Month: April 2020

Highland Conquest by Heather McCollum

On By TracyIn Elizabethan Era (1558-1603), Scottish/Highlander, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Highland Conquest (Sons of Sinclair, #1)Highland Conquest by Heather McCollum

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Sons of Sinclair, #1

Release Date: April 28, 2020

When Cain Sinclair’s father is killed in battle by Arabella “Ella” Sutherland, Cain decides that the only way to end the decades old feud is to marry Ella and merge the clans. Too bad Ella is not on board with that plan.

Cain is the eldest of the four Sinclair brothers who were raised by their father as the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” – a clever tactic on their father’s part to instill fear in their enemies and a strategy the brothers fully embrace. Cain captures Ella and gives her a choice, marry him or die – she chooses death – well that is not what Cain expected and decides that doesn’t work for him – instead he set out to change her mind and woo her – which is quite entertaining!

Ella not only a warrior, she is also lovely, smart and devoted to her people. But Ella was raised by a monster and wants nothing more than to protect her people – she is sure Cain is a monster too and will not subject her people to that kind of ruler again – but slowly she sees that Cain is not really the “horseman” that rumor and reputation have made him out to be and she finds herself falling for him – but Ella has made promises and has secrets that could make any hope of HEA an impossibility.

This was a well written and entertaining story. It is filled with action, secrets, some laugh out loud moments, a great cast of secondary characters, steamyish love scenes and finally a hard-won HEA. I did feel like the first half of the book dragged a bit, but it did pick up in the second half and I appreciated the glossary of Scots-Gaelic/Old English words at the beginning of the book for reference. I enjoyed this book and would be happy to recommend it. It is the first in a new series this book and am really looking forward to each of the brother’s stories.

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

Gone With the Rogue by Amelia Grey

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)1 Comment

Gone With the Rogue (First Comes Love, #2)Barbara’s rating: 3/3.5 of 5 stars

Series: First Comes Love #2
Publication Date: 4/28/20
Number of Pages: 352
** 3.5 Stars **

In the first book of the series, The Earl Next Door, we learned about the sinking of the Salty Dove and the impact that had on the families of the passengers and crew. We also met and got to know the ladies who are featured in this series and their struggles to come to grips with what happened by creating a school to educate the young girls who were orphaned by the sinking. While this book is part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone. The writing was good, I liked the characters in general, the story had promise, but I did find myself skimming portions of it. If you like a lot of steam in your books, you won’t find it in this one. There are a couple of love scenes, but they are told more from an emotional standpoint than from a more graphic one. That part is fine with me as I’m happy with no steam or a lot of steam – as long as they are done well.

Julia was being forced into a vile marriage she didn’t want and Kitson’s father was trying to force him into an arranged marriage that would benefit both families. Kitson very much wanted to defy his nasty father and Julia wanted to avoid marriage to a man who was her father’s age – their solution was to run away and marry at Gretna Green. Theirs wasn’t a love match, but it worked well enough for them – until Kitson died on the Salty Dove and Julia was left expecting and under the very firm control of her father-in-law, the Duke of Sprogsfield. After four years of widowhood, she’s just as tightly under his control as she ever was – and she’s looking for a way out. The duke has told her she is welcome to leave any time she likes, but his grandson will remain with him. Now she has a plan for them to escape – can she pull it off?

Garrett Stockton wanted more from his life than living on a stipend doled out by a titled relative. His father was perfectly happy with that life and tried to raise Garett to be the same way, but it just didn’t sit well with Garrett. Garrett’s father was very good at reading people and he was very lucky. When Garrett tried to convince him to put those talents into a business, his father was appalled. Gentlemen didn’t work or engage in trade! So, when Garrett’s father died, Garrett took off in a ship that his father had won in a card game and turned that ship into a very successful shipping fleet. Now, the ton doesn’t know what to make of Garrett. Is he still a gentleman? Not by many standards, but he is very wealthy. After all these years, Garrett is getting restless and wants more in his life – he wants a home. Not just any home – he wants the one he was raised in, the one his father said they could never own because it belonged to the title. He just has to get his titled relative to sell it.

I loved the initial meeting between Julia and Garrett. It was witty and entertaining. They were instantly attracted to each other, but Julia knew she could never act on any attraction because that would go against the Duke’s dictates of how she should live her life. Garrett just wanted to be with her, to help her any way he could. As he wins her trust and they manage to spend time together, she comes to trust him and believe in him. If they can outwit the duke, will they have their HEA?

All-in-all, it was a cute story, but just didn’t have any real depth nor character growth. I think the duke overshadowed the romance because 99.9% of the conversations and interactions centered around him rather than them getting to know each other. Some things dragged on too long and if those had been shortened, then more time could have been spent developing the main characters and their relationship. I will be looking forward to seeing how the next book goes.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.