I enjoyed McCarty's previous trilogies (Campbell Trilogy and MacLeod Trilogy) and decided picking up this novel wouldn't be so bad. I was pleasantly surprised because McCarty pushes the boldness of these Highlander's a little further than previous book and they feel more intense as does the love between them and their heroine. 
 Tormod MacLeod actually turns out to be an ancestor of a Highlander from her MacLeod Trilogy which make it kind of fun in that it happens in the same location but at different points in history. Sure it is a romance and so the moments that come up can be kind of out there and at times it is typical romance but my biggest love of anything McCarty does is that she tries to us a lot of history while also creating a completely independent story and romance. 
 We don't know what Tormod was actually like but he was real and his wife was Christina. So in this story McCarty gives us her take on their love story which is supposedly real in some regard. I think she did great with Tormod and made him pretty interesting while also making him completely out of tune with his emotions or heart. Still he was a great hero for the story. 
 Christina seems a little less interesting as she appears to pin all her hopes and dreams on her man and his ability to love her. But I tried to remember that back then it was the lot of a woman and to have love in a marriage to a Chieftain or Laird was probably a rarity. Her curiosity and her ability to get herself into trouble are funny at times. 
 The whole loves story turns very hot though and I think McCarty did a fantastic job scorching the pages.