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Fated #1.0
Fated
Dear Author,
Please help this poor Laird. He’s a warrior and a leader, always alone. Now he’s fallen in love with the enemy and his clan won’t allow it. Please don’t make him time travel, but he can shift for sure.
Photo Description:
A scruffy shirtless bald man in a red, green, and white kilt is standing with his feet apart looking up. He has tattoos on his upper right chest, and his arms.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
Please help this poor Laird. He’s a warrior and a leader, always alone. Now he’s fallen in love with the enemy and his clan won’t allow it. Please don’t make him time travel, but he can shift for sure.
Photo Description:
A scruffy shirtless bald man in a red, green, and white kilt is standing with his feet apart looking up. He has tattoos on his upper right chest, and his arms.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
96 pages, ebook
First published September 1, 2013
1 person is currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Lexi Ander
36 books453 followersLexi has always been an avid reader and at a young age started reading (secretly) her mother’s romances (the ones she was told not to touch). She was the only teenager she knew of who would be grounded from reading. Later, with a pencil and a note book, she wrote her own stories and shared them with friends because she loved to see their reactions. A Texas transplant, Lexi now kicks her boots up in the Midwest with her Yankee husband and her 80 pound puppies named after vacuum cleaners.
Website: http://www.lexiander.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lexi.ander.9
Blog: http://lexiander.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LexiAnder1
Email: lexi.ander.author@gmail.com
Website: http://www.lexiander.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lexi.ander.9
Blog: http://lexiander.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LexiAnder1
Email: lexi.ander.author@gmail.com
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
December 5, 2014
“He was not heavily furred, simply enough to heat the blood.”
lololol
but yeah. the dialect was mostly silly, and there were anachronisms that annoyed me, and it gets a little hysterical and flouncy towards the end—but it's an ok read.
these two heated my blood for a bit, there.
lololol
but yeah. the dialect was mostly silly, and there were anachronisms that annoyed me, and it gets a little hysterical and flouncy towards the end—but it's an ok read.
these two heated my blood for a bit, there.
September 2, 2013
4.5*
WOW ! Excellent addition to the LHNB picture prompt event.
I know that Lexi Ander jumped in at the last minute and rescued this picture prompt and not only wrote a second story for the event and with very little time..no she absolutely ROCKED this one.
I am not really a fan of historical settings but I am a fan of Lexi and of shifters, so I was on this one right away when it was released.
I can not even beginning to describe the details and emotions of this story.
Roi is a Seer and knows his destiny and is more than ready to look death in the eye. He knows Ewen will deliver the death blow, but he has been waiting for Ewen all of his life. Death doesn't seem too high a price.
But that is not what fate has in store for these two.
Oh dear lord, the emotions pouring off of these two. Roi, always alone, shunned and used but proud and capable. Loving a man he has dreamed of his whole life.
Ewen, head of his clan, carries many burdens and is afraid to love again.
Intrigue, deceit, love, magic, second chances, hope and KILTS! ( yummmm)
I heartily recommend you read the short prequel to this story here : http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=22519 and I would love Lexi to also write a sequel. I have so much more I need to know.
WOW ! Excellent addition to the LHNB picture prompt event.
I know that Lexi Ander jumped in at the last minute and rescued this picture prompt and not only wrote a second story for the event and with very little time..no she absolutely ROCKED this one.
I am not really a fan of historical settings but I am a fan of Lexi and of shifters, so I was on this one right away when it was released.
I can not even beginning to describe the details and emotions of this story.
Roi is a Seer and knows his destiny and is more than ready to look death in the eye. He knows Ewen will deliver the death blow, but he has been waiting for Ewen all of his life. Death doesn't seem too high a price.
But that is not what fate has in store for these two.
Oh dear lord, the emotions pouring off of these two. Roi, always alone, shunned and used but proud and capable. Loving a man he has dreamed of his whole life.
Ewen, head of his clan, carries many burdens and is afraid to love again.
Intrigue, deceit, love, magic, second chances, hope and KILTS! ( yummmm)
I heartily recommend you read the short prequel to this story here : http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=22519 and I would love Lexi to also write a sequel. I have so much more I need to know.
August 3, 2016
Written March 18, 2014
4 Stars - Aye! - a lovely oldish highlander tale during the time the magic was still close
I became so happy when I heard about this historical romance. - An M/M highlander romance - YAY! - And Gina (5 happy stars) loved it!
Now, some time later, I'm even more pleased. It was a very emotional and nice adventure.
~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~
** The short prequel Legend of the Bearwere Curse (3.5 Stars from me) to this novella Fated is free to read online on the authors Lexi Ander's own webbsite.
