The book was a hit and miss for me. I liked the steaminess of Gavin and Sam's romance. There was some definite chemistry between these two. However, thus romance was a little dark for me due to the characters' backstories. I felt like Sam's history and circumstances would be too much for someone to overcome. Also, although I know why she lied and she had my sympathy, I also thought the things she lied about were too big to get over. Most foundling relationships would not recover from such discoveries and I felt the HEA was not entirely deserved by her.

It took me a week to finish this book, not that it was bad or anything, just...ebooks and me this last week have not gone hand in hand. The baby is way too curious about what is going on behind her. The text was tiny too. Poor book never got my full attention.

Gavin really hates his family name, like haaaaaaaate it. He hates his brother too. And that first chapter, damn, messed up family for sure. Though I feel he should forgive his brother and his brother should forgive him. So after a messed up childhood he boinked his way through the world.

Samantha is messed up too. She married a train robber. She ran away to Scotland and pretends to be someone else. Someone who is supposed to hate Gavin's family...

Oh they do clash. Guns a blazing. Tempers flair. Stolen kisses. These two are at each other's throats and not just cos they want to boink, but cos they do irritate each other. But at the same time want to boink. And then they fall in love.

Did I like how she handled one of her secrets...no...not cool. But it all worked out in the end.

Conclusion:
I do wish I had read his brother's book too, these guys are intense!!

This is the first title I've read from Kerrigan Byrne so I wasn't following the series as others were. I didn't find it necessary to have read the others in the series as this stands alone just fine. The book starts out with a glimpse of Thorne's past which is definitely dark and heartbreaking so right off the bat you're feeling pretty sympathetic to him. It then moves forward to him as a grown up and we are introduced to Samantha, our female lead whose got secrets and a past of her own. Situations push Thorne and Sam into a marriage of convenience and the story on their relationship develops from there. I enjoyed Thorne's character but was a little less patient with Sam's character. I could not find her as endearing or engaging.

Publisher's Description:

The Scot Beds His Wife is the next lush, captivating Victorian romance in the Victorian Rebels series by Kerrigan Byrne.

They’re rebels, scoundrels, and blackguards—dark, dashing men on the wrong side of the law. But for the women who love them, a hint of danger only makes the heart beat faster.

Gavin St. James, Earl of Thorne, is a notorious Highlander and an unrelenting Lothario who uses his slightly menacing charm to get what he wants—including too many women married to other men. But now, Gavin wants to put his shady past behind him...more or less. When a fiery lass who is the heiress to the land he wishes to possess drops into his lap, he sees a perfectly delicious opportunity...

A marriage most convenient

Samantha Masters has come back to Scotland, in a pair of trousers, and with a whole world of dangerous secrets from her time spent in the Wild West trailing behind her. Her only hope of protection is to marry—and to do so quickly. Gavin is only too willing to provide that service for someone he finds so disturbingly irresistible. But even as danger approaches, what begins as a scandalous proposition slowly turns into an all-consuming passion. And Gavin discovers that he will do whatever is necessary to keep the woman he has claimed as his own...

My Thoughts:

A woman running from a less than lawful past with another secret to conceal and a man who wishes to change and also put his shady past behind him. These are the elements that comprise this convoluted tale on Book #5 of the Victorian Rebels series.
Samantha has returned to Scotland to escape her unlawful past in the Wild West. Gavin is also trying to escape an equally unlawful past as a smuggler.
This pair come to a bargain of a marriage of convenience which turns out to be less than convenient after all.
I have read this entire series to date but this one is my least favorite. There is just too much use of the "F" word and the storyline was just not to my liking. It also has a feel of a less than historical story. I know it's not a regency and is a bit more modern as a Victorian title but it feels just too modern.
I gave this book 3.25 of 5.0 stars for storyline and characterization and a sensual rating of 3.5 of 5.0 flames. When the intimacy kicks in it can be rather hot and sensual. However it seems to be a different story when that happens.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this title via NetGalley from the publisher to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

