This was a decent story and I somewhat enjoyed both the hero and the heroine, Conner and Theodora. However, nothing really stood out making it a great book.

Book one in the Made to Marry series. You know you can find a lot of good books when you go shopping on your bookshelves. Dashing Scottish privateer Conner Douglas and Miss Theodora Cumberbatch-Snowe's story I ended up smiling as I read and I loved it. I would recommend this book.

The book description sounded really good. I was left wanting. My definition of a great romance novel involves lots of witty banter between the main guy and girl, this there wasn’t enough. For me the book could have been half its size. There wasn’t enough content for the length of the book. The thing that annoyed me the most was the constant inner battle with both Thea and Conner. Omg! All in all the book was alright, but would I read more in the series, I don’t know but I’m leaning more towards no.

I love Ms. Hawkins writing style - funny and light one page and then deep and emotional the next. This book was no exception, Connor and Theodora aka Thea are very likable leads with an undeniable chemistry. Their banter was vastly amusing but there was a lot of deep emotion as well.

Connor must marry, his sister has just passed away and has stipulated that if the three brothers do not marry within 3 months, their inheritance will be given to the Campbell's - their greatest enemy! None of the three really need the money, but they will be damned if they let the Campbell's have it!

Connor has the perfect woman in mind for his bride - his best friend's sister, Theodora. They have been friends for ages and she would be the perfect wife for him. She would be no hardship to live with and even less to leave behind when he goes to sea. Thinking she will jump at the chance to marry him, he takes his time setting out for her home. When he finally arrives he learns that Thea is not home - she has eloped! Determined to retrieve his bride, Connor follows them.

Thea is having a really bad day and is wondering if she has made the biggest mistake of her life by eloping with Lance. She is not in love with him, but he will give her a stable home and a family, which is what she longs for after years of moving with her family from one diplomatic post to another. But now sitting in an inn in the middle of nowhere, banged up from a carriage mishap and drenched from being tossed into a ditch - she is rethinking her decision. And to make matters worse - the only man she has ever loved has just walked into the inn. When Connor enters the room, her heart leaps and she has to remind herself that she cannot love him anymore - so imagine her shock when Connor announces that he has decided to marry her!

The tale that follows is a delightful road trip romance of sorts - with Connor scheming to win his lady and Thea neatly deflecting him.

I really enjoyed the story, it is well written and covers just about the entire emotional spectrum - but it did kind of stall a little in the middle, but once you get past the 65% mark, the story gets its second wind and takes off without stopping until the very last page! With an entertaining cast of secondary characters, some passionate kisses and a couple of warmish love scenes this was a delight to read.

I would be happy to recommend this book and look forward to the rest of the series!

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

Four brothers who have to marry. What a good start. Add, wit, humor and great writing and you are hooked. Fun, entertaining read.

Karen Hawkins has brought us a whole new family of Scottish Rogues to fall in love with and I am eager to get to see each of them fall in love. Karen’s skill with bringing to life the Scots of the past and making us appreciate the Scottish mentality of life and freedom… and of course whisky. I am thrilled to see a new series beginning and was surprised with the direction Karen took. Beginning with the death of a beloved sister, these three brothers are left with a choice of changing their lives and becoming the good men she knew them to be or give up their inheritance to the hated Campbell clan. The middle brother Conner knows immediately the woman he thinks will be able to fill his requirements for a meek and docile wife to meet the requirements of Anna’s will without having to actually give up his freedom to sail the open seas. So taking his sweet time, he heads to the home of his best friend hoping to convince his friend's little sister, Theodora, to be his wife, but he arrives too late—she’s already run off to elope with a local landowner! Conner rides away in hopes of heading off the disaster of Theodora marrying another man. Theodora has finally given up hope of ever having the man she loves so she agrees to elope with a man she thinks she can make a good life with. When Conner crashes into her life again, telling her that she cannot elope because he wants her to marry him, the anger and disappointment is unbelievable. Now set on the task of convincing Theodora she should marry him, Conner inserts himself on their trip and uses every little bit of trickery he knows to slow their progress. In the end, only by admitting their true fears and emotions can Theodora and Conner come to find their chance for a fully happy future. I really enjoyed seeing Theodora push Conner and force him to come to terms with what he really wants from life and the truth of his feeling for her. Conner was like most men his age, unwilling to admit that his life is not full and that he needs to find a true mate to complete his life. In the end his trickery, sweetness, and passion are the only way he can truly bring Theodora around to giving Conner a chance to redeem himself and earn back her love. Theodora was a woman well ahead of her time and definitely the perfect woman to make Conner grow up and see what he really wants out of life. She was intelligent, brave, and independent enough to know what she deserves and what she will demand from her husband. Once she comes to the understanding that she has made a bad decision, she determines that since she cannot have the man she truly loves in her future as her equal, she will devote herself to her intellectual pursuits instead of having a family of her own. I enjoyed the back and forth between Conner and Theodora as they battled with their wits and emotions until they could both understand just how much they need to be together. The love and sweetness countered the need for crazy hot passion, but the obvious chemistry between these two ensured that we readers would always know that there was passion and would be between them for a long time in the future. I am looking forward to the other brothers falling in love and possibly getting a few other stories starring these characters. Ms. Hawkins never fails to make me laugh, cry and fall in love right along with her characters and I know that anything I read with her name on it will always be worth every moment of angst and worry for the happy ending we always want to see. Another masterpiece Karen, keep the magic coming.

