Month: February 2021

Hit Me With Your Best Scot by Suzanne Enoch

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Scottish/Highlander, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Hit Me With Your Best Scot (Wild Wicked Highlanders, #3)Hit Me With Your Best Scot by Suzanne Enoch

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Wild Wicked Highlanders, #3

Release Date: February 9, 2021

Thanks to an agreement his estranged parents made 17 years ago, Coll MacTaggert, Viscount Glendarril and heir to the Earl Aldriss, along with his two brothers – must marry an Englishwoman before their sister Eloise marries in a few weeks or their mother will no longer fund their Scottish estate. Originally the brothers planned to arrive in London and wreak havoc, thinking that their mother would back down, but grossly underestimated her and now that his brothers have found love, Coll has no choice but to find a bride – but he will do so on his own terms and will not let the countess pick his bride! He is escaping her latest matchmaking attempt when he meets Mrs. Persephone Jones, the lead actress at the Saint Genesius Theatre, and is immediately intrigued, and even though Coll knows that an actress is not a suitable choice for a wife, he can’t seem to walk away. And when he protects her from an unwanted suitor he decides to take the position of her protector – at least until he finds a wife.

Persephone has secrets and has been hiding in plain sight for eight years, she knows getting involved with Coll is a mistake and could potentially expose her, but there is something about him that touches her like no one ever has, and even knowing he needs a bride, a position she could never fill, she can’t seem to send him away. She knows their time together is limited and even offers to help him find a bride and justification for spending time with him in exchange for his protection, a position he happily agrees to. Coll plans to enjoy his time with her and even tells his mother he is going to marry her to annoy her and to give him time to find a bride without her meddling. But after yet another “accident” almost kills Persephone, Coll realizes two things, one; that someone is trying to kill her, and two; he can’t live without her. Persephone knows the time has come to tell Coll the truth and wonders if she is brave enough to face her past so she can have a future with the man she has come to love.

This was a great story, well-written and fast-paced, with wonderful characters and a well-plotted “whodunit”. Of the three brothers, I think Coll is my favorite, I loved his protective nature and his willingness to let Persephone be herself –Sigh, he is just amazing. The story has so much to offer: secrets, scandal, steamyish love scenes, a well-executed mystery, cameos from previous characters, surprises, a strong likable heroine, great secondary characters, and a hard-won HEA. What kept this from being a five-star book is the fact that it is the last book in the series and it ended with some unanswered questions and no epilogue. I wanted to know what happened with his parents and would have liked a glimpse into the future with all three brothers, unfortunately, that did not happen, so I am left to wonder and feel a bit cheated. Even still, I really enjoyed this story and would happily recommend the title.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions are my own *

The Spinster and the Rake by Eva Devon

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

The Spinster and the Rake (Never a Wallflower, #1)
Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Never A Wallflower #1
Publication Date: 2/9/21
Number of Pages: 400

This was the first book I’ve read by Eva Devon and it was an absolutely marvelous introduction to her. The writing was excellent, the story was excellently plotted and delivered, and the characters were absolutely perfect. I totally adored our flawed hero who did everything in his power to change himself, to make himself ‘acceptable’ for his lady. We definitely see his life-long struggle with fitting in and coping with what definitely has to be Asperger’s/autism.

Edward Stanhope, the Duke of Thornfield, is known for being icy and uncaring. That isn’t exactly the case – he just doesn’t pick up on subtle social cues such as facial expressions, he is hypersensitive to sounds and crowds, and likes things in a certain order. Luckily, he had loving parents – and then a loving aunt – who helped him develop coping mechanisms. I loved watching him learn to cope with his very unexpected new wife. He was such a lovely man.

Edward’s Aunt Agatha knows it is time for him to marry and she has arranged a house party filled with eligible debutantes to see if any pique his interest. (NOTE: For a loving understanding aunt, this seems like a really bad thing to do to him.) After one of those debutantes makes a particularly blatant attempt to trap him into marriage, he escapes to his ‘special’ room with his ‘special’ chair in order to calm himself before having to deal with the crowded ballroom that evening. He has to have the time to himself or he won’t be able to function at the ball. Yet, when he arrives in HIS room, someone is sitting in HIS chair. He has to make her leave – he has to have his time. He orders her to leave and, mistaking him for a servant, she refuses. He tells her he’ll kiss her if she doesn’t leave – and she dares him. He thinks the threat will scare her away – and she thinks no servant would do such a thing. They were both wrong. And the kiss – OMGoodness – sparks flew. Unfortunately, the door also opened and the kiss was witnessed. They don’t even know each other’s names – and now they are to marry.

Miss Georgiana Bly is a spinster – and intends to remain one. Her family is genteel, but only just barely. She isn’t comfortable dancing and has a terrible tendency to say exactly what she thinks. She is much, much more comfortable in a library – among books wherever they are. So, when she finds a small nook of a room filled with so many lovely books – and the most comfortable chair ever – she settles in for a nice evening of reading while her parents and sisters are dancing at the ball. Imagine the impertinence of a servant coming in and actually ordering her to leave! Well, she won’t have it. How dare he threaten her with a kiss! Then he does – kiss her.

I loved seeing the growth of the two main characters. He was the most honorable man and did his best to make his marriage work. I loved watching him go from believing she had deliberately trapped him into marriage to loving her beyond measure. I also loved watching her move from the hurt his seeming indifference caused her – to learning about and understanding his difficulties. Then, to put the icing on the cake, there is the most delightful epilogue.

I can definitely recommend this book and I do so look forward to my next read by this new-to-me author.

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