I quite enjoyed this book. I have previously backed away from romance novels because I can't stand when the couple meet and they're having mad passionate sex in the first chapter. This book had such a build up in character and story, that by the time the sex happened, it was hot and steamy – just the way I like it! I love the characters of Sam and Gavin and would definitely like to see more of them in other stories....just to breeze in and see how their lives are going. The only downfall I had with this book was about the amount of swearing in it! I am not a prude by any stretch, but surprisingly enough, I felt a bit uncomfortable with it! That being said, I would definitely look out for this author again and hopefully, read more about Collin and his true love

Thorne despised his father from an early age. Hamish Mackenzie was known for his lack of piety, regardless of whether the target was a woman, an old man or a child. When he wanted to turn his sons into men, he didn't hesitate to use a woman in the worst possible way. His older sons might not be saved, but as for Thorne, his mother wanted to make sure she could save his soul, and that he would not be like his father.
In defending his mother on a day when his father was particularly violent, Thorne was only a boy, and was challenged by his father.

Years have passed, and Thorne becomes a different person. In a matriarchal society, he didn't need his father's name to make himself known and respected. He was Earl of Thorne.

The plot, although sad 'til this point, had an interesting appeal, but when the female character is introduced, it seems that everything was lost.
Samantha is a woman loaded with secrets, I found it difficult to understand how many people she really was, and the final solution was too fast. I could not feel any connection to the characters.
The author already leaves a link to the next story.
3 stars

I started and stopped this book multiple times. I do not like stories where the plot line has a "big secret". Sam lying about her identity from the start put me off of this book (and later on there is another lie/secret that made me absolutely hate Sam). I had a really hard time getting into it and honestly I never really got into it. I forced myself to finish just so I could write a review for NetGalley. I just kept waiting for her to finally own up to her lies and tell Gavin the truth but it just never happened.. I mean it did eventually but it was at like 90% into the book. So I just wanted to scream the whole time.

I have enjoyed this series for the most part and I think this one was just not for me because I didn't like the subject matter. So I will be reading the next book in the series and hope that it's much better than this one.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have been in love with the Victorian Rebels series since The Hunter and although this books is slightly different from the rest of the series, it is still a very good book in it's own right.

Gavin, Lord Thorne, portrays himself as aloof and hides his emotions under the facade of being a carefree womanizer. Because of the abuse he suffered from his father, Gavin has some anger and secrets that he tries to keep locked away, especially from Sam.

Sam is running from something that leads her to Scotland and just like Gavin, she is not the type of heroine that you are used to seeing in this series. After a life of growing up in the wilds of America, Samantha is tough and tries her hardest not to fall for Gavin's charm through most of the book. She harbors some pretty heavy secrets of her own that she keeps from Gavin.

Sam and Gavin's interactions with each other are entertaining and filled with sexual tension but it does take awhile for it to build even though they are attracted to each other from their first meeting. His love of her blunt frankness and the colorful curses she gives him kept me entertained throughout the entire book. Sam's ease with swearing isn't unrealistic, especially with taking her background into consideration.

This book does have a different feel to it than the other books in this series, but it is not done in a way that makes the reader feel like they are taken completely out of the series. Unlike the heroes in the previous books, Gavin has not lead a life filled with violence and embracing the dark side of his nature which gets the book an atmosphere that isn't like the previous books but does not alienate the reader.

There are two problems that I had with this story. The first being that the book was more than halfway over before we got to see any real feelings develop between the two. Unlike with the other books in this series where you can easily the build up of feelings and attraction between the hero and heroine, they spend so much time arguing and fighting over land that falling in love with each other seems rushed and a little unrealistic at times.

The other issue that I had with this story is the magnitude of Sam's secrets and how she handles them and how they come to light. Kerrigan Byrne did an excellent job of making Sam likable and you're easily able to understand the reason for her deceptions but the time it took for her to tell Gavin everything was a mark against her.

We get to see some of the Rook in this story and find out a little about what he's doing and where his story (the next book in the series) is going. (view spoiler)

The secondary characters, including Gavin's mother, his childhood friend Callum and his father Eammon, and two old Scots, are likable and enjoyable characters but the interactions with each other and with the main characters took time away that Kerrigan could have used to build Sam and Gavin's relationship more. If I had not read any of the previous books in the serious, I would have believed that Gavin's story was the start of a spin-off series from Liam's because of how much time was spent building up other characters.

