Highland Romance is one of my favorite genre. This story did not disappoint! Loved the characters, and the story line was well written. Definite must read if you enjoy this type of story.

The premise was a bit ridiculous, and the idea that trouble could follow a person all the way around the world during this time period is ludicrous. Watching Sam charm the pants off of Gavin's crusty old friends was fun, and the sparks certainly were flying between Sam and Gavin. It was overall enjoyable, but not the world's best book.

Bryne hits it out of the park again!!

Samantha is running from the law and hoping that she can start over in Scotland. She didn't count on being attracted to the man that is trying to take her property. Gavin is running from is own issues and thinks the only way to move on with his life to to get a hold of the land that belongs to Samantha.

I loved watching Sam and Gavin interact with each other. Both of them hiding things from their past that they don't want the other to know caused some issues between them that kept the story intriguing and me not wanting to put the book down. But alas, I have to sleep...

I see that Bryne has two more books listed in this series. There are two characters from this story that I hope get their own books, fingers crossed!!

There came a point in the early parts of The Scot Beds His Wife that I had to walk away, grab a fresh cup of coffee and really think about Samantha and Gavin. I’m glad I did that for when I returned to their story with a different mindset and a different set of “rules” for their behavior I found that I really enjoyed their story… secrets and lies included. Sam is a completely unexpected character for an Historical Romance. She is as different from the ladies of her time as can possibly exist. She’s no simpering miss, she was from the American West, she can ride astride, out shoot anyone and can swear a blue streak that would put most sailors to shame. She’s also harboring lies and secrets that we won’t know about until well into this story. Gavin is a dark soul, his past, his reasoning might never make sense to the average person, but to him it’s his life. He is also very much a man of this time period – so don’t expect subtle from Gavin.

Sometimes the most outrageous characters fit each other perfectly. So in spite of their differences, Sam and Gavin work together very well. There are so many layers to their story that to focus on just one part makes no sense. It’s what they each bring to the relationship as a whole that matters in the end. Yes, Sam is holding on to secrets, and they will cost her so much unless the man she’s come to love will see her differently. There are twists and turns in The Scot Beds His Wife that I think you need to experience first hand. Glancing over some of the reviews I would have to ask you, as a reader, to take a chance on a couple that might not fit into that “Victorian Historical Romance” mold… but once you’ve experienced their story you’ll find that you’re quite glad for their differences.

I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to any Historical Romance reader. Sometimes you have to take a chance on a story, and this is one of those times. I believe that you’ll discover a likable couple, interesting situations, some laughs, lots of steam and danger from several sides.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Samantha is looking for a place to hide, and fate comes her way. She has had a harsh life and gets a taste of something better, one that makes her happy. Her love of horses and caring for others had me interested in how her story would end. Gavin also had a rough upbringing and dreamed of his one way to break away. As the truth from their pasts and the present comes out, Sam and Gavin forge a strong bond. I enjoyed also the return of previous characters.

I received a copy of this story through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

From the American Wild West, Samantha Masters has
taken on the identity of Scottish heiress Alison Ross.
They met during a train robbery when Samantha’s
husband was going to murder Alison. Sam shoots and
kills her husband. Now both the gang members and
law will be on her trail. But Alison thankful for Sam’s
intervention and saving her life has a solution. Alison
has a property in Scotland that she will have to forfeit
until she lives on the property for one year. Alison
persuades Sam to take on her identity and live on the
property.
Gavin St. James is the Earl of Thorne. He wants to
break away of his notoriously, cruel family. A player with
a reputation, he needs the Ross land to raise cattle and
farm to be able to change his living style. He never
expected Alison (Samantha) to return to her property.
Now she is back and he is totally unprepared for the
woman who returns. There is immediate undeniable
chemistry between the two but stubbornness seems
to prevail.
An interesting historical Victorian fictional story with
deeply filled characters filled with childhood horrors
trying to break free of the past to be able to walk
without baggage into unknown future. They both want
to be loved for themselves but will they be able to
overcome the deceitful set back life has thrown their way.
A well created plot with sexual tension and a cast of
well developed, colorful secondary characters.
This is book # in the Victorian Rebels series. It was the
first one I read. I had no trouble following the characters
as the author wove the past and present together
effortlessly.
I volunteered to read The Scot Beds His Wife. Thanks
to St Martin’s Press via NetGalley for the opportunity.
My opinion is my own.

Annie Oakley Goes To The Highlands...4.5stars!

