BLOG TOUR – A Laird in London by Catherine Tinley

A Laird in London

There’s a new Laird in town

Will he leave with a wife?

Angus MacDonald has just arrived in London to reclaim his land when he rescues Lady Isabella Wood from a cattle stampede! Their instant attraction is undeniable, but Isabella must wed this Season and Angus isn’t looking for a bride. His wild Hebridean home is a world away from London Society, so Isabella is completely out-of-bounds. Even if their connection is unlike anything he’s felt before.

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Author Bio:

Catherine Tinley is a multi-award-winning author of witty, heartwarming historical romance. Her first novel, Waltzing with the Earl, won the Rita® Award for Best Historical Romance in 2018, while Rags-to-Riches Wife won the RoNA Award for Best Historical Romance 2021 as well as the HOLT Medallion, and A Waltz with the Outspoken Governess won the RoNA Award for Best Historical Romance 2022.

She has loved reading and writing since childhood and has a particular fondness for love, romance, and happy endings. After a career encompassing speech & language therapy, Sure Start, maternity campaigning, and being President of a charity, she now manages a maternity hospital. She lives in Ireland with her husband, children, cats, and dog and can be reached via her website, or find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Full links are here.

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Tracy’s Review:

A Laird in LondonA Laird in London by Catherine Tinley

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Lairds of the Isles, #2

Release Date: December 27, 2022

After months of trying and failing to purchase the adjoining estate of Lidistrome from Viscount Burtenshaw, Angus MacDonald, Laird of Broch Clachan, decides to go to see the man in London. The Englishman’s family was given the estate by the King after the battle of Culloden, but no one has ever visited the island or even maintained the property, which is falling into disrepair, yet they continue to collect and raise the rents, which has seen many families leaving, which is something that Angus cannot stand to see happening any longer. So Angus and his sister Eilidh set out for London, but soon find that without connections, London society is almost impossible to infiltrate, and without going about in society, his chances of meeting Lord Burtenshaw are almost nil. In an attempt to meet people, the siblings have been walking in the park, and thanks to a stampede of cows, they make the acquaintance of Miss Isabella Wood, when Angus saves her from being trampled.

Isabella is having a bad day, first, she is in London for the season and second, she must find a husband before the season ends, or her eldest brother and guardian, Viscount Burtenshaw will find one for her. But things begin to look up when she literally runs into a handsome Scotsman who saves her life. Days later, Isabella gets her middle brother Max to join her for a walk and they meet the MacDonald siblings again, and after a bit of wariness on Max’s part, a true friendship between them starts, but Eilidh warns Isabella that Angus is not in the market for a wife and if he were, he would marry a girl from the island. Isabella tries to take that advice to heart, but can’t seem to stop herself from falling for him. Angus feels the same for her but is sure that Isabella could never be happy in his remote section of Scotland and tries to ignore his feelings and stick to the task at hand – which surprisingly becomes easier when he learns that Isabella is Lord Burtenshaw’s sister. But when Isabella becomes betrothed and Lord Burtenshaw makes it clear that he will never sell Lidistrome to him, Angus admits defeat and makes plans to return to Scotland empty-handed and broken-hearted. Just when it looks like HEA is impossible, help comes from the last person you would expect, but will Angus be in time to claim Isabella, or are they destined to be star-crossed lovers?

This was a well-written, interesting romance with very likable characters. The book wasn’t quite what I was expecting and moved a lot slower than I would have liked. What I really like about this book was the “fish out of water” trope with Angus and Eilidh, it was a fresh twist and I appreciated that. I also enjoyed the inclusion of Beau Brummell, as well as the St. James herd, both were incorporated into the story perfectly. The book is a no-steam romance, with love scenes limited to kisses, and there is definitely a second romance brewing, which I am hoping will be the next book. Overall, it was a nice read, it was a little slow but still enjoyable.

*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.*

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An Extravagant Duplicity by Lynn Messina

An Extravagant Duplicity (Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries, #11)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mystery
Publication Date: 1/13/23
Period: Regency – London
Number of Pages: 310

As usual, this author has provided us with an entertaining and well-crafted read. Our murderer is among an insanely dysfunctional family that will almost remind you of the old Keystone Cops movies. When you add Bea’s wild and wooly family into the mix, you have a recipe for total and utter chaos – along with some witty and humorous banter. As always, we have a lot of Bea’s internal dialogue to know what she is really thinking – and most of that internal dialogue centers around the fact that she is expecting a ‘cherub’ and is afraid she’s going to have to curtail her investigating. Oh! My! I sure do hope that isn’t the author actually thinking of ending the series.

Roger Dugmore, a man who is old and feeble, died when he was trying to get out of bed, fell, and hit his head on a table. Or is that what happened? You’ll know for sure after Bea and Kesgrave finish their investigation. Dugmore’s grandson, Viscount Ripley, asked for their help – mostly as a lark. You see, Ripley is very young, very naïve, very immature, and very determined to come to the notice of Mr. Twaddle Thum so he can be featured in his gossip column.

Bea is distracted by the news that she is ‘with child’ and initially misses an important clue. Thus, she believes this really is just a horrible accident – until Kesgrave shares what he has noticed. So, murder it is, and there are plenty of suspects with several grown grandchildren and a daughter all living in the home.

As the investigation progresses, they learn that grampa wasn’t the nicest of men. He ruled his family with an iron hand and had no compunction about blackmailing or otherwise coercing his own family into doing his bidding. With so many suspects and alibis floating around it seems almost impossible to find the solution. But, of course, they do.

While murder is a serious subject, the author always manages to slip in plenty of wit and humor along with side stories to make the darker topic more tolerable. As always, this story was rife with Americanisms – just in case you needed to know that. The characters are engaging and fun, and the side stories keep it really interesting. Again, as always, there is a lot of self-dialogue on Bea’s part – sometimes that causes me to skip some paragraphs – sometimes it doesn’t. At any rate, it is an enjoyable read and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

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

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