There is a twist at the very end of this book will have you kicking yourself for being so obvious that you did see it sooner.

I'm hoping that we see one of the stories started in this story get a book of it's own or is a secondary story line in a future book (view spoiler)

Overall, I enjoyed the book and Kerrigan's writing and give the story 4 out of 5 stars.

Well I seemed to have regressed in this series. It started off with great promise, but unfortunately it's become a disappointment.

This is the second historical romance I've read that has more of a modern feel to it then a Historical Romance novel. I also found it very difficult to like the heroine or hero, as some of the actions and dialogue of both bothered me and didn't sit well. Also another issue is the language, there is a lot of swearing going on, for me too excessive. Some of the plot twists also didn't work for me.

We open with Gavin, who lives in Scotland with his lovely family, what a family from hell. Gavin is not overly fond of them in fact pretty much detests them. Gavin leaves his family and as well as the Mackenzie name. He decides purchases an estate next to his home and become a landowner. But the owner of said estate, Allison wasn't going to sell to a Mackenzie.

While in America Samantha saves Allison from her thieving husband by shooting him and killing him. Allison doesn't want to return to Scotland so she offers Samantha a proposition. Samantha is to return to Scotland as Allison and make sure no Mackenzie get her land.

The beginning pages of Gavin and his sad family life was sobering. But as the story continued to unfold and Samantha's life came into play I found myself thinking that this story was becoming a little to modernized and over the top for a HR. Verbiage and dialogue just didn't have a Historical feel to it and then with the constant profanity that was thrown in (I have no problem with swearing but not when it doesn't really fit the era or time period in my humble opinion), I became disappointed and disinterested in the HEA of the two characters.

I seem to see more of a trend where HR aren't being written true to the time period or era. Hoping this trend loses steam. I love my Historical romances too much.

The Scot Beds His Wife (Victorian Rebels, #5) Is the first book in this series that I have read...I now have to go back and read the first four. This is Gavin St James ( The Earl of Thorne) and Samantha aka Alison Ross aka Honey's story. Keep me on the edge of my seat and hating to put it down...I did not see how they could get to their HEA...but they did. I really enjoyed this book.

A delightful read that can be read as a standalone even those it is part of a series. The characters seem realistic with the time period. I look forward to reading more in this series.

Although this is book 5 in the series, it's the first book I've read by this author and had no issue following along. It works well as a stand alone novel. This is a story about the redemptive possibilities of love. Both the h/h have serious trust issues and for understandable reasons. Both have been hurt (mentally, emotionally & physically) in the past; 1st during their childhood by those who should have nurtured them and later by those they trusted their love to. There are also secrets (primarily on the heroine's side). While there is initial attraction between the two there is also a great deal of animosity as they are on opposite sides in battle for ownership of an estate. When a marriage of convenience is deemed the best resolution it leads (despite their best plans) to love as they learn to try to trust each other with both secrets and hearts. The question is will they have enough time to succeed in building sufficient trust before those secrets are exposed and hearts broken permanently. While not a major page turner, it was an interesting and enjoyable read and I'll be looking at reading the prior books in the series as well as the future one teased at the end.

Book 5 in the Victorian Rebels series sees the youngest MacKenzie brother, Gavin, who by the way, wants nothing to do with his dead father. In this story there is murder, lies, excitement and passion.
I was captivated from page one and couldn't put it down.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and voluntarily leave my opinion

If life could be considered a series of card games, Samantha (aka Alison Ross/Sam) always seems to be dealt a lousy hand. No, this feisty, sassy, American bred, sailor mouthed, gun slinging cowgirl can’t seem to win for losing, folks. You have to keep that in mind when judging the predicament and circumstances she finds herself in. From the horrible childhood she tried to escape by letting herself fall for and be burned by a smooth talking, handsome, charming, but turned killer/criminal husband, to the frying pan of lies and deceit that threatens to ruin the only happiness she has ever known. What started as on the run to save her skin turns into wanting to stay and surrender her heart.

