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unikornreads's review against another edition
3.0
Setting: Scotland, 1309-10
Most of time during reading I spent it feeling infuriated with the heroine, Lady Mary of Mar. I get it once upon a time she's suffered and traumatized a lot but then it doesn't mean she gets to easily make assumptions and quick to judge just because she wanted to protect her said fragile, vulnerable heart. Then, she had a nerve to put a blame on others when she's the first who started it and made it a big fuss. Besides, she has a little understanding on whatsoever, has little faith on person she claimed she cares, and thinks that world only revolves around her, that her life matters most and indirectly, she could say "Screw others."
I'm allergic to people like Lady Mary because no matter how fucked up, screwed up your life, you just don't have the privilege to treat people just like the way Lady Mary treated Kenneth. I know Kenneth wasn't a nice person at first. In fact, I hated him in previous book because he's such a jerk and hot-tempered but he's a different person now. He's changed. He's a nice person and he, too, is struggled controlling his temper. At least, there's progress. It may looks like a karma to have Lady Mary as his other half but TBH she just don't deserve him.
I thought Lady Helen in the previous book is the most annoying character in this series. Who knew it's Lady Mary's the top worst by far. I hope there's no more heroine like these two in the next book or I'll becoming wary to continue this series. Great warriors but sadly, their other halves are such prissy missy.
Anyway, the plot was rather boring. It focused more on romance between Kenneth and Lady Mary, which didn't impress me because I was quite pissed with the lady all time. The action scenes are amazing. Sadly, it occurred sometimes. To compare this book with the previous first two books, this one can't beat them because if recall, the books had a lot of combat scenes and I loved them. That was what I was expecting in this book after The Saint flunked. Unfortunately, The Recruit flunked too. I'm disappointed.
Read on your own peril.
Final verdict: 2.5 rounds-up to 3 stars
Most of time during reading I spent it feeling infuriated with the heroine, Lady Mary of Mar. I get it once upon a time she's suffered and traumatized a lot but then it doesn't mean she gets to easily make assumptions and quick to judge just because she wanted to protect her said fragile, vulnerable heart. Then, she had a nerve to put a blame on others when she's the first who started it and made it a big fuss. Besides, she has a little understanding on whatsoever, has little faith on person she claimed she cares, and thinks that world only revolves around her, that her life matters most and indirectly, she could say "Screw others."
I'm allergic to people like Lady Mary because no matter how fucked up, screwed up your life, you just don't have the privilege to treat people just like the way Lady Mary treated Kenneth. I know Kenneth wasn't a nice person at first. In fact, I hated him in previous book because he's such a jerk and hot-tempered but he's a different person now. He's changed. He's a nice person and he, too, is struggled controlling his temper. At least, there's progress. It may looks like a karma to have Lady Mary as his other half but TBH she just don't deserve him.
I thought Lady Helen in the previous book is the most annoying character in this series. Who knew it's Lady Mary's the top worst by far. I hope there's no more heroine like these two in the next book or I'll becoming wary to continue this series. Great warriors but sadly, their other halves are such prissy missy.
Anyway, the plot was rather boring. It focused more on romance between Kenneth and Lady Mary, which didn't impress me because I was quite pissed with the lady all time. The action scenes are amazing. Sadly, it occurred sometimes. To compare this book with the previous first two books, this one can't beat them because if recall, the books had a lot of combat scenes and I loved them. That was what I was expecting in this book after The Saint flunked. Unfortunately, The Recruit flunked too. I'm disappointed.
Read on your own peril.
Final verdict: 2.5 rounds-up to 3 stars
cifritz's review against another edition
5.0
I think this was my favorite so far. Very well written and entirely realistic. I highly recommend it.
romancejunkie1025's review against another edition
5.0
This book was extremely enjoyable despite wanting to reach into it several times to slap Kenneth in the head. Mary was one of those characters you start feeling a little ho-hum about but in the end you love her and you know she is perfect for Kenneth. The love between them is tried again and again and is forged even stronger for all the fire they must walk through. You also get to see some of your favorite members of the guard from previous novels and their wonderful wives. I am very much looking forward to reading more about king Robert’s trials and battle for kingship and the Highland Guard that are set to make him a part of history.
