Sleepless in Scotland by May McGoldrick
The Pennington Family #3

You know that author that never lets you down? Well, May McGoldrick (the husband wife team) is now one that fills the bill for me! Once again the book was a delight from beginning to end…well…perhaps not a DELIGHT but a compelling story that had it all!

Phoebe Pennington is a spinster at twenty-seven – so says society anyway. Her focus in life is writing and though she has always had one man in mind that might sweep her away it has not happened before this book begins. Well, in the first few pages Phoebe is saved from death, literally, by Captain Ian Bell and thus sets in motion the romance for this story. And, what a romance it is! The two are definitely meant for one another. Their mating dance is a delight to read. Their characters are both strong. They know what they want. They listen and learn. Their families are important. And, together they are “more” than just a couple.

I thoroughly enjoyed sussing out the serial murderer and was happy he met his demise. I was thrilled that everything worked out just as it should and now wonder if Millie or someone else will have their story told in book four. And, I can’t wait!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

At first i wasn’t sure about this book; it was dark and focused on a mad murder mystery. I did love the romance between the two main characters and enjoyed the secondary characters as well.

Captain Ian Bell is a tortured man. His sister was murdered, he discovered her in the medical records of the Edinburgh School of Medicine after years of searching for answers to where she disappeared to. He's racked with guilt over not keeping her safe, his Momma has a tenuous hold on her sanity and health is frail. While scouring the "Vaults" under the city he stumbles on the crumpled body of Phoebe Pennington there to track down information for an article she's writing for the local paper anonymously. He takes her home after she gives him a sketchy excuse for her being in such a dangerous place. It seems she leads a secret life as an author of articles exposing corruption and shameful treatment of poor and sick in Edinburgh. He won't take her excuse and continues to protect her even when she doesn't know he is guarding her steps. As their worlds collide they learn to respect each other, he her intelligence and bravery, she his hurting soul and need to protect the helpless. They discover someone is trying to kill her.

This duo have such a wonderful author's voice and a way to make history blossom. After just three of their stories they have gained a faithful fan. There is a scene between Phoebe and Mrs Bell that is just so tender and artfully written it made me sit back and savor. 5 Stars aren't enough. Thank you St. Martin's Press and May McGoldrick for the opportunity to review this story.

This is a wonderful romp with an dark undertone. Captain Ian Bell is hunting for his sister's murderer when he stumbles upon and rescues intrepid reporter Lady Phoebe. These two circle each other for a portion of the book- he was her childhood crush- and then they join forces. This is wonderful historical fiction that blends mystery and romance (sigh) in 19th century Edinburgh. I know it's part of a series and I haven't read the earlier books but that wasn't a problem in the least. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This was a delightful escapist read!

Captain Ian Bell is a tortured man fighting through grief and guilt over the loss of his sister Sarah. When she went missing, he searched for months until he found her remains. Now, three years later as the Deputy Lieutenant of Fife, Ian still hunts for her murderer in the dangerous criminal underworld of Edinburgh. He is the ‘Night Watch’ bent on revenge even as he saves others from the same violent fate that claimed his sister. Lady Phoebe Pennington dreamer and storyteller to her family is a committed reformer writing articles anonymously for an Edinburgh newspaper. One night, in an effort to acquire documents embarrassing to the city’s political leaders, Phoebe descends into the corrupt and seething netherworld known as the Vaults. When she tries to save a street urchin from an assailant, she becomes the target of a violent attack, only to be saved by the one man she has desired for years.
This book drew me in from the first page & I was gripped until the last. The descriptions were so vivid I felt as though I was actually in the Vaults. Phoebe has been attracted to Ian for years but he only saw her as his younger sister’s friend but the more time they spend together the more he comes to admire, respect & love her. Ian is still grieving for Sarah & trying to care for his frail mother. The story flowed so well, I was taken on a roller coaster of emotions throughout the book. The characters were very well portrayed & Ian & Phoebe absolutely perfect for each other. This book has murder, mystery & of course romance. This is the third book in the series whilst it could be read on its own I’d recommend reading the earlier books as the Penningtons are so delightful. I look forward to Millie’s story

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Ian was a troubled soul who sought to avenge his sister’s death. In so doing, he stumbled upon Phoebe, his sister’s dearest friend. The sparks were immediate and I was swept in them. They made me laugh, swoon and fear. Phoebe was in danger from the same fate that Sarah, Ian’s sister, had come up against. Suspense, romance and excitement will keep you turning pages in this powerful regency story. Provided by NetGalley.

