Blog Tour: Highlander's Hope by Collette Cameron (Review + Giveaway)

I'm very pleased to welcome Collette Cameron and her debut novel, Highlander's Hope to Love Saves the World.

Collette will be awarding a gift basket that include a gift card, blue rose tea cup, blue rose soap, vintage looking cameo pendant, shortbread, tea, and other goodies to a randomly drawn commenter during the tours.

To visit Collette's other stops, click here.

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About the book:

Blurb:

Not a day has gone by that Ewan McTavish, the Viscount Sethwick, hasn't dreamed of the beauty he danced with two years ago. He's determined to win her heart and make her his own.

Heiress, Yvette Stapleton, is certain of one thing; marriage is risky and, therefore, to be avoided. At first, she doesn't recognize the dangerously handsome man who rescues her from assailants on London's docks, but Lord Sethwick's passionate kisses soon have her reconsidering her cynical views on matrimony.

On a mission to stop a War Office traitor, Ewan draws Yvette into deadly international intrigue. To protect her, he exploits Scottish law, declaring her his lawful wife—without benefit of a ceremony. Yvette is furious upon discovering the irregular marriage is legally binding, though she never said, "I do."

Will Ewan's manipulation cost him her newfound love?

Excerpt:

Peeking at him from beneath her lashes, she reached up to straighten her bonnet. It hung askew off the side of her head, like a giant drooping peony. She shoved it back into place but the moment she removed her hand, it flopped over once more.

The stranger's unrestrained laughter filled the carriage.

“Oh, bother it all.” Yvette’s patience with both her rescuer and the silly bonnet were at an end. She had no choice but to remove the dratted thing to reaffix it. Several strands of hair tumbled to her shoulders when she removed the cap from her head. Suppressing a shriek of annoyance, she placed the hat beside her. She then set about securing the wayward curls. Pinning the last strand in place, her eyes met those of her companion.

Momentarily forgetting her unanswered questions, she stilled, as did the world around her. The air hung suspended in her lungs. Her eyes widened in disbelief, her stunned gaze riveted on his face. “You exist?” Her voice was husky with awe.

Raising an ebony eyebrow, a flicker of humor softened the nobleman’s features. “So it would appear.”

A voice, deep and dark, caressed Yvette’s heightened senses. She stared. Her gaze roved across his handsome features returning, as if compelled by some unseen force, to his eyes.

Those eyes. Fringed by thick lashes, the mesmerizing turquoise pools gazing back at her sent her senses reeling in recognition. Her mouth dropped open. No, it couldn’t be. “Am I dreaming?” Giving a quick shake of her head, she lowered her eyelids for a moment. Lud, but she was befuddled. "Who are you?

Loved the excerpt? Find out more about the book here!

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My Review:

The characters:
Yvette and Ewan are very interesting characters: Yvette is a heiress with special skills in weapons and fluency in five languages. She isn't shy or wilting or helpless but displays incredible courage and ability when faced with a difficult situation. She's been recently orphaned and nearly raped by her stepbrother -- instead of falling apart, she and her loyal staff come up with a daring plan which allowed her to escape to London.

Ewan has two titles: one English and one Scottish -- and it is clear from the beginning that he is more loyal to his Scottish heritage. Ewan also works for the government as an agent for the Crown, tasked with keeping their country safe from internal and external threats.

Yvette was Ewan's way to her stepbrother, Edward, who is suspected of treasonous activities -- but there is a deeper connection between the two: one dance, two years ago -- and both have been ruined for other people forever. Yvette dreams about Ewan, and Ewan has loved Evvy since then.

There is instant chemistry between the two -- and the author is very good at teasing her readers with enough hints about their past. I hope that the second novel in the series, about Vangie and Ian, will elucidate this point further.

It was exciting to read about Yvette and Ewan's tentative an unconventional courtship: they were both on the run and sometimes had to rely and trust each other to make it through the danger.

The conflict:
Danger surrounds both Yvette and Ewan. Yvette is trying to elude her stepbrother, Edward, who is after her fortune. She has survived two attempts of rape and has traveled from Boston to London.