for full review see my blog at http://romancewitchreviews.blogspot.com/2012/11/review-recruit.html
for full review see my blog at http://romancewitchreviews.blogspot.com/2012/11/review-recruit.html
bookloverchelle's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely adore Monica McCarty. She writes such all encompassing romances that, as she describes, even sticks close to historical fact. She just spices it up a little bit. The Recruit continues the fabulous Highland Guard series. This is book six so I don’t recommend starting with this story unless you know your Scottish history. I loved how the story between Kenneth and Mary developed. Ms. McCarty did not shy away from how their story began, it was a little naughty. These were two fiercely dedicated individuals who unfortunately were on opposite sides. Kenneth was fighting for the Scottish king while Mary just wanted to make sure that her son stayed safe even though that landed him on English soil. I did feel like there was a little too much back and forth about Mary’s reluctance to her union with Kenneth. I got the point, I wished they moved on a little sooner. Other than that, another rich story in a wonderful series.
ameretet's review against another edition
2.0
BLARGH. Heroine was too wishy washy and instead of coming across as fighting for what she wanted she came across as TSTL.
sharonwb's review against another edition
5.0
This is probably my favorite book in the series so far. Very spicy, unusual meet cute. Hero pursues heroine very possessive add in a baby and there you go! Yum!
scoutmomskf's review against another edition
4.0
Good book. This is the first of this series I have read, and though reading the others would help with information about the other characters, it's not necessary. I really enjoyed the setting of the book as I haven't read many from this time period. The characters were well done and I liked learning more of this time in Scotland's history.
Mary has had a rough life so far and she's only twenty-six years old. She was married at fourteen to a man older than she was. She idolized him, as a warrior and a hero. But he was a terrible husband. He never stopped seeing her as his child bride, even as she got older. She tries everything she can think of to get him to fall in love with her. Her love for him is destroyed when she discovers that he's far more interested in other women than in her. Then he changes sides in the war, causing the king to take her infant son from her, and eventually ends up hanged for treason. Her sister comes to England to try to take her back to Scotland, with disastrous results, and Mary is stuck in England. She is determined to survive, and also that she will not marry again and put herself in the same position. She is also finally in the same place as her son, who is a squire, and getting to know him again. Then she is sent to Scotland with a delegation working on a truce, and asked to spy on the Bruce who was her brother-in-law. There she meets Kenneth Sutherland, who really shakes up her life. She discovers that he's being put forward as a husband for her. She's not interested, she finds him far too much like her late husband to want him for a husband.
Kenneth is a second son who is tired of coming in second to everyone and everything. He is determined to earn a place in the Highland Guard. He has an excellent chance at it, if he can just keep his temper and his attention on what he's doing. A chance encounter with Mary is a distraction he doesn't need, but he's determined to get her where he wants her. When he succeeds in his seduction, it leaves a greater impression than he expected, and a distraction at just the wrong time. He ends up losing the competition that would secure his place in the Guard. Not only that, he discovers that Mary isn't just some maid, she's the woman that the Bruce wants him to marry. He's not wild about the idea of being married at all.
From there, Kenneth and Mary part ways, never expecting to see each other again. Kenneth gets a second chance at the Guard, undergoing rigorous training, but not able to forget Mary. Meanwhile, she returns to England, with a secret she's not sure what she's going to do about, also unable to forget that incredible encounter with Kenneth. But Fate isn't done with them yet, and Kenneth's first mission for the Guard has him right back in Mary's life.
This is where it gets really interesting. The attraction between Mary and Kenneth is just as hot as ever. When Kenneth discovers the secret she's been keeping, he is determined to marry her. He's got a big secret of his own that he's keeping from her, and as time goes on it begins to weigh on him. He looks at their marriage as a way for him to gain her love and therefore make her willing to do what he needs her to do. He's not used to having to work for a woman's attentions and it was rather sweet to see the lengths that he went to in order to win her. But Mary still has the same trust issues regarding Kenneth's ability to be faithful and to protect her. As the weeks go on, they get closer. Mary tentatively starts to believe in Kenneth and finds that she has lost her heart in spite of all her efforts. Kenneth was only supposed to concentrate on his mission, not get sucked into marriage and love. His overprotectiveness and jealousy get him into some trouble both with Mary and with his team.
