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The Highlander's Return

Highland Brides

Series Book #

12

Annella MacKay & Graeme Gunn

Sept 24, 2024

ISBN:

9780063135352

ISBN 10:

0063135353

A bold warrior who never expected to marry meets his match in a fiery young widow in this latest installment of New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands’s Highland Brides series, perfect for fans of Outlander.


Being a warrior is Graeme Gunn’s calling. While his brother William had the responsibility of the family title, Graeme left home and battled his way through Scotland as a mercenary. But with William’s death, Graeme is finally forced to return to the keep and everything he left behind, including his brother’s shy and sensitive widow, Annella Mackay. But the beautiful, fiery woman he finds at the keep is nothing at all like the quiet virgin he remembers from the wedding to his brother…


Annella Mackay came to the Gunn family with hopes for a loving marriage, a dream that shattered when her husband abandoned her. Hiding her pain, she threw herself into performing the responsibilities of both laird and lady for the Gunn clan with spirit. When she learns her husband is dead, she realizes she finally has a chance at a new dream. And though she can’t deny she finds the gruff and strong-willed Graeme attractive she won’t let him, or his kisses, deter her from her plans…


It's an explosion of passion and clash of wills from the start, especially when Graeme decides to stay and claim his title. And as together they face unforeseen dangers lurking in the shadows of the keep, it becomes difficult for them to deny that they might be a perfect match.


Lynsay’s latest release, The Highlander’s Return, is being talked about!


My interview with Harlequin Junkies talking about my favorite book quotes, funniest moments in the story, what my hero and heroine really thought of one another... https://harlequinjunkie.com/spotlight-giveaway-the-highlanders-return-by-lynsay-sands/


