Catherine Bybee – Highland Protector
Book Blog Tour-Interview, Review & Giveaway




HIGHLAND PROTECTOR
The MacCoinnich Time Travel Series, Book Five
by Catherine Bybee
Paranormal Romance
November 19, 2013, First Edition
Paperback & Ebook

Links to order Highland Protector: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / IBooks / Smashwords


Description:
From New York Times Bestselling Author Catherine Bybee comes the long awaited next installment in her MacCoinnich Time Travel Series.

No ordinary hero can save Amber from death…it will take a Highland Protector

Amber MacCoinnich’s survival depends on her traveling to the twenty first century, or so her mother’s premonition told her. Death taunts Amber and offers peace in her endless pain. Without the mysterious savior her mother spoke of, Amber prepares for death only to wake with a handsome, dark stranger in her bed.

Gavin Kincaid spends his life shifting time in order to preserve and protect the MacCoinnich family and their line even though he’s never met one living MacCoinnich. A haunting portrait of a beautiful woman captures his attention and he embarks on a quest to put a name to the picture. When a colleague vanishes, the time-stream forces Kincaid to the twenty first century where he finds his mystifying woman close to death. His Druid gift can save her, but at what price? And when they both find themselves emotionally linked, the truth behind Kincaid’s heritage just might kill them both.



Review:

First off I should say, this is my first read of a Catherine Bybee book, and it won’t be my last.  Especially since Highland Protector is part of a series and I didn’t know it at the time, and for anyone who knows me, knows I don’t like picking up a series in the middle.  Now I will be going back to read the previous books in this series so I am all caught up.  However, having said that, it wasn’t difficult for me to follow along with Highland Protector and figure out all that was going on.  Catherine’s style of writing flows seamlessly from page to page and draws the reader in.  She does an amazing job of setting the stage with her main characters, and then weaving her secondary characters seamlessly into the main story to add layers and depth.  Highland Protector is well written and carries the reader along an emotional and romantic adventure. 

For anyone who enjoys a good time travel read, highlanders, druids, and magic with a good healthy dose of romance and intrigue thrown in for good measure then this one is for you.  Miss Bybee seems to have quite the gift when it comes to writing all these various elements into her story.  I was captivated by both the heroine and hero from the get go, and really enjoyed getting to know them and what makes them who they are.  Amber is the youngest of her clan and was sent to the future in the hopes of saving her from her gift due to a vision her mother had.  You see Amber is a very strong empath and feels even the littlest thing, and over time has only been getting stronger and harder to control.  However, little did Amber know her savior would be a handsome time travelling warrior, who also happens to be a powerful Druid, by the name of Gavin Kincaid.  I mean, c’mon ladies who wouldn’t want to wake up in bed with a handsome Druid warrior tied to your side after knocking on death’s door.  I know I wouldn’t be complaining.  😉 

Watching Amber and Gavin navigate the situation they are placed in, and seeing them slowly begin to fall for each other and realize they are better together then apart was very touching and sweet.  One of the highlights in the story for me was the scene where Amber decides she can’t risk endangering Gavin’s life due to her powerful gift, so she takes matters into her own hands with a very unselfish act of bravery and courage, only to have Gavin turn around and do the same thing to save her.  That scene is wonderfully written, emotionally charged and had me glued to my e-reader waiting to see what would happen next.  Actually, the whole book is a page turner and I couldn’t read it fast enough to see what would happen next to our couple. 

Like any well written romance, the road to happiness is never easily travelled.  Just when you think everything is falling into place for Amber and Gavin, Miss Bybee throws in a whopper of a twist and reveals something about Gavin’s past/heritage that could just ruin everything this couple has dealt with and survived to tell the tale.  Now, for anyone who knows me, they know I hate spoilers, so, sorry folks, if you want to know what the twist is, you’ll have to read the book.  Not only does Bybee throw in a well timed twist, but she also leaves us hanging at the end of the book regarding the evil that is intent in wrecking havoc with the McCoinnich Clan, as well as breaking apart the bond and love between Amber and Gavin.  If there is any part of the book that I wasn’t thrilled with, it’s the cliffhanger of an ending.  Again, anyone who knows me, knows I’m not a patient person when it comes to books and waiting for the next installment, so this cliffhanger is really throwing me for a loop. I can’t wait to see what Miss Bybee has planned for her next book in this series. I for one am chopping at the bit to see what will happen to Amber and Gavin, along with Amber’s brother Cian, who appears to be in the clutches of the evil that is longing to take over and destroy everything good in the world. 

Highland Protector for me was an enjoyable read, filled with all the elements in a book that keep me wanting to find out what’s going to happen next.  The characters are real and believable, and make you want them to find that connection that will bring them to their HEA.  The secondary characters bring depth and personality to the main couple, but also provide added story to keep the subplots moving along.  I really can’t say enough about what a wonderful story this was, and how much I enjoyed it.  If you enjoy your Highlanders, Druids, time travel, magic etc, then I highly recommend Highland Protector to you.  Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.  Here’s too trying to patiently await the next installment in Catherine Bybee’s MacCoinnich Time Travel Series. 

