Highland Destiny can be purchased at http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/

***SPOILER ALERT***

This is the review from Leah over at http://renaissancewomansreviews.blogspot.com/ and she actually has an interview with me posted over there right now.

Leah gave me permission to use this, since reviewing my own book would be tacky 🙂

5/5 Stars

All Mackenzie Stewart wanted was to enjoy her month long Scottish vacation…

Mackenzie Stewart goes to Scotland with her best friend Jenna thinking that she’d just be appreciating the beauty of Scotland and the castle she was staying in. Little did she know that she was about to become part of a dangerous plot.

When touring the castle, Mackenzie sees a painting of one of the past MacRae Lairds. As she is sitting to draw the picture, she is accosted by two wizards who drag her back in time to the 1700s. Once there, they tell her of the role she will play: There is an evil Lord, John Campbell, employing the dark arts who plans to marry and then sacrifice her to further his power. The wizards want Mackenzie to distract the Campbell so that a Scottish Laird, Connor MacRae, can dispose of the man. While still dealing with the shock of being abducted into another time, their carriage is stopped and Mackenzie is abducted again! By Connor MacRae! He has come to take the Campbell’s betrothed in order to incite the Campbell’s wrath. Connor brings Mackenzie back to his castle and she is immediately met with hostility from his people.

During her time there, Connor starts to like Mackenzie despite himself. He enjoys her company and his desire for her grows with every passing day. When there are attempts on her life, Connor quickly comes to her rescue. He starts to care for her. But then, he is faced with almost undeniable evidence that it was Mackenzie and the Campbell’s plan all along to make him like her and get him into bed, in order to distract him. But, in his rage, he manages to listen to Mackenzie when she explains and finally tells, and shows, him that she from another time.

Not long after, Connor takes it upon himself to arrange for him and Mackenzie to get married, a couple days after the return of his brother Liam. After being resistant for a while, Mackenzie finally gives in, believing that it would be worth it to have him for a short time even if he didn’t love her the way she loved him. The night before the wedding, there is a big party in their honor and the whole clan comes. Later that night, after Connor confronts her about a conversation he overheard her having, Mackenzie defiantly admits that she loves him.

The next day is the wedding and it’s all a blur until she is alone with Connor that night. Despite the fact that she believed that Connor didn’t love her, Mackenzie feels it is the most beautiful night of her life. But, it is also tinged with fear when she wakes from another of her recurring nightmares. She has to leave Connor and go to the Campbell; she has to kill the Campbell to keep Connor and his family safe.

They spend the next day together, Connor admits that he loves her, and they have a lovely time. Until, of course, Mackenzie is shot with an arrow. Connor and Liam cauterize the wound and she’s out for a couple of days. When she wakes, she persuades Connor to teach her how to use a sword. After a confrontation with Liam, though, she is able to come up with a plan to stage her escape: She asks Liam for help. He would take her out riding and show give her directions to the Campbell’s and when Connor asked about her, Liam would say she slipped away from him and, under no circumstances was he to tell Connor that she was in fact pregnant. Their plan is successful. Until Connor figures it out when he can’t find her the next morning. Liam tells him about the baby and eventually convinces Connor to wait a few days to go after her, during which time their allies would gather.

For days, Mackenzie is locked in a room at the Campbell’s and it’s not until then that the wizards come and tell her they need to charm a blade with her blood and only that will kill the Campbell. After they leave, she is shocked to see Connor stepping into her room. She is forced to be heartbreakingly cold to Connor, but her panic makes her force him to hide when the Campbell comes to retrieve her. He shows her that he has captured the MacRaes and their allies, shows off his power. Later that night she expects Connor to come back to her, little does she know he’s been captured. But she finds out the next morning when she sneaks her food to a small kid in the dungeon; she also finds out that he thinks she betrayed him.

The next day is the ceremony before her “wedding” to the Campbell. He brings out Connor and she is forced to watch as he is beaten in front of her. But then, Liam and his allies come to help Connor, during which time the Campbell grabs Mackenzie by the throat and holds a knife to it. She manages to escape and draws him out of the room. When he follows, she attempts to kill him with the dagger but she is thwarted, and he then tries to rape her, only to be stopped when Connor pulls him off. After telling Connor to leave the Campbell alone, she manages to get in a few slices with the dagger. When the Campbell flees, she follows and kills him.

At this point, Connor still believes she betrayed him, and she realizes that she has to go back to her time. The wizards take her back and Connor realizes too late that he needs to go after her. He forces the wizards to find a way to bring him to Mackenzie in her time. After months of wasting away, and a particularly ominous dream, he forces them to send him to her right then and there.

Meanwhile, Mackenzie had been spending her time in a state of depression and was frequently by herself. Upon exploring the village, she finds a locket in a small shop with a picture of her inside. A locket that, apparently, Connor had made for her but never had a chance to give to her.

On her last day in Scotland, as she stands before Connor’s portrait, she is confronted with the full brunt of her pain. She sits to draw it one last time and, through her tears, hears Connor’s voice from behind her. She turns and sees the man standing right behind her and in her joy throws herself at him. Realizing they have no time to waste, they go up to her room. After a bout of lovemaking, Connor sees the locket and tells her about it, and they then discuss how they will stay together. Finally, they decide that Mackenzie would go back to the 1700s with him.

A few years later, Connor and Mackenzie have a gorgeous boy, a beautiful baby girl, and an adorable newborn baby. During that time, their love has never died and Connor and Mackenzie continue to love each other forever….