Loved, loved, loved reading The Scot's Bride by Paula Quinn. I've bee a fan of Paula Quinn books for a while and this author is still bringing the heat! I recommend this book!

I loved this story...and have firmly become a Paula Quinn fan! She writes amazing stories with just the right amount conflict, angst, and love! Her characters are fun - and loveable. I was taken by both Patrick and Charlotte. Their heartbreaks and conflicts are so real that the reader can relate. The stories have great pace - and end with the best happily ever after swooping in to leave you feeling good! An amazing read. Highly recommend.

Charlotte and Patrick take us on a merry trip through the wilds of the highlands. Patrick is a self centered womanizer who had not real desire to give up his current life even though it is no longer as satisfying as it once was. Charlotte, even though she doesn't want to marry, or be drawn to any man, is certainly taken with Patrick even as he is in a fight in the local tavern over a woman. Once she beans him with her slingshot the story takes off. Great story, wonderful writing and story. Perfect romance.

The Scot's Bride is book 6 of The MacGregors: Highland Heirs series. This book in particular can be read as a standalone. Patrick MacGregor likes his life as is and unlike his many family members falling in love is the last thing he wants, he enjoys traveling from town to town fighting for money seducing a pretty woman when the need strikes. Charlotte "Charlie" Cunningham doesn't want to fall in love either, she fell in love once already only to have him taken from her at the hands of her father. Since she now knows the depths of her father's cruelty and hatred for their sworn enemy she does everything possible to disobey him and right the wrongs her Father and her brother do to their tenants.

On his way to visit his mother's family Patrick comes across a beautiful raven haired woman, and because he didn't heed her warning ended up getting hit by a rock from her sling, tied up in the barn, and randomly getting punched by her brother's. He does listen when she tells him not to admit to being a Fergusson, if he is one. When another local clan comes and tries to take Charlie and force her into a marriage with their Laird Patrick comes to the rescue and wins over Cunningham, not necessarily Charlie or her brothers, Hendry and Duff, but at least he's not tied up any more. Patrick is enthralled with Charlie, she is like no other woman he's ever met before. Charlie is hesitant to like this stranger but everything he does shows her there a lot more to him than what she initially thought. Especially since he helped find something to ease her younger sister's breathing, and stood up to Hendry on behalf of the tenants and pretended to be a monster slayer for a little girl. The longer Patrick is there the more he doesn't want to leave but the secret he been keeping from Charlie may ruin any chance he's has with her.

Overall this was a really nice read. I loved the characters and the whole progression of the story line.

Read, Rave and Repeat is the holy trinity of Paula Quin novels and this latest masterpiece is no different. The Scot’s Bride features Patrick (oh, Patrick!) a devil-may-care Highlander who does what he wants, when he wants to whom he wants (blush) and isn’t concerned about a consequence or naysayer. The first thing that struck me as odd is how inclined he was to fight head on vs swinging his broadsword. A boxing, brawling Highlander? Ok, if this is what Quinn is dishing, it’s what I’m taking. And Patrick did not disappoint. He used his fists well and often and hell, like his own father said, why kill a man when you can put him out, no need for swords and daggers if a mighty fist gets the job done. Also unlike Highlanders I’m used to swooning over, Patrick earned his coin by fighting in competitions and tournaments. I enjoyed learning about his unconventional life. Patrick wasn’t the typical laird so often featured in these romances. His characterization gave him dimensions and not all of them were good.