...start with the prequel. It is about Ewen as a boy when his grandpa is telling him the old bearwere legend. ~ You'll read it in less than an hour. **
~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~
In the 12th century in Scotland
It is the year 1164 and Laird Ewen Meinnear, Thane of Loch Raineach (for Malcolm IV the King of Scotland) is this day getting, the just killed opposing king's (Somerled mac Gillebride, King of the Isles) "pagan", in a thankful king-reward for his achievements and abilities on the bloody battlefield.
The reward is a young and beautiful man, with a long blond braid, and he, Roi Iain mhic Leoid swears the highlander his new loyalty and allegiance as Ewen's new man-servant.
~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~
Roi is a seer and at times he have clear visions but sometimes they are both obscure and confounding or blurry. The strong highlander have been in his dreams and visions for years. Ewen is the man Roi thought was destined to take his life on the war field that day. Quite how it would end had his sights never shown, but somehow he had been so sure that his new life in the other world, would start this day. ~ But fate wants something else.
Ewen on the other hand knows that his beast within him, is very attracted to Roi. Ewen has for years struggled against his own inner beast (a bear), but this time is the beast stronger. His bear is full of life again and he wants, more than anything, to be near and get the blonde beautiful man. ~ The bear know that this is 'their' fate.
English is not, as you know, my native language, and I don't always understand every word in the books I read. This old English, in this one, doing it even trickier. I'll just have to guess sometimes and rely on my sense and to the context in general. There is a short dictionary at the back of the book, but it is so inconvenient and disruptive, to constantly jump over there for every new unknown medieval (or older) English word. ~ With that said, I may have misunderstood both some unimportant stuff and some very important stuff.
~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~
We got of course a lot of yummy Highlander highlights, too. Always good for a devoted (*droolin*) admirer. ~ These tall, big men in kilts, and tattoos, wow ... just imagine.
Not entirely painless, but still pretty quickly arranged. With the right words, and a short conversation straightened most of the misunderstandings out. As always, there were those, ...it's a romance.
Well, what else is there to say? Not much - read the book instead.
~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~
Fated is onabout 100 pages and it felt as very well (time-) invested pages to read. Besides the for me, in this case, slightly tricky (but charmingly old-fashioned) English language, was this book like reading a beautiful oldish fairy tale. It steamed sensual and hot between these two lovely men and in the end was the story very sweet and romantic as well.
I LIKE - Aye, a fancy Highlander MAN is always a pleasure to meet
~~~~~~~~~~
Exactly where will you find these freebies etc?
Look here:
4 Stars - Aye! - a lovely oldish highlander tale during the time the magic was still close
I became so happy when I heard about this historical romance. - An M/M highlander romance - YAY! - And Gina (5 happy stars) loved it!
Now, some time later, I'm even more pleased. It was a very emotional and nice adventure.
~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~
** The short prequel Legend of the Bearwere Curse (3.5 Stars from me) to this novella Fated is free to read online on the authors Lexi Ander's own webbsite.
...start with the prequel. It is about Ewen as a boy when his grandpa is telling him the old bearwere legend. ~ You'll read it in less than an hour. **
~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~
In the 12th century in Scotland
It is the year 1164 and Laird Ewen Meinnear, Thane of Loch Raineach (for Malcolm IV the King of Scotland) is this day getting, the just killed opposing king's (Somerled mac Gillebride, King of the Isles) "pagan", in a thankful king-reward for his achievements and abilities on the bloody battlefield.
The reward is a young and beautiful man, with a long blond braid, and he, Roi Iain mhic Leoid swears the highlander his new loyalty and allegiance as Ewen's new man-servant.
“My shield in defence, my sword for redress, my arm in labour, my mind in council, my fate be now bond to ye. Yer life ere mine, yer house ere mine, yer kin ere mine, all of this I avow.”
~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~
Roi is a seer and at times he have clear visions but sometimes they are both obscure and confounding or blurry. The strong highlander have been in his dreams and visions for years. Ewen is the man Roi thought was destined to take his life on the war field that day. Quite how it would end had his sights never shown, but somehow he had been so sure that his new life in the other world, would start this day. ~ But fate wants something else.
Ewen on the other hand knows that his beast within him, is very attracted to Roi. Ewen has for years struggled against his own inner beast (a bear), but this time is the beast stronger. His bear is full of life again and he wants, more than anything, to be near and get the blonde beautiful man. ~ The bear know that this is 'their' fate.
“Our beasts choose companions much like the human wid choose a husband or wife. At times both the human and the bear choose the same person, at other times no.”
English is not, as you know, my native language, and I don't always understand every word in the books I read. This old English, in this one, doing it even trickier. I'll just have to guess sometimes and rely on my sense and to the context in general. There is a short dictionary at the back of the book, but it is so inconvenient and disruptive, to constantly jump over there for every new unknown medieval (or older) English word. ~ With that said, I may have misunderstood both some unimportant stuff and some very important stuff.
~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~
We got of course a lot of yummy Highlander highlights, too. Always good for a devoted (*droolin*) admirer. ~ These tall, big men in kilts, and tattoos, wow ... just imagine.
