[b:The Highlander Who Loved Me|25303997|The Highlander Who Loved Me|Adrienne Basso|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1428357716s/25303997.jpg|45032613] is a solid Highland historical romance set in 14th Century Scotland right after the death of Robert the Bruce. Sir James McKenna, a second son, is sent to travel with the Armstrong clan by his father to both solidify their clan alliance, and spy a little along the way to see if there is talk of challenging the new young king's rule. James quickly falls for Davina Armstrong, an orphaned niece of the clan laird. However, just as James and Davina agree to solidify their relationship, they are attacked brigands. The aftermath of the attack drive James and Davina apart.

I really liked James' character. He won brownie points right off the bat by noticing that the beauty held by Davina's cousin, Joan, was only skin deep. James was honorable in his treatment of Davina, refusing to seduce her without marriage vows. Then after the attack, Davina's rejection and James' overwhelming guilt for not being able to protect her drive him off to the Holy Land to fight in the Crusades. James returns 5 years later as a hardened warrior, bitter and jaded.

For the five years while James was away, Davina's has kept herself shut away in the Armstrong hold, refusing to leave the protection of the castle. She is skittish around men and unknown situations. So it's surprising to everyone that Davina accepts Aileen McKenna's invitation to McKenna keep for the Christmas holiday. I had a good emotional connection to Davina's character from the start of the book, but it waned a bit as the story continued. I was pulling for her to overcome her fears, but I didn't really like the love triangle aspect with James' brother, Malcolm.

The plot conflict involving the repeated attacks involving Davina was what really drove the story. I kept turning the page trying to discover who the actual villain was, and didn't figure it out until almost the end. I would have like to known what happened to the brigand leader, as that part of the story seemed to dangle at loose ends. The one thing in the story that I was uncomfortable with was the rivalry that existed between James and Malcolm. Right from the beginning, James resents Malcolm as the heir and is quick to let that jealousy show. For me, this cast a shadow on his character as it was not in line with the honor I saw in how he treated Davina. Things became even more complicated when that love triangle arose. However I believe if Malcolm had known the history, he would not have pursued Davina with such dogged force.

Overall this was a solid read that I enjoyed. It was perfect ending to this holiday season as I enjoyed reading about the Highland Christmas traditions and the legend of the mistletoe. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars / 3 flames. ( )

The Highlander Who Loved Me by Adrienne Basso is a 2015 Kensington publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story grabbed my attention right away, when James and Davina met and the chemistry between them exploded to life. Then something truly horrible happens and their wedding plans are called off and the two go their separate ways. I felt the set up was ripe for some really great developments and the possibility of addressing some serious topics with love working it's healing magic.

But, the story suddenly shifted gears and became something else entirely. Davina and James are reunited after five years, but Davina still insist she can not marry him. However, she does strike up a flirtation with James' brother Malcolm. While, Davina may have initially been flattered, and thought the flirtation harmless, it became apparent that it was serious and the encouragement of it was not all that cool, in my opinion.

For me, the best part of the story was the intrigue that puts Davina in danger, which takes the mystery to center stage, and that was a good thing, because otherwise I may have lost interest or my patience.

Although the tug of war between brothers was uncomfortable for me, and the weird way James and Malcolm's parents behaved by setting up the competition between them was a little unusual, I did enjoy the retelling of the legend of the mistletoe plant and how it became associated with kissing.

James and Davina do finally get their long overdue happily ever after and it's possible that in the future we could find out what happens to some of the other characters in this story and see them find true love too.

The story has merits and faults in equal measure, I think, so I'm going to settle on a three star rating with this one. ( )