As the MacGregor/Grant Family Tree grows, so, too, does my interest in this Scottish family, with its myriad of personalities journeying through life’s ridiculous/dangerous moments.
Patrick MacGregor, considered to be the Devil of the Highlands, is solely about Patrick, uppermost, the number of women he can bed. But the chase isn’t in him anymore, hasn’t been for a long time, yet he continues. Women are unable to resist the lure of the Devil of the Highlands. He comes to realize that women are just trouble, when he’s gotten into one too many fights over a woman he could take or leave. After all, it appears he has his pick.
Charlotte Cunningham is present in the tavern when Patrick is attacked by a brother, protecting his sister, who had seduced Patrick, not that he wasn’t willing. What is SHE doing in a tavern? Charlotte, better known as Charlie had this thought.
“…the stranger was without doubt the most wickedly alluring man to ever cross her path.”
Patrick is a free spirit. Neither family or woman would restrict his movements. But that is before he met Charlotte, or actually saw her bathing in the river. She took care of him, not trusting a man, particularly one spying upon her bathing, she used the sling she was very good at using, knocking him out.
Patrick has a way with lasses. He smooth-talks his way out of almost anything. He tries to beguile Charlotte with his silver-tongue. Charlie gives a bold front to Patrick. She doesn’t want anything to do with him, and certainly not anyone her father suggests she marry. Her heart belongs to Kendrick Fergusson, dead for many years. Do life’s circumstances change what one is determined to maintain?
Not all appears as it seems. Quinn will entertain you with Patrick’s determined and charming way and Charlie’s denial that his charm even affects her.
You’ll find surprises and twists along the way of this destined match which frustrates both you and Patrick or you and Charlie. Step into the world of Quinn to capture a little of everyday danger, intrigue and the losing of Devil of the Highland’s heart to overwhelming love! If you love Scottish flings, you’ll enjoy this story.

Reviewed by Rachel

Review: Patrick is a rogue, a warrior, and a magnet for trouble–in the best sense of the word. Paula Quinn immerses the reader in Scottish History right from the first page. From the thick brogue that you can hear in your mind as you read, to the sound of water splashing in the loch, the story’s setting almost rivals it’s storyline. Almost.

Patrick is caught in the middle of a feud that isn’t his own. Charlotte wants nothing to do with the braw stranger that keeps sticking around the castle. Yet Patrick isn’t as much of a scoundrel as he appears. In his warrior’s heart beats a rhythm of compassion, valor and a sexy streak of humor that proves to be Charlotte’s undoing. Then again isn’t that any woman’s undoing? The way he’s painted is both strong and quick witted in a way that has you swooning right along with Charlotte, falling for him even though you know you shouldn’t. These are my favorite kind of heroes and Paula Quinn does this seamlessly with this story.

Charlotte is a woman who knows her own mind–its just that, her mind and heart keep pointing her to the one man that she shouldn’t want. My confession is this, I rarely enjoy the female characters in historical romances, I hate how long it takes for them to fall or get over themselves. In this book, I was delighted that it was perfectly paced, and I fell right along with her.

As love starts to crackle between the two, the history of the clan is about to be re-written, and will test the new love that Charlotte’s reluctantly found in Patrick.

After all, can you ever really trust a rogue?

Or a MacGregor?

I dont want to give anything away, but I will say this, the plot is effortless for the reader, this is the type of historical that doesn’t get itself lost in unnecessary details, it flows beautifully, and I was so glad to be on the ride.

In the end both have to choose if love is worth risking everything you’ve built–is love stronger than family? Names? Power?

You’ll have a book hang over from this romance, and you won’t even be sorry..

AN IRRESISTIBLE SCOUNDREL
Highlander Patrick MacGregor likes his life just the way it is. Fighting for his coin, enjoying a woman's charms, and bearing no responsibility at all. Aye, that's the life for him. That is, until Patrick sees her-a raven-haired beauty with eyes as dark as midnight. Patrick swore never to fall in love. Not even with a lass as wild as he...especially when she's from a rival clan.

AN UNDENIABLE DESIRE
Charlotte Cunningham knows Patrick is trouble the moment she sets eyes on him. Her only goal is to escape the possibility of marriage. Any marriage. But as the summer days turn into sultry nights, enticing her beyond reason, Charlie is forced to choose between the freedom she craves and the reckless rogue she can't forget.