Kerrigan Byrne gives us a unique and lush storyline in The Scot Beds His Wife. This is the fifth book in the Victorian Rebels series.

Samantha Masters finds herself in an unfortunate situation, married to a man who, along with his brothers, robs banks and trains. On the train, Samantha befriends Alison Ross, an American heiress on her way to Scotland. When the train robbery goes awry, Samantha saves Alison from death from her murderous husband. As Alison really never wanted to return home to Scotland, she offers Samantha sanctuary, a means to escape a hardened existence, and start fresh on a new life. She just has to go to Scotland in disguise as Alison Ross and convince everyone she’s the American heiress. And, to never sell her land to a MacKenzie.

Gavin has done everything he can to sever any ties to the MacKenzie clan. The final step is to acquire the Ross land to establish his own means of income, and then to change his last name from MacKenzie to St. James. But he finds the stubborn heiress equally challenging and intriguing as he sets out to charm and seduce her. Sam is one ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, gunslinger with expert riding skills that would rival any man. She wears tight trousers, rides astride, and expertly corrals cattle like a cowboy. I had to chuckle as she reminds me of a feisty combination of Molly Brown, Annie Oakley, and Calamity Jane. Though Ms Byrne portrays Sam as ill-mannered and illiterate, which, aside from the profuse cursing that kept her in character, I was surprised she came across as intelligent and knowledgeable most of the time, finding myself conflicted over her character.

The Scot Beds His Wife is full of angst, drama with complex characters and imaginary plot. Gavin and his brother, Liam, have a complicated relationship, but I truly loved the humorous marriage scene as they banter with one another. Lies, deceit, and betrayal weave a part in the story and I was turning the pages as fast as I could to find out how Sam would explain her past, and if Gavin would forgive her. Certainly the story begins with a slow boil for Sam and Gavin as they face hurdles, but it picks ups steam, and the walls around Gavin’s heart begin to crumble. For Sam, she finally understands what love should be like with a man, like Gavin. But will her secret be their undoing? Ms. Byrne brings us a lushly descriptive, well defined characters and enjoyable romantic story. I am looking forward to Alison’s story next.

I received a copy of this ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Highly original, romantic and tumultuous tale of a brawny Scottish Highlander and a sharp-shooting American outlaw.

“Make no mistake; I know all I need to know about you, Lord Thorne.”
“Do ye?” he challenged.
“Sure do. You’re a famously unscrupulous man. A notorious womanizer. A rake who thinks nothing of seducing other men’s wives.”
“Well, someone has to, do they not? I doona know many men who seduce their own wives.”

The Scot Beds His Wife by Kerrigan Byrne is the highly original, romantic and tumultuous tale of a brawny Scottish Highlander and a sharp-shooting American outlaw. This is the first book I’ve ever read by Kerrigan Byrne. I’ve never read anything remotely similar and I found myself utterly mesmerized. Even though it is the fifth installment in the author’s Victorian Rebels series, it works quite well as a stand alone read.

The Scot Beds His Wife is the story of Gavin St. James, Earl of Thorne, and Samantha “Sam” Masters. The story opens literally with a bang amidst a train robbery in the American Wild West. Sam is on that train and working as an accomplice to an outlaw gang consisting of her husband and his brothers. She has been in conversation with and befriended a woman, Alison Ross, in her rail car. Something goes terribly wrong and gunshots ring out. The next thing Sam knows is that her husband is holding a gun to her new friend’s head saying that she must die. Something in Sam rebels and she kills him instead, saving Alison’s life.

Grateful to Sam for saving her life, Alison offers Sam sanctuary in Scotland at an estate that Alison inherited but that she doesn’t want. To make this work, Sam will need to assume Alison’s identity. Given that Sam’s looking at either hanging from a noose or being captured and tortured by her husband’s brothers for her complicity, she acquiesces. Alison has only one condition: that Sam keeps her Scotland inheritance from falling into the hands of the MacKenzie clan.

Brawny Highlander Gavin Thorne has fostered a womanizing reputation as a coping mechanism for his dark childhood as demonic Hamish MacKenzie’s middle son. He wants nothing more than to sever his connection with the MacKenzies. To that end, he covets Scottish heiress Alison Ross’ lands as they would give him the financial means to cut his MacKenzie ties once and for all. When he learns that the heiress is arriving in Scotland to finally claim her inheritance, he devises a plan to coax her into accepting his generous offer for her lands by sweeping her off her feet with his manly wiles. To his surprise, he finds that Alison Ross - who is really Sam - is impervious to his charms.