‘He stood within the threshold, his wadded kilt hanging from his finger tips, his tunic and leggings sodden, clinging to him like a second skin. The dark hair on his chest clearly seen through the wet garment. The stubbled growth of his chin and head stood out strongly against the deep flush of his cheeks. His gaze wandered hungrily over my body as he licked his lips.'
Not entirely painless, but still pretty quickly arranged. With the right words, and a short conversation straightened most of the misunderstandings out. As always, there were those, ...it's a romance.
Well, what else is there to say? Not much - read the book instead.
“I want ye to be mine,” Ewen whispered so low the wind almost stole it away.
“All my life I hae been yers.”
~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~
Fated is onabout 100 pages and it felt as very well (time-) invested pages to read. Besides the for me, in this case, slightly tricky (but charmingly old-fashioned) English language, was this book like reading a beautiful oldish fairy tale. It steamed sensual and hot between these two lovely men and in the end was the story very sweet and romantic as well.
I LIKE - Aye, a fancy Highlander MAN is always a pleasure to meet
~~~~~~~~~~
Exactly where will you find these freebies etc?
Look here:
September 3, 2013
Tasty mix of Scottish, shifter and pagan motifs. Nice characterizations, excellent secondary characters--especially Donn. Apparently, there's more to come which is a good thing 'cause this has legs.
September 1, 2013
The prequel!! Hearts On Fire
I need to be honest right away that this review may be biased – it’s my photo and story prompt! I feel like I have waited forever for this type of story (hence my request) and I was nervous about what I would get. I should have known better. I got more than I had even hoped for in this story of Ewen and Roi.
Roi has the gift of foresight. Scarred, tattooed face and long golden hair, he has been forced to serve an enemy clann, awaiting the moment death would set him free. He has always seen Ewen in his dreams (not knowing the man yet) and knowing that his death would be at the hands of this man he has come to count on without even knowing him. Ewen is a fierce warrior, loyal to his clann and King Malcolm. When the moment arrives for Ewen to slay Roi on the battlefield, Malcolm intervenes and gives Roi to Ewen as a gift.
Thus begins the journey of Ewen and Roi to save their clann. Roi is scarred and beautiful; Ewen gruff and uncertain. It made for a lovely back and forth because there is no insta-love here in a usual sense. Roi is hiding the fact he’s a seer, Ewen is hiding something even bigger. There is the shifter aspect of mating but Ewen has to work at getting his mate. Work hard, because sometimes he’s a dunderhead about these things.
There are so many times that this just made me say, “awww”. Big bad Ewen, confident and brave on the battlefield, is just sort of lost when it comes to romance and wooing. Add in that Roi makes everyone feel better so all want to woo him if Ewen can’t handle it, and it’s a lot of pressure for a 12th century warrior. He just reacts badly sometimes, not intentionally. He makes Roi suffer for it unwittingly but either his too hasty words or his too prolonged thinking about things. “Belonging. I belonged nowhere. At that point, I hated myself for wanting what I could never have.”
Sometimes it made me amile - Roi climbing the tree, Roi moving his bedroll after Ewen tries to sleep next to him. Roi may be gentle and loving but he is no one’s doormat. Ewen admitting that he would take Roi fishing even though he was not very good at it. Even better is Ewen doesn’t demand to know Roi is his, instead Roi asks “Tell me, Ewen, who dae I belong to?”
The characters are not perfect and this made them all the more endearing for me. Donn, Ewen’s brother, is a loyal, honest person, well worthy of Ewen’s trust. He seems a little sad and I hope his HEA gets told. The story is told with 12th century accents and words. This was a great plus for me – it allowed me to envision their world all the more.
There are unanswered questions by the end but Ms Ander has promised their story will continue. I am excited, I want Ewen to really meet Bear and share his name. I want Roi and Ewen to go forth and kick ass. I want Donn to find his one true. I want cousin Cinead to get his due. I am greedy yes, I want more!
I need to be honest right away that this review may be biased – it’s my photo and story prompt! I feel like I have waited forever for this type of story (hence my request) and I was nervous about what I would get. I should have known better. I got more than I had even hoped for in this story of Ewen and Roi.
Roi has the gift of foresight. Scarred, tattooed face and long golden hair, he has been forced to serve an enemy clann, awaiting the moment death would set him free. He has always seen Ewen in his dreams (not knowing the man yet) and knowing that his death would be at the hands of this man he has come to count on without even knowing him. Ewen is a fierce warrior, loyal to his clann and King Malcolm. When the moment arrives for Ewen to slay Roi on the battlefield, Malcolm intervenes and gives Roi to Ewen as a gift.
Thus begins the journey of Ewen and Roi to save their clann. Roi is scarred and beautiful; Ewen gruff and uncertain. It made for a lovely back and forth because there is no insta-love here in a usual sense. Roi is hiding the fact he’s a seer, Ewen is hiding something even bigger. There is the shifter aspect of mating but Ewen has to work at getting his mate. Work hard, because sometimes he’s a dunderhead about these things.
