Category: Top Pick – Highly Recommended

Taming the Scot by Eliza Knight

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Scottish/Highlander, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Taming the Scot (Scots of Honor, #3)Taming the Scot by Eliza Knight

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Scots of Honor, #3

Release Date: August 24, 2021

When Captain Euan Irvine learns upon his grandfather’s death that the old man changed the terms of his will, he is upset, but it isn’t until he learns what the changes are that he gets really angry and wants no part of it! But with so many tenants and six sisters to care for, Euan knows he can’t let them down and will have to dance to his grandfather’s twisted tune – meaning, the first grandson to enter into a loving marriage and produce an heir, will inherit everything – the two barony titles, all the properties, and title of Chief of the Irvine clan. He has never had a problem attracting women and figures this will be no different – but his sisters disagree and say wooing a bride is not the same as seducing a lover and suggest he hire a governess to help him with proper etiquette and to their surprise, he agrees.

Bronwen Holmes is by no means an appropriate etiquette governess, but when the gaming hell owner AKA Prince demands that she make good on her parents’ debt – a debt that he had them killed for – she has no choice but to beg her cousin Emilia for help. Emilia has an idea, she shows Bronwen the advert for a governess in the highlands and suggests that Bronwen take that job, even offering to book her passage on one of Andrewson Shipping, her employer’s ships. Unsure but out of options, Bronwen heads for the highlands.

Bronwen’s first meeting with Euan is hilarious and completely priceless. She basically hires herself for the position and leaves Euan wondering what just happened, but he decides to go along with it. It is not long before Euan and his sisters realize that Bronwen is not who or what she claims to be, but after getting a letter from his friend Lorne Gordon, the Duke of Sutherland and husband of Jaime the owner of Andrewson Shipping, and learning that she is in some sort of danger, he decides to play along with her charade. The problem is, the more time he spends with her, the more time he wants and soon he is sure that she is the answer to his inheritance problem. But Bronwen has secrets and even after confessing her deception, being accepted, and even knowing that he is the only man she will ever love, she is still not sure she is the right woman for Euan.

This was a well-written, fast-paced book with more than one twist that will keep you saying NO WAY and OMG, until the very end! Of the three books in the series so far, this one is my favorite, I just loved the instant connection between Bronwen and Euan, and his sisters are wonderful secondary characters who add so much to this book without outshining the leads. This book has a little bit of everything; mystery, witty banter, laugh-out-loud moments, secrets, steamy love scenes, great secondary characters, cameos from previous characters, a bit of angst, a truly evil villain, more than one surprising twist, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue! This is the third book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone title with no issues. I loved this book and am happy to recommend it!

*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.*

One Wicked Wish by Anna Campbell

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

One Wicked Wish (A Scandal in Mayfair, #1)One Wicked Wish by Anna Campbell

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: A Scandal in Mayfair, #1

Release Date: June 30, 2021

Stella Faulkner thinks she is saving her cousin Lady Imogen Ridley from making a huge mistake when she goes looking for her during a ball, but she soon realizes her cousin set her up. For the rake she thought had enticed Imogen to court ruin, Grayson “Gray” Maddox, the Earl of Halston was lured to the gazebo just as surely as she was. A happenstance that Grayson couldn’t be happier about because Stella caught his attention as soon as he first saw her and he will stop at nothing to claim her.

Stella is attracted to Gray but as a “poor relation” who lives with her uncle and is basically an unpaid governess/companion to her cousin, she can’t afford to act on that attraction. For ten years, since fleeing Italy after Napoleon’s invasion and the death of her family and fiancé, she has tried to bury her passionate nature. And has been successful, until she met Gray.

After Gray does some cajoling and promises to keep her reputation safe, Stella agrees to an affair – but makes it clear that this is a temporary arrangement. Something Gray has no problem agreeing to as he is sure once he has had her in his bed, the unprecedented desire he feels for her will be sated and he will quickly grow bored. But what is a rake to do when he realizes he was wrong? How can he convince Stella that they belong together and that he doesn’t care what anyone else thinks?

What a great start to a new series! This book, in particular, reminds me of Ms. Campbell’s older work, which was more emotional and much steamier – YES!!! This book is a well-written story of two people that belong together, yet don’t really believe in HEA. The book is filled with witty banter, steamy love scenes, wonderful secondary characters, and a truly beautiful soulmate-type love, complete with a HEA and an epilogue.