BOOK: The Sinful Scot by Maddison Michaels

Constance Campbell, the Duchess of Kilmaine, where she once thought all she desired was a Duke. Except when she realized this model husband she imagined was nothing but a cruel cold hearted beast! She now keeps her true face and feelings hidden from everyone, even her best friend Alec.

Dr. Alec McGuiness is often in Scotland looking up the only woman he has ever cared for, Connie Campbell. She rejected him some years ago knowing his dull life as a physician would never be enough for her. The problem is when her husband the Duke is found murdered with Connie in the bed right next to him.e knows many look at her with suspicion and knows she would never hurt a fly.

He will do everything to protect the woman he loves as it is obvious someone has set her up but who? Except trying to keep a step ahead of her killers she starts to realize she did not appreciate the kindest man she has ever known! She now is feeling things for Alec but even if they clear up all her troubles can she ever trust and love again?

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy and an advance reader copy from the publisher. I voluntarily agreed to do a fair review and blog through netgalley. All thoughts, ideas and words are my own.

The Sinful Scot was my first read by Maddison Michaels. It's a standalone in a series of standalones that all tie in together with each other.

Alec saves Connie and soon they're both being chased. When they let down their guard, their banter is funny and risque. The story itself doesn't have much steam, it's just mostly alluded to.

The blurb really sounded great, but to me the story just didn't hold up.. It took me a couple of chapters to get a start as there seemed to be just so much going on that I didn't know where she was taking the story. Once it settled in and I could see where it was going I enjoyed it a little more. The best part was that bit of a twist at the end! So while this wasn't my fave, it wasn't bad either. Never know how you're going to like it until you try. I'm going right down the middle of the road with this one at
3.5 Stars

The Sinful Scot is my first book from Ms Michaels, but it definitely won't be my last! There's two books in the series before this (though I obviously haven't read them yet, no worries, because this one worked fine as a standalone) and at least one that must be coming, so watch out, TBR!

I really enjoyed Connie and Alec's story. It has just the right amount of mystery/suspense to both throw the hero and heroine together and keep the reader turning the pages, trying to figure out exactly what is going on. I have to honestly say that I wasn't sure "whodunit" here until the big reveal--well done! (And yikes. That individual was...something. Whoa.) Add in the romance, and you've got one heck of a story here! I loved watching Connie find herself--and Alec--again. And even though I wanted to smack his stubborn head more than once, he is quite the hero. And fortunately, a doctor too :)

And that teaser for the next (Lorelei and Iain's) book? Bring. It. On!

(Quick heads-up, though--domestic abuse--and beyond--is a major part of the story. There is a warning at the beginning of the book, but the blurb itself really just hints at it. To call the duke "a monster" is an insult to monsters, quite frankly. I did like how Ms Michaels dealt with the subject here, but forewarned is forearmed, and all that.)

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

The Sinful Scot byMadison Michaels is witty who done it with a delightful romance thrown in. The characters are believable both the good and the bad. The story is suspenseful with lots of twists and unexpected turns.

The story was good; however it seemed to be very wordy to me. I don't normally care if a story is long, but I found myself skimming some sections as it was a little to repetitive. I have read other books from this author and enjoyed them, but I found this one a little lacking.

Constance Campbell (Connie) wanted to become royalty. All her life, she wanted to marry a Duke. To become a Duchess would be everything she ever wanted and more!! Even separating herself from her childhood friend, Alec, she knew what she was after in life to become happy.

However, one becoming the Duchess of Kilmaine, she realized that everything in royalty isn’t all she believed to be with her husband Duncan. Physically and verbally abusive, Duncan took any and everything out on her. Knowing this is NOT what she saw as her life, Connie knew this was how she would live to protect Duncan’s first duaghter (from his widow wife) Amelie.

Alec, visiting to check on his former flame and sister’s best friend, immediately knows something is wrong when he spies Connie at a ball her husband is holding. Knowing he has to protect her, he leaves, vowing to make sure that the rights are wronged.