Patrick MacGregor is a man who’s a bit bored with life. He sees beautiful, available women and can’t seem to find interest. He thinks there might be something wrong with him. Lol He sees Charlotte, however, and his interest is piqued. He follows her and ends up being captured by her father and brothers. Charlotte secretly warns Patrick to say that he’s not a Ferguson as her family has a feud with them. Patrick isn’t a Ferguson but he’s related to them through his mother. He decides to make himself a Campbell as the MacGregor name is proscribed and the Cunningham’s welcome him in. Especially as Charlotte’s father sees a marriage between Charlotte and a Campbell a very good thing.

Patrick is more and more enamored with Charlotte aka Charlie every day. The more he gets to know her the more besotted he becomes. Unfortunately when he finds out that her brothers killed his cousin he wants nothing more than revenge. He has to play his cards right, however, and find out exactly what happened to his cousin Kendrick.

Charlie is a woman on a mission. She wants out of her father’s house, away from his rule and her brother’s high-handedness. She‘s trying to find a cure/relief for her sister’s asthma and as soon as she does she’ll leave town. She had been in love with her neighbor, Kendrick Ferguson, but her father had ordered her brothers to kill him when he was just 15-years-old just to keep him away from Charlie and she had never forgiven any of them. She still loves Kendrick and has never looked at another man until Patrick showed up.

Charlie knows that Patrick can change her whole life and she’s not sure she wants that. As much as Charlie tries to stay away from Patrick his love for her soon has her thinking of a very different future for herself.

This was a good Scottish romance. I liked Patrick and Charlie a great deal and the story was definitely one that kept my interest throughout.

Patrick fell hard and fast for Charlie which was nice (even though he kept denying it to himself). Charlie took a bit longer to admit her feelings for Patrick since she’d loved no one but Kendrick for so long. Of course when true decisions needed to be made I was a bit surprised that Charlie chose Patrick. Quinn almost did too good of a job telling us of Charlie’s love for Kendrick and it made me doubt her fast-growing feelings for Patrick.

The story had a few plot holes in it but overall it was a decent read. It wasn’t overly exciting but sometimes that’s a good thing.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Book: The Scot’s Bride
by Paula Quinn

Series: (The MacGregor’s: Highland Heirs #6)


Reviewed by: Barb Massabrook (of)
Tartan Book Reviews
Purple Tulip Book Reviews
Celtic Barb’s Tartan Book Review Blog

Rating:🔥

Overall Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



Southern Ayrshire

Patrick MacGregor, Devil of the Highlands, the hero of this story of the outlawed MacGregors. The heroine is Charlie, Charlotte Cunningham of a rival clan

Charlotte Cunningham ( Charlie) had been watching this rogue Patrick (Campbell) actually MacGregor and felt an instant dislike of this dimpled devil. She knew never to get caught in this libertines web. She knew his type love them and leave them and never to look back. A man with no backbone. Plus Charlie didn’t want to get caught by any demon’s claw. No matter if he had eyes as green as the sea, sparkling with deep set dimples. Oh she knew this rogues like all the rest who can spout poetry with their silver tongues. Charlie had plans for herself and her sister with her breathing with no cure in sight. The last she wanted was marriage and all she desired was freedom. Yet then she sees this scoundrel with her people like the Wallace’s. A man to chase a young child’s bad dreams away, ready to give a helping hand and possibly be just the cure she is looking for! No matter how much Charlie fights it is her fragile heart that is jeopardy of being broken.

Patrick was fine with no ties and being the selfish bastard he was with his carefree life. He did not want to be responsible for anyone other than himself. Making coin with his fists in fights and bedding as many women he pleases without feelings or a heart. Then he sees Charlie the one woman he can’t have, but want more than anything. She makes him want to be a better person, a better man. Yet she turns his head not only for her outer beauty, but her inner beauty as well. He see’s how she is a total angel in the way she cares and protects the villagers of her clan.

