Good story about two people with painful pasts who find love and healing with each other. Lucas was devastated by his brother's death at Waterloo and consumed by the guilty feeling that he should have been able to save Bradleigh. Unable to face taking his brother's place as heir to the earldom, Lucas wanders aimlessly through Scotland, drinking his way from inn to inn while trying to forget. Ill and passed out near some standing stones Lucas is found by the younger children of Baron Dunham, who fetch their older sister for help. They take Lucas to their home to nurse him back to health.

Mairi is at her wit's end, trying to keep her family from financial ruin. The last thing she wants is a strange Englishman to take care of, especially one who reminds her of a devastating incident that happened several years earlier. That incident has had a significant impact on Mairi's life and the way she looks at the world.

There is a connection between Lucas and Mairi from the start, though both of them try to resist it. As Lucas recovers from his illness, he has a front-row seat to Mairi's efforts to save her family. Impressed by what he sees and unexpectedly compelled to help, Lucas conceals who he really is as he does what he can. Though Mairi is suspicious and wary at first, she finds herself trusting Lucas. Lucas is drawn further into the lives of the family as he plays the part of a servant to help them out of an awkward situation. I ached for Mairi whose efforts are unappreciated by her family and felt her frustration at her parents' attitudes. I loved Lucas's support of her, and his attempts to show them the truth.

Matters become more complicated when the visitors include a man with a hidden agenda. Hargreaves is a wealthy man who has designs on their land and title and who will do anything to get it. When he also attends the same house party as the Dunhams, Lucas's protective instincts are aroused. I liked seeing Mairi and Lucas grow closer and loved how they opened up to each other about their pasts. Lucas knows he has to come clean with Mairi about who he is, especially when someone at the party recognizes him. When matters take a turn for the worse, Lucas must decide if he's ready to face his past and his responsibilities. I ached for Mairi as she faced a miserable future. I was on the edge of my seat as I wondered how long it would take Lucas to come to his senses. I must say, he came through in a stellar manner in a very exciting scene. The epilogue was good too.

I liked the secondary characters also. From Mairi's family to the servants, they all added complexity to the story. Mairi's brother and sister were realistic in their sibling disagreements and their often obliviousness to what went on around them. I wanted to shake her parents on multiple occasions because of their utter unwillingness to face the truth of their circumstances and their attitudes toward Mairi as she tried to help. I liked seeing some of the story from the servants' side of things and the look at what their lives were like. Their respect for Lucas said a lot about the kind of man he was.

The Lord's Highland Temptation is the first book I've read by Diane Gaston. I will definitely be checking out more of her books. If you like the heat of your romances to be behind closed doors instead of in your face, this story will be right up your alley.

Captain Lucas Johns-Ives was a cavalry officer who served with his brother, an heir to an earldom. He was tasked by his parents to do everything necessary to keep his brother from harm. But alas, who can possibly keep that promise in the midst of a bloody battle? His brother was cut down at Waterloo. Having failed his parents and not wanting to be an heir to what should never have been his, Lucas takes off, wandering and drinking, and ends up in Scotland. Extremely sick and frankly wanting to die, he collapses in a ring of fairy stones, to be discovered by the younger brother and sister of Mairi Wallace. Mairi and the children bring him back to their home to recover.

Mairi is apparently the only person in the household who lives in the real world. Her frivolous parents have practically beggared the estate. Most of the servants have been let go, and the ones remaining are no longer paid. Mairi is the one person trying to keep the family afloat. Beginning to recover, Lucas does not tell her who he really is or what has happened. Mairi, too, has a secret of her own. When company unexpectedly comes, Lucas volunteers to act as their butler to help the family keep up appearances. Things snowball from there.

This is a lovely romance between two broken people. Mairi suffers from what we now call PTSD from an incident that occurred five years earlier. Also, her family makes her feel like the bad guy when she attempts to force them to economize. Lucas feels tremendous guilt over the death of his brother and his parents' reaction to Lucas surviving instead of their heir. These two people desperately need someone to help them each heal...can they find that healing together? Such a touching romance!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Book: The Lord’s Highland Temptation
by Diane Gaston

Reviewed by: Barb Massabrook of
1. Tartan Book Reviews
2. Purple Tulip Book Reviews
3. Celtic World of Historical Book Reviews
4.Celtic Barb’s Tartan Book Review Blog

Heat Rating: Sweet. No passionate or sexual content

Overall Rating: 5 Stars, 5 Kilts







This is the story of two people who have had such sorrow, devastation, misery and pain in their lives. Yet all they want to do is forget and escape from their horrendous circumstances….

Ayrshire, Scotland
1816


Englishman, Captain Lucas Johns-Ives, feels guilty for not protecting his elder brother Bradleigh, in Waterloo from their French enemies swords. He can not face his father, the Earl of Foxgrove, to tell him his heir has died. So Lucas kept running until he ended up wounded and sick in Scotland.

As the young teenage Wallace children, Niven and Davina, discover Lucas in the standing stones, when all he wanted to do is die! As his guilt was eating him up! It turned out it was their older beautiful sister Mairi, who would care for him. As they were all the children of the Scottish Baron and Lady Dunburn. Lucas decided he wanted to be unnoticed and not the son of an English Earl so he changed his name to John Lucas. He didn’t realizes how petrified Mairi was of English men. As she had been sexually assaulted by an Englishman five years ago. No one know her deep dark secret. As Lucas recovers he sees how The Baron And Lady Dunburn are in dire straits and in financial ruin. He see that they let go much of their staff, due to their exuberant spending on frivolous items. Mairi has tried to give them advice and is doing servants duties to help. Now Lucas is playing a servant for the family for saving his life. As he has seen the servants in his house perform various duties valet, cook, butler etc. Then a man and younger son by the name Hargreaves, who wants to use them and take their titles and lands away plus marry Mairi. A man that Mairi can’t stand yet her family is trying to force the match.

Now Mairi feels comfortable around Lucas, a man for the first time. Could this be love? Will the Dunburns ever see Hargreaves true colors? Can all of Hargreaves evil shenanigans force Lucas to show his true identity? He knows as the servant he is portraying that he and Mairi can never have a chance at a future. He knows Mairi will be furious for keeping his true identity a secret. Do they even have a chance at a future together?

A book historical readers will absolutely love. Another fast moving Diane Gaston novel that readers will absolutely love. It has all the elements that will captivate readers from start to finish. It is an emotional roller coaster with more than one plot. I know I could not put this book down. Feeling the emotions and heart break for both the swoon worthy hero and the beautiful caring heroine.


Another Diane Gaston Book I highly recommend.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC copy from Harlequin publishers through netgalley. I voluntarily agreed to read, review and blog an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts, ideas and opinions are my own.

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Good story? - yes.
Good plot ? - yes.
Good romance? - yes.
Recommended? - yes.
Something that should be changed? - yes : the story ended too fast!

F.ailing to protect his older brother in battle, Lucas is a man not ready to take up his English inheritance. He finds himself seriously ill in Scotland, rescued by a baron's family, then offers to temporarily pose as their butler, hiding his identity while falling in love with oldest daughter Mairi. Diane Gaston's characters, both major and minor, are appealing and move the story and romance forward. Recommended.