3.5 stars-- The Warrior (Brotherhood/MacAllister #7) by Kinley MacGregor

You know how sometimes you wind up needing to read a book with the horse on the cover? No? Just me?

Well, that's how I ended up with The Warrior. And it was a pretty fun enemies to lovers romance as Loclan and Cat--whose absentee father is trying to kidnap her--are forced to trust and rely on each other...no matter how much it grates. Lordy but I love that storyline.

"Are you trying to kill me?"

"Nay, my lady. I'm trying only to calm down before I succeed in killing you."

Unable to stand it and do nothing, she leaned forward to nip his shoulder.

Lochlan yelped at the unexpected pain. "Did you bite me?"

"Aye and I'm going to do worse than that if you don't release me instantly."

Bwaha. Yes. Cat...is a feisty one. She does not like being pushed around and forced to do what the men in her life tell her. I liked that she was a willful heroine and wouldn't back down from her opinions or desires. She'd rather go down fighting.

And Lochlan? Oh yums. He's an honorable man who's had to make tremendous sacrifices along his journey. He believes in second chances and doing what's right and did I mention yum? He's also a bit...buttoned up and in need of a good mussing. Which Cat, it turns out, is so willing to help with.

I loved the chemistry and differences between Cat and Lochlan. They were so well suited for each other and had a tendency to pick up "strays" and keep them. I loved watching these two go from enemies who butted heads to lovers and falling in love. The banter and teasing between them was excellent!

I would say read this series in somewhat order. While it was do-able starting with this one I had some confusion for a bit on certain thingse. It didn't ruin the story for me but just made it obvious I'd missed a good bit by jumping in at this point. The ending was a spot random-ish, too.

But even with the minor complains, MacGregor (aka Sherrilyn Kenyon) put together a fun romance with characters I absolutely adored and could have spent much more time with. That is a definite win in my book.

** this is a WAY old review from 2012 that's just been sitting in my files. erms. #shameface

Lochlan MacAllister was born to lead. Ruthlessly groomed to take control of his clan, he has given his life to his people. But when he learns that the brother he thought was dead might still be alive, he embarks on a quest to find the truth.

Catarina wants a life of freedom. But now Catarina's royal father wants to use her as a pawn to ensure a treaty between conflicting lands. So much so that he's willing to kidnap his daughter to force the issue. But when she escapes, fate throws her into the path of a man she loathes.

Lochlan is stunned to find the shrewish Cat being hauled away by unknown men. Unwilling to see even her suffer, he frees her only to learn that she has her own demons to fight. When their fates intertwine, two people who know nothing of trust must rely on each other, and two enemies who have vowed their eternal hatred must find common ground, or see their very lives shattered

Amazon | Goodreads

*covers link to Amazon