Claimed by the Highlander

Written by Julianne MacLean

Narrated by Antony Ferguson

With his tawny mane, battle-hewn brawn, and ferocious roar, Angus "The Lion" MacDonald is the most fearsome warrior Lady Gwendolen has ever seen-and she is his most glorious conquest. Captured in a surprise attack on her father's castle, Gwendolen is now forced to share her bed with the man who defeated her clan. But, in spite of Angus's overpowering charms, she refuses to surrender her innocence without a fight.With her stunning beauty, bold defiance, and brazen smile, Gwendolen is the most infuriating woman Angus has ever known-and the most intoxicating. Forcing her to become his bride will unite their two clans. But conquering Gwendolen's heart will take all his skills as a lover. Night after night, his touch sets her on fire. Kiss after kiss, his hunger fuels her passion. But, as Gwendolen's body betrays her growing love for Angus, a secret enemy plots to betray them both.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jan 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9781452675954

Julianne MacLean

Julianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the popular Color of Heaven Series. Readers have described her books as “breathtaking,” “soulful,” and “uplifting.” MacLean is a four-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from the Romantic Times. Her novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. MacLean has a degree in English literature from King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a business degree from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She loves to travel and has lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England. She currently resides on the East Coast of Canada in a lakeside home with her husband, daughter, and mother. Readers can visit her website at www.JulianneMacLean.com for more information about her books and writing life and to subscribe to her mailing list for all the latest news.

Reviews for Claimed by the Highlander

[mlorio_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Despite a rather tried plot this story had some surprises making it overall a good read.

[chandragay · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is your typical Highlander Medieval type of book filled with (2) main characters (Him/Her); his clan v. her clan, conflict, action and adventure and L'amour. I liked the entire book and look forward to reading another book by this author. That's if the Kindle price comes down *giggles*

[chandra9of9red · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is your typical Highlander Medieval type of book filled with (2) main characters (Him/Her); his clan v. her clan, conflict, action and adventure and L'amour. I liked the entire book and look forward to reading another book by this author. That's if the Kindle price comes down *giggles*

[suballa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't usually read romance, but i liked this one! Good adventure and an intelligent heroine. This is the first in a series of 3.

[bookbetch · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was bored. The dialogue was stilted and I could never fully connect with the characters. Actually I don’t think they ever connected with each other. They moved like robots. The emotions were stuck on the page. I will admit I liked Duncan from the start- he was a brave and yet fair highland warrior. Though he was named The Butcher he was actually interested in saving innocents from pain by ridding the world of the evil men who inhabit it. I hated Angus (Duncan’s best friend and companion) literally from the moment he appeared. I know people as ignorant, close-minded, and cold-hearted exist, but he made my skin crawl every time he was mentioned.Amelia was the worst heroine I have encountered in a LONG time. She was selfish. She was naive, even in the last chapters when a heroine should have gone through a soul-shifting identity realization, or at least matured some. She was just plain annoying. Actually by the end I kind of hoped the book would end with her death… which is a horrible thing to wish.The plot was such an interesting starting place that it was a huge disappointment that it didn’t deliver. I just never completely engaged. There were plot twists, for example Duncan’s true identity, that didn’t even make sense to me. There was no foreshadowing. I just kept thinking it would get better… It never did. Not for one second. When the couple reached happily ever after I was relieved that I was finished with the book and could move on with my life.The whole thing left me with a sour stomach.

[kathy Dunne · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

OK story but too long

[urph818 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I would give this book a 3.5. This is the first book by Julianne MacLean that I've read and I certainly enjoyed her writing style bringing the wilds of the Scottish Highlands to life in Captured by the Highlander.Amelia starts out an innocent who is completely naïve who grows through the book into a brave, strong and loving woman. She see's the good in everyone, believing someone on their words alone. Duncan, who abducts her when her fiancé,an officer in the British army, who's a rapist and murderer, isn't in his room at the Fort.Duncan certainly opens Amelia's eyes to the way of the world, not in a harsh way, though being abducted was certainly an eye opener for her. Duncan's a multi-faceted character dedicated to his country and clan, walking the thin line between his duty and his feelings. He seeks revenge for the brutal murder of his betrothed but Amelia shows him that there is more to life then bloody battles and death. Duncan also sets Amelia senses on fire whenever he's near. He's sexy, domineering and lusty and just the man of Amelia's dreams. Their relationship runs an emotional gauntlet and I thought handled very well. Towards the end, the story is rushed and everything is wrapped up nicely. I certainly had a good time reading this historical romance with it's well matched lovers. Jack Murphy

[jennifer3book3nympho · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Captured by the Highlander is my first highlander book and I must say I really like the thought of a hot warrior in a kilt. And Duncan aka “The Butcher” is extremely hot; with his long black hair, rippling muscles and strong, experienced hands. Mmmm.... Duncan can pillage me anytime.


