Highlander Most Wanted by Maya Banks
Narrator: Kirsten Potter
Series: The Montgomery's and Armstrongs #2
Also in this series: Never Seduce a Scot
Published by Random House, Ballantine on March 19, 2013
Genres: Historical, Romance
Point of View: Alternating Third Person
Pages: 352
Format: eBook, Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Length: 9 hours, 48 minutes
Add It: Goodreads

In Highlander Most Wanted, a reclusive woman content to live in the shadows shows a Highland warrior the true meaning of love.

Genevieve McInnes is locked behind the fortified walls of McHugh Keep, captive of a cruel laird who takes great pleasure in ruining her for any other man. Yet when Bowen Montgomery storms the gates on a mission of clan warfare, Genevieve finds that her spirit is bent but not broken. Still, her path toward freedom remains uncertain. Unable to bear the shame of returning to a family that believes her dead or to abandon others at the keep to an imposing new laird, Genevieve opts for the peaceful life of an abbess. But Bowen’s rugged sensuality stirs something deep inside her that longs to be awakened by his patient, gentle caress—something warm, wicked, and tempting.

Bowen seizes his enemy’s keep, unprepared for the brooding and reclusive woman who captures his heart. He’s enchanted by her fierce determination, her unusual beauty, and her quiet, unfailing strength. But wooing her will take more than a seasoned seducer’s skill. For loving Genevieve, he discovers, means giving her back the freedom that was stolen from her—even if it means losing her forever.

Highlander Most Wanted is the second book in Maya Banks’ Montgomery’s and Armstrongs series. It picks up right where the first book in this series, Never Seduce a Scot leaves off and that’s where Bowen and Teague Montgomery, along with Aidan and Brodie Armstrong march to the McHugh keep to seek revenge for the abduction and abuse of their sister, Eveline Montgomery.

Bowen is tasked with running Laird Patrick McHugh down and killing him before taking over the keep and all of the lands. He expected to come in, handle business and then check out but what he finds at the McHugh keep changes those plans. He finds a clan without leadership and a young woman who intrigues him.

Genevieve McInnis has lived through things no woman should live through and she has suffered so much in her short life and all she wants is freedom. She wants to live the rest of her life out in peace and she needs to get to an abbey to make sure that happens. She wasn’t expecting Bowen Montgomery to throw all of those plans out the window when she met him. But love doesn’t always ask your permission.

Rowena: Tasha, Shy, and I are back at it again with another group review of our book club book of the month. This month’s book was a continuation from last month’s book so let’s get to it, shall we?

Alright guys, what did you guys think? Yay or nay?

Tasha: Meh, it was okay this second time around for me. I’m a sucker for happy endings, so this gets a yay.

Rowena: You know, the first time that I read it (a couple of weeks ago), I really enjoyed it. I cried, my heart broke and I was super happy with the story and then I did a re-read of the book before book club and the book was a lot more problematic for me.

There were so many things that I didn’t buy reading it the second time around. But first, let’s discuss the characters. What did you think about Bowen and Genevieve?

I enjoyed both of their characters. Bowen was the knight in shining armor that Genevieve needed and Genevieve had gone through too many things for me to hate her. My karma wouldn’t let me hate her. LOL.

Tasha: I’m with you on Bowen. It was easy for me to like him. I mean, what wasn’t there to like. He was very handsome, came from a strong clan, close to his siblings and he seemed to be fair person. His character was pretty consistent.

My heart initially went out to Genevieve. I truly felt bad for her and all that was done to her. But as the story went on, there were some things about Genevieve that really got on my nerves.

Shy: My opinion is a little skewed because as much as I loved Bowen in the first book, I ready to gut him halfway into this book. It made me cringe at how much of an idiot Bowen was in this book.

Genevieve, omg I felt for her whole situation. Okay, maybe I wanted or needed to kick her upside her head a few times. Why in the hell did she feel the need to continuously help those aikaes (assholes) that constantly made her life hell? We’re all strong but at some point, I would have given in and skinned a few of them.

Like you both, there were just a few too many things that didn’t really make sense to me.

Rowena: My issues stemmed around the romance and the lack of resolution with the members of the McHugh clan.

After everything that Genevieve suffered at the hands of Ian McHugh, the constant rape and abuse that went on for over a year, I thought the romance with Bowen happened too fast to be believable. She had known Bowen for a matter of weeks before they started sleeping together and I just didn’t quite believe that nothing triggered her. It felt, to me, like she was healed by Bowen’s magic peen.

The other thing that bothered me was that nobody stood up for Genevieve the way that Graeme stood up for Eveline, especially after those awful women stoned her. It really bothered me that nothing of consequence was done before Bowen took her away to the Montgomery keep. My bloodthirsty ass wanted all of them bitches to pay.

Tasha: I guess that’s why I’m so mad at Genevieve. After all she suffered, why did she bother standing up for them? She didn’t owe them anything. Why didn’t she shoot her bows and arrows and drop assholes left and right? She didn’t have any problem laying Patrick out with her arrows? Why not everyone else?

Remember how upset I was at Graeme for letting his clan mistreat Eveline for so long? The thing is, those people were Graeme’s people. The McHughs weren’t Bowen’s people. These guys swooped in and took over their clan. Bowen didn’t know those people, he didn’t know if he could trust Genevieve. There was no way he could demand the bullying and name calling to stop. For Graeme, he was Laird. His people were obligated to obey him. I don’t think Bowen, Brodie, or Teague had it like that. Not yet, at least.

Rowena: Sure, it was a different situation but they certainly could have been handled it in exactly the same way. Bowen had proclaimed himself their Laird until Graeme came along to take over so for all intents and purposes, Bowen was the boss. His word was law, and he should have reprimanded and handed out consequences to all of those women and men for the treatment of an innocent woman. Especially the women that freaking stoned her. By then, he knew and was in love with her, he should have taken the time to flay those bitches alive for hurting Genevieve before they left for Montgomery keep. He was too busy healing her with his magic peen though.

Too many things didn’t add up for me that I don’t feel I could give this book a higher grade than 3.25 but I did enjoy the friendships between Gen and Taliesan, and Gen, Eveline and Rorie.

Tasha: LOL at magic peen.

Shy: LOL, Mr. I got the magic stick.

Exactly. He held the authority to be judge, jury and executioner. I didn’t understand why he tried to cut them the benefit of the doubt after glimpsing how vile they were toward Genevieve.

I will say what brought be back around to really loving the book was when she reunited with her family. OMG I love her dad and her mom. But I found myself so irritated with Bowen, I felt like he should have went with her the first time. I would have made up some bloody excuse, knowing all that she’s gone through and that you love her, no one would have faulted him for the extra assurance if we went. But no the ai kae waited for her to ride back in all her pregnant glory.

Tasha: Her being reunited with the family was very sweet of Bowen. I can only imagine how hard it was for him to reach out to them. But the ultimate for me was their reaction when they saw her. They cried tears of joy and embraced her. Ahhhhhhh, loved that part!!!

Final Grade

Shy: 4 out of 5
Tasha: 3.75-4 out of 5
Rowena: 3.25 out of 5

The Montgomery’s and Armstrong’s Series