Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥
Humor: A bit
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and heroine
Cliffhanger: No
Epilogue: No

Should I read in order?
There are a couple books prior to this, Scoundrel’s Vengeance being book 1 and Ringing in Yule being 1.5. I don’t think it’s totally necessary to read in order but I believe there’s some character cross over.

Basic plot:
When Malcolm and Isabella reconnect, he finds himself involved in a marriage of convenience. He gives them until Hogmanay to decide if they want to make the marriage a real thing

Give this a try if you want:
- 1346 time period
- Scotland setting
- beautiful heroine
- Scottish hero/French heroine
- bit of second chance feel
- touch of road trip romance
- shorter novel (goodreads has it at 187 pages)
- lower steam – I believe there’s just 1 scene (it’s a touch on the lighter side, not super explicit)

My thoughts:
I didn’t much get into this one. I think if you want an adventurous, second chance road trip-ish feel and are okay with a touch lower steam, you might really enjoy this one though.

Second chance/flashbacks are one of my least favorite things in romance. I found the beginning of this one a bit confusing and I struggled to keep the timing straight and understand what was happening. The flash backs continued throughout the story, but I felt like they didn’t really have a strong enough background and history for it to be worth it to the story line.

This book was given to me from netgalley as an arc for my honest review.

Trope: second chance at love (I wouldn't say enemies to lovers but the heroine did not like the hero at the beginning.

If you enjoy adventure, traveling, a Scottish love story, then this book is for you. I personally couldn't get into this book but I did enjoy the writing, and the plot. It was very different.

Malcom and Isabella met 2 years prior to what happened. She didn't like him at all. He was a Scoundrel, rake, and she hated all of that. Well one day she kisses him out of blue. After that she simply walks away...

Two years later she accuses Malcolm of taking her virtue as a way to escape. This entire shenanigans is her ticket to freedom and she is on her way to find a long lost hidden treasure. Supposedly she is on her way to marry Malcom and he is willing because she is rich. His clan needs all the money they can get to rebuild.

While sailing, her ship passes Malcolm. He pursues her then rescues her when her boat is attacked and taken by pirates. Now he knows the truth. They embark on a treasure hunt together. He finds out she is the fiance of his late best friend Jaques, whom he always talked about. She doesn't know that her late fiance and Malcolm are best friends right away but eventually finds out. They both feel guilt at first for loving and having feelings for eachother. They felt they were betraying their best friend who was connected to them both. Eventually they both realizes it was fate that brought them together.

Isabella De la Croix has a score to settle. She has accused Malcolm of taking her virtue and has decided to follow him to Scotland, but her plan is really to escape her father. There is so much adventure, a exciting plot and a book that you will not want to put down. Thank you Sky for an thrilling Highland adventure and fantastic characters.

Another great story with the second of the MacLauchlin brothers and this time it is Malcolm. He and his brothers had formed a pact to marry rich ladies, to help rebuild their clan.

When Malcolm receives a missive that a lady is on her way to marry him, he has a hard time believing since he remembers his meeting with Isabella de la Croix, in not the most romantic way! But he needs a rich wife so he awaits her arrival. When he see's her ship sailing past and pirates in pursuit, he and his brothers go after her.

But when he finally rescues her, things are not as they seem! A strong attraction is there and Malcolm shows he is a man of honor and is there for her..

Adventure, treasure, secrets, mystery and sparks! Yes, an exciting story!

Well, I must admit this book was quite different from book 1, which featured a tough as nails, warrior like heroine. In Book 2, Isabella was the breathtakingly beautiful, defenseless, French damsel in distress surrounded by a large cast of sub-characters and on-going, multi-pronged sub drama, which included some things I didn’t see coming. Some of which I could easily deal with but others maybe not so much.

