I always give a fair and honest review in return for ARCs. I will admit, upfront that I am a Suzanne Enoch fan. She has such a wonderful way of telling a story. She draws you in and leaves you itching for her next tale. This one has braw Scots, a family separated, a love that survives and a wolf. What more does a great tale need.

Devil in Scotland by Suzanne Enoch is a very satisfying romance. I was instantly in love with the characters. Especially, the fallen hero who ends up redeeming himself. It's a story I couldn't resist.

Callum MacCreath is a Highlander at heart. Ten years ago, he figured out that the woman he loved was betrothed to his older brother, Ian. Wanting Becca, Callum tries to persuade Becca to marry him instead. Yet she wasn't having it. And to top if all, he insulted his older brother, and made a drunken fool of himself in front of everyone, including Becca and Ian. Ian pushes Callum to leave their only home. Callum doesn't hesitate and leaves without a penny to his name. Now, he's brought back home by news of his older brother's death. A drowning...his brother was the best swimmer and the water he drowned in was not deep enough to drown in...Callum knows who the killers are and his going to get them both. But first, family duty calls.

Becca was Callum's and Ian best friend. Until she gets betrothed to Ian. That's when, Callum realizes he's loosing the one thing he thought he'd always have, Becca. Becca has always had a thing for
Callum. However, all he has done was prove that he's irresponsible, ignorant, and a drunk. He's not to be trusted. That was ten years ago. Now, Becca has lost her husband and her father not too, long after each other. Becca is doing everything she can to find her way in life. Until Callum returns and comes claiming his inheritance. He always brings with him a lot of trouble. Enough to rattle Becca's heart, and the two killers' scheme to get Becca's inheritance....plus, there's Callum's niece aka Becca's daughter to consider.

A passion that never died...

Heat, danger, risks, and trust are found on every page.

A Devil in Scotland was everything I expected and more. Suzanna Enoch writes well. Her characters were charming. The Scottish rogue held my heart from the beginning. Then, there was the little girl, who brought so much joy and humor to Callum's and Becca's intense situation. I can't wait to read more by this writer. Overall, I recommend this historical novel to all.

Suzanne Enoch’s “A Devil in Scotland” brings Callum MacCreath roaring back from America, and his life on the frontier, to avenge his brother’s murder. He is not too sure about his brother’s wife either, and he is prepared to punish her as well as the men who murdered his estranged brother. What he finds when he returns to Scotland is a surprise, though, and causes a quick revision of his plans.

The fire between Callum and Rebecca is hot and the action is fast-paced in Enoch’s latest satisfying romance.

Callum MacCreath, the newly inherited Laird Geiry, returns to Scotland to avenge the death of his brother. Ten years earlier, the impulsive and hedonistic young Calum was forced to leave Scotland in a cloud of disgrace and anger after drunkenly and clumsily offering for his brother's newly betrothed, Rebecca Sanderson. Becca, an English heiress, and Callum grew up as close friends and partners in crime. Only Becca did indeed grow up and wanted more out of her life and Callum, unfortunately at 20, still did not look beyond the immediate pleasures readily available to him. Not only did his older brother send him packing upon his dishonourable behaviour, but he left with Becca's humiliating verbal lashing resonating in his ears and her words remained indelibly scorched in his memory for the next 10 years as he worked to build his wealth in America.

Now Callum is back, determined to prove that his brother's death was no accident. He is convinced of the guilt of his brother's business partner, his own clan chiftain and a most powerful duke. What he is not so sure of is Becca's role in the death of her own husband. As a part-owner of the business in her own right, she certainly has lots to gain and her closeness with the duke's family and namely his heir is a damning point against her. Becca, in turn, does not trust this powerful and angry man, who retains little of the the familiar qualities of her childhood friend. Distrust makes for some hot chemistry. I love the instant love between the tough Callum and his little cutie-pie niece, and how she softens his edges and changes his motivations and plans completely by her very introduction into his heart.

