almost thirty and has no prospects of finding a husband. How could she find a husband when all of the men are terrified of her brothers? So, she has resigned herself to never marrying, but you don’t have to have a husband to make a baby, and she is sure she’s found the right man for the job. He’s a visitor and will be long gone and unreachable before she knows whether she is with child. If he is gone, her brothers can’t kill him, and she’ll have the baby she wants so badly.

Erik Halverson, a Norseman, is a powerful warrior and leader of Wolf Warriors who protect his country’s border with Sweden. Except, here he is in Scotland, on a mission with which he doesn’t agree. However, as a loyal subject of his country, he’ll complete the mission. He has no choice because his beloved sister, his only surviving relative, is a hostage. His mission is to find the Sinclair sister and make sure she is the key to controlling the Sinclair brothers – if she means as much to them as his sister means to him. If she does, he’ll trade Hannah for his sister and his sovereign will be happy.

Hannah’s kidnapping goes smoothly, but Erik doesn’t count on Hannah’s warrior spirit nor the two stowaways, and especially not the storm that blows them well off course. Trapped on the Shetland Islands with a damaged ship, Hannah sees a different side of Erik and begins to think he might be more than a soulless kidnapper. Would he allow her to go free? How many times will he betray her?

There was a bit of wit and humor throughout the story and most of them involved the two little girls who stowed away, Libby and Trix. They are absolutely incorrigible and adorable. One of the best scenes, for me, is Hannah’s conversation with her sisters-in-law when she is trying to discover how seduction and intimacy work. You’ll love it.

This was an excellent, exciting, well-done story and I liked both Hannah and Erik very much. They both love their families and would do anything to save them – and they both prove that over and over. They are perfect for each other – especially since Erik is one of the few men in the world who could go toe-to-toe with her brothers. I had to keep wondering about Erik right up until the end – with so much betrayal, how could they ever truly find their HEA? Ah! But when they did finally get their HEA it was worth waiting for and it made for a wonderful end for the series.

You can surely read this book as a standalone and you’ll still love it. However, if you want to get the full effect of all of the characters and the backstories, you really should read the other books in the series as well. I only rated it down a bit because Erik took so long to get to where he should be. Even at the end, he was still willing to turn Hannah over – and I had trouble trying to figure out how a good and honorable man could ever think it was okay to kidnap one innocent woman to trade for another. To me, that made him as bad as those who were blackmailing him and I had to work to get over that. He was a cunning and powerful warrior, yet he couldn’t figure out another way to rescue his sister.

I hope you’ll love this story as much as I did should you decide to try it. HAPPY READING!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.