There are so many times that this just made me say, “awww”. Big bad Ewen, confident and brave on the battlefield, is just sort of lost when it comes to romance and wooing. Add in that Roi makes everyone feel better so all want to woo him if Ewen can’t handle it, and it’s a lot of pressure for a 12th century warrior. He just reacts badly sometimes, not intentionally. He makes Roi suffer for it unwittingly but either his too hasty words or his too prolonged thinking about things. “Belonging. I belonged nowhere. At that point, I hated myself for wanting what I could never have.”
Sometimes it made me amile - Roi climbing the tree, Roi moving his bedroll after Ewen tries to sleep next to him. Roi may be gentle and loving but he is no one’s doormat. Ewen admitting that he would take Roi fishing even though he was not very good at it. Even better is Ewen doesn’t demand to know Roi is his, instead Roi asks “Tell me, Ewen, who dae I belong to?”
The characters are not perfect and this made them all the more endearing for me. Donn, Ewen’s brother, is a loyal, honest person, well worthy of Ewen’s trust. He seems a little sad and I hope his HEA gets told. The story is told with 12th century accents and words. This was a great plus for me – it allowed me to envision their world all the more.
There are unanswered questions by the end but Ms Ander has promised their story will continue. I am excited, I want Ewen to really meet Bear and share his name. I want Roi and Ewen to go forth and kick ass. I want Donn to find his one true. I want cousin Cinead to get his due. I am greedy yes, I want more!
March 31, 2015
OMG OMG OMG, This fulfilled my long desire for an MM Highlander book! And it was an awesome read!! And not only was it an historical highlander, but it was a shifter story as well….could I want anymore…well yes….more!!
This was part of the LHNB and what a story!! This was my second Lexi Ander read, the first was Playing for Keeps, also part of the LHNB and also a winner.
Here we have Roi, a priest-warrior and a Seer, he is under a cruel and abusive leader and group with no way out. He sees his death by sword and who delivers the blow and it doesn’t frighten him. He would rather die then live the way he currently is. People shun him for his Seer abilities and his attraction to men, he wants out of this life. He sees his opportunity when his clan faces another clan in battle lead by the man he has seen who will kill him, Ewen.
This little gem pushed the right buttons, filled with emotion, heart-break, mild angst, romance, shifters, plenty of chemistry and heat and men in Kilts!! OH YES OH YES!!
5 I am happy stars!!!
Read the prequel first
http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=22519
This was part of the LHNB and what a story!! This was my second Lexi Ander read, the first was Playing for Keeps, also part of the LHNB and also a winner.
Here we have Roi, a priest-warrior and a Seer, he is under a cruel and abusive leader and group with no way out. He sees his death by sword and who delivers the blow and it doesn’t frighten him. He would rather die then live the way he currently is. People shun him for his Seer abilities and his attraction to men, he wants out of this life. He sees his opportunity when his clan faces another clan in battle lead by the man he has seen who will kill him, Ewen.
This little gem pushed the right buttons, filled with emotion, heart-break, mild angst, romance, shifters, plenty of chemistry and heat and men in Kilts!! OH YES OH YES!!
5 I am happy stars!!!
Read the prequel first
http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=22519
December 7, 2015
While fighting for his king, Ewen meets the mate of his bear. He spears Roi’s life and after some misunderstandings and kept secrets, they get close to each other. I usually love historical settings in m/m romance; however this one was really hard to read. With English not being my mother tongue, I had problems getting into the language and writing style of the story. The first half of the story was difficult to get and I had problems getting a feeling for the world the story was set in. Luckily, the second half was a bit better; the pace got faster and finally there was a plot I really liked.
Considering the fact that Lexi Ander picked this prompt in order to keep it from being dropped and hadn’t that much time to finish this story, I will rate it with 3 stars!
Considering the fact that Lexi Ander picked this prompt in order to keep it from being dropped and hadn’t that much time to finish this story, I will rate it with 3 stars!
September 2, 2013
My relationship status with this story is "it's complicated".
The language hurt my brain, the two MC's couldn't seem to make up their minds about each other from one moment to the next, they went round and round in their own heads... yet, instead of irritating me, I was charmed. Why? It's COMPLICATED. But also, Lexi Ander does non-incestuous, sexy siblings like nobody's business and these are freakin Scottish BEARSHIFTER brothers! High five, fist pound, chest bump, spike the ball-in-the-end-zone 'cuz she's promised more of them!
(No, dears, this is not an incest story. I promise.)
;P
The language hurt my brain, the two MC's couldn't seem to make up their minds about each other from one moment to the next, they went round and round in their own heads... yet, instead of irritating me, I was charmed. Why? It's COMPLICATED. But also, Lexi Ander does non-incestuous, sexy siblings like nobody's business and these are freakin Scottish BEARSHIFTER brothers! High five, fist pound, chest bump, spike the ball-in-the-end-zone 'cuz she's promised more of them!
