Prideful Lucy FitzHarris, desperate to marry into English nobility, is instead promised to hot-headed Alex Sinclair, an old family friend and future Laird of Balforss in the Scottish Highlands. Though their initial meetings are fraught with animosity, nevertheless they are inexplicably drawn to each other and within days, realize not only their lust but their true affection for each other. Their almost-couplings before they take their vows are steamy to say the least; the heat between these two almost burned through the page.

But when Lucy spots Alex in a compromising situation with his former love, she puts herself and the entire Sinclair clan at risk by fleeing the estate and walking into the hands of the Sinclair’s sworn enemy. Desperate to rescue her, Alex must use not only his brawn but his brain and the loyalty and bravery of his entire family to trace her whereabouts. Meanwhile Lucy, resourceful and wily, works desperately to find a way to escape.

I loved not only the sexy interactions between the two main characters but the well-developed cast that surrounded them: Laird John and his wife Flora, a mature couple who model what a successful marriage can be; Declan and Magnus, two strong-willed and valiant cousins, Hercules the pipsqueak of a doggy and Lucy’s loyal companion, even Peter, the adorable young groom striving to be more.

Authentic dialogue and customs blend seamlessly in this fast-paced romantic tale, laced with historical details from food, to clothing, to the historical true history of clan wars and its effect on tenant farmers. If you love Regency romance, Scottish Highland stories, or just want to settle back in a comfortable chair in front of the fire and eavesdrop on a hot sexy romance, pick up Jennifer Trethewey’s debut novel and then recommend it to your friends. My guess is this won’t be the last we hear from the Highlanders of Balforss.

No one does Scottish romance like Jennifer Trethewey. Her knowledge of History and crafting endearing characters is wonderful. I have read several of her books and they all are page-turners. This love story won't disappoint.

Trethewey shines with her debut novel Tying the Scot. An exciting page turner filled with heart and heat, Tying the Scot will appeal to romance readers who love historicals and sweet love stories with strong heroines. I highly recommend this book!

When Lucy FitzHarris’s father tells her he’s pledged her hand in marriage to Alex Sinclair, the future Laird of Balforss, she’s devastated. She’d planned to marry Viscount Langley, and enjoy London society. She decides to try life with Alex…and then the fun begins. Because the two young lovers are stubborn and a bit self-involved, the reader enjoys a wild ride of missed connections, dangerous threats, and passionate romance. I appreciated the memorable characters and the rich historical setting. If you love all things Scottish, especially brawny but sensitive men, then grab a hot cup of tea and get ready to swoon!

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book one in a series from a new author for me but I decided to give it a shot. I was a little disappointed in this read. We have Lucy a spoiled, annoying, whinnying child who is being sent to Scotland to be married. Alex is a angry, irritating Scot who drives me crazy as well. I just didn’t love the characters the story was okay but nothing I was over the moon about.

In the opening pages, we meet our hero and heroine as children - an appropriate start, for when we see them again years later, they still have some growing up to do. As their attraction and love grows for each other, Alex and Lucy also grow as individuals, earning a place in our hearts as well their happy ending. Readers are sure to enjoy the saucy banter between the Scot with the hot temper and the lady who ties him up in knots. Some devious machinations from a dastardly foe and a bit of suspense will keep you turning pages well past your bedtime. A fantastic debut from a new voice in Scottish historical romance!

Loved reading Alex and Lucy's love story. A story filled with action, danger, and suspense. could not put down, engaged to the very end. Looking forward to more stories int he series.Recommended read.

Fast paced, action packed with well written plot and intriguing characters. Highly recommended for fans of Medieval Romance, Scotland and wonderful characters.

Years ago Alex Sinclair vowed he would do whatever it takes to protect Lucy Fitzharris, the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Chatham. But wanting to marry the duke's daughter just to honor the vow he made isn't going the way he thought it would, especially when convincing Lucy that he's not a vulgar Scot seems impossible. However, just when things seem to be going right for the pair, Lucy finds her heart breaking in two when she sees something she shouldn't. Will Alex be able to make things right with the woman he wants to marry more than anything, or will their chance at happy ever after fall apart?