There was so much intrigue and secret keeping that I kept wondering what was going to happen next. The initial interactions between Kenneth and Mary, which only seemed to reinforce Mary's opinion of him, were hot enough to scorch the pages, but didn't look promising for a happy outcome. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the training that Kenneth went through and the grief that he got from the Guard members went a long way toward increasing his maturity. When he was in England he had to call on that maturity to stay on task, not an easy thing for him to do, especially as things really started to heat up. Mary also had some growing up to do, as she began to realize that maybe there was more to Kenneth than she had previously believed. She had to face her growing feelings for Kenneth and decide if she was going to trust him or not. And then there were the things that Kenneth was trying to discover for the Bruce while maintaining his cover. This became more difficult with his marriage, because he made an enemy of one of Mary's suitors. The final showdown was heartpounding in its intensity, and the happy ending for Mary and Kenneth perfect for them.
Mary has had a rough life so far and she's only twenty-six years old. She was married at fourteen to a man older than she was. She idolized him, as a warrior and a hero. But he was a terrible husband. He never stopped seeing her as his child bride, even as she got older. She tries everything she can think of to get him to fall in love with her. Her love for him is destroyed when she discovers that he's far more interested in other women than in her. Then he changes sides in the war, causing the king to take her infant son from her, and eventually ends up hanged for treason. Her sister comes to England to try to take her back to Scotland, with disastrous results, and Mary is stuck in England. She is determined to survive, and also that she will not marry again and put herself in the same position. She is also finally in the same place as her son, who is a squire, and getting to know him again. Then she is sent to Scotland with a delegation working on a truce, and asked to spy on the Bruce who was her brother-in-law. There she meets Kenneth Sutherland, who really shakes up her life. She discovers that he's being put forward as a husband for her. She's not interested, she finds him far too much like her late husband to want him for a husband.
Kenneth is a second son who is tired of coming in second to everyone and everything. He is determined to earn a place in the Highland Guard. He has an excellent chance at it, if he can just keep his temper and his attention on what he's doing. A chance encounter with Mary is a distraction he doesn't need, but he's determined to get her where he wants her. When he succeeds in his seduction, it leaves a greater impression than he expected, and a distraction at just the wrong time. He ends up losing the competition that would secure his place in the Guard. Not only that, he discovers that Mary isn't just some maid, she's the woman that the Bruce wants him to marry. He's not wild about the idea of being married at all.
From there, Kenneth and Mary part ways, never expecting to see each other again. Kenneth gets a second chance at the Guard, undergoing rigorous training, but not able to forget Mary. Meanwhile, she returns to England, with a secret she's not sure what she's going to do about, also unable to forget that incredible encounter with Kenneth. But Fate isn't done with them yet, and Kenneth's first mission for the Guard has him right back in Mary's life.
This is where it gets really interesting. The attraction between Mary and Kenneth is just as hot as ever. When Kenneth discovers the secret she's been keeping, he is determined to marry her. He's got a big secret of his own that he's keeping from her, and as time goes on it begins to weigh on him. He looks at their marriage as a way for him to gain her love and therefore make her willing to do what he needs her to do. He's not used to having to work for a woman's attentions and it was rather sweet to see the lengths that he went to in order to win her. But Mary still has the same trust issues regarding Kenneth's ability to be faithful and to protect her. As the weeks go on, they get closer. Mary tentatively starts to believe in Kenneth and finds that she has lost her heart in spite of all her efforts. Kenneth was only supposed to concentrate on his mission, not get sucked into marriage and love. His overprotectiveness and jealousy get him into some trouble both with Mary and with his team.
There was so much intrigue and secret keeping that I kept wondering what was going to happen next. The initial interactions between Kenneth and Mary, which only seemed to reinforce Mary's opinion of him, were hot enough to scorch the pages, but didn't look promising for a happy outcome. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the training that Kenneth went through and the grief that he got from the Guard members went a long way toward increasing his maturity. When he was in England he had to call on that maturity to stay on task, not an easy thing for him to do, especially as things really started to heat up. Mary also had some growing up to do, as she began to realize that maybe there was more to Kenneth than she had previously believed. She had to face her growing feelings for Kenneth and decide if she was going to trust him or not. And then there were the things that Kenneth was trying to discover for the Bruce while maintaining his cover. This became more difficult with his marriage, because he made an enemy of one of Mary's suitors. The final showdown was heartpounding in its intensity, and the happy ending for Mary and Kenneth perfect for them.