(No, dears, this is not an incest story. I promise.)
;P
January 28, 2015
I wish the author concentrated less on the "authentic" language and more on the story. The language does not historical atmosphere make (compare "Fated" to Brothers of the Wild North Sea), but it does create a lot of confusion in this particular case. Imagine sailing smoothly along the narrative; 1, 2, 3, 4 paragraphs of very readable and pretty enjoyable material, when the author suddenly decides to send a fistful of pricklies in your face:
Erm... yeah, if I were that lucky. No. "Whit wid Caitriona think?"... "Whit be it?" felt more like this :
WHAD? WHID? er.... WHAT?@.@
Yep, sure, I read the "Lexicon" in the very end, but switching gears was still tough.
++++
As for the story itself, it was cute and cuddly with a spoonful of mild salsa on the side for angst. The MC is a werebear Ewen. He can't shift, but he can be taken over by the bear spirit. He receives a gift from the king in a face of a pagan acolyte Roi, a seer. There are buckets of miscommunication, which drives the story, and there is a bit of a cliffy in the end - we never find out what holds the bear back from emerging in its true form and how Ewen plans to deal with his enemies.
If there is a sequel, I'll read it, given the author embraces "The simpler the better" motto.
Oh.... and then there was that Russian Jew, Hiram Resnikov. Seriously???? Unless the dude got lost in time and space.
Erm... yeah, if I were that lucky. No. "Whit wid Caitriona think?"... "Whit be it?" felt more like this :
WHAD? WHID? er.... WHAT?@.@
Yep, sure, I read the "Lexicon" in the very end, but switching gears was still tough.
++++
As for the story itself, it was cute and cuddly with a spoonful of mild salsa on the side for angst. The MC is a werebear Ewen. He can't shift, but he can be taken over by the bear spirit. He receives a gift from the king in a face of a pagan acolyte Roi, a seer. There are buckets of miscommunication, which drives the story, and there is a bit of a cliffy in the end - we never find out what holds the bear back from emerging in its true form and how Ewen plans to deal with his enemies.
If there is a sequel, I'll read it, given the author embraces "The simpler the better" motto.
Oh.... and then there was that Russian Jew, Hiram Resnikov. Seriously???? Unless the dude got lost in time and space.
August 31, 2016
Offered for FREE from the M/M Romance Group's Love Has No Boundaries Anthology: Volume 1. Thank you too all the amazing authors who participated!
3.5 stars This was a historical-fantasy-romance between a non-shifting shifter and a priest-warrior. I love me some contradiction. The plot was interesting and different and I enjoyed their short journey. I have to say that Ewen probably stuck his foot in his mouth a few too many times, and I would have liked at least one emotional conflict that didn't revolve around him saying or doing something wrong and then Roi getting upset.
I'm not sure what the purpose was of having Ewen be unable to shift, and the climactic fight at the end seemed unfinished. Also, they never explained why Ewen was skittish about Roi touching his star tattoo, so I think there is another book for these two men on the horizon.
Donn had a nice little poetic sentence about Roi smelling of the stars and the moon, but other than that I would have liked some sort of mystical explanation for why everyone seemed so drawn to him. I also would have liked Ewen to express his emotions better throughout (if only to us) to make his feelings more believable besides from that one speech near the end.
The author commented that it was difficult to do enough research in such a short time for the language and all to be historically accurate. For a lay-man like me she did a fine job. There was enough so that I could hear the Scottish brogue in my head, but I will say after a while I just ignored the 'ere's and said "before" in my head to keep things simple.
Prequel, Legend of the Bearwere Curse, at Hearts on Fire - Love, Love, LOVE! Explains some stuff but I still say read it after this as a little treat.
September 11, 2013
I would not stuff my haggis with this story, it's just that awful.
September 5, 2013
Wow, does not cover this short story. She not only captured the legend, she mastered the language better than most.
very important to read the prequel
http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=22519
very important to read the prequel
http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=22519
September 4, 2013
Great short story that should be a full length novel.
September 6, 2013
I really want to like this short story. Well written in the sense that it had no grammatical or formatting errors that I could see, with decent characters and plot, I still found that I liked it despite the writing, rather than because of it. Balancing its strengths with the aspects that irritated me to no end, I'd give it a 2.5 stars. To be fair, the thing that drove me nuts was the way the author used accents and outdated/historical language. If heavy accents don't bother you, feel free to not even bother reading the second half of this review. I hate to dock a story 2.5 stars for a single aspect of the writing, but it has a huge impact on the storytelling and is a major aspect of the writing style, and therefore it had a huge impact on how much I was able to enjoy the story.