Before Alec can take care of the Duke, he is murdered, and Connie, not being able to remember anything, is the prime suspect. Knowing she is not capable of murder, no matter what the Duke did to her, Dr. McGuinness (yes he’s a sexy Scottish Dr!!) vows to not only free her from the accusations, but from being scared of any man again…in his own way. His heart and his hands will cure any fear she has ever had.

This book gave me all the feels. Connie immediately clutched my heart with her abuse. Not knowing love by a man, and Alec stepping in to right the wrongs (knight in shining armor…ho hum 😍) had me crying and longing for Connie to have the happiness she so deserves.

Ahhhhhhh this was just such a wonderful sneak peak and I just thoroughly enjoyed myself. I didn’t want to put this sample down. I just fell in love with this wonderful story. I will most definitely be reading the rest of the story when it becomes available.

Constance Campbell, the Duchess of Kilmaine, once believed that all she needed in life was a duke. But everything unraveled when she realized her perfect husband was a perfect monster. Now broken beyond repair, she hides her misery behind a perfect Society mask...even from her childhood friend, Alec. Dr. Alec McGuiness reluctantly finds himself back in Scotland, and checking up on the only woman to ever get under his skin, Connie. After she spurned him many years ago, he knows his humble life as a doctor could never be enough for her. But when the Duke of Kilmaine is murdered in cold blood, with Connie sleeping right next to him in bed, Alec knows he must protect Connie at all costs from those who would frame her for the duke’s murder.
I don’t think I’ve read this author before, so I didn’t really have any expectations. One thing of note, is that there is serious abuse that has happened to Constance. It gets brought up a number of times. I don’t particularly like books with sexual abuse (or any abuse), so if there had been a warning, I wouldn’t have tried this book and I almost put it down because of that. That being said, it was well written and I liked both main characters as they unravel the mystery of the murderer and cleared Constance’s name. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

There is a trigger warning with this book - the heroine was in an emotionally and physically abusive relationship with her first husband.

When Constance Campbell was younger, she believed that all she needed to be happy was a duke. After her marriage, she discovered that her perfect Duke was a perfect monster. She has learned to hide his abuse from those around her.

Dr. Alec McGuiness is back in Scotland at a ball only because he was asked by a friend to check up on the woman he once loved. Alec remembers the sweet woman she was before her society debut and the self-obsessed woman she has become.

When the Duke is murdered in his sleep, with Connie sleeping next to him, Alex knows he must protect her from the people who are going to frame her for her husband's murder. Connie runs as they attempt to prove her innocence. She develops an attraction to Alec. Can they find love while trying to prove Connie's innocence?

I liked that Alec was able to put aside his presumptions to help Connie and discovered what the truth was. I was thrilled that Connie got a second chance at love with Alex.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you!

It was hard to get through in the beginning even knowing about the trigger warning, it was still hard. As the story progressed the easier it was and the trust Connie put towards Alex made the rest great. Never guess who was the real murder was.

Set in the Scottish Highlands, The Sinful Scot is a historical romance with shades of thriller and undertones of domestic violence. Constance Campbell Duchess of Kilmaine, has survived years of a marriage where the wrong word, a glance in the wrong direction or just being in the wrong place was enough to earn hear a beating, kicking and possibly rape. With the violent death of her husband freeing her from those years of abuse comes more trouble as she is accused of his murder. As Connie, rescued by the dashing Dr Alec McGuinness, flees her accusers more deaths occur and the finger of blame seems pointed squarely in her direction.
This story had all the potential to be a rip-snortingly good read and much of the time it was. I thought it was let down a bit by an overindulgence of description and a tendency to melodrama at times.
Despite these issues, I couldn’t help but like both Alec and Connie. They were excellent sleuths, Alec was forever resourceful and Connie’s spine grew stronger and stronger as the story progressed.

