Conquered by the Highlander (Conquered Bride, #1) by Eliza Knight

Conquered by the Highlander (Conquered Bride, #1) Reviews

• 
  Katy

  1.5 very confused stars.
  This book was just...frustrating.
  For one thing, I went into this book only having read the amazon reviews. Big mistake. Everyone on amazon absolutely loved it. Really loved it. I, however, did not.
  There were some very promising elements to it. The two main characters had chemistry. The hero, while being a man of his time (and therefore very sexist, but hey, I get it), was in some ways, adorable. He was great with the children, he winked a lot, liked to smile. All good things. He was strangely brutish at first, but comes around fairly quickly. But from there on out, it's just cruelty heaped upon more cruelty. Which is where the frustration comes in.
  Lady Brenna's many years of abuse (abuse is just almost putting it too mildly) is too recent and happened to often for me to believe she would so quickly be able to move on and live trauma free. I mean, don't get me wrong, I wanted here to move and on and live a happy life, I wanted it desperately. It was wasn't written in a believable way for me. Then after 15 years of constant abuse, add a little sprinkle of being tied to a column in an abbey and whipped in front of your family and few others with a little splash of threats of more rape and you have a an incredibly depressing read. I'm all about H/h that have dealt with incredible trauma and learned to love again but this just went too far to really be believable. Most books that have characters subjected to this kind of abuse have more than a few weeks to deal with the issues that come along with years of constant raping (the first being at the age of 12 and in front of an audience) and beating and every other kind of cruelty her insane husband could think of. She is obviously wary of men, but decides to ignore this because the hero made her feel "tingly". Just...no.
  
  
  And then, the writing. I have read a few books by this author and have really enjoyed them. I know she can write. This one was just a miss. There was the strange juxtaposition of modern idioms/phrases with the (appropriately) antiquated speech. Having a book filled with "ye"s and "aye"s ( once again, I get that it's appropriate for 13th century Scotland) right along with "rock her world" and "put a damper on" was just jarring. The book was filled with oddly modern turns of phrases thought and said by characters that would never think that way.
  Despite all this, I plan to read the next one, in fact, I look forward to it. Here's to hoping the next one is better!
  
  
• 
  Becky

  Ok read, not one of Eliza knight's best. This book holds a ALOT of heartache, rape(though not descriptive) brutality and just plain cruelty that for me was hard to over look and enjoy the story and characters. Brenna was subjected to such abuse and cruelty that it was difficult to see her being able to love and lead a normal life with Gabriel. This book tells so much of the negative side of this story, barely hits and builds on the connection between our H/h then wham bam married, one sex scene the end. Literally the end right after the marriage is consummated. After all the negative, after all the back and fourth of Will she (Brenna) won't she open her heart to love after it being beat, broken, shattered and ran over, that's it...no good times, no seeing the couple as a couple just again boom married the end. This was an epic fail as far as Highland romances goes, at least IMO. The romance, little, the good times few but the bad ran rapid! Last Chapter is the HEA, no epilogue. 1 1/2 stars :(
• 
  Sheryl C. Nash

  *4.5 stars*
• 
  Barbee

  This is book one in the USA Today Bestselling, award winning author Eliza Knight, in her brand new "The Conquered Bride" series and fans like myself of her previous Stolen Bride series will be delighted to know the is spin off of that series.
  
  Isle of Skye, Scorrybreac Castle, October 1290: This book starts in the prologue as 12 year old Lady Brenna MacNeacail and her twin sister Lady Kirstin whose castle is under attack by Clan MacLeod little does she nor her sister are aware is that both her parents are dead and all their warriors as well. Her governess tries to get the twins to safety but is murdered on the way by Ronald MacLeod who tells a terrified Brenna is to be his wife! Brenna is shocked, thinking she is way to young to a wife, yet in truth then thinks he must mean a betrothal contract. Kirstin is hiding behind rock. When Brenna's cousin Finn shows up and Kirstin shows herself Ronald is shocked! There is two of them, but then decision made he puts a sword to her throat that he cruelly presses until some Brenna's blood trickles out from her neck and threatens to kill her if they don't leave! There really is no choice for her cousin though he does promise he will be back to save her, a promise that is never kept.
  