What a captivating start to this series Ms. Trethewey has delivered in this book where the main characters thoroughly entertained me from start to finish because the heroine challenges the hero and it seems Alex can never do anything right by Lucy. How long will it take the heroine to forgive the hero's deception? However, it was from the moment the hero and heroine came face-to-face for the first time that had me hooked, as this couple have intense chemistry that just keeps getting better and better with every moment they spend together whether they're getting along or the heroine is mad at the hero.

The way this story started had me feeling sorry for the heroine, as her engagement comes as a shock as to the man she'll be marrying. Why did she have such high hopes of marrying someone she only thought she loved, instead of holding out for love with the right man? However, in saying that, I loved that she gave the hero a chance after a while, as he proves himself over and over in being able to handle her indignation when they first meet and then more when she discovers what he's been hiding from her.

As for the dialogue, it was intense due to the main character back stories and everything they go through on their journey to happy ever after including someone plotting against their union and the fact that the hero must make things right between the pair. Will Alex be able to win Lucy over? Will Alex be able to protect Lucy from those plotting against their union? Will Lucy be able to eventually trust Alex, if he continues to prove himself a good guy to her? Moreover, the heroine is resilient and courageous in dealing with everything she goes through and I liked that she challenged the hero. While the hero, he's a good guy despite the fact that he deceives the heroine in the moment they first meet. I also liked the tight relationship he shares with his family and that they would do anything for each other. Yet, what I liked most of all about the hero was his determination to protect the heroine from hurt because of his past and someone determined to take her away from him. Will Alex be able to keep Lucy safe?

Overall, Ms. Trethewey has delivered a fantastic read in this book where the chemistry between this couple was strong due to me feeling as though the heroine sees the hero as the enemy because she wants another man; and the ending had me liking the lengths the hero goes to for the heroine, as she means everything to him and he wants her in his life. I would recommend Tying the Scot by Jennifer Trethewey, if you enjoy Historical Romance, the enemy to lovers trope, or books by authors Alyssa Alexander, E. Elizabeth Watson, Tara Kingston and Vanessa Kelly.

Tying the Scot by Jennifer Trethewey is a historical romance. At age eleven, Alex Sinclair pledges an oath to the Duke of Chatham promising to serve and protect his illegitimate daughter, Lucy FitzHarris. Nine years later, the duke unexpectedly takes Alex up on his vow, offering the future Laird of Balforss his daughter’s hand in marriage. Now a man, hotheaded Alex has difficulty convincing Lucy—who would rather starve to death than marry a vulgar Scot—to go through with the arranged marriage. Once Lucy arrives in Scotland, she cannot resist the magic of Balforss or the allure of her handsome Highland warrior. But when Alex seemingly betrays Lucy right before their wedding, she is tricked into running away. Alex must rein in his temper to rescue his lady from unforeseen danger and Lucy must swallow her pride if she hopes to wed the Highlander she has come to love.

Tying the Scot is a story with complex characters and an intense plot. Lucy is a young and naive lady, facing marriage with a person she met only once as a child, all the while thinking herself in love with another. She makes some decisions or jumped to some conclusions that had me shaking my head, but all fit with her personality and character. I did like that she had some spunk and skill, rather than being a useless miss. Alex is an honorable Scot not sure that the marriage is a good idea either, but is willing to test the waters. His plans to find out more about Lucy, and to 'protect' her are not always well thought out, and often cause more harm than good- but they are entertaining. I love the way they both have reservations, and make mistakes, but for the most part talk about them. Although Lucy is more than a little naive, she is also good at heart and caring. Likewise, while Alex is a little rash and not exactly great with words, his effort to do the right thing and take care of those around him. The treachery and danger surrounding them makes for significant excitement- and plays on the doubt they each have in themselves and each other. While I think the pair having more conversations and less jumping to conclusions would have made for an easier relationship it would have also made for less excitement and a much shorter book.

Tying the Scot is an entertaining read with plenty of suspense and surprises. I enjoyed the read and found the characters to be very compelling, and they stayed with me after I finished the book.