This was a fantastic read which took me by surprise!I really enjoyed it, great set up and wonderful characters!I was intrigued and mostly on the edge wondering what will happen next!This was a very engaging read right from the beginning. The writing was flawless and the story captivating!

Starring Constance “Connie” Campbell, the Duchess of Kilmaine and Dr. Alec McGuiness. Characters with history already established.

The first chapters of this book hurt... like really, really, really hurt my heart!! I felt so bad for Connie and the abuse that she had to endure in the hands of her husband. But she was such a magnificent heroine... her inner strength and determination to push through and survive day after day was just amazing.

Alec was an absolutely delicious hero, coming to Connie’s aid when she needed him the most. He totally knew when to comfort her and when to give her space. And I love that he kept resisting his attraction to her. The hero that protests love too much... fall the hardest.

I love Maddison Michaels and her writing style. She kept me at the edge of my seat with all the intrigue, but she didn’t lose sight of the fact that this was a romance book. She kept the delicious tension between Alec and Connie front and center. But I did gasp when she revealed who the killer was... I usually guess but, I was so engrossed in the story that it unfolded and surprised me!! Good job, Maddison Michaels!!

This is the 3rd book in the Saints and Scoundrels series! Can’t wait for Iain (Alec’s brother) and Lorelei’s story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily review it and the comments are 100% my own.

My star system: 5 Stars
Ugly cried AF!!! Characters were amazing. Storyline kept me captivated. Made me wanna hug the author for writing a book that gave me all the feels!!

Such an interesting read. I wasn’t expecting to have such suspense in this story. I just thought it was going to be a typical historical romance.
I loved that the author added a bit of suspense with a twist. I’m so glad that I gave this book a chance.
I really enjoyed reading this story as it was the first book I have read by this author. I also like how she leads into her next book and I can’t wait to read it.
Thanks NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Constance is a strong heroine who hasn’t been broken by years of domestic violence, even if she has reactions understandable in some situations. She quickly decides she’s worth more than what her husband pretended, and learning by Alec that she’s not the only woman facing a violent husband helps her to put in perspective the reproaches made against her. However I found not really credible that just three days after her husband’s death (who had beaten her just the day before) she feels desire for the hero to the point of throwing herself at him to beg for kisses and sexual intimacy. Nothing happens this time because she has a panic attack, which makes it up a little, but that didn’t improve my feeling on this part a lot.

Alec is a quite typical hero, but not too dominating. His job as a doctor gave him patience and understanding, and he’s most of the time attentive to Connie’s feelings. That doesn’t prevent him to jump to conclusion at time concerning the heroine’s needs or desires, like when he’s offended that the idea of marrying again doesn’t appeal to the heroine, and he thinks it’s because she has a higher position than him and she’s accustomed to being a duchess. At no point does he think she could be afraid of marriage because her husband was beating her… There are also the many moments where he thinks or says to the heroine that he could never love because all the women he gave his heart to have left him… except that it’s just his mother and a young woman when he was younger… Sigh.

When they investigate the heroine’s husband’s murder, she discovers the extent of his perversion and his violence that she never suspected, and we see how everything was easily covered as long as the man had a title. I had no idea of who could be behind the murders – because other people are eliminated as we go along, every clue pointing to Connie – but the revelation left me puzzled. It was plausible of course but I found it a bit far-fetched.

All in all in spite of these negative points I had a good reading time with this novel but several days after my reading I know it won’t leave me a lasting memory.

The Sinful Scot is the third book in the Saints & Scoundrels series by Maddison Michaels. Connie has had a horrific marriage. Now that her husband is dead, she still can't be free of him since she's being accused of his murder. In walks Alec. They were friends as youngsters, but he felt she thought she was too good for him. The attraction was always there though, and you can feel the tension as you read. As that tension grows, it became harder and harder to put down the book. Darn you work and sleep for getting the way. My iPad actually fell on my face at one point. Like The Elusive Earl, I felt like I was with these characters as they hid from potential bad guys and searched out ways to clear Connie's name. It was a literary adventure that kept me up until the wee hours of the morning.