Enoch has well and truly proven, in this book and her past books, that she can write. I have a few gripes. Firstly, Becca was too reliant on the men in her life to take charge and keep her safe and comfortable. Obviously, that was reflective of what women did in those days, but she too readily settled for her first and nearly her second husband, favouring security over love in both cases. Secondly, the romantic tension ebbed a bit too early (half way through) once they gave in to their explosive passion. It did pave way to a very interesting plot to bring to justice the guilty parties, but still, I wouldn't mind if the tension was maintained for a bit longer.

This is a book I can recommend without a doubt. The characters are at each other’s throats from the start . Rebecca and Callum were made for each other and I love Mags she’s a little diamond. I just loved the story it’s twists and turns keep you guessing and after reading the series the conclusion was as it should be. Enjoy,I did.

I enjoyed Callum and Rebecca. I loved them getting to know each other all over again. I am a little sad of what happened to bring them back together though. I really enjoyed Mags, but maybe because I have a Maggie as well lol. Waya was unexpected and delightful as well as they reformed their pack :)

There are moments when you have to walk away, in order to appreciate all you leave behind. For Callum and Becca friendship got complicated and hearts were broken, but that tether that held them together was evident despite the distance, heartbreak and passage of time. A Devil in Scotland is about facing the odds and taking a stand. Precarious emotions drove them apart. Can maturity piece them back together? With a little bit of hope and a whole lot of trust anything is possible.

Callum was cast out by his brother and left for America. He returns after 10 years to solve the death of his brother whom he suspects was murdered by his business partners. He wants justice and is determined to get it. However he first has to deal with his brothers widow Becca and niece Mags. He soon finds that he has found the love he thought he lost all those years ago.

This was a great read enjoyed it very much. I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

This is an entertaining read with concise, easy-to-read writing that has good flow and pacing. I liked it overall, though I did have some issues, and it worked fine as stand alone.

This story will likely appeal more to the hero-centric reader. Callum, the hero is a man's man; he's a manly, man's man. Walking around with his wolf that he nursed as cub, they form an intimidating pair and are equal parts of a (wolf) pack. He's a big uncouth hero, who is not easily missed or ignored. He steals the scene every time, and there was a raw, gravitating appeal to him. I found myself at odds with the appeal of the character and some of his actions early on. The prologue featured him as a 20 year old man, a youth who was known to frequently overindulge in drink and women. When he finds out that his brother was engaged to his boyhood friend, he becomes enraged and insulting, trying to convince Rebecca to marry him instead. His episode is witnessed By his brother, the Duke of Dunncraigh and his son. Callum insults to the point of his banishment, and on his way out, he threatens the Duke that if anything happens to his brother or wife, he'd come after the Duke. This didn't make much sense to me. Because, why? I was waiting for an understanding of why Callum despised the Duke for a good while, but whatever backstory there was to that hatred was not explained. Callum made his way to Kentucky and built a whiskey empire during his ten year absence.

Rebecca, was a heroine, whose choices made sense. It made sense that show chose the reliable older brother, rather than the brash younger brother, whom she did harbor some feelings for. When they never hear word from Callum during his absence, Rebecca appreciates the assistance and friendship of the Duke and his son after the untimely death of her husband, followed shortly by her father. An understanding forms between Rebecca and the son, but that all comes to a halt when Callum belatedly returns to claim his inheritance. He would've returned sooner, but he had been steadfastly burning all letters unopened from his brother and brother's solicitors until he catches a news story detailing his brother's death that he finds suspicious. Why would he not open a single letter up until that point when he left with some concern of the Duke threatening his brother? It's explained that he is still pining after Rebecca and doesn't want to read of their happiness. Ok, fine, but I don't buy it. This tarnished my view of the hero. Words are precious. Don't burn them before reading, at least. I also didn't feel that spoke of rational behavior. I can maybe understand the burning of the first letter in a fit of emotion, but there were many, many letters sent. That just didn't make sense to me.

