Smitten by Books

Release Date: Jan 30, 2018
Series: No Ordinary Hero
Book: 3
Heat Level: Hot
Publisher: Macmillan
Imprint: St. Martin’s Press
Price: $7.99

I am an absolute sucker for a highland romance. I will fully admit to reading a book just because it is based in Scotland, my home away from home, even if the cover write-up sounds terrible. Lucky for me this book sounded very enticing AND I totally loved the first book in this series so agreeing to review it was not a hardship in the least. Once again, you don’t need to read the other two books in this awesome No Ordinary Hero series as this one can stand on its own but, some elements of this book are so much more delicious when you have a history with a few of the unsavory characters.

Ms. Enoch is a pleasure to read, her style and voice instantly flows for me rather than other novels where I find I need a chapter or two to adjust to the writer’s unique way of story-telling. I love the way she shows her readers the dark depths of her heros and villains so that you feel invested in every page that you turn. This book is no different but the beginning set an odd tone for me… I didn’t like either of the main characters until I was well into the story.

Callum MacCreath is a childish, degenerate boy as the story begins and you feel this overwhelming need to give him a smack in the head. Our heroine, Rebecca, is really no better, coming across as a selfish woman more interested in money and position than true friendship and love.  Jump ahead 10 years and Callum is now a self-made man with no connections to his past and his family in Scotland. He has made a life for himself in Kentucky but the probable murder of his brother, Rebecca’s husband, sends him home in a flash of anger, regret and revenge. He may have matured and changed his ways but you still get glimpses of his old ways as the story develops but Ms. Enoch has written him so well that his frustrations and anger become emotions shared by the reader.

Becca, however, took far longer to endear herself to me. She holds several secrets and has aligned herself with the only people who know what has truly happened to both her husband and her father and it felt as if she went to the dark side too willingly. Grief plays a role but I found her to be a bit weak minded and too rigid for Callum. She absolutely redeems herself of course but I felt like that should have happened before she started sleeping with him. You feel the heat and desire that courses through both Becca and Callum but a part of me wishes they had waited just a little longer, let that heat simmer to a boiling point before jumping into a physical relationship together. If I could change one thing about this book, that would be it.

That being said, I truly enjoyed this last (?) book in the series. You have the highlands, of course, a hint of mystery and a forgotten love rekindled. A recipe for a wonderful and enjoyable book that I didn’t want to end.

~ Danielle