Karen Hawkins' Caught by a Scot was amazing! Her books just keep getting better and better!

The Duke of Hamilton's loss of his beloved wife and her desire for him to force her three brothers to wed so they don't lose their inheritance was a dramatic opening to this new series. I was instantly intrigued and looking forward to reading this book.

A hysterical adventure from start to finish this is a truly entertaining read because watching Mr. Hotness, Connor, NOT get his way was rewarding. But better than that was watching him evolve from self-centeredness to awareness of other people's emotions and needs.

The fact that there is no villain in this story creates an atmosphere of niceness but don't be turned off by this. It is in fact a book with lots of hidden meanings and lessons for everyone. Theodora adds the resistance and friction to keep the reader entranced with her back and forth dialog with Connor. Along the way Theodora learns a lot about her needs as well and her character development fits nicely with Connor's personal growth.

The overall moral to this story is that win-win situations can occur if all parties concerned are willing to try.

It is refreshing to read a book where everyone is a nice person, so I give this 4 STARS for being a delight to read.

I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book

Conner Douglas has a problem that he believes has an easy solution. He has to marry or he loses everything....Luckily for him he has just the perfect woman in mind to help him solve his little marriage problem. Unfortunately for him she has plans of her own.

Theodora has waited and waited for Conner to see her as a woman and not just his best friends little sister....Unfortunately for Conner when he is ready she has already found another man to take his place.

Can Conner convince Theodora to give up her rush across the Scottish border to get married or will he find out the hard way that you never know what you had until it's gone? Read and find out!

Overall this book was pretty good. I liked that Theodora didn't fall easily into Conner's arms. It was great that Karen Hawkins created a character that was not just going to settle for anything but fight to get what she really wanted.

The only downside was how long their journey was until they got down to working on and facing the issues between them. But hey, I guess you can't fault Karen Hawkins for creating a historically romantic story that had many ups and downs, laughs and just the right amount of drama.

I am dipping my toes into the Scottish highlander books and find the water verrah fine. Caught by the Scot is the first book in a new series from Karen Hawkins that while it opens with a heavy tone, evolves into a sweet and funny read, that might steal your heart.

Caught by the Scot is a friends-to-lovers story with a few tricks up its sleeves. Conner Douglas is a carousing sea captain who needs to find a wife. Theodora Cumberbatch-Snowe is his friend and confidante, who harbors a love for him that appears unrequited. This is the story of what happens when his assumptions meet her need to move on.

Once I got into the heart of this book, I adored it. Starting with the chemistry between Conner and Thea. She knows him better than he knows himself and can read him like a book. Conner has taken her for granted in so many ways, but he can appreciate the woman that she is — strong, opinionated, calming force, who deserves a partner that appreciates all those qualities.

It’s a busy story with that grows into a bit of a caper. Characters that are quirky and maybe a bit cantankerous make it all the better. I am excited to read the next installments of this series to see what’s in store for the other brothers Douglas.

Happy reading!