Sam’s childhood was no cakewalk. The upside of Sam’s hard upbringing was that Sam became talented with animal husbandry and the myriad other skills needed to operate a ranch – talents which come in mighty handy as she takes control of Alison Ross’s estate. Sam is deceitful and a part of me wanted to penalize her for lying especially when she continues her subterfuge even as she develops feelings for Gavin. But, I could not.

At first, the two main characters seem to be polar opposites albeit with strong chemistry. But, as the story progresses, it soon becomes apparent to everyone but them that they actually had much in common and, indeed, they bring out the best in each other. Would betrayals and deceit circumvent any chance they have to find long-lasting happiness? You’ll have to read this lively tale to find out!

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from The Scot Beds His Wife:

Samantha imagined that in another life, she and Alison could have, indeed, been friends.
Had she not been about to rob the train.
---
“Still pleasant as a cornered hedgehog, and as well mannered as a badger, I see.”
---
“Doona fash, Sam.” Calybrid, spying her scowl, hurried to balm the wound. “Ye’re plenty fair.”
“Aye,” Locryn agreed.
“With eyes the color of the Alt Dubh Gorm.”
“Sure, that too.”
“Just… no one will write odes to yer breasts is all.”
“On account of ye not having any,” Locryn supplied, rather unnecessarily, in Samantha’s opinion.
---
“Ye might not know this about me…”
“But I prefer my women… a wee bit dirty.

This action-packed romance is painted with gloriously vivid imagery and packed with passion, danger and humor. Nail-biting suspenseful moments abound! While the plausibility of a sexy Highlander and an Annie Oakley American meeting and falling in love seems ludicrous, the author makes their story conceivable. If you enjoy well-plotted historical romances that will give your heart-strings a major workout, I’d encourage you to check out The Scot Beds His Wife!

The Scot Beds His Wife is my very first Kerrigan Byrne book and the first thing that pulled me in about this book was the synopsis and then the fabulous cover, so when I got the chance to read this book I was so excited and dived into this book as soon as I could and I thoroughly enjoyed it . Watching Gavin and Samantha's romance play out over the course of this book was fantastic. These where two characters who had so much things in there past that could have kept them apart and at some points I was honestly worried about how things would work out for them but all my worrying was in vain because as usually love always finds away . Iam was just fasicinated with the time period this book was set it . I could go on and on about how fantatic this book was and Iam so excited to see what Kerrigan Byrne will write next and if you love all these things in your romance you should definately get acopy as soon as you can

The Scot Beds His Wife, the 5th book in the Victorian Rebels series, was an okay read for me. It was slow going. I didn't start to really enjoy it until right after they were married, and that was 200 pages into the book. So for 200 pages I was zoning out, and kinda bored. My problems with this read was the overly flowery words that felt like filler, the crazy amount of the word FUCK in this book, and the ridiculous over the top one upping of the hero. Here are just two quotes:

"Suddenly an extremity of exhilaration and anxiety stormed through her. She was no untried blushing bride...but this man had famously fucked more women than Casanova and Lord Byron combined."-Sam

"I already told you, I'm no virgin. And everyone knows you've made love to most of the maidens in Europe, and half the married women, besides."-Sam

I mean come on!!!! He fucked more women than Casanova and Lord Bryon. That is just so hard to take serious. And lets touch on the fact that the heroine Sam was dropping the F bomb every other word. I know there were women who cussed back in the day, but they were super rare. The way in which Sam did it, and the amount of the word fuck coming from her, and the hero's mouth was again over the top and not believable. Now all that being said It was still an okay read. The last 190 pages were really good. I just wished I could have gotten into it sooner. I still love Kerrigan Byrne and I can't wait to see who's book is next!

I’ve been a fan of the Victorian Rebels series since the first installment, The Highwayman, rocked my socks off. Each book has filled in stories of the Mackenzie brothers, all deeply damaged by the father who tormented them in their youth. This book’s hero was the youngest legitimate son, Gavin, who is now the Earl of Thorne.

The legacy his father left behind is one Thorne completely rejects. He took his mother’s last name and wanted to divorce himself of everything to with being a Mackenzie… not just wanting distance from his long dead father, but his brothers too. If you read the previous books, you know the truth behind their history, but Thorne has only his own perspective and believes his brothers are as much monsters as their sire ever was. He’s still tied to Liam, not only because his brother is the Laird, but also because he works in the man’s distillery. His deepest desire is to forge is own path, free of everything Mackenzie.

