This Scot of Mine by Sophie Jordan

This Scot of Mine (The Rogue Files, #4)This Scot of Mine by Sophie Jordan
Tracy’s rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: The Rogue Files, #4

Release Date: March 12, 2019

The Lairds of the MacLarin clan are cursed – doomed to love but not to live. And for five generations this curse has held, all the previous lairds have died before their firstborn child took it’s first breath.
Laird Hunt MacLarin has spent his life avoiding the curse – he will not marry and will not father a child – but his carefully laid plans turn to dust when a chance encounter brings Lady Clara, sister of the Duke of Autenberry into his life.

Lady Clara is ruined, she has escaped an unwanted betrothal, but the price was exile. She leaves London with her governess/companion Marian and travels to Scotland to live with her brother Marcus and his wife Alyse. She “meets” Hunt when he starts a brawl in the inn she stops at on the way to her brother’s house. She is intrigued by the handsome highlander, but at the same time appalled. He is equally taken by her, but puts her out of his mind, as they will never cross paths again.

But fate has other plans for these two, they meet again at her brother’s home – and when Marcus tells Hunt that Clara is ruined and with child, Hunt thinks he has found a way around the curse – he will marry Clara and raise her child as his own without any danger to himself! But there is a catch – Clara lied, she is not, nor has she ever been, pregnant. She refuses Hunt’s offer, but after her family and Marian press the issue, she reconsiders.

They marry and truths are revealed – Hunt is angry and tells Clara she has killed him. Clara thinks the curse is nonsense – but is it?

I liked this book, but I feel like it could have been so much better, there were a lot of things left unsaid that I think could have added to the story. Hunt and Clara are both likeable leads and have an immediate chemistry, but sadly, I felt like that fizzled out a bit by the end and she never tells him she loves him, which was disappointing. On the upside, there was quite a bit of amusing banter, some warm to steamy love scenes and wonderful secondary characters that helped the story along. I must note that there were a lot of title/formal address errors and some inconsistencies in the story, but this was an uncorrected arc, so it is possible that those will be corrected by publication and therefore, I didn’t take them in to consideration while rating this book. This is the fourth book in the series, but it can definitely be read as a stand alone with no problem.

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

While The Duke Was Sleeping by Sophie Jordan

While the Duke Was Sleeping (The Rogue Files, #1)Barbara’s rating: 3 of 5 stars     Really 3.5 Stars

Series: The Rogue Files #1
Publication Date: 10/25/2016

I normally enjoy Sophie Jordan’s books and I did enjoy this one, but it is totally unbelievable. It isn’t unbelievable because the heroine comes to prefer the illegitimate brother over the Duke. No, it is just the whole premise that the Duke’s staff and family are all willing to so easily believe that a haughty duke would become engaged to a poor shop girl.

Poppy Fairchurch works in a flower shop. She is poor and the guardian of her fifteen-year-old sister. She also fantasizes about the handsome duke who comes into their shop every week to order flowers for different ladies. She knows that a relationship is impossible, but the little fantasy brightens up her otherwise dull existence.

Struan MacKenzie is the illegitimate brother of the Duke and they are not at all friendly. Struan holds no grudge against the Duke and would be friends if the Duke would allow it. However, the Duke cannot accept that his father was unfaithful to his mother and feels that Struan is trying to take advantage of him and his family. ***** NOTE: I just love the name Struan and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it used in a book before.

The story begins with an altercation between the Duke and Struan and Poppy actually saving the Duke’s life by pushing him out of the way of a runaway coach. Poppy is hailed as a hero and is tasked with seeing that the Duke arrives home safely. Upon arrival at the Duke’s home, the housekeeper overhears Poppy whisper to herself that the Duke must survive because ‘they were to be wed’.

Struan doesn’t believe that his half-brother would ever, under any circumstances become engaged to a shop girl. So, he assumes she is his mistress and proceeds to treat her accordingly. Their relationship changes and grows as the story goes on and it is nice to see that love wins in the end.

I am looking forward to the next books in the series. The dowager duchess is featured in the next book, The Scandal Of It All, and I assume the third book will feature the Duke finally getting his HEA.