Until next time my friends, Happy Reading


Reviewed by Marcie

Copy provided by Author

 

Catherine, welcome to The Reading Café.  We would like to start with some background information.

TRC: Please tell us something about yourself?

Catherine:  I’m a wife, mother, writer and retired RN. I don’t take life to seriously and try and laugh and enjoy as much of the people around me as I can.

TRC:  Have you always been interested in writing?

Catherine:  I moved to LA to become an actress…realized that EVERYONE in LA is here for that very reason and went to school to become a nurse. I’ve always been a reader and when my career ended rather abruptly I turned to writing my first novel.

TRC:  For those who may not have read your MacCoinnich Time Travels series, can you tell us the premise of the series?  How did you come up with the idea of this series, and how many books are you planning?

Catherine:  I’ve always loved historical romance novels and time travels. However, there aren’t that many authors who write time travels so I decided to try my luck. I wanted a Scottish time travel with lots of paranormal elements and I created the MacCoinnich Clan. They are Druid, and each one of them has a special gift, or power, that helps hide their secrets. I created a large family and realized after the third book that my fans wanted more books. I’m planning six books total for this series. Thought I haven’t ruled out a spin off series. We’ll see.

TRC:  Can you please give us a brief description of your new release, Highland Protector. 

Catherine:   Highland Protector is the long-awaited story about Amber MacCoinnich, the youngest daughter to the MacCoinnich’s.

Amber MacCoinnich’s survival depends on her traveling to the twenty first century, or so her mother’s premonition told her. Death taunts Amber and offers peace in her endless pain. Without the mysterious savior her mother spoke of, Amber prepares for death only to wake with a handsome, dark stranger in her bed. 

Gavin Kincaid spends his life shifting time in order to preserve and protect the MacCoinnich family and their line even though he’s never met one living MacCoinnich. A haunting portrait of a beautiful woman captures his attention and he embarks on a quest to put a name to the picture. When a colleague vanishes, the time-stream forces Kincaid to the twenty first century where he finds his mystifying woman close to death. His Druid gift can save her, but at what price? And when they both find themselves emotionally linked, the truth behind Kincaid’s heritage just might kill them both.

TRC:  You write many different genres, such as Romance, Paranormal, and Erotic.  Do you have a preference?  Do you find it difficult to switch between these genres, when writing your stories?

Catherine:  I love writing in different genres. It helps keep me fresh. In the paranormal world, I can make up just about anything and make it work. In contemporary romance, readers will argue about the color of the sea. The only genre I’m not playing in much any longer is erotic. My books are spicy, and I hope they always keep that edge that makes my erotic readers happy.

TRC:  Can please you tell us about your Not Quite series, for which you recently released the third book? Also, how many books are you anticipating for this series?

Catherine:  My Not Quite books are grounded in family and real life drama that I place my characters in. The third book, Not Quite Enough features an ER nurse volunteering with Borderless Nurses. My heroine isn’t looking for love but finds it in the most unlikely situation. Whether my readers realize it or not, my fiction is often reality based and this book was no exception.

I will be writing a fourth book in the series early next year with hopes that it will be released next fall.

TRC:  What are you working on now? 

Catherine:  Right now I’m working on the fifth book in my Bride series. So many series, so little time.

TRC:  What is your writing process…favorite place, special time?

Catherine:  Writing is my day job so I write all the time. I have an office where most of my actual writing takes place. I tried a laptop but found myself more distracted than if I just stayed in the office.

TRC:  Many author bounce ideas and information between each other and their family and spouses.  With whom do you bounce ideas?

Catherine:  My critique partner…sometimes. Once in a while, if I’m stuck, I’ll chat with friends. For the most part I just bounce them in my own head until something fits.  

TRC:  Having worked as an RN in an emergency room, do you ever use your experiences in your novels?

Catherine:  Yes! All the time, but especially in Not Quite Enough.

 

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: Pasta

Favorite Dessert:  Crème Brule

Favorite TV show:  Duck Dynasty

Favorite Movie:  Romancing the Stone – Raiders of the Lost Arc – Somewhere in Time

Dark or Milk Chocolate:  Both

Favorite Literary Character (male & female) not your own:  *blinks* –  I’ve got nothing… so deep in my own book right now. LOL

Cats or Dogs?  Both

TRC:  Catherine thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions.  The Reading Café wishes you good luck with Highland Protector.

Catherine:  Thanks for having me!



New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee was raised in Washington State, but after graduating high school, she moved to Southern California in hopes of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned novels Wife by Wednesday, Married by Monday, and Not Quite Dating. Bybee lives with her husband and two teenage sons in Southern California.

If you want to learn more about Catherine, you can find her at the following links:
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Blog / Email

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