Ewan is chasing after Edward but there is a group that is chasing after him: a mysterious Italian woman and her cohorts.

Add to this, Yvette is uncertain of Ewan's intentions. Does he want her for herself or for her money?

This is another point for the author: the conflict is sufficient to move the story forward and to make the readers turn the next page, wanting to find out what happens next. The pace is also very good -- not to fast that you can't catch your breath before the next exciting scene happens.

In fact, this book reads slow and leisurely -- but it is definitely not boring. Pages are maximized to expound on the development of the conflict as well as the relationship between Yvette and Ewan.

A small niggle:
The author builds up what a dangerous villain Edward is and how resourceful and clever he is -- but how his story was resolved was a bit odd.

My favorite part:
While the title of the book is Highlander's Hope, which led me to expect the story to be set in the Highlands, Yvette and Ewan actually don't travel to Scotland until the second part of the book -- but it is my favorite part. I enjoyed reading about the easy camaraderie in Ewan's family -- this is also where Yvette truly shines through and realizes the gift that is her inheritance.

Throughout the story, she has viewed her inheritance as a curse -- her stepbrother Edward was after it and countless fortune hunters have tried to ensnare her. Yvette had grown weary of her father's legacy to her -- but Scotland and Ewan's clan gave her direction.

She has run away countless times: from Boston to London, then to Sommerfield, before finding the place that could keep her safe: Scotland.

While this is a romance novel, the focus of the story is the journey Yvette takes in order to discover her purpose and her life and the role that Ewan would play in it.

A final point:
As series go, this one follows an interesting trajectory: Yvette and Ewan's story is first. Vangie and Ian's story is next (happens 2 years before Highlander's Hope) -- and the final story will be about Rory, Yvette's other stepbrother and Addy, Ewan's sister, which, I assume, happens after this story.

This was a solid first book for Collette Cameron, and I'm looking forward to the second book in her series.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the tour organizers for review purposes. Many thanks to Collette Cameron and to Goddess Fish Promotions for the opportunity. Yes, this is an honest review.

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About the author:

A life-long Oregonian, Collette Cameron was born and raised in a small town along the northern Oregon coast. Today she makes her home in a rural community, 30 minutes west of Portland. Her Victorian farmhouse sits on a one-acre certified wildlife habit, interspersed with a plethora of gardens: English, rose, butterfly, rock, water, and of course, vegetable.

A voracious reader of romance since her teens, she even named her daughter after a heroine in her favorite romance novel. An enthusiast of times gone by, and anything related to romance, she writes Historical Romance, with a dash of inspiration, a pinch of humor, and a liberal portion of suspense.

Having dabbled in interior decorating in her youth, Collette returned to school, graduating summa cum laude from Oregon State University, and going on to obtain her Master's Degree in Teaching. She is member of Romance Writers of America, Rose City Romance Writers, The Beau Monde, and Love Faith and Hope, Inc.

Some of Collette's favorite things include unique blends of coffees and teas, trivia, Cadbury Milk Chocolate, inspirational quotes, and scented candles. Her Christian faith, husband, three adult children, and five miniature dachshunds round out her life quite nicely! When she's not teaching or writing, she enjoys amateur photography, bird watching, gardening, interior decorating, rock-hunting, boating or fishing on the Columbia River, and reading.

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Links:

Website: http://collettecameron.com/
Blog: http://blueroseromance.com/
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/collettecameronauthor
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/collette.cameron.5
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Collette_Author
Google+: https://plus.google.com/110459897284342875390#110459897284342875390/posts
Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/collette-cameron/60/17a/667
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/colletteauthor/
Soul Mate Publishing Author's Blog: http://smpauthors.wordpress.com/

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Collette will be awarding a gift basket that include a gift card, blue rose tea cup, blue rose soap, vintage looking cameo pendant, shortbread, tea, and other goodies to a randomly drawn commenter during the tours.

To visit Collette's other stops, click here.