Book Review: The Devil of Dunakin Castle (Highland Isles) by Heather McCollum

The Devil of Dunakin Castle by Heather McCollum is the fourth book in the Highland Isles series. I have not read the previous books, but after finishing this book I would like to. I was able to fully enjoy the read without the prior knowledge, although fans of the series will have a better understanding of some of the characters.

Englishwoman, Grace Ellington, has made a home in Scotland, but to escape from the meddling people around her who seem to think she needs to wed right away—because women need saving, right? —she volunteers to journey north to aid a friend in childbirth. Keir MacKinnon, the younger brother of the MacKinnon clan chief, has been raised to strike fear in people, on and off the battlefield. Trained to uphold MacKinnon law, he has hardened into a lethal warrior. Caught in a Highland blizzard with the feisty Grace, Keir realizes the beautiful woman who saved him can also save his nephew’s life.Sparks fly when he takes her against her will to his home, and Grace’s courage is put to the ultimate test. Is Keir MacKinnon the passionate, kind man she saved in the Highland blizzard, or is he truly the cruel executioner who seeks to solve all issues by the sword?

The Devil of Dunakin Castle is a book with characters that really get under your skin. Grace is tired of being treated like she could break at any given moment, even if she is a little accident prone. She takes advantage of an opportunity to travel and act as a healer, but things never seem to go as planned for her. Keir is in search of a healer to save his nephew, but his reputation as the Devil of Dunakin strikes fear into most people, and things are not really working out for him either. Together they find their way, and end up struggling with trust and reputations as new challenges keep rising in their paths. I love the way they both need to come to terms with their own fallibility and learn to trust each other. I think that Grave had the most influence on others and I loved seeing her take charge of the healing and more subtle relationship changes. I felt for her, and watching her try to get through to Keir and his family was heart wrenching. I was unable to put the book down, and am very eager to read more of this series. The writing style and characters are captivating and still have not get go of my imagination, I want more!

The Devil of Dunakin Castle is an engaging and heart wrenching read. The characters are extremely well written and they stayed with me well after I moved on to the next book. I am about to go hunt down the three previous books and get to reading.