One clan, the Wallace’s is being bullied by her brother. Her blood brother as he learns this horrid behavior from her from their father. Charlie's father is a selfish man who would sell Charlie to the highest bidder for the right marriage price! This is only if it puts him in a royal, wealthy and high position. She will do anything and everything she can to protect the people, her clan, her sister and herself from his and her brother’s villainess shenanigans! She won’t let the bullying of her brother and father destroy them.

However soon Patrick feels the same, plus he follows her just to try to protect her from what could be dangerous situations. He finds himself changing, caring for another in a way he has never had before. Bedding another woman now seems distasteful, he is willing to become her savior no matter what the price.

Could this be love? Can two people both so set against marriage, find the open road to their hearts? Plus some lies and deceit are sure to reveal themselves, which could possibly start a clan war?

OMG this is a definite must read-that Paula Quinn readers don’t want to miss! Also new readers will absolutely love this story. Who won’t faint with a gorgeous, green eyed, dimpled, smiling highlander. As Patrick MacGregor is the total hunky package and so much more. A man who can be a dream protectors to little girls nightmares and comes to the aid of injured rival clan members!

If you are a huge MacGregor/Grant fan like myself. I have been reading Ms. Quinn’s books for many, many, years and just like a good wine they only get better! If that is even possible as I have loved them all. She has this knack for drawing us readers into her beautifully written stories -keeping us fascinated all the way through. “The Scot’s Bride” absolutely blew me away! I was totally captivated from start to finish! It has all the elements Scottish historical readers absolutely love, including a swoon and drool worthy hero! In addition, a smart, independent and sassy heroine, that you can’t help but love! Plus a riveting, quick paced adventure, filled with mystery, murder, lies, betrayal heartbreak, hatred romance and love. Including breathtaking Scottish settings, brilliant plotting that have you gasping for air. All main and secondary characters you can’t help but totally fall in love with!

I highly recommended this brilliant and phenomenal read. A definite for your keeper shelf you will want to visit again. You can read this book in series order or as stand alone book. Bravo Ms. Paula Quinn you totally rocked it!

Disclaimer:I received this book from the publisher for a fair and honest review. I voluntarily agreed to read, review, blog and promote through netgalley. All words, ideas and thoughts are my own.


AMAZON BUY LINK:

https://www.amazon.com/Scots-Bride-Highland-Heirs/dp/1455535338

I loved Patrick and Charlotte's story. Quinn's MacGregors series is one of my favorites and she hits it out the the park with her latest once again!

Determined to never fall in love again, Patrick didn't count on falling for someone from an enemy clan. Having seen Patrick with another woman, Charlotte is determined to not fall under the spell of a rake. But as they say, the heart wants what the heart wants and these two couldn't do anything to spot it.

Definitely one for your must read pile!!

The Scot’s Bride was an exciting and enjoyable read about two characters that found love when they least expected it. Patrick MacGregor spent most of his time living by his fists and spending time in any woman’s arms when he could find it. He loved every bit of his freedom even though certain members of his family were finding their true love and settling down all around him. One night in a local tavern, he catches sight of the beautiful Charlotte “Charlie” Cunningham and fate makes sure that their lives will never be the same.

I loved Charlie from the very beginning of this story because she was one of those characters that you instantly connected with. She was smart and beautiful and would do whatever it takes to look out for her younger sister that was suffering from asthma, which didn’t have a lot of medical treatments at this time. She refused to follow what her father and brothers had planned for her by marrying her off to anyone they could, since losing the love of her life a few years back. The chemistry between these two characters were off the charts and it took a while for Patrick to win Charlie’s heart and prove that he was the right man for her.

This is the sixth book in the Highland Heirs series and I loved watching Patrick grow as a character for Charlie. He was used to getting whatever he wanted in life and he had to do a little work to show that he changed for Charlie. This was a very sweet and entertaining romance and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Another great addition to the MacGregor/Grant family of stories!