Sleepless in Scotland is a great addition to the Pennington series. Phoebe and Ian’s story includes the difficult and tragic loss of Ian’s sister, Sarah. Phoebe is a strong woman who wants to make a difference through her writing and newspaper articles. The books begins with Phoebe nearly being killed by a madman in a part of Edinburgh of which no ‘lady’ ventures as she goes to visit with a source. Ian, doing his job, happens upon her and saves her life. He quickly recognizes her as a friend of his deceased sister. At that time, Phoebe does not tell Ian that she was protecting a young boy, nor the truth of why she was there.

It takes a while for Phoebe to completely trust Ian with why she was in the area where he found her. As they spend time together, he is determined to protect her all the while thinking that he had not protected his sister, but he would protect Phoebe and any other person possible. Along the way he proves to her that the reason for which she is writing her article about the homes not doing what needs to be done to help people is not true. He takes her to a women and children’s home that her own parents patronize, as well as himself. As Phoebe begins to realize she is wrong about her presumptions, she also falls more in love with Ian. Their trust and communication grow along with their feelings and care for each other.

But, back to the man who tried to kill her because she prevented him from killing the boy. He is crazy. Little bits of his thought processes are intertwined into Phoebe and Ian’s on going romance. Eventually, Phoebe asks Ian to take her to visit is reclusive mother. Well, our murderer just happens to live in the same village and strikes again. Great hints are dropped about who the killer might be, but you are kept guessing until late into the book. Very well done!

Love the May McGoldrick team! If you have not read one of their books, now is a great time to start. It does not matter about which century they write. All are well-written, well-researched and a fountain of feelings, as well as action packed. This books is part of a series, but could be read as a stand alone.

A fabulous romance by Ms. McGoldrick. Full of depth and romance. Sleepless in Scotland is a winner. I found the characters to well-developed.

Lady Phoebe Pennington is down in the streets below Edinburgh one night, trying to find one of her sources for a story when she is attacked and, fortunately, saved by Ian Bell, a man haunted by his sister's death. When he realizes that this woman was his sister's best friend he realizes that he must protect her from the same fate that ended his sister's life.
Phoebe is furious that Ian is so protective. She has been writing stories for the newspaper as a man for quite a while and, no one knows but her sister. When Ian keeps stalking her to keep her safe, she believes that he just wants to be the normal alpha male. Why, then, can she not wipe hi or his tough from her mind?
Ian has the same problem. He can't stop thinking about and worrying about Phoebe.
This was a seamlessly written murder mystery with just enough heat and twists to keep you interested!
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Unfortunately, I decided to begin this wonderful book about an hour before bedtime. From the first word on the first page it pulled me into another time and another place and didn’t let me go until quite some time after I had finished the last word early this morning. It is beautifully written and filled with characters you want to get to know as friends. And the ending – Oh! My Goodness! It is perfect. I am almost always dissatisfied when a book doesn’t have an epilogue – I feel as if I’m not done with it yet. Without an epilogue, this book closed up all of the loose ends and provided a lovely, poignant HEA. There was even a wonderful solution for a street urchin I was hoping would have his own HEA.

This is absolutely my favorite kind of book, historical with a mystery AND a romance. Absolutely perfect. The villain is a mad fiend – sort of a Jack the Ripper type. He’s been stalking the underground of Edinburgh for decades and three years ago he murdered the sister of Captain Ian Kerr Bell of Bellhorne, Fife. Now, Ian haunts the Vaults (huge underground area) of Edinburgh in search of his sister’s murderer. Ian is riddled with guilt – he should have done more to protect her. How did she even get to such a place? She wasn’t a flighty girl – she was intelligent and careful.

Now, imagine Ian’s shock and dismay when he is in the Vaults and hears the sounds of a fight and runs to the location. He finds a crumpled form lying at bottom of a staircase – and a man, dressed in black, at the top of the stairs. As Ian picks up the unconscious man at the foot of the stairs, he quickly realizes that it isn’t a man at all – it is a woman – and a woman of means. Finally, when Ian gets her to his carriage he realizes that it is Lady Phoebe Pennington, daughter of the Earl of Aytoun – his deceased sister’s best friend.

Phoebe is a crusader – a reformer. She’s writing newspaper articles under a pseudonym and she is hot on the trail of a story showing that the charity hospitals, poorhouses, etc. are turning out the sick and infirm in order to make themselves look better for a fact-finding group that is coming up from London. She just needs absolute proof and she has an informant who has agreed to sell her the proof she needs – but she must meet him in the Vaults or he won't provide the documents. Since she must have the proof, she agrees. However she isn’t an idiot, so she hires Duncan Turner, a surly Highlander, as her bodyguard. As she and Duncan find the place, they get separated and Phoebe sees a man chasing a half-grown boy with the intent of killing him. Phoebe doesn’t even think – she just acts and chases after the two. As she attacks the villain, the boy escapes and the villain comes after Phoebe. When she awakes from her tumble down the steps, she finds she is in a carriage with a furious Ian Bell – her deceased friend's brothere and a man she was infatuated with in her youth.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Ian and Phoebe have several encounters and some of them open her eyes to what being a good reporter really is. Then, when Phoebe is really in danger – can Ian save her – more than once?

