Gerard, when he was young had fallen for a young woman and married her.but she died and he was unable to save her. So he had to save Evelyn.. She had been deeply hurt when the man she loved left her at the altar and then told such lies about her, he ruined her. She did not believe in love and trusted very few people. Sally, evelyn's friend was getting married, to a highlander.
I loved this story. There was intrigue, spies, thieves and a wedding. It had it all. The characters were wonderful, they had feeling, and wanted to help Evelyn. They were very realistic and so full of life. It was well written, easy to read and even paced. I have not read this author before, but if her work is half as good as this book was, it has to be a treasure.
I received this ARC from Net Galley

What a good historical romance. Excellent dialogue and plot. Enjoyed!

This Historical Mystery Romance is set in 19th century Scotland with a strapping Highlander and an English rose.

Gerard, a spy is currently in Inverness, in persuit of a serial assassin. After losing his beloved as a result of his occupation, he doesn't have serious relationships.

Evelyn is from a wealthy family. She has acquired a tarnished reputation through no fault of her own. She has come to the terms with the unfounded gossips, but guards her heart to avoid further pain.

Whilst attending her best friend's wedding in Scotland, she witnesses an upsetting occurrence in one of the shops. Gerard appears on the scene and gives her reassurance, but not the full story. Her life is in danger and he is now responsible for her protection. They don't have a choice in interacting with one another, and what starts with innocent flirtations soon turns into something more. The problem is that they have both sworn to protect their hearts.

As the mystery of the identity of the assassin and the accomplice is unraveled, more people are in danger. The relationship between Gerard and Evelyn blossoms. The characters and sceneries are well described. The recounting of this story is thrilling and fascinating. There are numerous bumps along the way, but the end is very gratifying. This would appeal to readers with a flair for suspense and mystery in their historical romance.

I was kindly issued with an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

Lady Evelyn Hunt is visiting Scotland because her best friend is getting married. She goes into a bookstore and see a man fighting for his life and witnesses a merciless assassin’s escape out the backdoor. Lady Evelyn rushes out of the bookstore and into the roguish handsome highlander she met earlier, Gerard MacMasters and pleads for help, they return to the bookstore, only to find it empty. Gerard offers what he hopes is a reasonable explanation, but Evelyn knows what she saw.
Scottish spy Gerard MacMasters never expected to be playing bodyguard in his mission to catch a killer. He’s been on the hunt the assassin, but now his mission has taken a different turn after he stumbles into Lady Evelyn he realizes as a witness to the assassin’s escape she’s now in danger too.
Lady Evelyn is determined to live her live independently after her scandalous past and crushing betrayal at the altar she has no intention of ever marrying. She may find the stunning rogue Gerard so tempting and worth kissing, but she’ll never surrendering her heart to another. Gerard has already lost one love and will not let another woman die, not on his watch. There is a sizzling chemistry between the two as they try to solve this mystery before Lady Evelyn is killed in this adventure of a lifetime.
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.

Lady Evelyn's Highland Protector by Tara Kingston. This is the story of Gerard MacMasters and Lady Evelyn Hunt. Evelyn has been humiliated and left at the alter by her former fiancé. After this she has settled in that she will never marry and goes to enjoy a independent life. Evelyn goes to Scotland to be a bridesmaid in her friends wedding. During an outing she wonders into a books store where she find an older man dying. Before she went to get help he gave her clues and a playing card. Gerard is a spy on the hunter for a killer. Gerard is to keep and eye on Evelyn since she is now a witness to the killing.
Really exciting story!
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Lady Evelyn Hunt ‘The Tarnished Bride’ has travelled to the Highlands for her best friend Sally’s wedding. Whilst shopping in Inverness she goes into a booksellers & witnesses what she thinks is a robbery. Scottish spy Gerard MacMasters is given the job of protecting Evelyn from a merciless assassin, she’s seen the assassin so is in danger, and it’s up to him to keep her alive.
Both of them have suffered loss, Gerard lost his wife & Evelyn was cruelly jilted at the altar & then her reputation ruined. However they are strongly attracted to each other. This is a page turning novel where the paced is very well paced. The characters are well developed. Although Gerard & Evie’s attraction grows by leaps & bounds both have to learn to trust & to stop shielding their hearts. Secondary characters are also well portrayed & there are other relationships blossoming. A well written book that held my interest throughout, I look forward to the other MacMasters finding their HEA

This is my very first spy novel I have ever enjoyed, and enjoy it I did! All the best parts of a romance novel with the free-spirit of the Highlands and the intrigues and politics of London. I felt this story was a fantastic conglomeration of romance, mystery, and crime drama.

While performing his duty to the Crown, Gerard stumbles right into the woman who will be the key to his current case. Or rather, she stumbles into him. Lady Evelyn is an uncommon woman in so many ways. Poised, though perhaps lacking in some grace. Strong and brave in the face of adversity. Fiercely loyal. Gerard has spent his entire life chasing after the rare and valuable, but never has he encountered anything to equal Lady Evelyn. Will he recognize the true treasure she is before it's too late?