When reunited, it does not take long for sparks to ignite between Rebecca and Callum. This flared a little fast, in my opinion, I think because of the issues I was having with the hero's character. Rebecca also felt under drawn in comparison to Callum, and I didn't really warm to her. The subplot to this story was interesting and compelling.

All in all, a decent and interesting read. I think many will really enjoy it, as I did despite some of my reservations..

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

This is the third book in the "No Ordinary Hero" series, but it could easily be read as a stand alone title. There are some references to past misdeeds by the villain, but more than enough backstory is provided to keep the reading up to speed.

Ten years ago, Callum MacCreath was the younger brother of Ian, the Earl of Geiry and at twenty years old, he only seemed interested in drinking and chasing lasses. When he learns that his brother has decided to become business partners with the Duke of Dunncraigh, he is livid and is even more upset to learn that his childhood friend Rebecca Sanderson aka Becca has agreed to marry Ian and her father is also entering into the partnership. Words are exchanged and Callum leaves. He intends to forget all of them and proceeds to cut ties completely, refusing to read letters from his family or anyone else. It isn't until he learns of his brother's death - completely by chance - that he even considers returning to Scotland. He has built a new and very profitable life for himself in Kentucky, distilling whisky. But when he learns his brother died by drowning, he knows something is wrong and will destroy anyone who had a hand in his demise.

Becca, the Countess of Geiry is finally ready to put off mourning and move on with her life. After grieving the death of her husband and then her father, she is ready to accept the marriage proposal of Dunncraigh's son, Donnach, Marquis of Stapp. But everything is put on hold when Callum returns like the Devil seeking his due - complete with a wolf companion. This Callum is not the drunken boy that left Scotland, he is every inch a man now and angry to boot.

Callum is shocked that he is still attracted to Becca, but until he knows if she was part of the conspiracy to kill Ian, he will resist the pull he feels. He was ready to cast her out of the house, until he met his niece, Margaret aka Mags. Callum is instantly smitten and since Mags is completely innocent, nothing will stop him from protecting her or letting her go. Since Becca will not leave without her and Callum will not let her leave, they have to find a way to live together. Becca does not believe Callum's claim that Ian was murdered, but concedes that if he finds proof, she will support him.

Together they form a truce and Callum begins to believe that Becca had no knowledge of Dunncraigh's plans. But she still doesn't believe that Ian or her father were murdered.

When it becomes clear to Becca that Callum is right, she begs him to choose a life with her and Mags over his vengeance - and Callum struggles with his decision. His relationship with Becca is growing stronger and he knows he wants her in his life always, but without solid evidence against Dunncraigh, he cannot offer her the life she hopes for.

When evidence is finally found and it seems like all their dreams will come true - a desperate Dunncraigh, does the unthinkable and forces both Callum and Becca to make decisions that could change everything and rob them of the future they had hoped to share.

This book was extremely intense - the writing was great, the story never lagged, Mags and her "pack" were a delightful addition to the story, the villains were especially nasty, the love scenes were steamy and the devil gets his due!

I really enjoyed this book and would be happy to recommend it, the only reason I dropped off a 1/2 star was completely personal - the brothers/sister-in-law love angle was a little bit of an "ick" factor for me. It was well done and the author goes out of her way to justify it - but for me it was just didn't work.

Thanks St. Martin's Press and netgalley for this ARC.

Becca and Callum are ready to fight to the death if they could just stop being attracted to each other. Suzanne Enoch is the only one that could make this HEA work. I loved the dynamics between Callum, Becca, and everyone trying to keep them apart. Hands down one of the best of this year so far.

Thank you for letting me review this book. I was not able to fall into this book until like the 3rd or 4th chapter. Normally I would stop reading at that point but this time I kept reading. Im glad I did and I really enjoyed this story. I thought Rebecca was a bit too eager to let Callum in her bed. I knew she loved him but chose his brother as a safer option. Callum was a hot head and Im glad he came around. I knew Margaret would have him wrapped around her little finger in no time because he has a soft heard despite the gruff outer shell.

