A HIGHLANDER'S HEART (Highland Knights, Book 1) Jennifer Haymore

There are almost no words to express how much I love this woman's writing. I am always left in awe of Jennifer Haymore and even more-so now that I have read this novella that is filled with so much emotion I feel like I have been through a war.

Lady Claire Campbell told her husband that she hated him and she never wanted to see him again. Heeding his wife's revelation, he is sent to the Continent with the Highland Guard to fight Napoleon's army. Herself in pain, Claire practically tears out Robert's heart and stomps on it when she bids him to leave.

Major Sir Robert Campbell had been a simple Scotsman before he saved Wellington himself and was given a title. He then married Claire, who before this was out of his league socially until given the title. He thought they got on well until a tragedy happens that causes a rift the pair have no idea how to deal with. Rob has the army that calls him and he must obey, his honor insists upon it. When he is injured in battle he awakens on the bloody field to a sight he never thought he would never envision again. 

Claire knew that she should never have shouted the words she did to her husband before he went off to a battle he could potentially never return from. The guilt weighs so on her that she takes her sister and a maid on a quest to France, to the battlefield, to find Rob and apologize for her words. When Rob awakens and begins to recover from a terrible blow to his head, he cannot believe Claire has come to him and he can't fathom her intentions. After all that passed between them in the last year, he is wary of Claire since her words seemed so bitter and final. 

Upon returning to England, Rob has been given orders by his superiors that have him and his men stumped. Instead of reporting to the War Office, they have been given instructions to appear at the Home Office where they are presented with an offer he and the men find hard to refuse, but it will forever change their lives. Once alone with Claire, Rob and she flip back into the comfort of their missing intimacy only to repeat the pain of the year before. 

All Claire wanted was for Rob to care about what she went through, to mourn for the loss that so affected her. When she once again tells him to leave her alone and he does as asked, she feels all is lost. Rob must come to terms with his emotions and those of his wife, who he left so emotionally distraught, he doesn't know how or if they will recover.

Yes, A HIGHLANDER'S HEART by Jennifer Haymore is a novella, so eloquent and so complete, it tugs at your very heartstrings and doesn't let go. This story runs the gamut of emotions before being at ease in the end. Both characters are so wounded by a tragedy that no one should ever face. Claire's words hurt her husband more than she could ever understand and when she finally does, getting Rob to actually believe her apology is a journey in itself. Rob's total misunderstanding of Claire's pain and the way they both deal with it, makes this a compelling read, one that I most highly recommend. Jennifer Haymore is one of my favorite authors and I want more from this very talented author. 

~KIMBERLY~