This was a fabulous book, it caught my interest from the beginning, the story flowed beautifully and the characters were engaging. I loved it

Alex Sinclair pledges an oath to the Duke of Chatham at the age of nine to serve and protect his illegitimate daughter, Lucy FitzHarris. Now eleven years later the duke expects Alex to honor his vow. Lucy is expecting Lord Langley to marry her, but he’s already engaged so her father decides to marry her to a barbaric highlander. Going to the Highlands and marring a Scot is unimaginable for Lucy, but she cannot resist the magic of Balforss or the allure of her handsome Highland warrior. This story is filled with adventure, betray and a romance for all time.
This is my honest opinions after I voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.

This is a fast-paced read with plenty of drama. Lucy and Alex are so much fun together. A very entertaining read.

Publisher's Description:

A hotheaded Highlander and a fiery English Lady–what could go wrong?

At age eleven, Alex Sinclair pledges an oath to the Duke of Chatham promising to serve and protect his illegitimate daughter, Lucy FitzHarris. Nine years later, the duke unexpectedly takes Alex up on his vow, offering the future Laird of Balforss his daughter’s hand in marriage.

Now a man, hotheaded Alex has difficulty convincing Lucy—who would rather starve to death than marry a vulgar Scot—to go through with the arranged marriage. Once Lucy arrives in Scotland, she cannot resist the magic of Balforss or the allure of her handsome Highland warrior. But when Alex seemingly betrays Lucy right before their wedding, she is tricked into running away. Alex must rein in his temper to rescue his lady from unforeseen danger and Lucy must swallow her pride if she hopes to wed the Highlander she has come to love.

My Thoughts:

I loved this novel with it's witty and charming dialog. This book has it all, charm, romance, a wonderful background story and sinister intent all wrapped up in the sweeping landscape of Scotland. It is an amazingly well written debut novel and I look forward to more by this talented author.

I loved how we start out with the back story of how these two met as children with an oath by our eventual hero to protect the eventual heroine.

Alex can not remember much about Lucy and since she is the daughter of a Duke even though she is illegitimate she must be a spoiled, petulant shrew of a lady. He decides upon finding himself betrothed to her to find out just what she is like. That means when they meet again he will not reveal who he is but observe her instead.

Lucy doesn't remember much about Alex either but when she discovers his deception she is sure it was meant to be a cruel joke.

Will this inauspicious beginning lead to an eternal love for these two evenly matched characters.

I could not put this book down once I had gotten past the background story. It is one for the keeper shelf!

I gave this debut novel 4.5 of 5.0 stars for storyline and character development and a sensual rating of 3 of 5 flames. The actual intimacy in this story was a long time coming with it being consummated on our hero and heroine's actual wedding night. It was a sweetly written part of this story.

I received a complimentary digital ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Despite the synopsis and the author at times giving away hints what was likely going to happen, I did enjoy seeing this verra handsome, hopeful, but hot tempered Scot and his feisty, pouty/a tad spoiled beauty of a leading lady find love together. Probably because I’m a lover of relationship angst, folks.

With Alex previously mistakenly thinking he had been in love with another woman and and Lucy in a similar situation, they finally get on the same page just to have lies, trickery, and manipulation lead them astray and almost to their doom. However, they were their own worst enemies at times. Letting the good and bad angels on each of their shoulders duking it out constantly combined with being too quick to jump to conclusions and not demanding full explanations when that alone would have solved most of their problems, lead to misunderstandings that put their very lives and newly found love in jeopardy.

Alex was smart enough to recognize the good qualities that enabled his father to be such a strong, capable Laird and wanted to be just like him. Some might think he came across insecure when comparing himself to his father, but I found this trait sincere and more realistic than if he had been a know it all. Ultimately, he did try to see things more through Lucy’s eyes than she did his and wanted her to truly fall in love with him before they married. She soon recognized Alex was more of a man than her former love interest would ever be, but stubborn pride got in her way in admitting that to Alex.

The ending, though filled with perilous drama, would have been more enjoyable to me if things had been tied up with a more condensed version, especially after the just in time, narrow escape. Oddly, I found myself fast forwarding when they were finally married instead of hanging onto every word, which only proves the comment I just made.

As a debut author, I wish Ms. Trethewey great success with this book and the many more hopefully yet to come.

