Untamed by Pamela Clare

Book Description:
In the breathtaking tradition of The Last of the Mohicans...MacKinnon's Rangers
They were a band of brothers, their loyalty to one another forged by hardship and battle, the bond between these Highland warriors, rugged colonials, and fierce Native Americans stronger than even blood ties.

Though forced to fight for the hated British, Morgan MacKinnon would no more betray the men he leads than slit his own throat--not even when he was captured by the French and threatened with an agonizing death by fire at the hands of their Abenaki allies. Only the look of innocent longing in the eyes of a convent-bred French lass could make him question his vow to escape and return to the Rangers. And soon the sweet passion he awoke in Amalie had him cursing the war that forced him to choose between upholding his honor and pledging his love.

Second in the MacKinnon Rangers books, this is the story of Morgan, brother to Iain from the last book, Surrender - which I loved. This was a good story, but I was not as enthralled with the adventure and love story as much. The story picks up where Surrender left off. Iain's brother, Morgan is now the leader of the cracker jack outfit known as MacKinnon's Rangers who are fighting against the French in the French and Indian War in upstate New York. Morgan is captured outside Fort Ticonderoga by the French. He is injured, and a beautiful young - and very naive - French Amalie Chauvenet nurses him back to health. Predictably, she grows to love the handsome Morgan MacKinnon - who wouldn't? He's a transplanted Scottish Highlander, with a Scottish burr, an amazing body that has unusual warrior tattoos on his chest and arms and courtly manners to go with it. Growing up in a convent, Amalie has never seen anything like him!

I wasn't crazy about Amalie, I just never warmed up to her like I did with Annie in the last book. Amalie had led such a sheltered life and it was hard for me to like her - a French girl, who is part Abenaki as well. To suddenly change gears after reading the last book with the French and Abenaki as the enemies took some getting used to. Plus, I found her throwing herself at Morgan all the time annoying - though she kept doing it unconsciously - which was even more bothersome! She was a virgin, yet, she could not understand this feeling she had for him. I hate these kinds of heroines who are so innocent, yet boom - as soon as they're near a real man they become wanton hussies who don't think twice about creeping around dark hallways in their nightgowns and searching out single men in their bedrooms! Yet, by the second part of the book, once Amalie toughens up a bit from the frontier life and is used to Morgan and their sex life is underway she's not as insipid. Eventually she meets Annie MacKinnon (Iain's wife) who helps to train her as a frontier wife and I grew to appreciate her more once she smartened up, but she's a great deal more helpless than Annie ever was in the last book. But, I get ahead of myself...

Morgan is enticed by Amalie's natural beauty and sensuality and the two of them can't keep their hands off each other once he makes a deal with the commander of the fort to turn traitor and fight for the French. Of course, this is all a ruse, and he merely intends to spy on the French and eventually get back to the Rangers and the British fort where they are quartered. But, his love for Amalie complicates everything. I can understand what drove them to be in lust with each other, but I didn't see much chemistry between the two that was worthy of love. To me, their story fell a little flat, especially since he had to deceive her through most of their courtship. Eventually they are caught by her guardian, almost in the act, so they must marry, but Morgan knows he must leave her eventually to go to his men. He hates to do it, but he must, so they do everything except actually consummate their marriage by the marriage act itself - if you get my drift. This way if she needs to get an annulment sometime later, she can. Poor Amelie, she's kept in the dark of most of what he has in mind for her and his leaving. Blah, blah, blah. He almost succeeds in leaving her the day after their wedding night, but he's then captured by the Abenaki who want to burn him alive as revenge and more blah, blah, blah, much hand wringing on Amalie's part, "How could you leave me and deceive me?" "But, I still love you no matter what" "I can't live without you" blah, blah, blah - I plodded through it all until finally they wind up at the MacKinnon farm where Iain and Annie are with their baby. Iain is overjoyed to see Morgan (since the commander at Fort Ticonderoga made them all believe Morgan had died of his wounds when he was captured) and they take Amalie under their wing while Morgan goes back to the British to try and clear his name and explain all that happened. I liked seeing Annie and Amalie interact, as brief as it was, before Amalie is then captured by Wentworth (the commander of the British garrison from the last book) and taken back to Fort Elizabeth to testify in a court marshall of Morgan - it was endless! More hand wringing, mean British officers, a clever escape, etc. until finally all is well again in the Epilogue.

Frankly, the whole thing exhausted me and it didn't help that I was reading most of this with no break while in the emergency room at the hospital after bringing my teenage son there for emergency surgery two nights ago and then sitting with him all day yesterday at the hospital in recovery. He's all right and home now, but I kept wishing I'd had a better book to read for all those hours! Maybe I would have liked this one better if I had been reading it under better conditions. It wasn't bad, the writing itself was great and the research and setting were tops, and the sex scenes were written beautifully with lots of passion - hot! But, I was let down compared to the last book, this just seemed like a watered down version. Maybe it was just me, maybe it was because I didn't warm up to Amalie, who knows?

Still, I plan on reading all of Ms. Clare's books, this isn't stopping me, and I am eager to read anything and all she writes in the future regarding this series since I really do love it. The setting is close to my heart since it reminds me a lot of the later Outlander Series books. I just wasn't wowed by this one like I was with the last. Oh well.

3.5/5

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Surrender by Pamela Clare

Book Description:
A hand-picked cadre of warriors, they had the fierce courage of their Scots forefathers, combined with the stealth and cunning of the Indians who lived beside them in the wilderness. Battling the French in no-holds-barred combat, they forged a new brand of honor, became a new breed of men... MacKinnon's Rangers.
Iain MacKinnon had been forced to serve the British crown, but compassion urged him to save the lovely lass facing certain death at the hands of the Abenaki. He'd defied his orders, endangered his brothers, his men and his mission, all for a woman. But when he held Annie's sweet body in his arms, he could feel no regret. Though he sensed she was hiding something from him, it was too late to hold back his heart. In love and war, there are times when the only course of action is... SURRENDER.

