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A review by torilovesheas
The Chief by Monica McCarty
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Love finding a new Highlander series. Love it even more when it has that 90’s HisRom feel!
McCarty did her research on this one and managed to combine a fully fleshed out romance with the complexities of Robert the Bruce era political machinations and it was fantastic. Forced marriage due to trickery? Check. A big ole Highlander falling ass over head into love with his tiny wife? Check check. A special group of warriors training to be Robert the Bruce’s secret weapons? You got it, baby.
Sometimes I want a feminist angle in my HisRoms and sometimes I just want that old school feel where he’s in love and mad about it and she’s going to win him over if it kills her. But that doesn’t mean that Christina isn’t a force all her own. She’s smart. She can read. She wants to help her husband succeed. And she’s determined to make their marriage work. I loved her, even if she was a bit more naive at times than I wanted. For a survivor of domestic violence at the hands of her father, I think her resilience is admirable.
The main theme in here is disillusionment. Tor believes he has to put clan and country first and had no place for love. Christina believes in Lancelot and Guinevere and chivalric love. And they both have to let go of those ideals and meet in the middle to be happy. And boy howdy is it a push/pull to get there. But I think the subtle ways that Tor shows he’s losing that control and the way Christina keeps trying after falling down is realistic for a time period where battle hardened warriors really do have to put their people first in such a heightened political atmosphere.
My only complaint is the way it drags in the middle. At 400 pages, there’s a lot of training going on (which is necessary for later books) but can be a bit boring and repetitive unless you like that in your romance. But I think if you’re setting up a 12 book series with special secret warriors defending Scotland, it has to be in there. Just maybe a little less balanced than I would have liked.
CW: attempted SA of FMC (not by MMC), general violence, kidnapping, murder (non graphic), death of parents (off page, but described), rape (not of MCs, off page, but discussed)
McCarty did her research on this one and managed to combine a fully fleshed out romance with the complexities of Robert the Bruce era political machinations and it was fantastic. Forced marriage due to trickery? Check. A big ole Highlander falling ass over head into love with his tiny wife? Check check. A special group of warriors training to be Robert the Bruce’s secret weapons? You got it, baby.
Sometimes I want a feminist angle in my HisRoms and sometimes I just want that old school feel where he’s in love and mad about it and she’s going to win him over if it kills her. But that doesn’t mean that Christina isn’t a force all her own. She’s smart. She can read. She wants to help her husband succeed. And she’s determined to make their marriage work. I loved her, even if she was a bit more naive at times than I wanted. For a survivor of domestic violence at the hands of her father, I think her resilience is admirable.
The main theme in here is disillusionment. Tor believes he has to put clan and country first and had no place for love. Christina believes in Lancelot and Guinevere and chivalric love. And they both have to let go of those ideals and meet in the middle to be happy. And boy howdy is it a push/pull to get there. But I think the subtle ways that Tor shows he’s losing that control and the way Christina keeps trying after falling down is realistic for a time period where battle hardened warriors really do have to put their people first in such a heightened political atmosphere.
My only complaint is the way it drags in the middle. At 400 pages, there’s a lot of training going on (which is necessary for later books) but can be a bit boring and repetitive unless you like that in your romance. But I think if you’re setting up a 12 book series with special secret warriors defending Scotland, it has to be in there. Just maybe a little less balanced than I would have liked.
CW: attempted SA of FMC (not by MMC), general violence, kidnapping, murder (non graphic), death of parents (off page, but described), rape (not of MCs, off page, but discussed)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Violence