  Isle of Skye
  Dunakin Castle June, 1305
  
  This is the home of Laird Gabriel "Wolf" MacKinnon who has just received word from Chief Lamont his enemy man who stole the woman he loved ten years ago and he has never loved who felt for any woman since but still will do anything his former beloved Ceana Montgomery. She has asked him to rescue her cousin Brenna MacNeacail MacLeod who has been imprisoned with her four children for the past month, well since she murdered her evil abusive husband Ronald who she was forced to marry at age twelve. Not in name only but actually a forced consummation as well at age twelve too. When Lamont mentions he should marry her Gabriel thinks she must an old way past her prime and plus whose to say she wouldn't murder him in his sleep! No thank you he thinks though at 36 he knows her need a wife and an heir. It just won't be a woman with a broad of four children past her prime so he thinks. He is curious why her brother by marriage Thomas MacLeod has never brought murder charges against her and have her executed as would be the case.
  
  Thomas MacLeod has his own agenda and is even worse then her husband Ronald was, more evil and cruel as they have been loving on only rations of bread and water this past month, Brenna fears he will kill all her children to take lairdship away from her sons and daughter. He tells people he is there for guardianship of Theo to teach him what needs to be done to be a Laird until he is of age. There is also a treasure that Brenna and her children are keeping a secret, though she knows Thomas is searching and would steal it if he knew where it was hidden. Plus all their lives would be forfeit and she knows she has to escape this prison with all her children and soon!
  
  Of course at this point Gabriel is not aware though he has heard rumors of how petite Brenna is and is expecting a much older woman as well. Of course when he sees the beautiful 27 year old Brenna sparks fly, but not only physically, but mentally as well. He loves her stubbornness and fiery temper. It is fun to watch this couple go hot and cold and how innocent Brenna truly is, but how fierce she is when it comes to her children and her beloved dog Snow who is also the best guard she has. Also how Gabriel wins over her children and even Snow of course being a handsome, fierce and powerful but good man and highlander made me sigh a lot during this read as you can't help but love this man, I found this book very emotional as well so have that box of Kleenex nearby but of course that means your so absorbed in an exceptional read. I always consider that actually a great thing when a book can get that much emotions out of me.
  
  This book is a definitely a page turner, beautifully, superbly written, riveting tale you won't be able to put down! "Conquered by the Highlander" will have the reader totally absorbed, as it will have you both captivated and mesmerized, believe me I know I was! It has all the elements we want in a beautiful Scottish historical romance. Of course as an avid animal lover, I love when author puts pets into their stories,plus all the elements like mystery, suspense, unrequited love, hate, betrayal, attraction, honor, denial, fear, love and more that make it a joy to read that this book had in spades!
  
  I absolutely and unequivocally loved and highly recommend "Conquered by the Highlander" (book one if The Conquered Bride series) by Eliza Knight. It is a book you definitely don't want to miss! ~B.
  
  
  Other Books by Eliza Knight by series name
  * Readers can read any of Ms. Knight's books as a stand alone book or of course in series order too.
  
  1.The Stolen Bride Series
  2. The Highland Bound Trilogy
  3. Highland Wars Series
  4. Tales from the Tudor Court
  
  Anthologies with Eliza Knight
  
  1. Kissing The Highlander: with Terri Brisbin, Vonda Sinclair, Terry Spear, Victoria Roberts, and Willa Blair
  
  2. Celtic Hearts: with Tanya Ann Crosby, Suzan Tisdale, Margaret Mallory and Kathryn Le Veque
  
  3. With Dreams Only You: with Christi Caldwell, Kathryn Le Veque, Suzan Tisdale, Cynthia Wright and Eva Devon
  
  4. Medieval Lovers: with Laurel O'Donnell, Catherine Kean and Denise Domning
  
• 
  Rellim

  This is my first experience with Eliza Knight. It definitely won’t be my last. I binged the first 3 books of the Conquered Bride series in just a few days. My understanding is that this is a spin-off from Knight’s Stolen Bride series, however I didn’t feel I was missing anything by jumping in here.
  