The characters are likable and fairly well rounded. The plot is straightforward but not too contrived. I very much liked the Pagan aspects of the story. It felt both historically accurate and believable. It's hard to find a believable Pagan nowadays who is not a new-age twit. The shifter aspect was also decently done. It is a short story, so of course things move fairly quickly, but the insta-love/fated-mate thing is not as irritatingly present as it usually is in these sorts of stories.
The thing I really didn't like about it, to the point where I certainly would not read it again, was the language. It was obviously written to be as historically accurate as possible. With this goal in mind (I assume) the author substituted many common/modern English words with more historical terms--and when they spoke, the author wrote out their Scottish accents. For example, 'no' became 'nae', 'what' became 'whit', 'don't' became 'dinnae'. I don't mind a little bit of deliberate accent, but this came to drive me completely batty. It also wasn't as thick in the exposition as it was in the speech, which made it feel for me like the writer only spoke with an accent half the time. It was incredibly annoying. When there was a long block of fairly normal text suddenly interrupted with a 'whit' instead of 'what', it completely threw me out of the story, every single time. In addition, their accents when speaking were very very thick. Instead of my mind's voice smoothly reading the speech just with a thick Scottish accent, every time a character spoke I had to stop, read the sentence, and then translate it back into English to figure out what was just said. If you've ever read Huckleberry Finn, it reminds me A LOT of that--dialogue so heavily accented that it sounds like a different language, so much so that rather than further immersing you in the story, it throws you out of it while you try to translate.
Overall, I did like the story and the characters. A good historical shifter M/M short story. But I did have to force myself to finish it, because I was completely infuriated by the whit/dinnae/yer/hae gimmick by the time I was less than halfway through.
The characters are likable and fairly well rounded. The plot is straightforward but not too contrived. I very much liked the Pagan aspects of the story. It felt both historically accurate and believable. It's hard to find a believable Pagan nowadays who is not a new-age twit. The shifter aspect was also decently done. It is a short story, so of course things move fairly quickly, but the insta-love/fated-mate thing is not as irritatingly present as it usually is in these sorts of stories.
The thing I really didn't like about it, to the point where I certainly would not read it again, was the language. It was obviously written to be as historically accurate as possible. With this goal in mind (I assume) the author substituted many common/modern English words with more historical terms--and when they spoke, the author wrote out their Scottish accents. For example, 'no' became 'nae', 'what' became 'whit', 'don't' became 'dinnae'. I don't mind a little bit of deliberate accent, but this came to drive me completely batty. It also wasn't as thick in the exposition as it was in the speech, which made it feel for me like the writer only spoke with an accent half the time. It was incredibly annoying. When there was a long block of fairly normal text suddenly interrupted with a 'whit' instead of 'what', it completely threw me out of the story, every single time. In addition, their accents when speaking were very very thick. Instead of my mind's voice smoothly reading the speech just with a thick Scottish accent, every time a character spoke I had to stop, read the sentence, and then translate it back into English to figure out what was just said. If you've ever read Huckleberry Finn, it reminds me A LOT of that--dialogue so heavily accented that it sounds like a different language, so much so that rather than further immersing you in the story, it throws you out of it while you try to translate.
Overall, I did like the story and the characters. A good historical shifter M/M short story. But I did have to force myself to finish it, because I was completely infuriated by the whit/dinnae/yer/hae gimmick by the time I was less than halfway through.
November 8, 2013
I swear I hear accents in my head, to many years as an actor I suppose. But, in this case it’s a blessing definitely helped to follow the ancient dialect here, 14th century is no joke. Still it made for a lot of fun voices in my head. ;)
Laird Ewen Meinnear proudly fights for his king and here in the midst of battle he and his men dominate the field. They might have a little extra sensory help though. His line has been possessed of the bear spirit for generations. Their inner bears help guard the men and for most it’s a close relationship, one that allows them to become their bears as well. Not so for Ewen. He’s always struggled with his bear, to control him, and as such he’s never achieved the change. Now standing over the see of the defeated King of the Isles Bear has made his presence known. He wants to claim his companion.
Roi Iain mhic Leoid has dreamed of this man his entire life. He’s known it was always his destiny to bring about the defeat of his master King Somerled at the hands of Laird Ewen. He’s also known that it was to bring about his own death. He’s accepted it, and even welcomes it, after all, the feelings he has for Ewen are not likely to ever be returned and better to die than to pine away longing for a man he can’t have. When his life is spared by the true king and given unto Ewen Roi is forced to adjust his ideas about what his vision really meant. Is there a possible future with the man of his dreams?
I enjoyed reading this strong immensely. But for a short (ok so it wasn’t THAT short) there’s a lot of tiem spent in explanation of what both Roi and Ewen are, on prophecies and the like. Because of that I felt like the ending got a bit rushed and seemed to really come out of nowhere. It was a lot of, oh no enemies fight, protect, win, swip swipe wipe their hands clean, and we’re done. It left a lot of unanswered questions, things the author had set up in the mythos that remain open ended. I can only guess the author has plans to continue the story in more depth later. This felt very much like the first quarter maybe of a much longer novel. It’s a beginning not an ending.