Tough subject in this book. It was handled quietly, but certainly made me aware of the hell Connie suffered. Alex is truly her salvation, and his trust gave her the strength to move forward.

Wasn't expecting abuse to be a topic in this book but overall a good read.

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

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book faces the difficult topic of abuse so be warned. I did really enjoy this story. The story had a good pace and I did enjoy the romance a lot. I will definitely have to be looking for more from this author.

Synopsis:
Constance is unable to leave her abusive husband of two years. Not only because her mother refuses to support her, but also because she will then be leaving her six-year-old stepdaughter to the mercy of a rage-fuelled madman. But one morning she wakes up with Duncan stabbed to death in bed next to her and her with no memory of how or what happened the previous night.

Alec McGuiness is in Kilmaine to attend the Ball hosted by the Duke and Duchess and also to ensure Connie's friend Sophie that the former is doing well. He is a doctor practising in London, a place where Connie, Sophie, and he grew up together. But when he gets wind of the Duke's death and that Connie has been accused of the crime, he knows that he has to help her in any way he can.

Review:
The story starts in May 1857 in Castle Kilmaine in the Highlands where Constance thinks about the various physical abuses she daily suffers at the hand of her husband Duncan Campbell, the Duke of Kilmaine. He is nothing short of a monster who tortures and rapes Connie. But she still lives on for Amelie, the six-year-old daughter of the Duke and his first wife, the latter having allegedly committed suicide.

Doctor Alec is half-English and is the youngest of two sons of a Scottish Earl. Yet, in Connie's eyes, that hadn't been enough. He had been hurt when even after knowing him since she was ten and he was fifteen, she ignored him after her debut, instead preferring to chase after the Duke. Basically chasing after titles and the privileges that it entailed after her mother's behest.

But when the Duke is dead, rather murdered in bed with Constance covered in his blood, she and Alec are in a race against time to prove that she had nothing to do with his murder and that she was framed, most probably by the Duke's younger brother Fergus.

"She couldn’t allow herself to fall in love with him. She couldn’t give up her newfound and tenuous independence for an emotion that could rip one’s heart out if allowed."

I always wanted to start reading historical romances and it is a pleasure that this one had to be the first after some five hundred romance books that I've already read. That this was as charming as it was suspenseful was an added bonus! Alec is one of the most amazing male protagonists I have read till date and I loved how the author made Connie level-headed and strong instead of a hysterical damsel in distress even after all that she has been through.

"Connie was nothing if not made of steel, even if she had forgotten that about herself."

I was a bit disappointed when neither Sophie, Alec and Connie's mutual best friend, nor Connie's mother made an appearance anywhere. But the story was a well-paced one, with thrilling twists, murders that kept everyone busy and me as a reader on my toes, to the point where I was literally holding my breath at many instances, eagerly waiting to see where the story was headed next. Everyone had their own interest in getting their hands on Connie. And while Alec is attracted to Connie, he has some deep-seated abandonment issues in his past which prevented him from acting on his attraction. It is kind of a second chance story with a suspenseful theme.

"The man was a walking sin just waiting to happen. And his smile simply amplified the effect. It was mesmerizing."

I quite enjoyed reading the Scottish brogue that made an appearance from time to time in the narrative. I'm not sure I can comment on the language until I read more historical stories. The revelation at the end, I so wasn't expecting it. It totally caught me by surprise. Especially the identity of the murderer. The story ends with an epilogue in March 1858 in London, eight months after the incidents that brought Alec and Connie together. It is, of course, a romance with a happy ever after and also some good news to tide over all the bad that happened. But it is also a romance with lots of investigations, suspense, chasing around and running away which will thrill you to no end.

P.S. There is a hint of another romance. I wonder if Alec's older brother Iain and Amelie's aunt Lorelie MacKinnon will get their own story.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for an e-ARC of the book.