I'm a fan of Karen Hawkins.

I am very interested in Thea's strong personality. At some time, I like how she resists the dashing and very attractive Conner but I am quite bored when it becomes repetitive.

I see the changes with Conner in the story, from being arrogant to being caring and loving which is absolutely good.

Sadly, Caught by the Scot is okay for me. I am expecting a lot. I truly appreciate that they have compromised at the end.

This is the BEST BOOK Karen Hawkins has written! Absolutely loved it. It's witty, at times laugh out loud and just plain fun.

Conner Douglas finds himself in a bind. His beloved older sister Anna, who basically raised her three younger brothers, dies in childbirth. She's been caretaking their Douglas inheritances for them. In her will she expressly states that if the boys want to see their Douglas inheritances, and not have them go to the hated Campbells, they all have to be married to respectable women within 3 months. Every one of the "boys" is a love them and leave them kind of guy and have no interest in settling down. What to do, who to pick... Conner, a privateer, suddenly remembers his best friend's little sister who he's been friends with for ages. She'll do and she's already "on the shelf" at 27. He's so confident in Theodora that he spends the first month having a last fling with a married woman. When he does finally arrive at Dora's home he finds she's eloped with the local Baron! Off he races to rescue her and offer her a "better deal" with him.

This is one of the most original romance adventures I've ever been on. The journey of Connor to realize he has loved Dora for years and he's not so "all that". The way he plots to try to make Dora see the Baron is not suited for her at all and involves his ship's crew is priceless. Poor Dora didn't have a chance especially since she's been in love with him forever. Dora had given up on love and Conner and was ready to accept "good enough" to finally have a home of her own. She finds out when confronted by a full court press by Conner that good enough is not enough.

All I can say is this story is an absolute delight! Thank you Karen and Pocket Books/NetGalley for the ARC for review.

Hawkins hits it out the the park again!!

Perfect story of not knowing what you have until it is gone. Theodora has loved Conner for ages, but he of course is oblivious of this. But when he learns that she is to merry someone else, he doesn't like it much and doesn't know why.

I loved watching the interactions between all of the characters of this story and found myself laughing out loud at their antics.

I can't wait for the next book in the series!

A light fun romance with a hot male hero. What more could one ask for?

Humor and happenstance!

Another ultimatum type story where the hero/protagonist must marry in order to secure his fortune. Unfortunately his target bride will not go quietly into the night!
Miss Theodora Cumberbatch-Snowe has always adored her brother's friend Connor Douglas but marriage to him would be that of a sometime bride as the dashing Scots privateer hied off on more adventures leaving her behind.
Hence the idea to settle for the steadfast squire Lancelot Fox. He has little imagination and great expectations of a wife who knows her womanly place. He has forgotten to tell Theodora all this. Her answer to her Connor problem is an elopement. An elopement with mishaps, where the spurned suitor catches up with them. Connor is about to have his comeuppance, delivered by that supposedly biddable young woman.
After a month's carousing Connor returns to find his targeted bride had fled the coop. This cannot be allowed to happen, she is after all the perfect bride; respectable, meek and mild--NOT!
A delightful somewhat sensual romp with a goodly dose of humor!

A NetGalley ARC
(October 2017)

I loved this book very colorful story and characters. You just cannot wait to turn the page. could not put this book down.

Wow, what a book. I couldn't put it down. Karen Hawkins hit this one out of the park. I love the storyline, I love the humor and I love Thea and Conner. They are great together. I highly recommended this book. I can't wait for the next one.

When Conner Douglas is informed he must marry to be given his inheritance there is only one woman who comes to mind. He and Theodora Cumberbatch-Snowe have always got along well, she has yet to marry, they are friends and she understands his lifestyle... why wouldn't she say yes?

But convincing Thea that his offer is one she needs to accept is going to be a lot more difficult than he anticipated. With some competition he didn't see coming, he has a couple tricks up his sleeve to help his pursuit.

I was so excited for this book, but it unfortunately was not my favorite. While I loved the premise, I felt that the action was lacking throughout the book. The writing was excellent, but the storyline was very repetitious and I felt like we never really got anywhere. I really liked Conner and Thea and thought their match was interesting and fun, and I have hope for the next books in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review!