Gavin..Gavin...Gavin..Be careful what you wish for. For years he’s craved ownership of the land that is now in Sam’s possession and will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants. This man never knows when to back down, folks. For him, it represents freedom and a fresh start. This womanizing, Scottish rogue, who has been with "lots" of other women, including married ones, thinks he can sweet talk, manipulate, and charm the pants right off the “out of the blue” now returned, new owner.

Well, he is in for a big surprise. You can’t con a con man, well, in this case a feisty, reluctant con woman. Sam’s seen, heard, and had enough of lying, thieving, devil tongued men. She’s determined to keep a promise she made, but unfortunately she’s winds up with an unexpected new situation that leaves her completely vulnerable and not sure what to do. She rolls the dice, takes the plunge and a gamble, then not surprisingly all heck breaks loose.

Gavin can’t help but be impressed this American gal seems to walk the walk and talk the talk. She jumps right in and gets straight down to business. As they continuously butt heads, banter/bicker back and forth, he starts to develop feelings for her. However, her forced lies and deceit are an inevitable powder keg ready to explode at any moment and seems destined to ruin any chance of a HEA.

The opening scene is a replay of a repulsive one that took place in another book of this series. I didn’t like it the first time around and getting a second helping didn’t make it any easier. It’s goal again was to set the stage for us to get a glimpse of the horrific abuse endured by this band of now estranged brothers by their murderous, demented daddy dearest. Personally, I wish it had just been alluded to and not acted out again.

Finding out Sam’s unexpected, hidden secret right before I settled in to read this ARC had me very nervous to even begin it. You see, I knew it had elements I tend to shy away from in my romantic reads. The good news is the feisty, sassy, spit-fire, damsel in distress tough leading lady made it worthwhile. Sure, she made a really stupid decision, but I couldn’t help but want her to find happiness. She definitely had a way about keeping this handsome, thought he was God’s gift to women and in control of everything, but emotionally broken hero on his toes. I loved how she often put him in his place. However, that doesn’t change the fact I would have enjoyed this storyline more if that element had been left out altogether and/or if she had just blurted out the truth the first chance she had.

When all is revealed, the emotional aftermath and chaos almost destroys them both, along with some perilous situations/drama. Fortunately, things work out and the stage is set for another character to step into the line of fire as leading man in the next yet to be announced sequel. You can be well assured, knowing this author’s writing style, it will be another hot, complicated mess where another dark hearted bad boy gets drawn into the light of love and romance.

Title: The Scot Beds His Wife, Series: Victorian Rebels (Book 5), Author: Kerrigan Byrne, Pages: 394, stand-alone but part of series, some violence/perilous situations, former womanizing/manho hero, very steamy scenes, no cheating, no OW/OM drama, no love triangle, American West to Scottish Highland backdrop, cameos of other book characters, tough/feisty damsel in distress heroine, doesn’t stand by his girl, groveling hero, makes a stupid decision.

Book 1 - The Highwayman (Dorian & Farah), 9/1/15, Pages: 384
Book 2 - The Hunter (Christopher & Millie), 2/2/16, Pages: 432
Book 3 - The Highlander (Liam & Philomena), 8/2/16, Pages: 358
Book 4 - The Duke (Imogen & Collin), 2/7/17, Pages: 384
Book 5 - The Scot Beds His Wife (Samantha & Gavin), 10/3/17, Pages: 394

(I received a free advanced reader copy provided via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. No type of compensation was given to this reviewer. There is no relationship/affiliation between the reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley.)

Gavin, the Earl of Thorne has decided that he needs a wife. More specifically his wife needs to be Samantha, the short-tempered heiress to the land he is after. However what Gavin doesn't realize is that Samantha has some dark secrets that she's hiding. Samantha isn't who she claims to be and marriage to Gavin may be the only way that she can protect her secrets and herself.
My biggest issue with this book is the title. I had no interest in this book because I thought the title made it sound like a book with no plot (which it isn't-it actually has a really action-packed plot). I only read this book because I love Kerrigan Byrne's writing and I have been following this series for a really long time.
It was great to see characters from the previous novels in this series and I thought this novel did a great job introducing new and very colourful characters for future books. I also enjoyed the uniqueness of Samantha's backstory and her "secrets". This book had more danger and darkness than the previous books in this series which I thought was great. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical romance.