Charlie has an otherworldly aire.. the way she dresses… the way she dances around. Patrick refers to her as a sprite and a nymph. She's a born leader, caring and has some serious fighting skills including being crazy accurate with a sling.

Patrick is a free spirit, not wanting any responsibilities to stifle him. He prefers fighting with his fists rather than a sword which ,to me, is unusual for a Highlander.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The thing that stood out to me the most, other than the plot, was the amazing details. I could picture everything Ms. Quinn describes from the heather to the Wallace holding.

This story kept me guessing. I thought it was going this way, it went the other. Twists and turns galore!

Patrick MacGregor has avoided responsibility just as Charlotte Cunningham has carried the mantle of responsibility for most of their lives. When the two meet their attraction is undeniable but the futures they have chosen do not include each other. As hearts take over and secrets emerge can the two overcome the challenges their unexpected love presents?

All you have to do is meet Patrick MacGregor to see that Paula Quinn's Highlanders are irresistible and just keep getting better! Book six in the Highland Heirs series, The Scot's Bride, takes readers on a journey of self discovery and embracing destinies. Patrick has always been happy to rely on his brawn and charm to pave the way to his next adventure but suddenly his devil may care life seems to be lacking. The attraction he has for Charlotte Cunningham, while at first is physical and instantaneous, soon leads Patrick to recognize that he wants more then a quick seduction. Charlotte is a woman that loves strongly and grieves deeply. A sequence of personal events have caused Charlotte to build up emotional defenses that instead of breaking her result in her fighting the world. Whether it is protecting those who are vulnerable to refusing to capitulate to her father’s demands, that she marry, or even her refusal to readily accept that she might have a chance at love again with Patrick MacGregor, Charlotte refuses to be compliant. When Patrick and Charlotte realize they respect each other as much as they desire each other their progression to love leads to lots of introspection and soul searching. This pairing unfolded beautifully as the author found a way for the hero and heroine to come into their own even as they joined in love. Paula Quinn's writing is a joy to read and her stories are the kind that leave readers feeling well loved and taken care of just like her characters. The Scot's Bride is a wonderful journey from unsettled to happily committed.

I've always loved Paula Quinn and this story is just as good as all the others, Ms Quinn draws you into the Highlands from page one and doesn't let go till the end. I do love those MacGregors and Grants

Quinn takes readers back to Scotland for another fast-paced, heart-tugging, second-generation MacGregor story filled with action, romance, and twists and turns aplenty. Patrick and Charlotte "Charlie" are both characters who captured my interest and tapped into my emotions. I was in Charlie's corner from the beginning and enjoyed the push and pull of her relationship with Patrick. I like that Quinn took her time with these two, giving both their relationship and each of them individually the necessary time to realistically evolve. It was fun watching the son of my favorite MacGregor hero tumble unexpectedly into love and, as always, I enjoyed catching up with other MacGregors in the process even if their appearances were brief. Though I'd just as soon drop Charlie's father and one of her brothers off the nearest cliff, I'm intrigued by her other brother's story and hopeful that Ms. Quinn has something planned for him. Paula Quinn is a talented storyteller whose MacGregor family tales are among my favorite highland romances. I'm already looking forward to the next one!

If you have been following my blog for a while you will have noticed that I have read a few book by Paula Quinn and I had been loving the ones I had read.

I read The Scot's Bride as soon as I was gifted an eARC because I just couldn't wait to read and I ended up reading it again a second time.

The story is so well written and I was hooked from the beginning. Like I said earlier I read this book twice and I have to tell you it is very rare I read a book twice within just a few months. I freaking love this book.

I highly recommend.

I give The Scot's Bride by Paula Quinn 5 out of 5 stars.

