There aren't many images more emblematic of the romance genre than a strong, kilted hero standing on the moors. To celebrate these burly heroes, we've reviewed three of the best recent Highland romances. Make sure you've got a tartan blanket and a hot toddy ready to enjoy with these novels!

STEALING KISSES
Jennifer Ashley’s latest installment in her Mackenzies series, The Stolen Mackenzie Bride, reaches back to the height of the Jacobite uprising in 1745 as this tale of courtship between two beloved Mackenzie ancestors unfolds.

English noblewoman Lady Mary Lennox is resigned to leading a dutiful, if not especially blissful, life as the soon-to-be-wife of one of her father’s political allies—until she locks eyes with Malcolm Mackenzie.

Mal has spent the past few years chasing skirts and enjoying his fair share of whisky, but one look at Mary and the mischievous Scot’s mind is made. She’s the elegant, passionate woman of his dreams, but he’ll have to find a way to break Mary’s legally cemented engagement—and break the fact of her British birth to his high-born Scottish father.

The politically unstable Edinburgh of the mid-18th century is not the most swoon-worthy setting for star-crossed love, and there are plenty of dark, violent moments that make this abundantly clear. Mary is given little choice in her life, and she is frequently used as a political bargaining chip by the warring sides, but the convention-breaking Highlander sparks her desire for respect and independence, and she makes some surprisingly daring decisions where she can. Mal may be a fierce, rugged warrior who gets what he wants, but his charm and emotional maturity make him an especially lovable hero. This is a sweeping saga in which a rare love blossoms in the shadow of war and political brutality.

AN UNLIKELY LOVE
The romance in Paula Quinn’s The Taming of Malcolm Grant, part of her MacGregors series, develops in the most unlikely of places. When the Grant brothers are in need of a bit of relaxation, the womanizing Highlander Malcolm knows the perfect place to unwind: his old friend Harry Gray’s brothel, Fortune’s Smile.

Unfortunately, almost immediately upon arrival, the brothers spark up a brawl with the wrong people. Malcolm and his brother, Cailean, are injured and in desperate need of medical attention. Luckily, Harry Gray is willing to hide the brothers above the brothel, and his sister, Emmaline, is a skilled healer.

Blinded at a young age by the fever that killed her parents, Emmaline has spent most of her life sequestered away, learning the art of healing. However, she has recently reunited with her brother, whom she barely knows. Uncertain what exactly to do with Emmaline and worried about her safety, Harry rarely allows her to leave her upstairs quarters above the raucous brothel, and never without a companion to guide her.

Malcolm is stunned to find the gentle likes of Emmaline in Fortune's Smile, but as she works to heal the gravely injured Cailean, Emmaline’s sweet-tempered demeanor and empathetic nature unexpectedly begin to heal Malcolm’s hardened heart, as well. Will it be the quietly confident Emmaline who finally tames the notorious Malcolm, or will a lingering threat end their relationship before it begins? 

QUITE THE MISTAKE TO MAKE 
When Riona Duff is awakened in her uncle’s York home by hand over her mouth and a gruff Scottish voice telling her to get dressed, she assumes the worst. But in The Wrong Bride, the first book in Gayle Callen’s Highland Weddings series, a bevy of assumptions are proven false. 

Lady Catriona Duff was promised to clan chief Hugh McCallum when they were both children, but her father now renounces the betrothal, and Hugh refuses to accept the slight. His clan desperately needs the money from Catriona’s dowry, and he believes he has no choice—he either claims his bride or his clan will suffer. Hence sneaking into the Duff’s estate in the dead of night and stealing Catriona away to his Highland keep. 

However, there is a flaw in Hugh’s plan. A large one: He’s stolen the wrong Duff woman. The very stubborn Hugh refuses to believe he’s made this big of a mistake, assuming that she is lying in an attempt to weasel out of their impending nuptials. But the woman is resolute: He is betrothed to her cousin, not her. 

However, this does nothing to abate the searing attraction between the two. Hugh is determined to court and seduce his wary bride, and Riona, who has spent a lifetime in the shadow of her sister, has a hard time resisting. Even though Riona knows she is not truly his betrothed, she finds herself tentatively falling in love with the burly laird. However, when Hugh’s scandalous past is revealed and Riona’s true identity is proven, their burgeoning hope for love may be dashed. Rich with historical detail and sexual tension, the first of Callen’s new series is a winner.