Defiant by Pamela Clare

Charged with a crime they didn't commit, the MacKinnon brothers faced a death sentence until they agreed to serve the British Crown in the colonies and take up arms against the French. Allied with the Indian tribes who lived beside them in the wilderness, the Scottish Highland warriors forged a new breed of soldier...

MacKinnon's Rangers

Major Connor MacKinnon despises his commander, Lord William Wentworth, beyond all other men. Ordered to rescue Wentworth's niece after the Shawnee take her captive, he expects Lady Sarah Woodville to be every bit as arrogant and contemptible as her uncle. Instead, he finds a brave and beautiful lass in desperate peril. But the only way to free Sarah is for Connor to defeat the Shawnee warrior who kidnapped her—and claim her himself.

Torn by tragedy from her sheltered life in London, Lady Sarah is unprepared for the harshness of the frontier—or for the attraction she feels toward Connor as he guides her first through the consummation of their forced union and then through the dangers of the wilderness. When they reach civilization, however, it is she who must protect him. For if her uncle knew all that Connor had done to save her, he would surely kill him.

But the flames of passion, once kindled, are difficult to deny. As desire transforms into love, Connor will have to defy an empire to keep Sarah at his side.
(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Pamela Clare's MacKinnon's Ranger trilogy is the kind of story I could read over and over again!

 Full of adventure, danger, history, and passionate romance, the exiled Highlander brothers of Iain, Morgan, and Connor will stay with me for a long, long time (like Jamie and Clare). While the plot of Defiant followed the same pattern as Surrender and Untamed (the story of two unlikely people thrown together by fate), Connor's story touched my heart as it brought together characters from the past and gave closure to the MacKinnon brothers' plight. Pamela Clare's ability to recreate the wild and untamed land of early colonial America and her love and respect for the Native American culture is such an exciting part of the series. Her characters are so well drawn that they literally leap off the page. Very, very sexy, too!

 Loved all the books in this series! I also have reviewed Surrender (my personal favorite) and Untamed. Highly recommend.

4.5/5 stars

Surrender by Pamela Clare

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.




Book news! Pamela Clare's MacKinnon Ranger series has a new publisher and the books are getting a fresh cover look and new material added as they are re-released.(And it's available on kindle.) If you love a great adventure, an historical setting during the French and Indian War, and a passionate love story, then Surrender is for you!

As Pamela explained on her website, her previous publisher had strict guidelines for the length of books they printed. She was forced to cut some material from Surrender to meet those guidelines. Now, the story has been tweaked to include scenes that Pamela feels will make the story even more enjoyable, and I'm glad she was given the opportunity to write Iain and Annie's story the way she originally intended. I'm sure she made an already terrific book even better.

I won a signed copy of this newly released edition, so I'm looking forward to reading it again. (My glowing review of the original version is here.)

Untamed by Pamela Clare

"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 even than 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 himself to the woman he loves."
(from the publisher)

my thoughts:

Another terrific adventure and passionate love story from Pamela Clare! I was blown away at how compelling Surrender was (book #1), and I've been looking forward to continuing this series of the three MacKinnon brothers, exiled Scottish Highlanders forced to serve in the British army during the French and Indian War. Book #2, Untamed, was more great storytelling, and the long-awaited story of the third brother, Connor, will be published (Feb. 2012) to complete the trilogy. The title is Defiant, and I can't wait!

As a huge fan of Diana Gabaldon, I often have discussions with other Outlander readers about books that might be similar. We're all on a quest to find books "like the Outlander series" because nothing seems to compare to Gabaldon's fabulous books and we want more! Well, while I've yet to find anything that comes even close to Gabaldon's series, I think it's safe to say that people who enjoyed Gabaldon's Drums of Autumn and The Fiery Cross might also enjoy Pamela Clare's MacKinnon trilogy (there's no time travel). She's a great storyteller with a talent for recreating the raw, edgy danger of the wilderness, and of course, creating fabulous heroes who love with a fierce passion.

The MacKinnon brothers are fierce Scottish warriors, deeply loyal and proud of their clan heritage, and received Mahican training to survive in the harsh wilderness.

"They were Clan, bound not by the blood in their veins, but the blood they'd lost and spilled together."

In Untamed, we learn Morgan's story where he is gravely injured and captured in a skirmish with the French army outside of Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga). Part adventure story, part passionate romance (sex scenes are HOT!), this story of Morgan and Amalie Chauvenet, (a sheltered and convent-bred daughter of a French officer) is one of love, secrets, and betrayals, and the reader follows them on their journey as they overcome conflicting loyalties and danger to find their happiness.

Another keeper!


BTW, Pamela Clare has a new publisher and will be re-releasing the trilogy with material that was left out of the original books, and the cover art is going in an entirely different direction. Here's a look at the new art for Book #1, Surrender.



Surrender and Untamed are both enthusiastically recommended! Be on the lookout for the upcoming re-releases.

4.5/5 stars

Title: Untamed
Author: Pamela Clare
Dorchester Publishing
2008
347 pages

Surrender by Pamela Clare

"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."
(from the publisher)


my thoughts:

Wow! What a fantastic read --I absolutely LOVED Surrender!

Heart-stopping, thrilling adventures, an amazing hero, and sizzling hot scenes...what's not to love? This one is going right on my list of favorites for 2010, and I'm anxious to explore more of Pamela Clare's books.

I was immediately drawn into the world of the untamed wilderness in colonial America from the very first raw, edgy scene in the prologue, and when I reluctantly finished the epilogue, I was ready to turn back to the first page and begin the adventure all over again! A compelling and passionate story of Iain MacKinnon and Annie as fate brings them together during the time of the French and Indian War.

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, and Jamie Frasier is a worthy hero....but he may have a little competition with Iain MacKinnon! Rough and raw and braw and beautiful....Iain is the son of an exiled Jacobite, a transplanted Highlander who grew up alongside the Muhheconnoek. He is skilled in wilderness survival and Native American ways and is a man of deep convictions and honor.

His life takes a drastic turn when he and his brothers are falsely accused of murdering a man. Lord William Wentworth, a British commander, is behind this scheme, as he needs the raw power and brawn of the brothers to help lead the Rangers and fight for the British as they battle the French and their allies. Wentworth condemns the MacKinnon brothers to die on the gallows as murderers or accept his bargain to assist the British army.

It is during one of the Rangers' scouting missions for Lord Wentworth that Iain discovers Annie (Lady Anne Campbell, the daughter of a Scottish earl) as she is fleeing and in danger of being captured or killed by the Abenaki. Her past is mysterious and tragic, and she has been branded a thief and sold as an indentured servant in the colonies by her twisted uncle. Unable to leave a woman alone and in danger, Iain commands his brothers and Rangers to continue on their mission while he remains to rescue and protect her.

Their story of survival during the harshness of wartime in one of passion and adventure, and as their relationship and love develops and grows, secrets of the past come back to threaten their happiness and their future. Lies and betrayals...hopes and dreams....Surrender is a riveting historical romance with unforgettable characters in colonial America.

"She'd thought him a barbarian at first, and she'd been right. But there
was honor in him -- honor that went soul deep -- and courage as strong
as the roots of a mountain."


5/5 stars

Title: Surrender
Author: Pamela Clare
2006
Dorchester Publishing
355 pages
genre: historical romance