Author: Tracy

Avid reader (and reviewer) of historical romance.

Secrets of a Highland Warrior by Nicole Locke #BlogBlitz

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Secrets of a Highland Warrior

Secrets of a Highland Warrior
The key to his past…

…lies with the enemy sharing his bed!

Part of The Lochmore Legacy: a Scottish castle through the ages! Rory Lochmore had expected to wage battle, to claim land and finally secure his standing within his clan… Instead he won a wife. A McCrieff wife. Their convenient marriage could unite the two long-feuding clans forever. But can a political alliance give way to a passion strong enough to stand the secrets of the past?

Secrets of a Highland Warrior Cover
Purchase Links
AMAZON UK ~ AMAZON US ~ Mills and Boon UK ~ Harlequin ~ BN

Author Bio:

Nicole is the author of Harlequin’s #LoversandLegends series and co-author of the #LochmoreLegacy series. Currently, she lives in Seattle and can be reached via Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. If you don’t hear from her, she’s eating Haribos and drinking copious amounts of tea while frantically trying to find a happily ever after.
Connect with Nicole: Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Tracy’s Review:

Secrets of a Highland Warrior (The Lochmore Legacy, #4)Secrets of a Highland Warrior by Nicole Locke

Tracy’s rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

The Lochmores and the McCrieffs have been feuding for years, so when Rory Lochmore goes to meet with the McCrieff’s Tanist, Fredrick McCrieff to discuss the surrender of the lands awarded to the Lochmores by King Edward, he doesn’t expect to be welcomed and he certainly doesn’t expect to be offered the Tanist’s daughter’s hand in marriage!!

Ailsa McCrieff is not only the daughter of the clan’s Tanist, but she is also their healer and currently her primary patient it Hamish McCrieff, the chief of the clan who is dying. She is shocked by her father’s offer to marry her to Rory, but for the sake of peace, she is willing, but when Paiden, one of Rory’s men is poisoned and it appears that treachery is at hand, Rory marries Ailsa, but refuses to make it a true marriage until Paiden is healed and he learns who is responsible. The investigation into finding the would-be assassin brings to light many secrets, secrets that Rory may have suspected, but never knew for sure until marrying Ailsa.

This was an interesting story, I found it a little wordy, somewhat hard to follow and honestly didn’t really “get it” – but I have not read the previous books in the series and I don’t know if that makes a big difference. I thought it was interesting and I liked Rory and Ailsa and was happy that they found true love amid all the hate and deception going on around them. I didn’t really understand the significance of the epilogue, but I attribute that to not having read the entire series.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an e-ARC that was provided to me by the Publisher.*

GIVEAWAY

Giveaway to Win 5 x copies of Secrets of a Highland Warrior (Open INT)
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The Lady Travelers Guide to Happily Ever After by Victoria Alexander

On By TracyIn Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Lady Travelers Guide to Happily Ever After (The Lady Travelers Society, #4)The Lady Travelers Guide to Happily Ever After by Victoria Alexander

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Lady Travelers Society #4

Release Date: August 27, 2019

WARNING – THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!

James and Violet Branham’s marriage started in scandal, when he was caught kissing Violet at his engagement party to another woman. They married two days later and the morning after, Violet overhears James telling his uncle Richard, the Earl of Ellsworth, how he expects married life to proceed. He intends to carry on as he always did and have them lead separate lives. Violet interrupts and is enraged, she thought (hoped) that James shared the same feelings she had for him and her heart is crushed to learn that he doesn’t care. In a fit of anger she declares that she NEVER wants to see him again and spends the next six years traveling the world and avoiding him. But when his uncle dies and places certain conditions in his will, James and Violet will have to decide if they can live as man and wife for the next three years or lose everything except the title.

To make it fun, Richard had enlisted the help of the woman he loved and lost – Ophelia “Effie” Higginbotham to oversee the conditions he has set for them, in turn she enlists her widowed friends Gwen and Poppy to help her. James and Violet learn of the wills stipulations together with Effie – they will have to cohabitate for Two Years, Ten Months, Two Weeks and Five Days, spending no more than 14 days apart per year, they must be seen together at least three times a week and there can be no negative rumors or gossip about them. If they succeed, they will inherit Richard’s fortune and properties, if they fail, James will have the title and nothing more. Violet agrees, but when the truth of how they ended up married comes out – she is furious and leaves James.

James has decided that Violet is the woman for him, admits that she always was and he was a fool to let her go, he plans to win her and when she leaves, this time, he follows. They traipse from Paris to Florence to Athens and many of the rumors he has heard about her over the years are debunked and they really get to know each other and fall in love, but when Violet has to decide whether or not she can really trust James, she puts not only their love, but James inheritance in question.

I thought this was a nice addition to the series, but…

 

SPOILER ALERT – don’t read anymore if you don’t want to know!!
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I would have given it five stars if James had been faithful during their time apart – especially after learning the truth of their first kiss – I just couldn’t forgive him – I am glad Violet did, but it just felt like she was a doormat – she remained faithful and had the means to tell him to stick it and not agree to the terms of the will, instead she feels like she was partly to blame for not encouraging him to reconcile (WTF)!

Anyway, it was a well written, amusing second chance romance with a lot of witty banter, likable characters, a slow burn romance and finally a hard won HEA. While I was not thrilled with James’ cheating, it was glossed over and was not a focal point of the story, but cheating is cheating and that is a huge turn off for me in romance novels, so that was an automatic minus one star for me. If he could have kept it in his pants – this would have been a 5 star read for me. This is the fourth book in the series, but it is actually a prequel of sorts and can definitely be read as a stand alone.

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