Early Book Review: How to Handle a Highlander by Mary Wine

How to Handle a Highlander by Mary Wine is a historical romance that is currently scheduled for release on November 5, 2013. Moira Fraser is a pawn in the political maneuverings of her brother. She musty either marry the elderly Laird Achaius Morris, or risk another deadly clan war. Gahn Sutherland knows there is some plot behind the marriage of Moira and Achaius, but he is not sure what the long game is. He is determined to stop whatever scheme is being hatched, but finds himself distracted by a certain lady. Honor, attraction, and power are all strong motivators at play, and if something goes wrong there will be war.

How to Handle a Highlander is the sixth book in Wine's Highlander series, and I have not read any of the previous books. I think there were some important points about the political set-up I missed because of that, but the book still stood up well on its own. I found Moira to be a strong character. Even in the face of marrying a less than pleasant old man, she did what she had to do in order to help her people. She put the needs of others well above her own. Gahn was a strong hero, that values honor and was able to look past previous problems to see Moira as an individual rather than an extension of her family. Achaius Morris was a grabby and shrewd man, working to further the wealth and property of his clan, while Moira's brother is more than slightly mad and in search of both revenge and power. The twists and turns of the story kept me interested and unwilling to put the book down on several occasions. I liked the emphasis on the individuals and honor, but found some of the feuds and relationships a little confusing since I had not read the previous books.

How to Handle a Highlander was a entertaining read, full of intrigue and passion. I think fans of Wine will thoroughly enjoy this novel, as will others that like historical romance. Those that get annoyed at starting mid series and not understanding the larger story might want to start at the beginning of the series, or at the very least with book five, The Trouble with Highlanders, which seems to deal with the most important set-up for this book. The next book in the series, The Highlander's Bride, is schedule for release in June of 2014.