To do that, he needs to take over the neighboring lands and begin herding cattle. The only problem is that Allison, the woman who owns it, hates his family as much as he does — and refuses to ever sell her land to a Mackenzie.

Allison isn’t the heroine of this story, though. Samantha is. Sam is an American woman with the misfortune of marrying a man who was a criminal… a man who forced her into his life of crime. He would have killed Allison in a train heist, but Samantha stopped him with a bullet to the head. That turned her into a target for his outlaw brothers. Allison offers Sam the chance to assume her identity in Scotland to stay safe, in exchange for keeping the property out of Gavin’s hands.

You can imagine how this plays out.

Gavin is a consummate ladies man. He seeks comfort in their bodies, but his history makes him feel incapable of love. He is beautiful and suave and Sam wants no part of his charming attempts to buy Allison’s land.

Sam is awesome. She is tough as nails; she rides, she shoots, and she curses like a sailor. Also, she takes absolutely zero crap. And Gavin is full of crap, so that makes their interactions absolutely fabulous. Here’s the thing, though, she is also pregnant, not enough to show, but it’s the motivator that eventually drives her into Gavin’s arms and the one thing that kept me from rooting for her 100 percent. I get it, but I hated a relationship not built just on one lie, but two. He thinks she’s Allison, and when he marries her for “convenience” he has no idea she’s having another man’s baby.

It’s interesting to see how the same history plays out through different lenses. I liked seeing Liam again and seeing that family dynamic. I liked Sam’s irreverence. I liked seeing Gavin’s mother come out of her shell. But as much as I liked the fun enemies-to-lovers banter and Sam’s feisty nature, the secrets and lies kept me from totally loving this book like some of the previous ones. Byrne’s writing kept me engaged and for the most part it was good… I just didn’t love it like I did The Highwayman.

I am intrigued, though, by the premise for the next one. Can’t wait to see how that plays out.

When Sam ends up killing her husband to protect an innocent woman, she does not realize how her life is getting ready to change. Now she finds herself in the Highlands of Scotland pretending to be the very woman she saved. But when she meets Gavin St James, she realizes just how deep in trouble she is. The handsome highlander stirs something deep in side her that she has never felt. And to top it off he is the enemy she must keep away from her land.

Thorne knows when he meets Alison that he is trouble. The willful woman won't listen to reason and he finds himself distracted by her presence. But he vowed long ago that he would not let passion rule him and he is determined to control it. When Alison (Sam) is put in danger he realizes that he would do anything to protect her including give up the land he seeks. However he decides to marry her instead that way he gets both land and her.

Sam has given in to Gavin in hopes that he can help protect her from the past. But the secrets she harbors are many and when they come to light she is left desperately trying to make the man she love understand that without him she is not complete.

The Mackenzie brothers, with their horrific upbringing, somehow turned into a paragon of strength and valor for the women they loved.

Gavin St. James, Earl of Thorne, is ready to set the plans in motion to rid himself of the Mackenzie name. His tragic start in life turns his heart cold and firmly set on this one goal and the last piece of the puzzle is getting his neighbor, Alison St. James,  back from America to buy her land.

Back in America, Samantha Masters, is forced into also fleeing from her past. She comes to Scotland with a new identity in tow. A marriage of convienence suits both Gavin and Sam, but at what price? The past can never stay hidden but can this marriage last survive when all is brought out in the light?

As a compliment, it is hard to gigfve this book a higher rating only because it is being compared to the other heartwrenching, yet lovely, tales of Dorian and Liam. Gavin was a lover at heart and tried to mask his vulnerability with countless meaningless affairs. We were told this but I never really shown this side of his character. I also took longer to warm up to Sam as I did to Bryne' s other wonderfully written heroines.

This is still not a story in the series to miss as it gives more background into this complex family.

THE SCOT BEDS HIS WIFE is book five in Kerrigan Byrne's Victorian Rebels series. Kerrigan Byrne seems to delight in putting her characters in almost unimaginably difficult circumstances, before eventually giving them an escape route. THE SCOT BEDS HIS WIFE is another thrilling romance in which the heroine and hero have to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and fight for their happiness. Samantha Masters may not have started out as a fighter but, after being married to a man who turned out to be a villain, she discovers a strength she never knew she had. Gavin St. James, the Earl of Thorne makes the mistake of underestimating Samantha when he first meets her, but he soon sees the error of his ways.

