Tag: Suzanne Enoch

Hit Me With Your Best Scot by Suzanne Enoch

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

Hit Me With Your Best Scot (Wild Wicked Highlanders, #3)Hit Me With Your Best Scot by Suzanne Enoch

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Wild Wicked Highlanders, #3

Release Date: February 9, 2021

Thanks to an agreement his estranged parents made 17 years ago, Coll MacTaggert, Viscount Glendarril and heir to the Earl Aldriss, along with his two brothers – must marry an Englishwoman before their sister Eloise marries in a few weeks or their mother will no longer fund their Scottish estate. Originally the brothers planned to arrive in London and wreak havoc, thinking that their mother would back down, but grossly underestimated her and now that his brothers have found love, Coll has no choice but to find a bride – but he will do so on his own terms and will not let the countess pick his bride! He is escaping her latest matchmaking attempt when he meets Mrs. Persephone Jones, the lead actress at the Saint Genesius Theatre, and is immediately intrigued, and even though Coll knows that an actress is not a suitable choice for a wife, he can’t seem to walk away. And when he protects her from an unwanted suitor he decides to take the position of her protector – at least until he finds a wife.

Persephone has secrets and has been hiding in plain sight for eight years, she knows getting involved with Coll is a mistake and could potentially expose her, but there is something about him that touches her like no one ever has, and even knowing he needs a bride, a position she could never fill, she can’t seem to send him away. She knows their time together is limited and even offers to help him find a bride and justification for spending time with him in exchange for his protection, a position he happily agrees to. Coll plans to enjoy his time with her and even tells his mother he is going to marry her to annoy her and to give him time to find a bride without her meddling. But after yet another “accident” almost kills Persephone, Coll realizes two things, one; that someone is trying to kill her, and two; he can’t live without her. Persephone knows the time has come to tell Coll the truth and wonders if she is brave enough to face her past so she can have a future with the man she has come to love.

This was a great story, well-written and fast-paced, with wonderful characters and a well-plotted “whodunit”. Of the three brothers, I think Coll is my favorite, I loved his protective nature and his willingness to let Persephone be herself –Sigh, he is just amazing. The story has so much to offer: secrets, scandal, steamyish love scenes, a well-executed mystery, cameos from previous characters, surprises, a strong likable heroine, great secondary characters, and a hard-won HEA. What kept this from being a five-star book is the fact that it is the last book in the series and it ended with some unanswered questions and no epilogue. I wanted to know what happened with his parents and would have liked a glimpse into the future with all three brothers, unfortunately, that did not happen, so I am left to wonder and feel a bit cheated. Even still, I really enjoyed this story and would happily recommend the title.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions are my own *

Scot Under the Covers by Suzanne Enoch

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)3 Comments

CaptureBarbara’s Rating – 5 Stars
Series: Wild Wicked Highlanders #2
Publication Date: 1/28/20
Number of Pages: 320

In the first book in the series, It’s Getting Scot in Here, we were introduced to the wild, brawny, devilishly handsome MacTaggert brothers. The brothers, Coll, Aden, and Niall, have lived the last seventeen years without their mother – Aden was only ten when she left and Niall was seven. She got tired of the Highland’s lack of social life and left with their year-old sister, Eloise. They haven’t heard a word from her in all that time and now, she’s demanding that they travel to London and marry English brides. Yes, she can enforce that because she holds the purse strings that provide support to their estate, Aldriss Park. They have to think of the estate and their crofters and villagers. Plus, she also holds a paper signed by their father stating that in return for her support of Aldriss, each son must marry an English bride AND that their mother gets to choose the bride for one of them. To say that the three brothers aren’t happy would be a gross understatement.

Miranda Harris’s brother is betrothed to Eloise MacTaggert and it is that betrothal that has caused the MacTaggert boys to be summoned and told to find brides. They must marry before Eloise does. Miranda is charming, intelligent, witty, always the bell of the ball, and … well … she’s definitely opinionated and outspoken. When she was first introduced to Aden, almost the first words out of her mouth were, “I detest gambling. And gamblers.”

Aden MacTaggert is probably the most handsome of the devilishly handsome MacTaggert boys. He is also good at wagering – his skills are legendary – and he could easily support himself and his family from his winnings. However, he has no interest in being a professional gambler – it is more entertainment for him. He’s highly intelligent and is always several steps ahead of anyone else. He’s the MacTaggert who is very private and doesn’t share his thoughts, feelings – plots – with anyone else.

Matthew Harris, Miranda’s brother, is a sweet, open, gullible young man who has run into a whole heap of trouble. An unscrupulous vulture has lured him into wagering more and more and more – much more than he can afford. The man holds Matthew’s vouchers for fifty-thousand pounds. Now, the man is demanding payment – either payment in full OR Miranda’s hand in marriage. The family couldn’t pay that amount even if they sold all of their belongings – they’d be ruined personally and financially.

Miranda has no intention of marrying Captain Robert Vale, but she can’t bring her family down either. She has to play along with Vale while she is finding a way out. She knows the perfect person from whom to seek advice – another gambler – Aden MacTaggert. He is certainly the lesser of two evils in this case. Will he help her after the way she insulted him?

Not only does Aden agree to help her, but he is also incensed at what has happened – for a number of reasons. He’s incensed that someone would lure a naïve young man into such a situation, but he’s even more incensed that the same young man would just expect his sister to pay the price. Basically, he traded his sister to settle his debt.

Aden and Miranda spend as much time as possible plotting and thwarting the machinations of Robert Vale, but he is a wily, sly, and unscrupulous man and beating him won’t be easy. Somewhere along the way, Aden and Miranda find that they very much admire each other … and … they come to love each other. However, they can only have a life together if they can thoroughly thwart Vale.

I loved how Aden and Miranda came to totally trust each other and rely on each other. That was a hard thing for each of them – Aden because he’d never had a woman in his life that he could rely on, and Miranda because she distrusted gamblers because of past family history. Their love was hard-won and their HEA was sweet.

I’m sure I’m supposed to be softening toward Francesca Oswell-MacTaggert, but my feelings are still the same. I am sure there is supposed to be more to the story than we’ve seen so far – and maybe I’ll soften when I learn it all. However, as a mother, I can’t think of anything that would make me leave my very young sons and not try to contact them for seventeen years. Then – to try to force them to her will in order to get them back into her life. No – I’m just not getting there.

Now, let’s talk about Matthew Harris. I kept reading what a sweet, naïve, nice young man he was – but I didn’t see it. He traded his sister (like a horse, or car, or …) and didn’t seem to have any real problem with having done so. I didn’t really see anything that made me think he was remorseful. Yet – he’s to be forgiven and to still be allowed to marry Eloise. I have trouble picturing these three MacTaggert men allowing that to happen without some serious stuff happening first. Something more than just resigning his club memberships.

So, the bottom line is that I loved the book and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

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