It is one of Book Riot’s romances to fall in love with this September…


It made Jane Charles’ To Be Read pile https://sqr.co/ejut/


And Madeline Martin's New Release Roundup  https://bit.ly/MadelineMartin_9_13_24


Excerpt for
The Highlander's Return
“Is there anywhere private here at Gunn?” Graeme paused in reaching for the keep doors and turned to Payton MacKay with surprise. “Private?” “Aye. Somewhere I can talk to me sister alone to give her the news,” he explained and then added, “’Twill be embarrassing for Annella later does she faint or begin in keenin’ over the loss in front o’ everyone as she’s like to do when I tell her. So ’tis best to do it away from all.” “Ah.” Graeme nodded with understanding, but his gaze moved to the two men behind MacKay. Symon and Teague. He wasn’t surprised to see his friends showing the same discomfort he was feeling at the thought of a weeping woman. The two warriors had been with him for years, the three of them hiring themselves out to anyone with a need and the coin to pay them. They’d battled their way across the better part of Scotland, as well as more far-flung and exotic places. That being the case, none of them were used to dealing with members of the opposite gender. At least not ladies with their delicate sensibilities. They were more used to camp followers and tavern wenches who’d as soon scratch out their own eyes as let tears leak from them. Tough women who had fought to survive and would continue that fight all the days of their lives. Women for whom weeping and wailing would do little to make their lives better, so didn’t bother with it as ladies were apparently wont to do. At least that’s what Payton claimed ladies were like. The man had spent a good deal of the past six months regaling their traveling party with how sweet and sensitive his sisters, Kenna and Annella, were, and had made it obvious he worried over how Annella would take the news that she was a widow. He seemed to think it would shatter her delicate sensibilities. After sharing a grimace with Symon and Teague, Graeme shifted his gaze back to Payton. “There are gardens behind the keep. The vegetable and fruit gardens closer to the kitchens are often crowded, but there is a floral garden beyond that should suit your purpose.” “Good, good,” Payton said, but it seemed obvious he wasn’t eager to attend to the task ahead of him. Graeme understood that. He himself wasn’t eager to impart the news to his parents. His father would no doubt be fine and take it like a man, but his mother . . . Graeme didn’t even want to consider her reaction. William had been her favorite son, her little angel. She would no doubt be fainting and keening right alongside Annella for the next three days. Shaking his head at the thought, Graeme finally opened the doors to the keep and led Payton and the other men inside. “Damn me, Raynard! Ye’re making me head ache with yer bellowing. Do you no’ stop it, I swear I’ll knock ye silly!” Graeme’s footsteps slowed, his gaze searching the great hall for the source of those words. It was a woman’s voice, but her accent was an odd combination of Scots and English. Rather like Payton, whose mother was English and father was Scottish, so that his speech was not wholly one or the other, but— His thoughts died abruptly as his gaze found the gathering of men crowded around the only trestle table presently set up. As a couple of the men shifted, he caught sight of a woman. It was only the back of her that he briefly glimpsed before the men moved again, hiding her from sight. Graeme was left with an impression of a short, shapely female in a dark gown, with long blonde hair cascading down her back. But that image didn’t at all match the words he’d just heard, he decided. “Stop pokin’ me with that damned needle, and I’ll stop bellowin’!” a deep voice roared back. “It’d serve you right if I did stop and let you bleed to death, ye big oaf. I’ve told ye and told ye that you drink too much and need to cut back ere ye kill yourself with one o’ your drunken falls. Yet here ye are! On the table again, me having to sew ye up after ye passed out and fell on your own damned knife.” “The hell I did!” The man sounded outraged at the suggestion. “Somebody must ha’e stabbed me, I tell ye!” A sharp snort of disbelief was followed by the demand, “Where’s the knife?” Curious, Graeme started forward again, toward where the men were gathered. He was vaguely aware that Payton and the others were following him, but his attention was on the blade that was suddenly held aloft by one of the men at the back of the group. It was passed overhead from man to man until it reached the woman who had asked for it. He knew it was her hand that was the last to take it because the men had shifted once more, giving him a clear view of the petite blonde. His gaze slid over the blade she now held aloft. It was bloodstained with a crushed and equally bloodied apple at its base he noted as she held it up for the complaining man to see. “’Tis your own damned knife, Raynard. Your apple’s still on it.” The woman’s voice was filled with disgust. “Nay, I—” “There were three witnesses to your fall,” the woman continued impatiently. “Sadly, they were behind ye and did no’ ken about your falling on your knife so left ye to sleep off the drink in the path. It was no’ until sunrise someone noticed the blood pooling around ye and brought ye in for sewing. Now quit your bellowin’ and let me get on with this ere ye do bleed to death.” It appeared Raynard did not take direction well. The moment the lady bent to again set to work, he immediately resumed struggling and hollering and making a hell of a racket. “Should I knock ’im out, Lady Annella?” one of the men helping to hold down the furious Raynard roared to be heard over the noise as he and the others struggled to hold the man still for her to sew up. Lady Annella shook her head, and in a brief silence as Raynard stopped his bellowing to suck in air, said, “Cook’s bringing me something to make him sleep.” “I dinna want to sleep!” Raynard bellowed at once. “I dinna care!” Lady Annella roared right back, and Graeme had to bite his lip to keep a snort of laughter from slipping out. But his urge to laugh faded quickly as he noted how much trouble the half a dozen men were having holding down Raynard. Graeme was growing concerned the man might actually break free and strike out at Lady Annella when the kitchen door swung open. Turning his gaze that way, he watched a short, round, gray-haired woman come rushing out with a pot in hand. “Cook,” Graeme murmured under his breath with affection. “What?” Payton MacKay sounded distracted even as he asked the question. Graeme’s