  It’s important to note that this involves some pretty heavy subject matter. While most happen in the past and are reflected upon or revealed during conversation – topics include kidnappings, sexual assault of a child, and long-term mental and physical abuse.
  
  This is a slow burn in that, while there’s attraction, it takes almost the entire book for Gabriel and Brenna to come together as a couple, emotionally and physically. Gabriel is nursing a broken heart, for over ten years. Brenna is coming out of an abusive marriage, one she’s suspecting of ending through murder, and her greatest priority is her children. I liked the way Gabriel came around, sort of mentally kicking & screaming though, and especially his connection and care for Brenna’s children. While I was tempted to be annoyed with Brenna’s stubbornness, it’s hard not to be impressed with her maternal tenacity given that she’s been under someone’s despotic rule since she was 12.
  
  I wish the ending held a little more substance to reinforce this as an HEA versus an HFN, but it was overall an enjoyable listen. I immediately dove into Seduced by the Laird.
  
  I loved Antony Ferguson’s narration. It was a little interesting that his personal British accent was used for all the main parts and then he used a Scottish accent for all the dialogue. Honestly though, I think it actually made it easier to keep everyone’s conversations straight. Ferguson’s voices and inflections were perfect. He also has a fantastic voice for women & children.
• 
  Stormi (StormReads)

  I was in the mood for a romance so I decided on Conquered by the Highlander, I love a good Highlander romance. :) Eliza Knight is new to me but she didn't let me down as I enjoyed this one.
  
  Brenna was taken as a child to wed after they had been invaded and she was always treated horribly by her husband. Now her husband is dead and she is being accused of murdering him and being held captive along with her four children.
  
  Gabriel is in charge of rescuing Brenna and her children and finds Brenna to be a bit more feisty than he would have thought. On their way back to his castle her kids bond with Gabriel and really come out of their shells, especially her eldest as he wants to learn to be a warrior. He is the one who should be stepping up as the newest Laird, but her husband's brother was preventing that.
  
  Conquered by the Highlander was a sweet historical romance with a sexy highlander and a feisty female and at times I wasn't sure who was conquering who. ;) I feel it was just what I needed to give my audio listening a nice reboot.
• 
  Space Cowgirl

  First Love 💘, Only Love
  
  ADULT Highlander 🐺💪🔪Romance 💕and Adventure🔪
  Hate to Love 💘, Eventually....
  Early 1300s, Scotland.
  This is a story of Brenna,💃💔 the horribly abused young wife of the evil Laird MacLeod.👺 He married her when she is only twelve and is cruel and mean to both her and the four children she has By him. Fifteen years later and the cruel laird👺 is dead. His clan assumes she was the one who bludgeoned him with a fire poker, but did she?
  
  Laird Gabriel MacKinnon🐺🍆���💪🔪 goes to rescue her, and the fireworks begin. Brenna💃💔 assumes all men are evil and cruel like her late husband. How could she know any different?
  
  This book takes place during the early 1300s, while Robert the Bruce👑 was King of Scotland. It may not be perfectly historically accurate, and there were some modern phrases and words in it that didn't belong , but it was verra interesting and well written. Enjoy!
• 
  SandyL

  Brenna MacNeacail gets kidnapped by a rival clan when she's 12. Fifteen years later, her husband has died and she's being held captive by his brother, and she tries to get word to her cousin to help her. Her cousin sends Gabriel MacKinnon to rescue her and her kids. It was very frustrating that Brenna made it so hard for Gabriel to help her - it was understandable that she didn't trust many people, but over and over and over she defied him. 2.5 stars.
• 
  Candace N

  A fast paced and action packed story. I love the characters and the backstory. It was all very interesting and held my attention. It felt a little rushed at the end, a little unfinished in the way of the hero’s feelings for Ceana. Besides that though it really was amazing!
• 
  Coco.V

  🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/13/2021)! 🎁
• 
  The Book Junkie Reads . . .

