Once a Laird by Mary Jo Putney

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Rogues Redeemed, #6

Release Date: October 26, 2021

After years of wandering and avoiding his home, Kai Douglas Ramsey is called home from Constantinople to Scotland to assume his responsibilities as Laird of Thorsay, as his grandfather is dying. Ramsey left Thorsay over a decade ago after the death of his one and only love, Gisela Matheson, and has led a life full of adventure, which included being held prisoner and barely escaping death with four other men in Portugal and helping one of those men rescue abducted women from a harem! But now he must put his wandering behind him and return home to fulfill his promises and face his memories. When he arrives he is greeted by Signy Matheson, Gisela’s younger sister, and is happy to learn his grandfather still lives but is surprised by the cold reception from Signy.

Signy has been harboring anger towards Ramsey for years, as she blames him for the death of her sister. But once Ramsey confronts her about her hostile demeanor, she realizes he had no idea how Gisela died and that his grief upon learning the truth is real. They end up comforting each other and true friendship blooms. Sadly, Ramsey’s grandfather dies not long after he arrives, but manages to tell Ramsey to trust Signy and goes a step further and tells him to marry her. An idea that seems ridiculous, until they spend more time together. And soon Ramsey knows that his grandfather was right, Signy is the perfect woman for him, now he just has to convince her!

This was a well-written, nicely-paced, gentle read. The book has a lot going on, secrets, surprising discoveries, treasure, very mild love scenes, cameos from the other “Rogues” and their loves, and a HEA featuring an “It’s a Wonderful Life” type ending. Overall, I liked this book, but I felt the whole Gisela plotline was wrapped up too neatly, and maybe it’s just me, but I felt like there was no way it would have been that easy for anyone to move on that fast. Other than that, I enjoyed the story and the relatively angst-free read. This is the final book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title with no problem, but if like me you have been following the series, you will be delighted to catch up with the previous characters. And it is worth noting, this author always has the best author notes and this book is no exception!

*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.*

How Not to Chaperon a Lady

His childhood nemesis…is the woman he can’t resist!
Chaperoning Charity Brookes while she’s on a singing tour should be easy for Griffith Philpot—he’s spent his whole life sparring with her over her flighty ways! But as he discovers that she’s much more than the impetuous girl he thought he knew, a passion ignites between them… Sharing a steamy kiss leaves him torn – he’s supposed to be responsible for guarding her virtue!

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Author Bio:

When Virginia Heath was a little girl it took her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the stories became more complicated, sometimes taking weeks to get to the happy ending. Then one day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down. Twenty books and two Romantic Novel of the Year Award nominations later, and it still takes her forever to fall asleep.
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Tracy’s Review:

How Not to Chaperon a Lady by Virginia Heath

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Talk of the Beau Monde,#3

Release Date: September 28, 2021

After years of singing in her opera star mother’s shadow, Charity Brooks is finally getting her due. After a successful run on Drury Lane, Charity agrees to a tour to perform in Northern England and invites her dearest friend Dorothy to join her, but when no family members are available to chaperone, her parents agree to have the son of their long-time family friend’s son and Dorothy’s older brother Griffith Philpot to accompany them as he has business to attend up north, much to Charity’s dismay. Griff, who has been in love with Charity for years, but sure she would never return his affection and therefore avoids her whenever possible.

Likewise, Charity has long harbored a tendre for Griff, but he has always seemed to disapprove of her, leading her to rename him, Gruff Griff, the Fun Spoiler. She is sure he will ruin their trip, not to mention hamper her plans to attend a house party of Lord Denby, the man she is hoping to marry. But much to her surprise, Griff is helpful and considerate during the trip, until the final leg of the journey, when things are said that change everything. And explanations that lead to a night of passion and more hurt feelings. HEA doesn’t seem like a possibility for these two, even though they both love the other…

This book is the final installment of the trilogy and in my opinion the hardest sell of the three from the author to the reader. It is well written and very emotional, but it does stretch the limits of credibility that an opera singer, who is no stranger to gossip and scandal is accepted by the ton and has hopes of marrying the heir to a duke. However, to her credit, Ms. Heath does a very convincing job of showing the reader the fine line Charity walks and that not everyone considers her a “lady”. The book is filled with misunderstandings, erroneous assumptions, a lot of emotion, a shotgun wedding, warm love scenes, and finally a HEA that didn’t seem possible. This is the third and final book in the series, but it could be read as a standalone title.

*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.*