Malcolm, the hero, could put Casanova’s lady conquests to shame. We are led to believe Isabella made him finally want to be a better man. You know, after years and years of using bedsport (as he called it) to deal with his emotional issues. I’m just confused when that actually happened. You see, it is implied it was when he had met her previously, but he continued his bad boy ways afterwards. Ah, huh..Good thing for him she was traffic stopping gorgeous. I’d think that would make his compulsion an easier habit to kick.

The unfolding, eventually told us everything flashbacks and twist regarding former acquaintances and the link to the present was also an “ah, huh...Say what?” double take moment. That was a very dangerous mixed bag to add to the plot, because it called into question how I’d actually wind up feeling about this couple now being together. I could see it being creepy and hard to live with, despite the scenario set up.

During it all, I had to wonder if their attraction was stronger than the actual love potential here. They seemed poised to walk away from each other more than once. Sure, things worked out for them. However, I could have seen them unhappily going each other’s separate ways but moving on, as well.

If my review has confused you, well, I’m glad I haven’t given too much away. Just know there was more here than I bargained for, and I guess it all depends on how you choose to look at it.

Title: Scoundrel’s Fortune, Series: Highlander’s Pact (Book 2), Author: Sky Puringon, Pages: 187, well known and earned manho hero reputation, not celibate after meeting heroine previously, not romance safe for some, non virgin MC, still in love with deceased OM, enemies to in love, four other sub elements on-going. Rating: 3.5 stars

Book 1 - Scoundrel’s Vengeancebook_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Book 2 - Scoundrel’s Fortune

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review. There is no affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author, publisher, NetGalley, or PR firm.)

This book has an interesting premise and the kind of hate-to-love that I like reading in books. However, I did not like the writing style at all and the author tells a lot instead of showing what is happening. There are also some weird, cringey, and creepy dialogues from the hero that always made me ask myself if these dialogues are really necessary to the story or the plot.

Malcolm MacLauchlin and his brothers have vowed to marry to fill the Clan’s coffers. So when he’s accused of compromising Isabella De la Croix a year ago he agrees to the marriage, after all it meets the requirements for a rich bride. Malcom has never actually seen Isabell’s face she’s always worn a veil to hide behind, but she’s had any problem telling how much of a rogue and a scoundrel he his, then one day she lifts her veil and kisses him and runaway not giving him time to react to her passion. Malcom knows she’s up hiding something, but what’s she up to? I love the witty banter and passion simmering between them just ready to ignite into a uncontrollable passion neither can deny as they go on a grand adventure treasure hunting. The story has a few twists and turns and the adventure starts out with Malcom rescuing Isabella from pirates just to start the adventure. I have voluntarily read and reviewed these excellent story.

This book was as good as book one. It held my attention throughout. I was not sure at first if I would like Isabelle, but I warmed to her quickly. I loved Malcolm from book one. This book went by quickly and I did not want it to end.
I look forward to the next book in the series.

Adventure and Romance

She lied, but she had a good reason for the deception. Could Malcom and Isabella find love despite their rocky beginning? First, maidens must be rescued, and secrets must be revealed. This story has romance, adventure, hidden treasure, braw scots, and brutal pirates. If you like historical romance with adventure, you might enjoy this story.