A Devil in Scotland (No Ordinary Hero, #3) by Suzanne Enoch .. so glad to get to read this through #NetGalley...Callum and Rebecca (Becca) friends for years...then her father arranges her marriage to his older brother Ian (the Earl). He flees to America and ten years later returns to avenge his brother's death. Add in his 6 year old niece Margaret (Mags) and lets not forget Waya...an evil Duke and his son .. lots of adventure, murder, laughs, tears and a very HEA. I enjoyed this book.

Callum MacCreath wants nothing to do with the brother that cast him out. Unfortunately, he has no choice in the matter. When Callum discovers his brother, Ian, recently died, he immediately suspects his Ian's business partners. Callum leaves the wilds of America to return home and get justice for Ian. First, he must deal with Ian's lovely widow, Becca.

Becca's life is turned upside down when Callum returns. She has never forgotten her childhood friend, but time has certainly changed them both. Ian suspects their was foul play in the recent deaths of Becca's father and her husband, Ian. Becca does not want to believe him, but the evidence they uncover together certainly makes it appear so. It is clear that Callum wants more than justice, he also wants to claim Becca for his own. Can Callum learn to trust Becca and let go of the past? Is Becca ready to move on?

A DEVIL IN SCOTLAND takes you on an emotional roller-coaster ride! Although I had some issues with the main characters, Callum and Becca, I still deem their story one well worth reading. My main problem is that Callum is not in the least sorry for his past actions. Sure, his brother was a little harsh in disowning him, but it did make Callum the man he is today. Still, Callum returns arrogant just to say I told you so and automatically assumes the worst of everyone, which did not endear me to him. I did love the instant connection Callum experiences with Becca's young daughter. Just witnessing their first meeting, it is obvious that Callum is perfect father material. Watching a new love and understanding blossom between old friends, Callum and Becca, is refreshing, even if it takes them a bit to get past old scars. It is true; opposites do attract. Fans of author Suzanne Enoch will enjoy the third novel in her NO ORDINARY HERO series, A DEVIL IN SCOTLAND.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars!

I voluntarily read an Advance Review Copy of this book through Netgalley. The story involves two prominent murders, a brother trying to avenge his brother’s murder and discovering a love he thought lost to him. Callum meets his niece, Mags and she instantly has him wrapped around her little finger. Even though Mags is almost six and a half, her part in this story is well written and adds a lot of humor to the story. The love that develops between Callum and Rebecca becomes stronger as the story progresses. This is a well written book and I would highly recommend it.

FINAL DECISION: Solid romance with an good danger/suspense/mystery story. I felt the romance was missing some real resolution of the past, but I enjoyed the book.

THE STORY: Callum MacCreath left Scotland ten years ago when his childhood friend agreed to marry his older brother. Now his brother has died (and Callum believes that foul play is involved) and Callum has returned as heir. Callum will do anything to punish those involved in his brother's death -- even if, and especially, if it is Rebecca.

OPINION: This is a cross between a second chance at love story and a former friends to lovers story. Callum and Rebecca had a closer and adventurous childhood together. When Rebecca grew up and chose a settled and responsible husband (who happened to be Callum's older brother), Callum realized that his expectations regarding Rebecca would not be realized. Callum was disreputable -- he spent his time drinking and wenching and his feeble attempts to pull Rebecca away from his brother resulted in Callum being banished from his family.

Callum was devastated by Rebecca's acidic words which said that he was not a worthy man in any respect. For ten years, he used her words to fuel his transformation into a successful businessman in America. But losing her haunted him despite his attempts to hate her.

After discovering that his brother has died, Callum returns to Scotland in order prove that he was murdered. His plans change when he encounters Rebecca again and meets his niece for the first time.

