Needed by the Highlander

I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes at the ‘modern woman in the past’ premise—until *Needed by the Highlander* hooked me with its refusal to romanticize the 16th century. Helen isn’t just fish-out-of-water comic relief; she’s genuinely *unmoored*, and Passmore’s narration sells every stuttered Gaelic phrase and panicked breath. The romance with Niali is a masterclass in uneasy attraction: their first ‘meet-cute’ involves him accusing her of spying, and their banter crackles with the kind of tension that makes you lean into the audiobook like it’s a campfire story. That said, the pacing stumbles in the middle. Preston’s world-building is rich, but the political subplots occasionally drag, and Passmore’s cadence during exposition can feel monotonous—like she’s reading a history textbook instead of a love story. And while the steamy scenes sizzle (Passmore’s husky whisper is *chef’s kiss*), the abrupt shifts from danger to desire sometimes whiplash. Still, the final act delivers a payoff that’s both emotionally raw and historically plausible—a rarity in time-travel romance. If you want a Highlander who’s more ‘flawed protector’ than ‘perfect alpha,’ and a heroine who fights back, this is your audiobook. Just maybe listen at 1.25x speed during the clan council scenes.