Seduced by a Scot by Julia London
Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Highland Grooms, #6

Release Date: October 30, 2018

When Calum Garbett’s ward, the lovely Miss Maura Danby is embroiled in a scandal that may cost him a lucrative business deal, the Duke of Montrose recommends that he summon Nichol Bain.

If you have been following the series, you will remember Nichol as the secretary of the Duke of Montrose – the man who tried his darnedest to keep Hamlin and Catriona apart. Nichol is a “fixer”, he has an uncanny knack for finding solutions to the toughest problems and Garbett’s problem seems like a walk in the park. He will help Garbett’s daughter Sorcha and her fiancé reconcile and then he will marry Miss Danby off to a former client, collect his fee and be off to Wales.

Maura is done being the demure, complacent young lady she promised her father she would be. The Garbetts took her in as a girl and made her life hell. She has borne it for years, staying out of the way and never complaining – but when Sorcha’s would be husband kisses her and then proclaims her a temptress, she is cast out of the house and her only true possession is stolen from her. She will not blindly follow Nichol to a marriage – she will get her necklace back and then she will figure out the rest of her life – she doesn’t need a too good looking, too smart man meddling in her affairs! She escapes from Nichol and heads back to the Garbett’s, she is bound and determined to get her necklace and perhaps a pound of flesh. Nichol catches up with her and convinces her to let him fix this – he is more enamored with her than he should be, but knows that nothing can come of it – he has no home to offer her, he will marry her off to Dunnan Cockburn and try to forget her.

They reclaim her necklace and set off to meet Dunnan – Maura knows she is falling for him, but has promised to go along with his plans for her. They sidetrack to his family estate and Nichol is dealt a blow he never expected. Maura understands Nichol’s pain, she too has been betrayed by those who should have loved her. She comforts him and their relationship takes a turn. She knows she cannot marry Dunnan, but Nichol is adamant, he has NOTHING to offer her and she deserves a good life.

They arrive at Dunnan’s and things go from bad to worse. By the time Nichol comes to his senses and realizes that he needs Maura, it may be too late for a HEA.

This was a well written, well paced book with two very wounded souls, the story is in turns emotional and amusing, Maura is a force to be reckoned with and Nichol is much more approachable in this book than he was in the previous story, once you learn about his past, his action and manner make a lot more sense. The book is a bit steamier than the others I have read by Ms. London (THAT IS NOT A COMPLAINT!) and the story a bit more complex and maybe a bit overly dramatic. There is some question in my mind as to the resolution with Nichol’s family and the same title error from the last book reappears in this one, but overall it was a good read and I would be happy to recommend it.

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