The plot of this book is centered on the death of Callum's brother. Callum believes he knows who is responsible and is determined to get revenge.

My favorite part of this book is how Callum and Rebecca deal with one another. Their relationship is wonderful because Callum cares about what Rebecca thinks and wants. He is willing to listen to her and change his opinion based on her opinions. Callum is also a darling sweetheart about Rebecca's daughter. The child is not merely a plot device, but a character that shows what a good man Callum is.

What I wasn't convinced by was the resolution of the past. I just didn't buy that these two characters could resolve the scene and events of two years ago in such a simple manner. Their relationship progressed too fast and the two didn't really deal with Rebecca's choice to marry Callum's brother. Yes, there were some minor discussions, but they almost made it more difficult for me to believe because Rebecca confessed that she had romantic feelings for Callum before and after marrying her husband. While she might have been right that Callum was immature, he was also right and Rebecca never really acknowledges that. Instead, there is the constant refrain that sometime they will have to deal with the past -- but they never really do.

But that is a minor criticism. The relationship now between Callum and Rebecca works and I liked seeing them deal with the current drama.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book resolves the villain's story from the first two books in the series.

CONNECTED BOOKS: A DEVIL IN SCOTLAND is the third book in the No Ordinary Hero series. This book operates as a standalone although characters from the prior books make small but significant appearances.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to prepare a review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Review to be posted on January 30th.

Callum MacCreath left Scotland after his brother Ian, Earl Geiry, went into business with the greedy Duke of Dunncraigh and announced he was marrying Rebecca Sanderson. Callum has loved Rebecca since they were children, but she doesn’t like how much he drinks and flirts.

Ten years later we find Callum in Kentucky with a pet wolf, Waya, and running a very profitable whisky business. He has received some letters from home but never opens them. But an older Scot who works for him read part of a newspaper and makes Callum listen to him. His brother is dead. Callum goes to his office and finds his foreman has not burned the last letter received from a solicitor who has been searching for him as he’s the heir.

Returning home with Waya, he finds Rebecca, who faints at the sight of him, and his niece, Lady Margaret who he calls Mags. He is very suspicious of his brother’s death and more so when he discovers Rebeca’s father also died recently. Rebecca does not completely trust him, but she agrees to his staying at what is now his house and helping him learn Ian’s business.

This book has a complex plot that I will not spoil. Along with finding the villains, Rebecca realizes Callum has always been her true love. But will he stay in Scotland or return to Kentucky? Mags steals a few scenes and I hope she gets her own HEA someday.

I couldn’t put this book down. Thanks to the publisher for allowing me an ARC. I loved it and can easily recommend it. Release day is January 30th.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this action-packed Highland story of redemption and second-chance love. I especially liked Callum's growth from a drunken irresponsible youth to a sharp businessman, loving father figure, seductive lover, and worthy clan leader. I adored little Margaret and her pack. I appreciated the slow(ish) build up of trust between Callum and Rebecca. The realization of their mutual attraction came as a natural progression due to their shared history and re-acquaintance rather than the lightning strike of instalust.

I would have rated this higher if Callum and Rebecca were more balanced in characterization. A Devil in Scotland is heavily favored towards the hero and that is not fair in a romance novel. I spent the first half of the book actively disliking the heroine and although I understood her as the novel went on, I was left with a negative overall impression. If Rebecca had done something heroic in the end instead of Callum claiming all the highlights, the book would have earned a better grade. I also would have liked it better if the revenge plot didn't overpower the romance so much.

Finally, I love the cover. The contrast of the tartan against her gown is striking.

Suzanne Enoch is a fine storyteller and I will gladly read a book by her again.

Love Enoch's books and this one is no exception! Real seeming characters and interactions, just was a pleasure to read.