I really, really loved this book! It was just my kind of romance. Historical, with a backdrop of Colonial upstate NY during the French and Indian War, plenty of action and adventure and a great love story that was wonderfully sexy and passionate - hot! I was swept up in this story and almost didn't want it to end! I wouldn't have known about this book if it hadn't been for Barbara at Happily Forever After who ran a contest - and I won (by default - but hey who cares? I got two autographed books as my prize!)

This book is primarily about Iain MacKinnon, a Ranger who with his two brothers, are transplanted Scottish Highlanders, the grandsons of the Laird of MacKinnon who perished at the Battle of Culloden. They've lived in Colonial America since they were young boys and have grown up to be braw fighters who know how to wield a claymore as well as a tomahawk. Iain is reminiscent of Hawkeye in Last of the Mohicans, in fact much of the book is like it, since they both take place in upstate NY, near Fort Henry during the French and Indian War. Only this time, the hero is Scottish - yummm! Iain and his brothers are unfairly forced to be Rangers in the war by the surly British Lord William who is a commander of a nearby fort. He recognizes that the brothers would be a huge asset to him with their fighting prowess and Indian knowlege of battle and stealth. Three years later, they are still under Lord William when they come across Annie while out on a scouting mission.

Lady Anne Campbell has a tragic story. Raised in Scotland to a noble family, her father and brothers are killed at Prestonpans (on the loyalist side). She and her mother go to live with her father's brother who turns out to be a sadistic murderer. Annie pretty much witnesses the murder of her mother while having some sort of kinky sex - "unatural ways" - with him, and takes her family jewels and flees. But, she is caught and her uncle brands her a thief (on her upper inner thigh) and sends her off to the colonies to become an indentured servant for 14 years! After three months of suffering as an indentured servant, the family she works for is slaughtered by an Indian attack and she flees into the woods, running for her life to escape.

That's where she meets Iain MacKinnon.

Just as she thinks all is lost and she is going to be killed, Iain is there and stops the Abenaki Indian warriors by killing them and so begins the journey between Iain and Annie (as she calls herself, assuming a new identity for her freedom.) Annie is hurt and cold and Iain is tender with her and carries her on his back for miles and miles through dangerous Indian infested forests and woods. He has gone against all his well trained soldier instincts to save her, but he couldn't just let the Indians kill her, it would have been as bad as if he had killed her with his own hands! The bond that is created between these two during this time is great and long lasting. They come to know one another and even though Annie is intent on preserving her virginity she is sorely tempted by him, as he is to her. The sexual tension is fabulous, and the gradual build up of their feelings was a joy to read. I simply loved it! This story was so good and I was drawn into their plight and worried for them. Will they make it back to the fort safely? Will Iain get hurt fighting for her? Will she give them away with an inadvertent gasp amidst the enemy? It really kept me on the edge of my seat!

Finally, when they do reach safety, she helps nurse Iain (who gets 100 lashes for disobeying orders and rescuing her) back to health and gradually they are able to "get to know" one another. The sensual scenes between these two were something else. Not over the top, very well done, sexy, realistic and breathtaking! The author knows what she's doing! This one scene that involves shaving... *fans self*

I really loved both Iain and Annie. They made a great couple and deserved each other. Both are likable and radgie (love that word by the way!) and I was rooting for them every step of the way - I couldn't wait for them to finally get together and kiss! They deserved it after so much of what had happened to them and their struggles! Annie was brave yet realistic with her frailties. Young and pretty, her life had been turned upside down. Instead of feeling sorry for herself she deals with it and survives. Although she's unsure of Iain at first, she overcomes any prejudice she might harbor against him because he's a MacKinnon (their families are enemies). He appears uncouth to her at first, but that becomes nothing after she gets to know him. His natural nobility and command easily overshadows any misgivings she might have had about him at first. She grows to love his bravery and honor, his strength and cleverness - not to mention everything he does in bed! *swoon* She realizes just what a stroke of luck it was that brought them together when he first saved her. Kismet.  But, even though Iain sounds too perfect to be true, he does have that "you are mine!" caveman streak in him. The barbarian in him comes out once in a while *sigh* Lucky Annie!

I don't want to spoil what else happens, but even after Iain and Annie's love is consummated, the story doesn't end there. Lord William has taken a fancy to Annie as well, and he gradually comes to realize he has met her before in Scotland. He enjoys playing games with her and Iain, only he's not very good at them and they keep backfiring on him. After a while, you sort of start to like Lord William. He turns out to be sort of a decent guy and not your stereotypical sadistic English jerk that you see so often in movies or books.

The other characters in the book are interesting too, but not too fleshed out, the other brothers I suspect are being saved for future books. Still, I enjoyed reading about some of the minor characters, many were endearing in their own ways and you feel badly when in battle if they're hurt or killed. The battle scenes were well written and gripping - really well done. The author did her homework and she truly has a way of sucking you in so you feel you are there facing battle, or hiding and praying the Indians or French won't find you. I felt I was there with them!

I can't stress enough how much I enjoyed this book. Anyone who is a lover of the later books in the Outlander series will especially appreciate the setting of this book.  A winner in every sense of the word - this is my kind of book!  I'm sure this will be a re-read for me one day!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Barbara and Pamela Clare! I'm now eager to read my other prize from the contest, the 2nd book about the MacKinnon Rangers, Untamed.


5/5

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