Book Review:Crimson Heart by Heather McCollum

Crimson Heart is the third book in the historical romance Highland Hearts series by Heather McCollum. Elena has spent her entire life hiding, walking a thin line between lady and servant and hiding her royal blood. Now, a fiercely Catholic queen on the throne and Elena's Protestant caretaker is a target and she is at risk. Searc Munro is a highland warrior with a secret of his own. In a family of healers his ability to kill with a touch has been his secret for years, but when he reveals it to save his father he can feel his clan's suspicious glances. He sets off alone, only to  save a lass being attacked in the forest. together the pair seek refuge only to stumble onto a series of ritualistic murders, suspicion, and court intrigue.

Crimson Heart is a book that started off wonderfully. Elena is a smart, strong, and capable woman that somehow gets herself into some tricky situations. she is so used to hiding her lineage hat she has trouble fully trusting anyone, and holds onto her secret for as long as possible. Searcis a compassionate yet powerful alpha male that feels his version of the family magic might be evil.  The growth of their friendship, attraction, and most importantly trust is well done and does not feel rushed. The addition of the court intrigue was perfect, making things build and move along faster without make the reader feel like things were unnaturally forced ahead. My only issue is that in one scene the situation, which should have been a grand dramatic moment, I felt like I had read that exact situation before. In fact, it felt so familiar that I went back and made sure I had not read the book before, or something from this series before, to account for it. Perhaps it was just me.

I think that readers that enjoy historical romance, particularly with a slight twist of magic or political intrigue, will really enjoy Crimson Heart. Readers that have read other books from Heather McCollum will definitely want to pick it up.