In a prologue set in 1806, we first encounter the hero and heroine of our story. Eighteen-year-old Rebecca has just announced to her childhood friend, twenty-year-old Callum, that she's marrying his older brother Ian. When he offhandedly tells her she should be marrying him instead, she reminds him that he's a drinking, womanizing playboy and that Ian is stable and secure. When Ian finds out that Callum has proposed to his fiancee, he banishes Callum from darkening his doorstep. Ten years later, Callum has turned his life around, founding his own distillery in Kentucky. Though his brother has tried to reach him several times over the year, Callum has no interest. Until a newspaper arrives announcing that his brother Ian has died. Unconvinced of Ian's cause of death, Callum travels back to Scotland to get to the bottom of what he imagines to be a business-related conspiracy that got Ian murdered, and must figure out whether his old friend Rebecca was part of that conspiracy. Things don't go exactly as planned, though, as Callum's anger doesn't carry him quite as far as he thought.

This book is part of a series. The completionist in me would usually mean that I would have to read the two books preceding this one in the series, but I took a chance and it actually works quite well as a stand alone. It's one of those series that focuses on different romantic pairs in each one. The lovers from the first two books in this series do make a cameo appearance towards the end, and are mentioned a few times, but at no point do you feel as though you have missed a part of the story.

The actual plotline and intrigue, along with the political machinations and entanglements as Callum confronts the leader of his clan and accuses him of murder, were the most interesting part of this book. The twists and turns and reveals had a pretty perfect level of discoverability and suspense. Callum was a bit unpredictable, which led to some of those twists as well.

The writing was incredibly repetitive. After about the tenth time where Callum internally laments how his plans have had to change because everything is different now that he knows that he has a niece...I just don't appreciate having things hammered into my head. Once or even twice would do just fine. Callum mentions that Rebecca "has spleen" at least three separate times. As they get closer to discovering the truth behind Ian's death, Callum mentions several times that he would die for Rebecca, and on at least two occasions, she remarks that she would rather he live for her. I actually had to go back and find the previous mention of this because I thought I'd somehow read the same chapter twice, the wording was so incredibly similar. The book could have been a good 50 pages shorter with more concise, descriptive writing.

Callum seemed to have grown as a character between the prologue and the majority of the action, and I liked the added feature that he had heterochromia, which I'm personally fascinated by and find super adorable. His Scottish brogue got to be a bit affected at certain points. Granted, it's true that I'm not very aware of the style of speech in the early 1800s, but at one point he says five different negative words in the span of three sentences, and every single time it's "nae." It's just a lot.

Rebecca was such a mercurial, frenetic character. There were a number of traits to admire about her, as a portrayal of a woman in the early 1800s, but they were almost lost in the unpredictable nature. She would be yelling at Callum for something in one minute, and then admiring him the next, or vice versa, with no warning for the shift and seemingly no reason to have made such a drastic about-face.

Not to mention Margaret, Rebecca's six-year-old daughter. Precocious would be putting it mildly. Some of the things that she said were just completely unrealistic for a six-year-old, even a very precocious one. It almost seemed at points as though the author had forgotten that she needed to be writing speech patterns that were at all feasible for a small child. Especially since, at one point, Rebecca is thinking about the last time Margaret asked her father to read to her. Her father died 14 months earlier, and Rebecca thinks about how that last time was near to Ian's death, but remarks on how Margaret "toddled into his office." I'm sorry, she's meant to be an incredibly loquacious six-year-old, but she toddled into his office when she was five? I don't know a lot of five year olds who toddle...

The sexy times were fine, but brief. I did appreciate that there wasn't the oft-used virgin trope, as Rebecca is a widow with a child, though there were plenty of other tropes to go around; it ends with one of everyone's favourites—a pregnant heroine. (It was pretty easy to predict, since every romantic encounter ended with a super subtle "he spilled his seed inside her." *Insert extreme eye roll.*)

It was fluffy and pretty quick, so I might pick up any in this series, or by this author, if I was looking for a popcorn read on a weekend. But it's definitely not going to fill you up. Not the worst romance I've ever read, but definitely not the best either. Very middle of the road.