Highland Lion
by Celeste Barclay
My review:
Liam and Elene reach out across the centuries to share with us their love story. “Highland Lion” is the first book in ‘The Clan Sinclair Legacy’, a new series from historical romance author Celeste Barclay. With a hero and heroine descended from ‘The Clan Sinclair’, ‘The Highland Ladies’, and the ‘Viking Glory’ series, this story has an incredible lineage. If you’ve read any or all the books that preceded it, it’s wonderful to see and hear about many familiar characters again. If this is your first book by Celeste Barclay, don’t worry, “Highland Lion” absolutely is a standalone story
Young Liam is no longer a child, but he feels the need to prove himself to his grandfather, father, and clan. With that goal in mind, he travels to much colder climes to oversee transfer of control over a significant region to his grandfather, under the authority of a new King. It’s a diplomatic mission that could very possibly become violent. Almost as soon as he arrives, Liam overhears a conversation between two women – a mother and her grown daughter, Elene. He learns that the beautiful Elene is in a perilous situation. Although it’s really none of his business, he suddenly wants it to be. As this multilayered and action-packed story unfolds, the dramatic tension and complex emotions keep building.
This story grabbed my interest at the very beginning and kept it right up through the end. The lead characters are beautifully developed. They have strengths and weaknesses, fine qualities and insecurities. The chemistry and the longing between Liam and Elene simultaneously entices and torments them both. There is a cinematic quality to the way the author describes the settings and everything else; you can envision everything vividly, as if you were watching it all unfold on a big screen. I thought this story was extremely entertaining and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.