I honestly don't know how Lana Ferguson writes vastly different novels from each other and I love Every. Single. One. Of. Them! Honestly I've never read a monster romance before but I absolutely loved this novel! And also Lana is a great author to start a new genre without diving too deep into new subjects. Omegaverse was first introduced to me with her other novel and these books are just a great starter for newbies like me.

Key is an amazing, pure person. She's been through a rough time with her dad and seeing him slowly lose himself. But she stuck with him and decided to travel across the world to deliver him home and meet the family she's never met.

And Lachlan. He's been through so much and he's a bit defeated, but also still trying so hard to figure out how to save his family.

I loved the mystery and the hunt to find answers in this book. I loved the magic and lore. It was honestly a great novel that I couldn't get enough of and really loved how the story came together overall! I'm so glad I got the chance to read this book and cant wait for more by this amazing author!

When Keyanna "Key" travels to Scotland to meet her grandparents, now her only remaining family after her father's death, she doesn't expect a warm welcome. Her dad left long ago, with no conversations between them for almost thirty years. But grandma Rhona is not the only with a chilly reception; the farmhand, Lachlan, also greets her with disdain. Key is determined to connect with her family and spread her father's ashes in the loch, his last remaining wish. But when Key attempts to scatter the ashes, she's saved by a sea monster... a sea monster that seemingly transforms into Lachlan at sunrise.

I don't read a lot of "paranormal" romance, monster romance, etc. But Lana Ferguson is like a gateway drug. Like with the fabulous Fake Mate, this book is kind of like paranormal-light. Introductory paranormal. Bewitched level paranormal. Which is exactly where I'm comfortable. I loved this steamy, speculative spin on the tale of the Loch Ness Monster, and was dying to to see how everything concluded. Definitely stayed up way too late binging the end of this one! It's great for folks who are already fans of paranormal romance, those wanting to dip their toes in and try something new, or those looking for a Scottish adventure with a hot man in a kilt.

Thanks to Berkley for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

This was so so fun! I loved it so much, and discovered a new genre with it. Definitely recommend this to any romance readers, but especially those who like monster romance, although it wasn't too intense so that's good 😊

Under Loch and Key is a delightful and charming romantic comedy with a touch of mystery and adventure! The story follows a witty, independent protagonist, Key, who embarks on a journey to uncover family secrets, only to find romance along the way. I am so glad that the found family trope was incorporated into this book. It hit me right in the feels! The chemistry between the Key and Lach is sweet, playful, and filled with banter that will make you smile. I was kicking my feet while I was reading. The spice was amazing, and I loved the slight touch of monster-you-know-what-ing. If you’re looking for a fun, heartwarming read with a dash of suspense and monsters, Under Loch and Key is the perfect pick!

This was my first Lana Ferguson book, but it definitely won’t be my last! I had such a fun time with this book! Who doesn’t love a monster romance about one of the most famous monsters of all time, The Loch Ness Monster?!

In this tale we find Keyanna “Key” MacKay, going to Scotland after the death of her father to find his family and return his ashes to his homeland. While she’s there, she runs into an angry Scotsman who seems to hate her on site, Lachlan Greer. But there is more to Lach than meets the eye. He is searching for a way to save his family from a generations old curse and it turns out Key just might be the key to solving that problem.

This book was so much fun and the audio was a blast! This book had everything: it was humorous, it had so much heart, and plenty of spice to go around! I really enjoyed the narration as well. Flint Park’s Scottish accent had me absolutely melting, it was so good.

I loved that there were elements of history and a touch of fantasy and magic in the book as well. She did a great job in developing these characters and the setting was to die for! I immediately wanted to pack my bags and head to the Scottish Highlands.

I’m so glad I read this one and highly recommend (especially on audio) if you want a steamy, heartwarming romance!

Thank you Berkley, NetGalley and LibroFM for the copies of this book!

As a big fan of anything set in Scotland, I already had some preconceived ideas about how I would feel about this book. And I was not disappointed! Ferguson's engaging and fun writing style shone in this story. I loved the characters, though I did guess a few of the twists and turns, it was still a great read. I read it in one sitting and enjoyed it a lot. At times the story did feel a little far fetched - but it was magical realism so of course there were going to be some fantastical elements. The spice was spicing, but also got a little monster-spice so be prepared for that!

Lana Ferguson just keeps writing banger after banger monster romances and this one was did not disappoint! I honestly spent most of the book either laughing out loud or swooning. Loved every second and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

I laughed out loud and had a great time with this unique, Scottish inspired romance. Another banger from Lana Ferguson!