Paul and Charlie are awesome. Charlie is in a tough situation. Her dad and brother Hendry are horrendous and just so vicious. You want to take her and her sister away. She is angry with Duff but still loves him and see his good. She is on a mission and a man in her life is not wanted. I love how she doesn't fall for Paul's charming ways but makes him earn her respect, trust and love.

So what happens? Paul enters her world and tips it on its axis. He is brash, rakish and charming. He at first seems to be a a rake. Only wanting fights and woman. But as she gets to know him she sees a different side. She sees he is kind, caring and honorable. He has a heart of gold and you don’t see him think of women as less. He allows her to make her own decisions and finds a way to allow her this and still circumvent her brother and father.

Paul is strong and stubborn. He has the values of his family and the honor but believes he is meant to roam around and be a rake. Once meeting Duff and Charlie happens we see this view changing. We see him conflicted with his feelings for the strong willed and passionate Charlie but also Duff shows him the consequences of actions. I didn’t enjoy his holding things back but understood why with what it would do.

Together Paul and Charlie go on a journey of discovery and love. They discover who they are and where they belong. Paul learns that a woman like Charlie is what he wants, needs and desires. She teaches him it is okay to love and be loved. That a woman doesn’t have to shackle you but be by your side. Charlie learns to trust again and love once mores. She is able to let go of the past and move on. Until a bump in the road almost derails them but Paul is willing to fight for her and help her bring a peace between their families.

Duff changes as well. he lets go of a weight he has been holding on his shoulders and is free. We learn he really is a good guy.

Our characters are likable except for Hendry and his dad. They have you root for love and the good guys to win.

the story is fun, entertaining and sweet. We see the bad guys lose and the good guys help to change situations and fall in love. We see family win and love overcome obstacles.

Great characters in a messy plot

I would like to thank Paula Quinn, Forever/Hachette Book Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Charlie Cunningham has one goal: find a cure for her sister’s affliction and get the heck out of Pinwherry. She can barely stand to look upon her father and brothers since the day they murdered the boy she loved. They stole from her the love of her life and taught her no man is trustworthy. Men and marriage will not factor into her future; she simply wants to live in peace with her sister—but first she has to find a cure. Until she does, she atones for the evil acts of her father and brothers as best she can.

Patrick MacGregor loves life. He does what pleases him, bedding willing lasses and fighting for coin, with not a care in the world. He has no intentions of settling down…until he meets kind, brave Charlie. Using the name Campbell for his own safety, he’s enamored of the challenge she presents. He’s less enamored of the way she makes him feel—like a selfish cad who needed to reexamine his priorities. He finds himself reluctantly assuming responsibilities so that he might impress her—and as compassion and leadership come to him naturally, he begins to prove a better man than even he thought possible.

Perhaps Patrick wouldn’t mind settling down and having some bairns…as long as he does so with Charlie. But when she learns his true identity and the threat he presents to her family, will she trust him enough to let him make things right?
____

While not the best Quinn book I’ve read—my favorite remains Ravished by a Highlander—it certainly possessed a certain charm. Patrick and Charlie were great characters with complete arcs. I didn’t like Patrick at first, because he was infuriatingly selfish, careless, and arrogant, but he was supposed to be. I liked that Charlie was too smart and too strong to be seduced by a caddish rake. She resisted Patrick’s charm until he’d begun to prove himself a good man, and it was his sensitivity, responsibility, and bravery that she became attracted to, his physical beauty a mere perk. Elsie was a dear, her purpose to both motivate Charlie and hold her back. The Wallace children captured my heart. I was never sure if I really liked Duff or not, but I had faith in him.

The characters were endearing, but I had issues with the story. First, there was a little too much internal dialogue. Patrick and Charlie’s thoughts became redundant and tedious, clearly puffing up the word count.

