Month: August 2023

A Scot’s Pride by Eliza Knight

On By TracyIn OtherLeave a comment

A Scot's Pride (Distinguished Scots Book 1)A Scot’s Pride by Eliza Knight

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Distinguished Scots, #1

Release Date: August 15, 2023

At his grandfather’s urging, Bryson Mackenzie Fraser, Baron Lovat goes to London to find an English wife. He relies on his aunt, Lady Daven for help, suggesting that while he will marry an Englishwoman to appease his grandfather, he would like a bride with some Scottish blood. His aunt agrees to help and supplies him with a list of eligible brides, but then she confuses him when she introduces him to Miss Freya Grysham, a lovely woman who is completely wrong for him and not on the list. Bryson who usually has no problem charming ladies, finds himself immediately at odds with Freya. He is happy to be done with her, but when he learns her sister is the love of his best friend’s life, he will try to get along with her to help his friend. Too bad she doesn’t seem willing to play nice.

Freya Grysham is the second daughter of Baron Grysham, she and her elder sister Riley are partaking in the London season with hopes of finding husbands. Riley is madly in love with Hugh Gray, the Earl of Ashbury, but they are both painfully shy and the courtship is not progressing. To make matters worse, their father makes it clear that they need to marry well or risk being left penniless when their father dies and their cousin inherits. There is also the suggestion that Riley marry him, but Freya knows her sister is in love and will do whatever is necessary to help her attain her HEA – even spend time with the earl’s obnoxious best friend, Lord Lovat. But the more time she spends with him, the more she finds herself drawn to him but is sure nothing will come of it, especially when her family abruptly leaves London. Leaving her to wonder if anyone will be getting a HEA!

What a great start to a new series! Featuring an enemies-to-lovers trope, the book is filled with likable characters, more than one romance, an elopement, a bit of drama, a nod to previous heroes in other series, highwaymen, lots of sisters, witty banter, some tears, a bit of steam and finally a HEA. This is the first book in a new series, but I didn’t really feel a lot of setup for the series, but I am assuming that her friends will be finding their HEAs in upcoming installments. Overall, I enjoyed this story and will certainly be looking forward to the next book.

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

The Highlander’s Secret Avenger by Heather McCollum

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Scottish/Highlander, Tudor Era (1485-1603)Leave a comment

The Highlander's Secret Avenger (Brothers of Wolf Isle #4)

Barbara’s rating: 4.4 out of 5 Stars
Series: The Brothers of Wolf Isle #4
Publication Date: 8/21/23
Period: Tudor – 1548 Highlands of Scotland
Number of Pages: 237

Be still my heart! Those five Macquarie brothers are all large, handsome, brawny, intelligent, honorable, and determined to break the curse on their clan while reclaiming their home – Wolf Isle. The outward manifestation of the curse – an ancient willow tree – is showing more and more signs of life as each brother finds his true love. Will Drostan find his HEA or will he seal the fate of the Macquarie clan? You’ll just have to read this exciting, well-paced, excellently written story to see!

Amelia MacLeod has been sorely mistreated by her family – especially her two brothers. Since her mother died, Amelia has no protection at all and is being offered up as the prize to win an alliance with the powerful MacLean clan. Well, she’ll have none of that – she’ll prove how valuable she is to her clan by single-handedly defeating her clan’s biggest enemy, the Macquarie brothers. She knows the curse – and she knows how to use it. She just has to seduce one of the Macquarie brothers. Then – one of them rescues her and perhaps they aren’t the monsters she’d been told they were. OOPS!

Drostan Macquarie has always known he would be the one to bring his family down – the one who would allow the curse to come to fruition. Knowing this, he took measures to circumvent it, but – can the curse be circumvented by trickery? He may find out because the young woman he just rescued is definitely tempting. Sparks fly when he sees her – he cannot stop himself. Uh Oh!

What will happen when Drostan finds out about Amelia’s betrayal? Can he stand by and let her go? Then, there is the dastardly Jandeau who seems to have more lives than a cat – what will he do?

This was a lovely, fast-paced, exciting read and whets the appetite for the next, and final, book in the series. Yes, Eagan is the last man standing, and, to completely break the curse, he must find his true love. I wonder which lady will snare him.

I can definitely recommend this book; however, I would recommend reading the entire series in the order they were released to get the full enjoyment and understanding of the curse and Jandeau who is the overarching villain of the series. Happy reading!

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

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