This is a fast-paced book that will hold your interest from beginning to end. The descriptions of the time and place are so vivid that you can smell the fetid bogs, feel the warm sunshine and see the blue skies over Edinburgh and Bellhorne.

This is part of a series, but can easily be read as a stand-alone. I have read all of the other books in the series and highly recommend those as well as this one.

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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

I really enjoyed Ian and Phoebe's story!

Phoebe and Ian have known each other for years as his sister was Phoebe's best friend. But the last several years have kept Ian busy trying to discover who killed his sister. When Ian finds Phoebe knocked out cold in a place he never thought to find her, it awakens his heart, long thought dormant.

Phoebe was investigating a story, when she is attacked. No one knows of her writing and as she spends time with Ian, she learns that her story might involve him. As she starts to fall for Ian, Phoebe knows that she must dig deeper in her story to find the truth. But when her digging appears to put her in more danger, she must decide if the story is worth her life.

Can Ian and Phoebe working together solve both of their mysteries?

I really enjoyed the romance of this story as well as the mystery that they try to solve. I'm excited to see what McGoldrick has in store for the Pennington's next!

Under an alias, Phoebe Pennington is writing articles on corruption of the poor. She was in the Vaults to meet a source and was injured trying to help a boy get away from the man attacking him. Ian Bell still searches for the killer of his sister Sarah, Phoebe’s best friend, and is angry with Phoebe for putting herself in danger. They both care about helping children and he shows her the better facilities to care for them.

He must go to his estate and invites Phoebe and her sister, Millie, to go with him. He hopes their visit will cheer his mother who hasn’t quite gotten over the loss of Sarah. Phoebe is attacked and thrown down an old well. Ian rescues her in time but worries if it’s the same man that attacked her in Edinburgh. Maybe the same man that killed Sarah.

This is a very good book and I’ve tried not to spoil any of it. I will not say more and ruin the suspense. I’m hoping the youngest Pennington, Millie, will get a story also.

This is a gripping tale of love, insanity, family and lies. Ian is determined, protective and guilt ridden. Phoebe is impulsive, reckless, kind and caring. Ian searches for a murderer and Phoebe searches for proof of corruption, until their paths cross and they get sidetracked by his mother. They spend more and more time together and they realize that they have always had feelings for each other, and that they are finally ready to acknowledge them, and do something about it. It has a great storyline and wonderful, likable characters. It's very hard to put down once you start reading it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.

This is my first May McGoldrick book. I really enjoyed the story though it is not a typical regency romance. It focuses heavily on mystery and intrigue. As I have not read the other Pennington family books, I feel like I have some catching up to do. The story centers on Ian Bell and. Lady Phoebe Pennington. Ian is a war veteran and Deputy Lieutenant of Fife whose goal is to find his sister's murderer and punish him for the crime. Lady Phoebe, the best friend of Ian's deceased sister, writes anonymous reform articles that work to expose corruption. One night, Lady Phoebe while on her quest for justice, finds herself in danger and is saved by Captain Bell. Ian basically appoints himself Lady Phoebe's guardian while she is involved in intrigue. Along the way, they fall in love as they work to solve the mystery of Sarah's death. I absolutely love the strong heroine and hero. They were well matched. This book had a great plot which will keep you guessing. I will definitely read the other books in the series.

I have read some of the books in this series, but it seems I will have to go back and catch up since I must have missed one or two. The characters of Phoebe and Ian are wonderfully dynamic and strong. They grow well throughout the story line and hold the attention of the reader. This is a romance, yet the mystery of the story is almost as strong as the romance. It is set in 1818 Scotland and you certainly get feel for the time period and the sense of country. I would strongly recommend this book for those who are interested in Scottish History, romance, and mystery. A wonderful find!

Phoebe writes articles to expose the corruption in Scotland. Because she is part of a prominent family, she writes as a male under an assumed name. She believes that she has information which will show poor people are being thrown into the streets to die.