Aliases and assumed identities are common themes in this Victorian Rebels series by Kerrigan Byrne, and THE SCOT BEDS HIS WIFE is another great example of those themes done exceptionally well. By mutual agreement at the beginning of this story, Samantha Masters assumes Alison Ross' identity and heads to Scotland to keep the Ross family estate from falling into the hands of the Mackenzie family. The irony of this situation is that the Mackenzie who wants the property also fervently wishes he had no Mackenzie blood in his veins. The Erradale Estate initially puts Sam and Gavin in opposition to each other, but it takes the form of flirtation and sexual tension rather than any real nastiness. Because both of these main characters are so complex, I'm glad that Kerrigan Byrne tells the story from both perspectives. Sam does a bad thing by deceiving Gavin, but knowing her circumstances and motivation makes a big difference.

Likewise, getting Gavin's point of view helps the reader understand him a little bit better. Sam and Gavin share heated glances, trade quips, keep watch for dastardly outlaws, and generally fall in love while trying not to.

In THE SCOT BEDS HIS WIFE, Kerrigan Byrne brings a little of the Wild West to the Scottish Highlands with lush settings, engrossing storytelling, and a plain-speaking pistol-packing and phenomenal heroine. This may be my favorite book in this "Victorian Rebels" series because I adore this heroine, and the storytelling completely pulled me in. I can't wait to read what becomes of characters like The Rook, Alison Ross, and Callum Monahan in future!

Gavin St. James (Mackenzie), Earl of Thorn, is a beautiful but troubled and broken man, he’s trapped in a life he hates, struggling to get things that he thinks will bring him the happiness and status he craves. He is the youngest son of the hated and loathed Laird Hamish Mackenzie. The former Laird was a cruel and evil man who damaged everyone within his path including his children (as we learned in The Highlander, VR book #3). Gavin and his beloved mother were damaged deeply at his father’s hand and sadly he has troubled relationships with his half-brothers.

Samantha Masters is a woman who was orphaned at an early age and suffered from neglect. Sam made the bad decision to marry young a man she barely knew to escape the life her guardians had mapped out for her. She married a outlaw who robs trains, during their latest train robbery, things go terribly wrong and to save an innocent woman she kills her husband. Now she must flee from the law and her husband’s vengeance seeking brothers.

The women she saves turns out to be a Scottish heiress and offers her a way out. She sends her to Scotland to act as the heiress and claim the land she herself doesn’t want, but, if she doesn’t claim what is rightfully hers it will end up in Mackenzie hands, which is unacceptable since Hamish Mackenzie killed her father when she was a child.

Gavin & Sam both have demon’s and need to learn how to trust. It was fun watching them skirt around each other, butt heads, and try to avoid their growing attraction. They are very suspicious of each other yet their relationship just flowed so effortlessly from enemies to friends to lovers in love.

We get a great cast of secondary characters you're going to fall in love with. They fill the story with warmth, good humor, companionship, friendship, and love. Kerrigan Byrne gave us a glimpse to what may be the next couple of books in the series and I can’t wait for more Victorian Rebels!!!

This book can be read as a stand-alone but I highly recommend reading prior books in the series, since previous characters are part of the story, you'll understand the dynamics and have a better understanding having read the others. Plus, their all excellent reads so you’ll not be disappointed.

In an effort to declare his independence from his half-brother and laird, Gavin St. James wants the land that he once roamed freely to be his in right. He tries to buy it first, and when that fails bids that it is forfeit and can be his by right of tending and asking nicely. Instead, he gets Sam. Sam is on the run from her past in America and granted sanctuary on the lands Gavin hopes to possess...as long as she poses as the rightful owner of the land, with the option of eventually being the owner in truth.

With these two we have an interesting dichotomy -- Samantha is posing as Alison Ross and a legitimate land owner and cattle owner trying to make a name for herself, while Gavin St. James is the legitimate second son of the previous, unlamented Mackenzie laird who wants to make a name for himself separate from his legacy. Over and over I wanted to lock these two into a room and smack their heads together. He makes no qualms about the fact that he wants the land, but he stops short of explaining why he wants the land repeatedly when it would solve problems Sam has with him. Conversely, if Sam would explain who she really is to anyone it would help avoid the troubles that have come hunting her from the Wild West. And let's not discuss how many times if they'd just actually admitted their feelings to themselves they'd be able to start to trust each other with these secrets....