Worth the read, fun times if you enjoy a good historical. I look forward to seeing where the story goes in further books. ☺ 4 Stars edging towards 4.5, not quite a 5 star for giving me too many questions still to be answered.
Laird Ewen Meinnear proudly fights for his king and here in the midst of battle he and his men dominate the field. They might have a little extra sensory help though. His line has been possessed of the bear spirit for generations. Their inner bears help guard the men and for most it’s a close relationship, one that allows them to become their bears as well. Not so for Ewen. He’s always struggled with his bear, to control him, and as such he’s never achieved the change. Now standing over the see of the defeated King of the Isles Bear has made his presence known. He wants to claim his companion.
Roi Iain mhic Leoid has dreamed of this man his entire life. He’s known it was always his destiny to bring about the defeat of his master King Somerled at the hands of Laird Ewen. He’s also known that it was to bring about his own death. He’s accepted it, and even welcomes it, after all, the feelings he has for Ewen are not likely to ever be returned and better to die than to pine away longing for a man he can’t have. When his life is spared by the true king and given unto Ewen Roi is forced to adjust his ideas about what his vision really meant. Is there a possible future with the man of his dreams?
I enjoyed reading this strong immensely. But for a short (ok so it wasn’t THAT short) there’s a lot of tiem spent in explanation of what both Roi and Ewen are, on prophecies and the like. Because of that I felt like the ending got a bit rushed and seemed to really come out of nowhere. It was a lot of, oh no enemies fight, protect, win, swip swipe wipe their hands clean, and we’re done. It left a lot of unanswered questions, things the author had set up in the mythos that remain open ended. I can only guess the author has plans to continue the story in more depth later. This felt very much like the first quarter maybe of a much longer novel. It’s a beginning not an ending.
Worth the read, fun times if you enjoy a good historical. I look forward to seeing where the story goes in further books. ☺ 4 Stars edging towards 4.5, not quite a 5 star for giving me too many questions still to be answered.
February 15, 2014
My friend Gina and myself have been looking for a really good m/m, highlander story ( with kilts! Yum) for ages and we've finally found one with this brilliant historical, shifter story, set in early Scotland around the time of King Malcom by Lexi Anders, whose original contemporary story for LHNB also got 5 stars from me too. Not bad for two free, short stories!
Roi is a Seer who has feelings for men and all his life has been having visions of a man who he knows he's closely linked to in some way, he thinks he will die at the hands of this great man and is ready to accept his fate. The man turns out to be Ewan a Scottish laird and bear shifter. They meet on the battlefield but things don't happen the way Roi expects! Ewan's bear recognises this man as its mate but Ewan is still mourning the death of his wife and even though his clan members can shift into their bear form, for some reason his bear refuses to fully emerge, even though it's 'spirit' is stronger than anyone else's, hence Ewan being laird of the clan.There is a free prequel that tells more of the lore of the bear shifters too at http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=22519
OMG! This was perfect. The emotion and chemistry between them was palpable. I just wanted it to go on longer. I especially wanted to know more about Ewan's struggles with his bear and the menace from his nasty cousin who obviously wants Ewan dead. Sooo much more to come from this story, so hopefully Lexi will bring them back to carry on their tale. Still 5 stars though because it ticked all my boxes ... and its free! Amazing.
Roi is a Seer who has feelings for men and all his life has been having visions of a man who he knows he's closely linked to in some way, he thinks he will die at the hands of this great man and is ready to accept his fate. The man turns out to be Ewan a Scottish laird and bear shifter. They meet on the battlefield but things don't happen the way Roi expects! Ewan's bear recognises this man as its mate but Ewan is still mourning the death of his wife and even though his clan members can shift into their bear form, for some reason his bear refuses to fully emerge, even though it's 'spirit' is stronger than anyone else's, hence Ewan being laird of the clan.There is a free prequel that tells more of the lore of the bear shifters too at http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=22519
OMG! This was perfect. The emotion and chemistry between them was palpable. I just wanted it to go on longer. I especially wanted to know more about Ewan's struggles with his bear and the menace from his nasty cousin who obviously wants Ewan dead. Sooo much more to come from this story, so hopefully Lexi will bring them back to carry on their tale. Still 5 stars though because it ticked all my boxes ... and its free! Amazing.
September 4, 2013
Well this was very good. I like how it was written. It was a good ending, for now.. but I really hope it is continued. There are questions left opened. How about the 'legend' Ewen was told by his grandfather about meeting his(fated) lover? How about his bear never coming out fully? I like the characters/story enough to WANT to know the answers. I would like to see more of Roi(and his gift) and Ewen face off with Ewen's(jealous) cousin who wants him dead.