Title: Tying the Scot, Author: Jennifer Trethewey, Pages: 336, stand-alone, get to know each other first, some passionate scenes, good natured/hot tempered/insecure at times/good guy alpha hero, arranged marriage to be, some violence, attempted rape scene, new to me/debut author. Rating: 3.5 stars

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

I enjoy Scottish based stories and this one was a winning read.Well paced with drama,suspense and romance made for an entertaining book.The characters were true to life where Alex and Lucys bickering made the real.I read this book as an arc from netgalley and this is my honest opinion.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

What a fun book with lots of romance, some humor, intrigue, drama, and betrayal. Alex and Lucy met as children but as adults are interested in other people when their fathers arrange their marriage.

I liked that while they both had areas in their life that they needed to work on, you can see them grow throughout the book, and that they were a good influence to each other. Lucy was so childish when she threw her tantrums to try and get her father to change his mind on the marriage, and you just know that Alex's little attempt at deception was going to backfire on him!

The book really kept my attention and I had a hard time putting it down! This is my first book by this author and I enjoyed it so much that I am going to look for some of her other books.

The illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Chatham - Lucy FitzHarris, has been betrothed to Alex Sinclair.
The Duke and Alex’s father have been friends since they were young men. A pledge that young Alex had made when he was eleven is now called in. Lucy has been infatuated with her brothers friend and thinks her self in love. Thinking her feelings are returned she’s crushed that after a kiss they’d shared she finds that he’s engaged to another young woman, without the stain of being illegitimate.
Alex has been rejected by a young woman as well and finds that doing his duty and keeping his promise to the Duke, after all he is a man of his word.
Alex has a temper and is quick to anger he finds that no matter what he does he fears that he’ll never measure up to his father.
Devising a plan to not reveal himself to Lucy when he goes to meet her backfires she sees right through him and makes him pay for deceiving her. Even though she comes off as a spoiled and coddled princess she never complains and Alex starts to admire and really fall for her. Their attraction is mutual and before long their hearts are engaged but when her old infatuation from London comes calling and declares his love for Lucy things start to get interesting Alex’s jealousy skyrockets and misunderstandings come into play. Insecurities and manipulations from the villains kept the story entertaining.
This was a well written story it flowed well with witty and entertaining banter. It had twists and discriptive details. I loved the fact that we saw Alex mature from a young hot head to a man worthy of the title Laird of Balforss. The chemistry between Alex and Lucy was well done their characters complimented each other. This was my first read by Jennifer Tretheway and I truly enjoyed it.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest unbiased opinion .

This is a story of two people Alex and Lucy who meet as children. with Alex vowing to always to protect Lucy. Nine years later, when they have not seen each other, a match is made between their fathers for them to be married. Lucy Fitzharris, the illegitimate daughter of a Duke is furious to be forced to marry. Scottish Alex has had his share of disappointments and wants to meet Lucy again without her knowing who he is yet. Traveling the long journey to Scotland, they face all kind of danger and adventure. Lucy is so spoiled and during the story you just want to shake her!! But she has also had it hard being shunned at times for not being a legitimate daughter to the duke. So when Lucy arrives at Alex's home she is taken in by his family and begins to have feelings for Alex once she finds out it is really him. The author brings the characters to life and makes you want things to work out with the two. But to find out what happens along the way, read this story and prepare to be entertained!! This is a new author to me but I will be reading more by her in the future!

Lady Lucy FitzHarris has her heart set on marrying a certain man. When her father calls her into his office to give her some news she is really pleased.
Unfortunately for our heroine ( and everybody around her) it's not the news she wanted.
Our heroine is a spoiled brat with a tendency toward tantrums. She will find out the results of that behavior.
Alex Sinclair is heir apparent to his clan, and worrying that he will never be as good as his father. He can be a bit quick to act rather than think things through. To help the clan he must marry the daughter if his father's friend. He met her once years ago but doesn't know what she is like as a woman. He has a plan to find out.
Both of them have a lot of growing up to do. The highlands can be a dangerous place.
There are so many times in this book that I wanted to smack our heroine and tell her to grow up. Our hero really tries his best.
A lovely highland adventure, with laughs and danger. I loved it.