Category: Scottish/Highlander

In Her Highlander’s Bed by Lynsay Sands

On By TracyIn Medieval (1066-1540), Middle Ages / Medieval (476-1454), Part of a Series, Scottish/Highlander, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

In Her Highlander's BedIn Her Highlander’s Bed by Lynsay Sands

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Highland Brides, #11

Release Date: January 24, 2023

Allissaid MacFarlane wakes to learn that Maldouen MacNaughton tried to kidnap and marry her elder sister Claray for the sole purpose of killing their family and taking over the MacFarlane’s holdings, but thankfully she was saved by the man known as the Highland Wolf, who is actually Bryson MacDonald, her thought-to-be-dead betrothed. Now married to Bryson, Claray is safe, but it seems that MacNaughton has decided to turn his attention to the next sister – Allissaid. To save his family, her father has decided to marry off all the sisters and has sent for their betrothed as well as his nephews Aulay and Alick Buchanan. Ordered to stay in the keep and prepare for the arrival of her groom, Allissaid is trying to make sense of everything when she is told that her brother Eachann is missing. Against her father’s orders, she slips out of the keep to look for him and is soon captured by the MacNaughton and learns that he murdered her betrothed, he then tries to force her to participate in a marriage ceremony, but Allissaid refuses to speak, he then tries to force himself on her, brutally beating her when she fights back, but when the MacNaughton leaves her alone, she escapes by jumping out of a window into the Loch. She is on the run when she sees a man swimming and tries to steal his plaid and is tackled by him.

Calan Campbell is Laird of the Kilcairn Campbells and his lands border those of the MacNaughton. Calan and his cousin are out investigating a recent raid on their lands – by the MacNaugtons – and on the way back to the keep, Still recuperating from a recent injury, Calan decides to take a dip in the loch and sends his cousin Gillie back to the holding. he is in the loch when he sees a young lad trying to steal his plaid and takes off after them, knocking the boy to the ground, only to find out that it is not a lad, it is a badly beaten lady. Thankfully, Gillie comes looking for him and between them, they sneak Allissaid into his keep. He hides her in his chamber and has his sister Inghinn come and examine her. When she wakes, Allissaid isn’t sure she can trust them and pretends to have amnesia, but when his mother Lady Fiona gets involved and recognizes Allissaid, she tells them the whole story of her abduction, attempted wedding, and the beating. The Campbells vow to help her and decide it is best if she remains hidden until the MacNaughton is defeated. Lady Fiona insists that Allissaid stay in Calan’s room and that he must stay and protect her, a task Calan is happy to perform, as he has come to admire Allissaid. They are getting to know each other and attraction blooms but is brought to a halt by the arrival of her cousin Alick, who takes his job to protect her very seriously – much to the annoyance of Calan, who has already decided that Allissiad will make the perfect wife for him. He just has to convince her and defeat MacNaughton…

This story picks up exactly where Highland Wolf ends, but there is more than enough backstory given to read this book without having read that one first. Allissaid and Calan are very likable leads and the passion between them burns brightly, making it easy to root for their HEA. The story has a lot going on, some of it quite dark, but Ms. Sands manages to keep the story from turning too dark by the use of her signature humor and witty banter between characters. In addition to that you will be treated to action, great secondary characters, lots of Buchanans, murder, a matchmaking mother, steamy love scenes, betrayal, and finally a HEA that sees the villain getting his due. I enjoyed this book, it did drag a little in the middle, but the ending more than makes up for that in my opinion and I am happy to recommend this title. This is the eleventh book in the series, but it is a loosely connected series and as I mentioned before, it can 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.*

BLOG TOUR – Conveniently Wed to the Laird by Jeanine Englert

On By TracyIn #Giveaway, Blog Tour, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Scottish/Highlander, Standalone Title, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Conveniently Wed to the Laird

The laird’s bridal bid…

Is love too high a price to pay?

When new laird, Ewan Stewart, comes across a wife for sale at a market, he outbids everyone to rescue her. He never intended for Catriona to become his bride, but a convenient marriage could secure his clan’s future and her freedom. They agree that their arrangement must stay free of love, yet Catriona’s bravery and fire intrigue him. Can Ewan resist falling for his wife—the one rule he must not break?