He takes what he wants and will not be stopped. But like most great alphas his tender side comes out when he finds that special lass. Which he finds, while breaking into Fort William. But he doesn’t have lusty thoughts on his mind, nay, he looking for his enemy, Colonel Richard Bennett. But to Duncan’s surprise he finds the lovely Lady Amelia instead.


The Butcher plans to use Amelia as bait for Colonel Bennett so they run and hide for days together. As they spend more time together, an attraction begins to grow between them. Amelia starts to see Duncan for the gentle and kind man he can be; instead of the blood thirsty Butcher.


Even though this a romance book with the usual formal, don’t be fool, there are some great twists to the plot and the characters. We get to see the naive Amelia grown into a feisty wee lass. And after all, the world is not always black and white when it comes to love and war.


Captured by the Highlander has it all, action, lust, Stockholm Syndrome and sexy men in kilts. After reading this hot highlander book I plan to read more about Scots and their need to claim their women. I must say, I’ll take a hot sweaty highlander warrior over a gentlemen any day. I love a Scottish brogue.

[kaetrin_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I only got a couple of hours in and it was just not holding my interest so I gave up. I was thrown out of the story when the heroine, a proper English Duke's daughter says "I'll scream my guts out". in 1716.Then there was the bit where the 'hero' Duncan is mid kidnap. He gets out a skirt and bodice and tells Amelia to take off the shift she was sleeping in and get dressed in the clothes he's given her. She refuses. He rips it off her. Then he GOES AND GETS ANOTHER SHIFT out of the drawer for her to put it on under the other clothes. Um, Why??Then there was the bit where Amelia overhears someone calling the Butcher of the Highlands (her kidnapper) "Duncan". She thinks. So the Buther had a name. It was Duncan. *snort* (I don't think that was meant to be funny.I had a problem with that Amelia was kidnapped by this brutal Highlander who'd just killed 5 men and she almost immediately is feeling all warm and tingly. It just felt wrong, so I stopped listening.The narration was okay, although I thought Mr. Ferguson sometimes sounded like he had a mouthful of marbles and he seemed to trip over some of the Scottish accent from time to time. His female voice was quite good and the emotion was fine. He seemed to have an odd habit of finishing a sentence and then realising the the sentence wasn't finished yet and then reading the rest of it. But, if the story was better, I would have kept listening and it wouldn't have bothered me too much.Maybe the story gets better. I didn't care.

[lydia1879 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So uni is so stressful at the moment that I'm just going to read a bunch of these until my assessment ends, sorry!

ANYWAY.

I finished this book in a day. I like MacLean's book because they're super easy to read and I find them oddly absorbing.

The only thing I have a problem with in MacLean's series is the sometimes dubious consent the characters have during sexual encounters, BUT much to my surprise, the author addressed this and actually made me feel way more comfortable while reading the book.

I will say that I wish her female characters had a little bit more depth, because after reading two of her books, they're starting to sound similar, if not the same. But who am I kidding, it's a sexually-objectified-Scotsman kinda novel, of course I want the sameness.

I will say, though, that their first meeting is hilarious and possibly one of the most outlandish I've read. It went a little something like this:

Male Hero: I WAS BROODING mysteriously but I'm back now and want my father's castle

[ male hero quickly begins to kill everyone, heroically ]

Female Heroine: Oh, shit, we're being attacked. Let's head into his gunfire with a musket and my dressing gown.

[ male hero, swinging his sword, covered in other people's blood and swearing ]

Female Heroine: Ho damn, son. You fine. What up? I'm terrified, but also aroused. (????)

Male Hero: Oh, what up. Let's get married and make a baby to unite our clans.

[ female heroine screams internally ]

Male Hero: At least you're kinda hot, that helps, I guess.

[ male hero broods about sex ]

That's it. That's how they meet.

Also this book wins the prize for worst word used to describe female reproductive parts. I'll let you read it for yourself and find out what that is.

[fairydragonstar · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I did not read the 1st one in the series...yet, this is a good stand alone story a little flat towards the end but good none the less

[lindsey_shu · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Good storyline but some extrememly questionable and laugh-worthy descriptions during love scenes.

[reesa00 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Run of the mill novel. Nothing really special. I'm glad several years passed between the first novel and this one because Angus was not a favorable hero based on the first novel. Gwendolyn was moderately interesting but acted out of character many times - she adjusted to the marriage more quickly than I would expect based on her actions in the first chapter. The novel also used a lot of terminology that seemed wrong for the time period (1710s). It jars a reader out of the environment when these words come up...I think I'm done with this series...