The most glaring plot hole—if Elsie had been seeing Shaw Fergusson for a while, why hadn’t he introduced her to butterbur tea? He had to have known the plant was on his family’s land, and I would think he’d heard tell of how it helped his aunt with her breathing. While that would have eliminated Patrick’s revelation and the act that did the most to win Charlie, it would have presented the opportunity for Charlie to get caught sneaking onto Fergusson land to fetch the plant for her sister during the feud. Patrick could have met her at Tarrick Hall instead of at the river. But then I think the book would have been quite different. In fact, now I think on it, if the Cunninghams had known and been friendly with the Fergussons when Charlie and her sister were younger, wouldn’t the Fergussons have recognized Elsie’s asthma and presented the solution? Unless her asthma had developed only in the last five years, which I suppose is plausible, though it seemed implied—if not stated outright—that it had been with her since she was small. And I know Elsie interacted with the Fergussons before the tragedy, because that’s how she and Shaw originally met, I believe. It would have been a very different tale, indeed.

And I have so many questions. Spoilers.

Why didn’t the Dunbars just come out and say that they were collecting on Hendry’s gambling debt when they tried to take Charlie? There was no reason for them not to. Because they didn’t, Hendry’s gambling issues should have been alluded to a couple of times before the end. As it is, it came out of nowhere and made him seem convenient as a villain.

What was the point of having Robbie Wallace die? The only one I can think of is that his funeral gives Patrick and Charlie a reason to be at the Wallace home when Kendrick walked up. But that really wasn’t necessary. They could have discovered him when they went to see the children, or heard in the village that the Wallaces had a mysterious guest and gone to investigate and make sure they were all right. Well, I suppose removing the Wallaces’ protector and provider added to Patrick’s internal conflict, but I still don’t think it was necessary.

Did the Cunninghams ever hire more guardsmen after the Dunbars killed them all? And why on earth did they only have three guardsmen, all on duty at the same time? And if they had guardsmen, how did they never catch any of the children sneaking out at night? For surely there had to be someone guarding at night, or why bother? They must have been really crappy guards. The Dunbars could have sent a man to become a Cunningham guard and kidnap Charlie when no one was around.

I don’t know why the thieves were included toward the end. I didn’t even know they were just nameless thieves until several pages later when it was mentioned in passing. I thought they were Dunbars trying to catch Charlie alone to abduct her; I waited and waited for the attack to be discussed, but it never was. They had no ties to the story, so why include them? To provide action? To demonstrate Charlie’s fighting skills? To alert Patrick to Charlie’s presence? Wouldn’t it just have been easier to claim he was highly trained and detected her on his own? It just wasn’t necessary.

The Dunbars could have been better utilized in general. Did they really just let the matter go?

And how did Allan Cunningham react to everything? To the discovery of Kendrick alive? To Hendry’s gambling problem and what he’d gambled with? To the revelation of Patrick’s real name and everything it meant? To Elsie’s wedding a Fergusson? To Duff leaving to meet his real father and deciding to live at Camlochlin? What did he do once he was left all alone to stew in bitter misery?

What did the MacGregors think of all this? We never saw Tristan and Isobel, and I would have thought their reaction would have been more important than Davina’s or Callum’s, considering Patrick was their son and the story had a great deal to do with Isobel’s family. It was nice to see Davina and Callum, but they didn’t have any reaction to Patrick showing up with a wife and Will’s bastard son, either. They were all remarkably blase about it.

I’m interested in Duff getting his own story. I kind of want to get to know him better, see him settle in at Camlochlin and bond with his father, stepmother, and half-brothers. Duff deserves a good lass to fall in love with and live HEA.

This book made me want to revisit Tristan and Isobel’s story. Don’t worry, though, this one can stand alone.

And the good news is, while researching where this one fit into the rest of the series, I discovered some fantasy novels Paula’s written recently that I wasn’t aware of because she wrote them under a pseudonym. I plan to check them out.

Overall, Quinn could have taken a little more time to make the plot lean and mean instead of adding unnecessary fluff. I look forward to the next one; “Laird of the Black Isle” sounds awesome.

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