I was gripped by this story and by Gerard and Lady Evelyn. She, especially, called to me and made putting the book down utterly impossible. She is so vibrant and so real. There is nothing too perfect about her. Though the heroine of a romance novel, she is not all glory and sunshine and angel wings. She is too rash for her own good at times, frightened at others, and she takes more than one tumble into the dirt in a most undignified manner. What I adore about her is that she gets up, brushes herself off, and soldiers on. She takes control of her life, seeing when others would wish her harm and meeting them on her own terms. She is a lady I would love to meet, would love to be. That, in my opinion, is what makes this book excellent.

Lady Evelyn was left at the alter on her wedding day years ago and refuses to allow it to control her life. She refuses to think of herself as ‘ruined’ although many of the ton believe it. While on a trip to her friend’s wedding and all the pre-wedding activities, Evelyn steps away from the bride and the rest of the bridesmaids who are shopping to get a fresh breath. She runs smack into Gerard MacMasters, one of the gate-keepers of Scottish treasures. Excusing herself from the ‘Adonis’ come to life, she enters a bookstore and witness what she believes is a robbery, but turns into a possible murder. Re-enter Gerard to convince her she did not see what she knows she has seen.

As one of the MacMasters family, Gerard’s assignment is to protect Lady Evelyn and attend the wedding. Evelyn cannot seem to win with all of the escapades that seem to happen to her and around her. And, always with Gerard happening to be close by as a witness.

The mystery of the card the ‘dying’ man gave her is a secret she keeps from everyone. But, that connection and having witnessed the lady in black and veiled will cause her to be in danger. It does not stop Gerard from falling for Evelyn and taking their relationship a bit too far. Evelyn knows in her heart she should trust Gerard, but her head keep interfering with that decision.

All in all, a good ‘next’ book in the Highland Hearts series. I love how she loves seeing him in a kilt and is not bashful about letting him know that. Gerard was a bit of a' numpty’ there for a while trying to determine his heart. There are still several brothers, yet, to go!

Tara Kingston’s latest, Lady Evelyn’s Highland Protector, delivers suspense, action, mystery, romance, passion and a good measure of humor. Poor Lady Evelyn cannot catch a break. It’s not enough that she witnessed an attempted murder and is in possession of a big secret. Every time she missteps, that rat bastard (and incredibly handsome) Gerard MacMasters, is there to witness her humiliation. On top of that, her attraction to the impossible man will likely ruin her already tarnished reputation. Spies, scandal, and sexy Highlanders. Lady Evelyn’s Highland Protector has it all!

It difficult not to like the male protagonist in this story. Gerard MacMasters is a Scottish spy who is on the hunt for a killer but stumbles instead across Lady Evelyn Hunt, who finds herself a witness to a near murder. Gerard rushes in to assist Evelyn and soon finds himself invited to her friend’s wedding whilst secretly acting as Evelyn’s bodyguard. Whilst he gives an air of indifference with his casual one-liners, Gerard is a mass of conflicted emotions. Having lost his young wife early in their marriage, he tries to distance himself from Evelyn but finds himself fighting his attraction to her. Having been burnt by scandal years ago, Evelyn is also reluctant to show any feeling for Gerard. However, time together means that this becomes more and more difficult for Evelyn to maintain.
A fast-paced storyline with great secondary characters.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The idea of the story is lovely and it's the first not Regency novel I read in quite some time, nevertheless it felt like reading a 1000 pages novel and I am sure it isn't that long in reality. I probably skipped quite a few monologues towards the end.

I enjoyed the romance between Gerard and Evelyn. I liked the mystery element of the story, which added suspense. Their love story had some passion and the characters had some definite chemistry. The reason for the one star deduction is that Gerard's actions toward the end frustrated me and I don't know that I'd be as forgiving as Evelyn of how long Gerard took to make their HEA happen. That aside, I did enjoy the read and would recommend it.

This novel was a nice read. It involves romance and spies. Lady Evelyn Hunt had her reputation destroyed after being left at the alter years earlier. She believed she loved the man, only to have him break her heart on their wedding day. She became more independent, which she enjoys. However, her friend who has stuck by her is getting married and Evelyn needs to not cause any scandals. However, when in town, she discovers a man bleeding out and he gives her something and asks to keep it safe, which does. However, she did not expect Gerard MacMasters to be a constant presence. Gerard is a Scottish spy and has been chasing this villain for some time. However, when Evelyn unknowing gets involved, he knows he need to protect her at all costs and find out what she knows. He needs to seduce her, but realizes it is more than a seduction. He can never put a woman he cares about in danger again and cannot allow himself to love Evelyn. But no one can truly control their heart's desires. As the killer closes in, Gerard knows he needs to make Evelyn aware of the danger she is in. Having been hurt in the past, Evelyn shes this a way to get information from her. Will they be able to reconcile before the killer strikes?