expression changed as he glanced to the man beside him and he arched one eyebrow. “Did I hear one o’ the men call that woman Lady Annella?” “Aye.” Payton frowned slightly as he admitted it. It was Symon, his voice amused, who then asked, “No’ yer sister and Graeme’s sister by marriage, Lady Annella Gunn?” “Aye,” Payton growled, looking a little annoyed now. “The same lady sister ye’ve spent the last six months telling us was sweet, kind and delicate?” Teague asked pointedly. Payton opened his mouth to answer, but then paused and simply stood there, eyes narrowing as he watched his sister. Made curious, Graeme turned back to see that cook had pushed her way through the men surrounding the trestle table to reach the blonde and was holding out the pot. Graeme would have assumed it held some sort of medicinal to put the man to sleep, except that the pot was handed over at an angle that showed it was empty. He realized the pot itself was what cook had been bringing to put the man to sleep when Annella turned back to the still complaining Raynard and slammed it over his head. Even as the belligerent man went unconscious and blessedly silent, the lady handed the empty pot back to cook with a murmured, “Thank ye, Millie,” then bent back to sewing up her patient. Graeme spun on his heel then and hurried past Symon and Teague, headed back the way they’d come. As quickly as he moved, he barely made it out of the keep before the laughter burst from his lips.
The Highlander's Return
The Highlander's Return
The Highlander's Return
The Highlander's Return
The Highlander's Return
Reviews for
The Highlander's Return
Rosie B from Fresh Fiction… Lynsay Sands continues her Highland Brides series with the next generation in THE HIGHLANDER’S RETURN. Ross and Annabel’s (from An English Bride in Scotland) daughter is all grown up and running a clan of her own since being abandoned by her husband on their wedding night. The mystery of why Annella was abandoned on her wedding night is quite intriguing. Add to that Sands trademark humour, a strong heroine and a smoking hot highlander and you have the makings of a really good time. If you haven’t read this series, you have nothing to worry about. This is a great read all on its own but it will hook you into wanting to read the rest of the books. I’m sure many readers are waiting for the last Buchanan brothers’ book but I’m loving all these other hot highlanders we’re getting in the meantime. Hopefully, Annella’s brother, Payton, will get his own story as well. THE HIGHLANDER’S RETURN is perfect for readers who are looking for a light, fun read that will leave them with a smile. I can’t wait to read the next book. https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=88149 @CareysReviews on insta gave it 5 stars… 5 Stars! Lynsay Sands is an amazing author. Her books never disappoint! This was a great book with tons of mystery, danger, scheming, a strong female main character(Annella) who doesn’t take stuff from anyone, a strong male main character(Graeme) who falls in love at first sight, a ‘bad guy’ who will keep you guessing, loving family, hateful family, near death experiences, death, sizzling sexy times, a forced marriage, falling in love, and a HEA ending. I’d highly recommend this book, especially if historical Scottish romance is your thing. https://www.instagram.com/p/DAhWrw5APeF/ Diane from BooksAndChat.blogspot.com gave it 5 stars… Although this is book 12 in this series, you will have no need to read the others first. I do hope you choose to read because all of them are pretty darn good light reads! As I said, this was a light and quite funny read with an excellent mystery added. All of this series has a mystery, and in this one, I found it a little harder to figure out the red herring than I usually do. Poor Annelle. Her husband deserts her on her wedding night to go on a pilgrimage; several weeks later, her father-in-law suffers an accident, which forces her to take care of the keep and all of the responsibilities attached to it. Six years later, she is still doing all that and being the healer for everyone. Add to this her mother-in-law actively hates her, and there you have a miserable Annelle. Graeme, Annelles brother-in-law, suddenly arrives home after being a mercenary for ten years and searching for William or his body.  He is also bringing her husband William's bones. But never fear; soon, passion rears its wonderful head, and things proceed from there. And yes, even after a lot of injuries and accidents, we do get a happily-ever-after! This is a very fast read, heavy on "romance" and mystery.  Annelle is a wonderfully strong woman, and of course, Graeme is a wonderfully sexy Scot. https://booksandchat.blogspot.com/2024/07/review-highlanders-return.html Tracy, a book reviewer on Flippin’ Pages, gave it 4.5 stars… This book has all the elements that made me a fan of Lynsay Sands! The book is well written, nicely paced and has wonderful characters. It took me a minute to figure out how Annella and Graeme were connected to the “Highland Brides” and then I realized that Annella is next generation of Highland Brides, since she is Ross & Annabel’s daughter from the first book in the series and readers will be delighted to reunite with them in this book. The story classic Sands with her trademark humor, intrigue, and steamy love scenes. The book is filled with mystery, wonderful characters, witty banter, a strong heroine, a sexy highlander hero, great secondary characters, vile villains, a bit of miscommunication and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue… it was a for the most part, a fun, spicy read that could be read as a standalone title with no problems and a book that I am happy to recommend to my fellow Lyndsay Sands fans. https://flippinpages.blog/2024/09/21/the-return-of-the-highlander-by-lynsay-sands/ Whitney, a book reviewer on insta @a.rekindled.romance, gave it 5 stars… A Lynsay Sands Highlander novel is one of the reasons I adore this sub genre of historical romance so much. From her brawny (quite often cinnamon role) MCs and strong FMCs, I am always, always, always drawn into the story. She brings the perfect amount of drama, sibling shenanigans, & we know someone is inevitably going to be poisoned or possible shot by an arrow. https://www.instagram.com/p/DAJJ7K0gbkG/ Mara is a BookTuber on youtube @bookslikewhoa gave it 4.5 stars… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3oIgLbHXPg Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204982727-the-highlander-s-return
Family Tree For
Annella MacKay & Graeme Gunn
Annella MacKay & Graeme Gunn
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