Month: August 2017

Caught by the Scot by Karen Hawkins

On By TracyIn Scottish/Highlander, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Caught by the Scot (Made to Marry, #1)Caught by the Scot by Karen Hawkins

Series: Made to Marry, #1

Release Date: September 26, 2017

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

I love Ms. Hawkins writing style – funny and light one page and then deep and emotional the next. This book was no exception, Connor and Theodora aka Thea are very likable leads with an undeniable chemistry. Their banter was vastly amusing but there was a lot of deep emotion as well.

Connor must marry, his sister has just passed away and has stipulated that if the three brothers do not marry within 3 months, their inheritance will be given to the Campbell’s – their greatest enemy! None of the three really need the money, but they will be damned if they let the Campbell’s have it!

Connor has the perfect woman in mind for his bride – his best friend’s sister, Theodora. They have been friends for ages and she would be the perfect wife for him. She would be no hardship to live with and even less to leave behind when he goes to sea. Thinking she will jump at the chance to marry him, he takes his time setting out for her home. When he finally arrives he learns that Thea is not home – she has eloped! Determined to retrieve his bride, Connor follows them.

Thea is having a really bad day and is wondering if she has made the biggest mistake of her life by eloping with Lance. She is not in love with him, but he will give her a stable home and a family, which is what she longs for after years of moving with her family from one diplomatic post to another. But now sitting in an inn in the middle of nowhere, banged up from a carriage mishap and drenched from being tossed into a ditch – she is rethinking her decision. And to make matters worse – the only man she has ever loved has just walked into the inn. When Connor enters the room, her heart leaps and she has to remind herself that she cannot love him anymore – so imagine her shock when Connor announces that he has decided to marry her!

The tale that follows is a delightful road trip romance of sorts – with Connor scheming to win his lady and Thea neatly deflecting him.

I really enjoyed the story, it is well written and covers just about the entire emotional spectrum – but it did kind of stall a little in the middle, but once you get past the 65% mark, the story gets its second wind and takes off without stopping until the very last page! With an entertaining cast of secondary characters, some passionate kisses and a couple of warmish love scenes this was a delight to read.

I would be happy to recommend this book and look forward to the rest of the series!

* I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher*

When The Scoundrel Sins by Anna Harrington

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

RELEASE PARTY! Please join the Facebook release party on 8/29 from 7pm EST – 10pm EST. There will be all kinds of contests, guest authors stopping by, and other fun things. See you there! ow.ly/enDr30e1v4y 

When the Scoundrel Sins (Capturing the Carlisles, #2)When the Scoundrel Sins by Anna Harrington

Barbara’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Capturing the Carlisles #2
Publication Date: 08/29/17

Harrington’s excellent writing coupled with sizzling chemistry and a bit of humor make for a great read – even while you want to shake both the hero and heroine until their teeth rattle.

Our heroine is Annabelle Green. Her father is a convicted thief and her mother was a housekeeper. She knew brutality and deprivation before her mother passed away and she became the ‘ward’ of Lord and Lady Ainsley when she was still very young. You’ll find out how that came about toward the end of the book. She was raised as a lady – except she wasn’t one. Lord and Lady Ainsley decided she should have a London season and hoped for a great match and they couldn’t understand why she was basically shunned. Well DUH! She was the low-born daughter of a thief – what did they expect. So, of course, there was a scandal at her very first ball. It wasn’t her fault – but it was a scandal nonetheless. In order to protect her, Lord Ainsley left the estate she had always lived on to her in his will – but she had to marry by her 25th birthday in order to inherit. Annabelle doesn’t want to marry but the will seems to be unbreakable, so it is either marry or lose the home she loves.

Quinn Carlisle is the third son of a Duke and his parents were a love match. He has vowed to never fall in love because he saw how his mother suffered after his father died in an accident. I do have to say that Quinn is not my favorite hero. I thought he came across as very selfish, self-centered and uncaring. Quinn doesn’t see any way he can stand on his own and be respected for who he is and what he has accomplished without leaving England, so he is on his way to America. He has totally forgotten that he caused the scandal that ruined Annabelle – and never even saw it as his fault (see selfish, self-centered and uncaring comment above).

Lady Ainsley has raised Annabelle since she was a small child and loves her like a daughter. Quinn is Lady Ainsley’s nephew, so he and Annabelle were around each other a lot as children. Lady Ainsley decides that Quinn needs to help find Annabelle a husband before her birthday since he is the one who caused the scandal in the first place.

I hope you will give this book a try. I think you’ll like it – even though you’ll want to give both the hero and heroine a good spanking before you are through reading it. That is just the mark of a writer and plot that pulls you into the story – if they weren’t good, you wouldn’t feel anything.

“I requested and received this book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”