What happens is that these two would have to be locked in a room to get a declaration from either, because they've been hurt so many times by everyone that it makes it hard for them to trust anyone. The back story for both is very well developed and layered, which makes your heart ache as the two work their way through the pitfalls of falling in love.

From the American Wild West to the hills and blue skies of Scotland, this was an semi-action, semi-drama, semi-suspense, historical highland read of a young miss on the run and a "playboy" Scotsman that needs to clean up his act. I did for the most part really enjoy this read. That could be in part because I love Scotland. I did find fault with various areas of the read. I am not sure how much of that has to do with the fact that I have not read any of the other books of this series or just poor connections. Gavin seemed to be a bit more childish in some of his actions than I like in a man. Samantha was strong, independent, a bit reckless, and held too tight to her past. I waited a long while to get my romance but the read was enjoyable.

The Scot Beds His Wife is the 5th book in the Victorian Rebels series by Kerrigan Byrne. It's the first book I have read in this series and although there were a few things that happened that must have been mentioned in previous books I didn't find it hard to follow.

This story had me hooked from the very beginning and I didn't want to put it down. Samantha and Gavin are supposed to be enemies but of course they were perfect for each other. They both had some deep emotional scars and hid behind masks. I loved watching their relationship grow and change. I think I just found a new favorite author and must get my hands on the other books in this series soon!

What an intriguing historical romance this proved to be! Starting in the Wild West with a train robbery and shooting, moving on to impersonation in the Highlands of Scotland this story has a very feisty, determined heroine, Samantha Masters. As for the hero - well he had an abusive father, a loving mother and has used his menace and charm where appropriate but is determined not to be like his father. He is Gavin St James, Earl of Thorne and he wants the land that Sam is determined to keep. This sets them up for some interesting interactions, especially when their secrets lead them into further trouble.

With gun-toting outlaws searching for Sam, feelings between Sam and Gavin developing and so many revelations to be made, this is a fast paced, action packed historical romantic suspense that I enjoyed escaping into, especially in the second half where the dialogue has added sparkle. There are family rifts to be healed, another romance to be encouraged and dilemmas to be resolved. There are also additional secondary characters - especially Callum, Alison Ross and The Rook - who I presume will have important roles in future stories in this series. I’ll certainly look out for more in this series in future!

I recommend this story to anyone who enjoys reading of rebellious Victorians, with secrets from their past to overcome, danger, intrigue and the opportunity to move on to a future together. I requested and received a copy of this novel, via NetGalley, with no obligation. This is my honest review after choosing to read it.

The Scot Beds His Wife is the 5th instalment of Kerrigan Byrne's Victorian Rebels series. Samantha has had a difficult life growing up an orphan in America's Wild West. Sam rushes into marriage with Bennett Masters. She hopes to escape her foster parents plan of marriage to an already married, old man. Unfortunately, Bennett and his two brothers are train robbers. Sam has little choice but to help them.
Sam is forced to kill her husband during a train robbery to save the life of Alison Ross. Alison is travelling back to her birthplace of Erradale in the Scottish Highlands to stop Gavin St. James, Earl of Thorne, from claiming it. Grateful to Sam for saving her life, Alison encourages Sam to flee to Scotland in her place. Her only condition being, that none of the Mackenzie's can take over Erradale.
Gavin St. James, Earl of Thorne refuses to be beholden to the Laird Mackenzie. He is seeking to emancipate himself from his clan. His father was a cruel violent man and Gavin refuses to be associated with his memory. He is estranged from his brother, the current Laird Mackenzie, "the Demon Highlander."
Gavin is delighted that "Alison Ross" is returning to Scotland. He hopes she will be swayed into turning her land over to him. Little does he realise that "Alsion" is no retiring miss. She is a gun tooting, foul-mouthed hellion who has no interest in being seduced.
I haven't read the other books from this series but the author describes previous events so well that you don't get lost. I find it difficult to review this book. There were elements I enjoyed, the descriptive writing was excellent. I could picture the Scottish Highlands I could imagine myself in that setting. There were several things that detracted from the story.
A major thing for me was the amount of swearing, particularly by the heroine. Now I'm not one to shy away from swearing but it did not fit the historical setting. I am also a native Irish speaker and to me, it's obvious the author used google translate. "Bealtaine" is the translation for May ( the month) it's not what the author intended it to be. While the story started and ended well, I felt it lagged in the middle. It was too drawn out.
I am interested in the hints given about Callum and Alison Ross and I look forward to reading their story.


I received a copy from the publishers in via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review