Fast-paced adventure and a treasure to be found, one could almost wish to be part of this suspenseful romance, if it were not for all the snow and cold weather. Malcolm's initial meeting with Isabella de la Croix was less than stellar. She showed her disdain for him, and he thought her snooty and entitled. If only they realised how entwined their lives would become or how much they had in common. Receiving a missive that Isabella is on her way to marry him, Malcolm sets aside his dislike of her for the good of the clan. However, when her ship sails right past their dock and he espies a pirate ship going after them, his momentary relief is replaced by fear for her well-being and he together with his brothers, goes after her. Both Malcolm and Isabella have made assumptions about one another and as they spend time together after her rescue, an even stranger truth comes to the surface. The attraction between the main characters sizzles and escalates, but Malcolm proves to Isabella that he is a man of honour. The plot is well written and enthralling and kept my interest throughout. I was sorry when the book came to an end but the promise of things to come made it bearable. I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Scoundrel's Fortune by Sky Purington is the second in the Highlander's Pact. It is the story of brothers who have returned from war to find their clan decimated. Determined to rebuild, they make a pact that each will marry for riches to assist in that quest. Suddenly Malcolm receives word that a woman is on her way from France to marry him, ostensibly because her ruined her, which is interesting since she is one of the few he met there that he hadn't bedded. As the time of her arrival approaches, Malcolm and his brother Teagan are at the dock to meet her ship which sails on by north. At the same time two other ships approach, one a pirate ship, the other unknown. A man from the unknown ship steals a woman, returns to his ship and sails off. When Malcolm's intended is able to communicate, she relays that the woman stolen was little more than a girl and she was the daughter of her companion. She was taken by Marcel, a man whom it woman had intended to meet in their quest to reacquire a fortune that had been hidden in Scotland. It gets very complicated. Marcel's man had taken the wrong woman. Malcolm marries Isabella in an attempt to keep her safe, with the understanding they will quietly divorce when the danger is past. Then the adventure begins.

As an adventure book, Scoundrel's Fortune has it all: kidnappers, pirates, buried treasure, possibly incest. As a romance it is exquisite: secrets, desire, even love, and, of course, poor communication. It is an exciting story, full of death and blood. Malcolm is the perfect hero, strong, quiet, brave, yet gentle. The romance is based on misunderstandings and assumptions. The finding of the treasure is based on a riddle solved only because of how well a woman knew her lover. There's even an evil twin. It is an enticing book. Fabulous characters. A plot of legends. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of Scoundrel's Fortune by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #scoundrelsfortune

This is my fair and honest review, voluntarily given and in my own words, for this ARC. The characters and writing were well done and enjoyable. What I did not like was the continual remembrances of prior conversations. To my mind, it detracted from the story.

Highlanders at their best! Fighting Evil, Protecting Lasses, & Intrigue!
This is Book 2 of a Series, but definitely a stand-alone read!
Malcolm MacLaughlin is about to be wedded to a French Isabella! What an adventure these two are about to begin with a group of friends!

This adventure involves Pirates and French ruffians and so much more! Malcolm & Isabella each have their own secrets that could doom this newly wedded state!

The author has done an exceptional job in tying in all the characters and the flow is fantabulous! Readers are not going to be bored with all the action and drama!

I definitely would recommend this book!

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions!

Terribly boring.

I skimmed. I saw. I conquered. And I was left with nothing but a forgettable read.

Isabella was annoying and Malcolm fell head over heels too quick and fast for my tastes. I expected a slow steady built-up to their fake marriage arrangement that eventually led to love but obviously that didn’t happen. It became more apparent as the story progressed that I had no connection with the characters, relationship nor storyline and can safely conclude that this is more so a it’s not you, it’s me type of read. I am a little surprised I even finished it truthfully and is highly doubtful that I will read from this author again.

Such a wonderful and exciting story, one that will make your heart do a few somersaults. I loved everything about this story....the characters, the plot and the landscape. My first language is French so I also enjoyed the heroine being French:)

Isabella and Malcolm first met in France and although it didn't go very well, the attraction was there. Now, a couple of years later, they meet up again when Isabella plans to use him to escape her father. Between her plans going awry and fighting off a pirate and a would be suitor, she can't ignore the pull that seems to tie her and Malcolm together. There are a few twists and turns in the story to make it that much more interesting and when you find out what the bond is they have, it will warm your heart.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋

Very enjoyable read and I loved the different languages ( all with translations) that were incorporated into the text . It made for a more romantic and beautiful story.

The two main characters have a link though they are unaware of this till around 50% in.
The chemistry however is there from the start and although quick you can see the relationship building.
It’s a wonderfully passionate storyline with flashbacks to previous conversations, too many for my mind, but they don’t detract too much from the current story.

I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series immensely.

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review