  I do not advise reading two competing series by the same author at the same time.
  
  I had to stop this read when I realized that it was part of a different series by the same author but it had information that confused me on a different series characters.
  
  Laird Gabriel MacKinnon has been given the task of rescuing a woman and her children by the woman that gave him up for another. The rescue of these would be from an impenetrable castle. A castle that he took with no problem at all. The lady in question and her children are prisoners in the castle and the clan was not very well protected. Lady Brenna had been accused of the crime of killing the laird of the clan, her husband. Her very abusive husband. Brenna knew nothing of kindness. Her only thought was to protect her children with little regard to her own safety.
  
  Brenna was strong determined and had many demons to overcome. Gabriel finds her fire very attractive.
  
  The audio again set this read up to be so much fun. Mr. Ferguson makes the listening wonderful. He carries a perfect brogue.
• 
  Beth

  4 stars
  
  I really enjoyed this book which is the first in Eliza Knights new series Conquered Bride series, a spin-off of the Stolen Brides series. I liked Brenna and Gabriel both were interesting characters, although Brenna was definitely a stand out I thought with everything she had to deal with. I enjoyed the story although I think it would have been a little more interesting if some of the story had involved Brenna and the children settling into their new home, because they were travelling the hpwhole story or separated from each other it felt like the story was a little rushed and like we didn't really get to meet the characters before the story was over. I have to say Theo and Gillian (Brenna's eldest children) were stand out characters for me and I hope they get their own stories at some stage in the future. Overall I enjoyed this book - even though it felt like it was a quick introduction into the new series - and I hope to see more of these characters in future books.
• 
  Bunga

  3⭐cukup kali ya. Heronya menurutku rada ngeselin dan arogan. Dari awal kan misinya penyelamatan tapi dia gak bisa memberi kesan kalau lagi nyelametin. Ditanyain eh gak mau jawab 😅 Ya wajar dong kalo yang diselametin jadi curiga. Kenal aja enggak kok tahu-tahu datang nyerbu.
  
  Kisah dibuka dengan Brenna dan adik kembarnya yang berusaha melarikan diri dari kastil mereka yang diserang. Namun sayangnya Brenna tertangkap musuh dan memilih mengorbankan dirinya biar adik dan sepupunya bisa kabur. Brenna dinikahi paksa oleh anak dari Laird yang nyerbu dan membantai klannya tsb, padahal umurnya baru 12 tahun dan belum mens. Plus suaminya ini bukan suami idaman ya.. KDRT, jahat, dst.
  
  Suatu hari Brenna berhasil mengirim pesan ke sepupunya untuk meminta bantuan. Ketika itu suaminya sudah meninggal tetapi Brenna dan keempat anaknya ditawan di menara karena kematian suaminya akibat dibunuh seseorang (tersangka utamanya Brenna). Lalu sepupunya, Ceanna dan suaminya Brochan (heroine dan hero di buku series Stolen Bride) meminta bantuan ke Gabriel McKinnon. Gabriel ini sebenarnya mantan tunangannya Ceanna dan hampir nikah sama Ceanna sebelum si Ceanna dinikahin paksa sama Brochan, katanya sih Gabriel masih susah move on.
  
  Overall, sempat bingung kasih rating. Menurut saya ceritanya so so aja.
• 
  Aurora Moore

  Somethings missing
  
  I really liked this book. There were certain parts where I didn’t want to put it down, and others that seemed super slow.
  One thing I noticed that never got addressed, is that at one point, it seems like the only thing that’s holding Brenna back from marrying him is the fact that she’s only ever experienced pain during sex. Her first husband always took her rough without preparation. She doesn’t regret it since it gave her her children, but she never wants to go through that again. And yet there’s never moment where she learns that there is a pleasurable way to have sex. So I guess eventually she just loves him enough to endure it....
  I would have expected her to be a little hesitant on their wedding night and make some comment to him about how she never knew it could be like this. Gabriel gets upset on her behalf, and she calms him, refocusing him to the task at hand. Or something like that.
• 
  Helen White