The Victorian's rebel Saga keeps on giving me good books to read. This time the romance is about the Earl of Thorne and a runaway American. Sometimes the story is a little bit slow, but the author made the reading worthwhile.

La saga dei Victorian's rebel, continua a fornirmi buoni libri da leggere. Stavolta la storia ruota attorno all'Earl of Thorne e ad una fuorilegge americana. A volte la storia rallenta un pochino, ma tutto sommato l'autrice é stata in grado di tenerla in piedi.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

This one started out as a disappointment for me, but managed to improve. I think that Ms. Byrne in her attempt to project a strong female from the barbaric American west in the 1800's missed the mark by just giving us an extremely foul-mouthed female lead. I started out not liking the leads at all. Fortunately, the story was saved towards the end so I upped my rating. The writing was good and the potential was there. The stage was set for future stories, but I'm not sure yet if I will continue with them.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

'The Scot Beds His Wife' by Kerrigan Byrne is Book Five in The "Victorian Rebels" series. This is the story of Gavin St. James, Earl of Thorne and Samantha Masters. Gavin has issue with people getting close to him and does allot of things to break bonds that might build. When he sets his site on getting a piece of land that is Alison Ross, he goes to forward with trying to get it from her. Sam happens to meet Alison Ross on a train that Sam's husband and his gang were robbing. When Sam saves Alison life they two quickly form a friendship. Alison wants to help Sam start fresh and help her get away. Sam is pretending to be Alison to help herself stay safe and also to help the real Alison with an issue she is facing. So this secret goes on for a while as Sam and Gavin start to actually get to know one another. Gavin is clear with his past and with what he does trying to keep from forming that bond with Sam. Sam too with her secrets is trying to not bend but they can't help but be with each other.
This book is hard to review because I am sure I am giving away to much. But just know that Ms. Byrne writes some great stories and this was one of them!
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
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Beautifully Captivating! Oh how I love historical Scottish romance stories and this one is just so captivating from the beginning to the end. As with all of her books, the story pulls you in, leaves you a little breathless, and keeps you in its grasp until the end, not wanting to come up for air.
Gavin St.James Earl of Thorne had seen and experienced terror and cruelty as a child by his father that left scars, not only on his body, but also his mind and heart. He promised that he would not be like his father or like a Mackenzie, ever, and it was that promise that led him to want to purchase the estate next to Inverthorne Keep, to be rid of the Mackenzie hold on him.
Samantha Masters squeezed the trigger and shot her husband between his eyes, the woman in his grasp she reached for before she fell to the ground. She had only met Alison Ross twenty minutes ago, but she clung to her as she was the most precious soul in the world. That morning she had been the irate, disillusioned wife of a charming and dangerous man. A unwilling member of the outlaw Master's gang. This afternoon she had been the new acquaintance and confident to Alison Ross talking about their childhoods spent on cattle ranches. What had she done? Nobody was suppose to die on this job and now she would probably be hanged.
When these two cross paths as Samantha poses as Alison, when she gets off the train at Strathcarron Station, in Scotland, their attraction is shockingly captivating. But, Alison is not willing to give up the land that Gavin is so forcefully trying to get from her. Especially after her friend has been so kind to let her flee to, and stay on her property, as long as she wants to stay. She will need to make the most of her situation especially with a bounty on her head and her husband's brothers out for possible revenge and may be after her. But the attraction between the two is hard for Gavin to ignore, and what better way to get what he wants but to marry in to it. But it will take danger and a lot more, for Alison to agree to his terms. Alison has more secrets than Gavin can even imagine. But will he find out to late to save his own heart? You will need to read this to find out.
These two are incredibly sweet together and I loved their chemistry. I was expecting a much more rough around the edges type of man, but who I got was so incredibly kind and generous. I totally fell for Gavin and so will you.
Received an ARC through the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily wrote an honest review.

The Scot Beds His Wife is a historical romance, that maybe some will enjoy. I love historical romances. But I just couldn’t get into the book or the characters. The tempo of the book was just slow and the characters weren’t likable at all. One character by omission is a liar and both were too broken to be real. For this to be a historical romance, it felt too modern.