Purchase Link

Author Bio:

Jeanine Englert’s love affair with mysteries and romance began with Nancy Drew, Murder She Wrote, and her Grandmother’s bookshelves full of romance novels. She is a VIVIAN® and Golden Heart® Finalist as well as a Silver Falchion, Maggie, and Daphne du Maurier Award Winner in historical romance and mystery. Her Scottish Highland historical and historical romantic suspense novels revolve around characters seeking self-acceptance and redemption. When she isn’t wrangling with her characters on the page, she can be found trying to convince her husband to watch her latest Masterpiece or BBC show obsession. She loves to talk about books, writing, her beloved rescue pups, as well as mysteries and romance with other readers.

Social Media Links

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website ~ Goodreads ~ BookBub ~ Instagram

GIVEAWAY:

Giveaway to Win a Highlander Trio Prize Pack (Open to UK/ US Only)

Settle in to enjoy the complete Falling for a Stewart Trilogy along with some Scottish-themed jewelry and book swag! Good luck and thank you for participating in the giveaway!

*Terms and Conditions –UK & US entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for the despatch or delivery of the prize.

Tracy’s Review:

Conveniently Wed to the LairdConveniently Wed to the Laird by Jeanine Englert

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Falling for a Stewart, #3

Release Date: January 24, 2023

When Laird Ewan Stewart accompanied his soon-to-be-wed sister Brenna to Edinburgh on a shopping trip, he never expected to purchase anything for himself, especially not a wife, but that is exactly what happened! While wandering through the market stalls Ewan heard a commotion and came across a man selling his wife – Ewan was appalled, but it wasn’t until his neighbor and nemesis Dallan MacGregor offered to buy her at a discounted rate that Ewan stepped up and bought her. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do with her, but he knew that he couldn’t leave her with Dallan, who would no doubt abuse her and after learning of the torture his sister Moria endured with a cruel man, there is no way Ewan would ever leave any woman to face that if he could help it. So he takes the woman, whose name is Catriona Gordon, back to his carriage and a plan starts to form. Ewan needs a wife, the elders have been nagging him since he inherited the lairdship, but having been in love once and been betrayed, Ewan has no desire to relive that experience and will only marry someone who understands that love will never figure into their relationship. And now that he has “bought” a wife, he is not even sure if he is married to her, so he tells her he will contact his solicitor to find out if the marriage is legal, and offers her a marriage of convenience if it is.

Catriona Gordon can’t believe her husband Thomas sold her, but a small part of her is relieved to be free of him, as he was one of many disappointments in her life. A life that started for her when she was found washed up on the beach as a young child, with no memory of her name or her family. She was raised by a loving widow, but sadly she died when Catriona was only 13, alone once more Catriona was taken in by another family, then she became a maid for another family and met Thomas Gordon, who she married – but she longs for a true family and freedom to make her own decisions. She agrees to Ewan’s offer but plans to flee at her first opportunity. But the more time she spends with him, the harder it is to leave. And when they learn the state of their marriage and Ewan proposes, she agrees to marry him, but wonders if she can keep her promise to not love him because she is pretty sure she already does and believes that he has feelings for her too. It seems like they may find their HEA after all, but when one of their guests raises a shocking possibility on the night of their betrothal announcement, everything changes and Ewan realizes two things; he loves her and his heart is going to be broken yet again.

I loved this book, in my opinion, it is the best of the series and shouldn’t be missed! The book has a marriage of convenience, a love-shy hero, an incredible heroine, great secondary characters, a slow-burn romance, kissing-only love scenes, a little heartache, a surprising twist, a scene that brought me to tears, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. I do wish the book had some steam, but even without it, the book was a wonderful read. This is the third book in the series, but it could easily be read as a stand-alone title. I am happy to recommend this title and I am sincerely hoping that I wasn’t just imagining that the author seemed to be setting up the possibility of spinoff series (Hint, Hint).

*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.*