  Conquered By The Highlander
  
  Gabriel and Brenna the hero and the Lady of this novel. Brenna was married to Ronald McLeod at the age of 12 and taken away from her home after the McLeod army had slaughtered her whole family except Brenna and her twin Kirsten. Brenna hides her sister and then sees cousin Finn coming for them she begs him to take her sister and leave as Roland has taken Brenna for his own. She is forced to marry him. Now it is your turn to read this amazing novel . I am on to book 2. Happy Reading!!!!
• 
  shirlene brown

  Finding truth love
  
  Breanne has a bad time when she was force to marry her enemy at the age of 12 and was a very bad time for her. She was married for fifteen years and had four children by her first husband. But she meets anther man after her husband death. I give this story a five star rating because I love this story it made you feel for her and her family and to see that she found love with this man who has taken over her home and give her something that she didn't know she lost.
• 
  Kyla Lockwood

  Superior
  
  This was an amazing read. Brenna is a warrior mother and you cannot help but fall in love with her. Wishing upon every page that she gets what she deserves and everything she desires.
  Gabriel is a rock, and gah! Every womans dream.
  If you want a book that makes you yearn for a happy ending, this is it. Not including the passion and bravery wrapped within Its pages.
  I tell you now that this book will make you wish that it had a prolonged extra just about the future of the charcters....wink rink author I would mind a Conquered by the Highlander 1.5......lol
• 
  Doris Mahala

  Protected
  
  Not all mothers will protect their kids when it comes to the death of a parent!
  However Theo killed his father to not only to protect his mother who has been abused since the age of 11 and she has had to sit aside her fear while watching her oldest son kill his father who was negotiating the marriage of his the 'marriage' of his sister to a tyrant far worse than their father!
  He had to not only protect his mother, sister but his twin brother's!
  Theo had to grow up rather quickly at the age of 14!
  Fantastic writing!
• 
  Marie

  Great story! I loved the uncertainty they start out with, Brenna not sure she can trust him even though he's on her side and acts the part of the gentleman even if it kills him. His attempts to keep her safe and not ruin her reputation further than it already has been are admirable. I love the way the surprises kept things interesting without actually solving anything between them till the very end.
• 
  Ann Gonzalez

  Wow!
  
  This book is full of emotion. Eliza is a favorite author of mine. She does a fantastic job creating her characters. Not only the main characters, but side characters as well. I didn't want this story to end. I want to read more about Brenna, her sister, Theo, Gabriel, and Coll. Book 2 is downloading now.
• 
  Gina

  An enjoyable tale of a hardened highlander taken to his knees by a widow who is accused of killing her terrible husband. After rescuing her and her children sparks fly between Gabriel and Brenna. Brenna is scared she doesn't know what love is since she was forced into her first marriage. It will take almost dying for Brenna to accept Gabriel's love.
• 
  Donna

  I like this author, but for some reason, this book didn’t connect. I felt there wasn’t enough good interaction between the characters. I totally understand Brenna hesitates, but felt she didn’t try to connect with Gabriel. Other than a few kisses, there didn’t seem to be any chemistry. Then it was over. I don’t know, but this one just wasn’t as good as I know this author can be.
• 
  Crystal Butler

  Exciting
  
  Brenna was taken when her home was taken by the McLeod clan, her mother and father murdered. She was forced to marry the McLeod’s eldest son who was mean to her. She had no idea where or what had happened to her twin sister, years later and 4 children born her cruel husband was killed. Such an exciting story.
• 
  Martha

  Unique storyline
  
  First chapters were difficult for me to get through due to the harsh treatment of Brenna at the age of 11.
  
  15 years of mistreatment & cruelty would leave many emotional scars on any person, yet the writer made Brenna’s immediate romantic reactions to Gabriel very difficult for me to comprehend.
  
  Though I generally adore Eliza’s books, this one missed the mark for me.