Plus, I see people talking about a ménage involving the brother. No for me. It would ruin the who story for me. I like the coupling as they are. Throwing another person in would devastate me. Though, I do like the side characters and would like to see more of them. :-)
Plus, I see people talking about a ménage involving the brother. No for me. It would ruin the who story for me. I like the coupling as they are. Throwing another person in would devastate me. Though, I do like the side characters and would like to see more of them. :-)
October 10, 2014
I'm not a huge fan of this time period, shifters, strong accents in text, or fate. So it's not really a surprise that this didn't work for me. I didn't really connect with either Roi or Ewen and I thought the ending was a little rushed and abrupt.
March 23, 2014
By all rights I should have hated this story. I despise dead mate stories. I did not hate this, but I did not like it either. Not a fan of Scottish language or whatever you call this. I did end up reading it all the way through so it gets two stars instead of one.
March 19, 2014
Very well done historical highland story.
February 17, 2014
I have to thank Macky for her review of this book. I had this in my tbr pile along with all the other LHNB stories but it would have taken ages for me to get round to reading it without Macky pointing out how great this is.
I started off with the prequel and then read this story and loved it. I love shifter stories and I always think it must be hard for authors to write really great shifter stories which are fresh and innovative because there are so many shifter stories out there.
The author managed to write a unique shifter story set in the 12th century in the Scottish Highlands. It is unique because she has created a legend on which the story is based and she has also used the language of the time. It must have taken her time to research for the story and I really appreciated this because the story is free.
Free and fabulous! An excellent story for shifter fans like me. I need a sequel but a full length novel this time. please?
I started off with the prequel and then read this story and loved it. I love shifter stories and I always think it must be hard for authors to write really great shifter stories which are fresh and innovative because there are so many shifter stories out there.
The author managed to write a unique shifter story set in the 12th century in the Scottish Highlands. It is unique because she has created a legend on which the story is based and she has also used the language of the time. It must have taken her time to research for the story and I really appreciated this because the story is free.
Free and fabulous! An excellent story for shifter fans like me. I need a sequel but a full length novel this time. please?
January 27, 2016
Twelfth century bear shifters are not something I have encountered often, and I liked their appearance in 'Fated'. In this world they are part of one highland clan's heritage, and the historical setting added to their mystery. Ewen, a fighter for the king of Scotland and leader of a clan is a rough man, and the bear spirit inside him makes him a fearful warrior. Roi, the man who is supposed to die at his hand, if he were to believe his own vision, yet he survives. Both of them together have ore than a few problems as they try to figure out if and how they are meant to fit together.
If you like shifters in a historical setting, if you enjoy highland clans and their struggles for power, and if you're looking for a read that is entertaining and makes you feel as if you were right there, in the middle of a few sword fights followed by a tumble between the furs, then you might like this free novella.
If you like shifters in a historical setting, if you enjoy highland clans and their struggles for power, and if you're looking for a read that is entertaining and makes you feel as if you were right there, in the middle of a few sword fights followed by a tumble between the furs, then you might like this free novella.
April 18, 2015
3.5 - I enjoyed this story, the characters, the world building and the romance. I would love to read more about these two and their world. Nice interpretation of the photo and the story letter. Thank you Lexi Ander for donating your story, your time and your talent.
dnf
October 12, 2016skipping that one. not my cuppa. :)
June 22, 2019
What can I say, the verse left me giggling because it felt silly to me, but still worked. Men in kilts should be a thing - a mandatory thing. Still not a genre I’ll rush out to read again, they’re just not my favourite.
December 18, 2017
Men in kilts need I say more?
July 2, 2019
I simply loved this, even though it wasn't perfect.
September 13, 2021
About halfway through this, I fell in love with Roi. By the end, I was pretty much in love with Ewan, too. Excellent story with some lovely world-building!
March 5, 2025
Good short
August 6, 2016
** 4.5 Stars **
Cerridwen, The Celtic Goddess
I'm not usually fond of a first-person narrative and I'm not used to reading shifters stories but THIS short story is a little gem!
I loved the unusual and even sometimes poetic prose, the very mystical atmosphere and the folklore, the wonderful and vivid descriptions of Ewen and Roi's inner strugles, the intensity of their bond and passion ... I loved everything!
... and on top of that the Medival era is one of my favorites! Thank you so much Ms. Ander!!!!
** I see that there's even a prequel, yay!**
Cerridwen, The Celtic Goddess
I'm not usually fond of a first-person narrative and I'm not used to reading shifters stories but THIS short story is a little gem!
I loved the unusual and even sometimes poetic prose, the very mystical atmosphere and the folklore, the wonderful and vivid descriptions of Ewen and Roi's inner strugles, the intensity of their bond and passion ... I loved everything!
... and on top of that the Medival era is one of my favorites! Thank you so much Ms. Ander!!!!
** I see that there's even a prequel, yay!**
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