This is the second installment of the Montgomery/Armstrong series. The first book being Never Seduce a Scot: The Montgomerys and Armstrongs . This is Bowen Montgomery and Genevieve McInnis's story.

While traveling with her many escorts en route to her betrothed, Genevieve McInnis is kidnapped and taken prisoner by Ian McHugh (from book #1). Her entire escort is slaughtered. She is forced to be Ian's mistress, suffering untold abuse and humiliation. She's treated worse than an animal. All ...

This is the second installment of the Montgomery/Armstrong series. The first book being Never Seduce a Scot: The Montgomerys and Armstrongs . This is Bowen Montgomery and Genevieve McInnis's story.

While traveling with her many escorts en route to her betrothed, Genevieve McInnis is kidnapped and taken prisoner by Ian McHugh (from book #1). Her entire escort is slaughtered. She is forced to be Ian's mistress, suffering untold abuse and humiliation. She's treated worse than an animal. All because she repeatedly refused Ian McHugh's advances at Court. She barely survives her year long imprisonment, until evil Ian McHugh is murdered.

Now, just a shell of her former self, Genevieve decides the Convent is her only option left to her. After all, she is ruined. She is numb to Ian's Clan, who were encouraged to humiliate her. Her spirit has left her...she is a ghost of her former self, resigned to her fate...until she is rescued by Bowen Montgomery.

Bowen is the second of three sons. His brother, Graeme, is Laird of the Montgomery Clan and Bowen is his right arm. Bowen is everything strong...he is, after all, a Scottish Highlander Warrior. He also falls hard for Genevieve and begins to regret his womanizing reputation....the casual way he bed hopped with various women. He begins to regret his past dalliances and lack of respect shown to past conquests...especially in view of what disrespect Genevieve has endured. Bowen begins to realize he's treated women similarly to how Genevieve has been treated....like whores.

But Genevieve changes Bowen. He wants to be worthy of her. He wants to be a better man...all for her. He's determined to win her heart.

This story was simply sweet and very succinct. That is, no great drama or conflict. It's all about saving Genevieve. There's a few times her self-loathing became a bit tedious...but then I had to remind myself all that she's endured...and survived...and I was back on track with all the "whys" for her extreme low self esteem and lack of respect for herself. There are a few times that Bowen is called "Brodie"...but I'm not one to let a type-o get me down or hold me back. I knew whom Ms. Banks was talking about.

If you're looking for a simple cut-and-dried plot, you'll enjoy this story.

If you haven't read book 1 yet, I think you should start there. Don't miss that story, it was a five-star romance for me, and this story picks up where that one leaves off. I'm not a stickler on reading a series in order, but I think you need to read book 1 and get to know these two families, who all the brothers are, and get the idea of what sets the stage for this current story, which is a good, solid second entry in the series. It carries on that same feeling of true romance, longing and a...

If you haven't read book 1 yet, I think you should start there. Don't miss that story, it was a five-star romance for me, and this story picks up where that one leaves off. I'm not a stickler on reading a series in order, but I think you need to read book 1 and get to know these two families, who all the brothers are, and get the idea of what sets the stage for this current story, which is a good, solid second entry in the series. It carries on that same feeling of true romance, longing and affection between h/H and continues with the same idea of the imperfect but resilient heroine.

I love to read imperfect/scarred characters like Genevieve. She's scarred physically and emotionally; she's been held captive for the past year, treated no better than a dog, abused and raped, called wh0re, and disfigured with a facial scar from temple to mouth. Her face has been ruined, but her spirit has not. And this is what I liked about Genevieve: she is a survivor. You don't know how I longed for her to have a champion, and she finally gets that in Bowen. If ever a woman needed a protector, a man to fight for her, it is Genevieve. She's been fighting all on her own, but what woman doesn't need a man who can stand up and say that enough is enough? Bowen wants Genevieve no matter her past, no matter what she's been called, or what she'd been forced to do.

His interaction with Genevieve is tender and sweet, very romantic, and the love scenes were gentle and caring. Not hard, but soft and slow. At about the halfway mark is when I really started feeling that connection and the romance between h/H. I think I would have liked that feeling earlier on, but I think Bowen's mistrust made sense in the very beginning. Not that I liked it, as I was always completely on Genevieve's side and got a little frustrated that some characters weren't seeing just how much she had truly suffered. I love a heroine who can make me outraged and angry enough to cry over her mistreatment, and I needed Bowen to defend her, and he does do that. When he fell, he fell hard and was willing to give up his happiness in order to make hers complete.

It's Genevieve who steals the show for me. Her character is a scene-stealer, her story a heart-breaker, and, for me, she even outshines Bowen. While he comes through in true-knight style, especially in those last few chapters, which were all about sacrifice and love, it's Genevieve who made me care and who made me cry. Just a really sweet and perfectly imperfect heroine. I love a damaged heroine who feels unworthy but ends up with the man who sees everything good and worthy and special about her. A great heroine and a very good read, very romantic with the abused but strong heroine finding her HEA.

Book 1 Never Seduce a Scot: The Montgomerys and Armstrongs
Book 2 Highlander Most Wanted
Book 3 Highland Ever After: The Montgomerys and Armstrongs