Ian is a veteran of the peninsular wars. At home he has faced a great deal of
sorrow. He and his mother are the only two people left in his family. His younger sister, Sarah, was kidnapped and brutally murdered and then used as a cadaver for medical students. He has lied to his mother, telling her that Sarah has gone to Baltimore to see to some of the family's investments. Because of his mother's delicate health, he believes that the terrible truth would kill her.

When Phoebe and Ian become re-acquainted, they are drawn to one another. Pheobe was one of Sarah's best friends. She is well aware of the terrible loss for Ian and his mother. Ian had looked at Phoebe as one of Sarah's friends and nothing more. Now, things have changed.

There is also another lead character in the story. This character is a murderer. He is drawn to the worst parts of the city. He considers himself a hunter and his victims are people who his inner voices tell him to kill. He feels that he must protect himself from discovery and that means that Phoebe will be one of his victims. He fears she has seen his face.

This is not a light Regency read. There is a great deal of darkness in this story. The murderer is a presence in the entire story. Even the times when he does not appear in the story, the reader can feel his presence.

The two authors who write as May McGoldrick have done a marvelous job of providing a specific atmosphere and sense of mystery.

Phoebe and Ian are well matched. They are both strong people who will go to great lengths to do the right thing. Ian is a truly heroic hero. For years, he set his life aside in order to keep his mother well. Phoebe comes from a family who have a history of taking care of the less fortunate. In short, both these people are powerful forces for good.

The plot moves forward well and holds the reader's interest.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.

Yes, she should never have agreed to meet her informant in the Vaults beneath South Bridge, one of the seediest and most dangerous areas in Edinburgh, but she needs the documents the clerk promised her to help her expose corrupt officials. How was she to ever guess she would become separated from her bodyguard and almost get killed as she tried to protect a young boy being threatened. Lady Phoebe Pennington is an ardent reformer who anonymously writes articles for an Edinburgh newspaper in an effort to expose fraud and corruption. Fortunately for her Captain Ian Bell is in the area and rescues her. Ian Bell is in the Vaults hunting for the murderer of his sister. Her body was found three years ago and sold off for medical cadaver research but Ian's inquiries lead to the information that she was killed in the Vault. Ian will not be able to rest until his sister's murderer is brought to justice. What a coincidence that he happened to be in the right place at the right time to save Phoebe, especially since he knows her, as Phoebe and his sister, Sarah were such close friends. What an exciting beginning to this story!

Author May McGoldrick continues the saga of the Pennington family in Sleepless in Scotland. I've become quite attached to this family from the first meeting of Earl and Countess Aytoun to the stories of their children. Phoebe is the fourth of their five children. She is a very independent, fairly outspoken young lady who, along with the rest of the family is determined to help the poor and unfortunate. I was happy to see Phoebe meet her match in Captain Ian Bell. The Captain is a strong, very protective hero who is just right for our heroine, Lady Phoebe. I found the action, intrigue and plot of this story to be quite entertaining. I look forward to the youngest Pennington, Lady Millie's story. I highly recommend this book as well as the earlier stories about the Penningtons to all readers who enjoy well-written, well-plotted, entertaining stories!

A perfect highland romance--with a bit of mystery sprinkled in. A wonderful addition to the Pennington Family series. I can't wait to go back and read the other ones after this. Ian and Sarah are a terrific couple.

And how gorgeous is that cover!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

What a great mystery and romance. Sarah was Ian sister she had been murdered three years ago. Ian had finally found a few bones of her body, he had them put in the family vault. He had been hunting her killer, but had not found him yet. Phoebe Pennington, the Lord Justice's younger sister, was found in the vaults under the city. She was not dead but she had been hit and thrown down some stairs. Captain Ian Bell of Bellhorne, Fife, had been a soldier, a brother ,The descriptions such as the way Phoebe described Ian were amazing. The characters were so interesting and seem quite lifelike.
The story has some surprises and a twist or two, But it keeps your attention. I have never been disappointed with a May McGoldrick's tale. I love their work and enjoy their imagination.
I received this ARC free and voluntarily reviewed it.

May McGoldrick has done it again. This husband/wife team blends just enough chemistry, mystery, character development, and plot to hold me captivated through the story. Especially when we start to hear the voice of the killer. Phoebe is a strong heroine with a mind of her own and a taste for danger, all for the good of society. Though sometimes, she can be mislead or make the wrong assumption. Ian is a dream. He's the man we all adore and hope to make our own, to be the one he settles down for and chooses. The one who gives independence to the lady yet support her. He's grown, he recognizes the mistakes he's made in the past and he's learned. Phoebe's fate, however, unravels in an intricate web with Ian's. When her life is threatened, the past, Ian's sister's unsolved murder, and Ian's family will all become involved whether they want to or not. It's a great fast-paced story.