5 Stars

This was so so so good!!! A romance that is enemies-to-lovers but also DELIGHTFULLY fated mates in a contemporary setting. Lana does such an amazing job of crafting a story so rich in history that you can’t help but feel like the fantastical elements COULD REALLY BE TRUE. You get a dose of spicy romance and even a nod to the monster romance genre and truly one of the best happily ever afters I have read in a long time. This absolutely won’t be a book I’ll be forgetting and I highly recommend (especially in audio because we have both male and female voice actors and all dialogue is done in the voice of the actor saying the lines so it’s fully immersive).

This was my third Ferguson book but first monster smut book and I’m glad Lana wrote it. I loved the family mystery aspect so much

For my first read of 2025, I really enjoyed this book! The pacing was great, and the characters were solid. I loved the overall plot, and following the stories of the two families kept me guessing what would happen the whole time.

I really rooted for the couple, and I thought their relationship was sweet. The relationship between the two main characters and their families were also really genuine, and it was nice to see how they developed throughout the book.

I would have loved if Key had a slightly stronger connection back to New York. She seemed to completely uproot her life and move away with very little struggle, and had no issue staying. I think adding an element of that would have added to the story.

The setting was, of course, stunning, and it was nice to see the Scottish slang being used in a way that felt immersive without being confusing. The supporting characters really added to the depth of the story and the culture. I would have loved to see more of an explanation into Brodie's background, and how he got to where he was, why he was taking time off work, etc.

Overall, really loved the story and the characters! It was a great read!!

✨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿✨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿✨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿✨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿✨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬
𝙐𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙇𝙤𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙆𝙚𝙮
𝙇𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝙁𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙪𝙨
4.25/5 ⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

•𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
•𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨
•𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴
•𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺

Lochness monster inspired paranormal romance? Sign me up 👏🏼 this was a great blend of mystery, romance, and magic…all set in one of my favorite places in the world where a lot of my family traces roots - Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The audio was superb (Scottish accents, ye can’t go wrong, ye ken?) from both of the narrators and helped the flow of the story. Had a smile on my face the entire time. Highly recommend 🎧

A new monster romance from a go to author! Head to Scotland to encounter the Loch Ness Monster! Key travels to the country to find her estranged grandparents after her father dies to attempt to reconcile with them. While there she meets their farm helper, Lachlan. They get off on the wrong foot, but over time discover they might be able to help each other.

Key and Lachlan’s family history’s are deeply intertwined and she may be the exact person he needs to help break his family’s curse. This has the perfect amount of magical realism and plenty of steamy scenes! I loved it!

I love how diverse these different romcom genres are from nanny to an omega verse to a hockey platter and now we get this delightful monster story ! It took some time to get into for me (I feel she could have found out he was ol Nessie earlier on in the story) I like the “mystery » aspect too- I did guess it had something to do with her breaking the spell, they whole story was super cute romcom vibes - could’ve used a touch more build up with the chemistry but overall it got thereand started to feel it more once the 50 percent mark hit - Solid 4 star read

My first book of hers & it was fine. BUT…really wish I had known that this was a monster romance! That should be clear up front & I may have rated it a bit higher had I been aware.

I did like the audio because the narrator’s Scottish accent for Lochlan was great!

And why were there like 27 separate references to puppies??

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this romance - I didn't love this romance. I had a hard time at the beginning getting into the story. But, I loved the Scottish vibes and setting!

Lana Ferguson is such a gem of an author. Her contemporary romances are so good (SO HOT) and her monster romances are a gentle introduction to the subgenre. Such a fun way to solve a puzzle, and the romance was actually moving.

I loved these two silly kids. Also the amount of crying i did when she talked about her dad. Im like damn it why didnt the author mention how emotional this book is. Then again anytime i read a book about a parent that has passed away i immediately start bawling. I very much recommend the audiobook for this because the accent is top tier. I freaking knew this character without spoiling was shady after they had a certain convo. It makes me kinda sad to see thats how he turned out but also realizing he was always struggling that just kind of hit it off. Also the reunion with Lachlan and his dad had me sobbing so much. I was equally happy for him that he was getting his dad back and just emotional period. Im just happy Key was able to connect with her family.

Honestly, I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked up this book. I went in expecting a cozy story about Key taking a trip to Scotland, diving into her family history, and maybe uncovering some long-lost secrets. But, oh boy, did this book throw me for a loop.

Enter Lachlan, the grumpy (but ridiculously hot) farmhand who clearly can’t stand Key. He’s got this chip on his shoulder because she’s a MacKay, and apparently, his dad drilled into him that MacKays are nothing but trouble. Naturally, sparks fly as they bicker, and of course, there’s that delicious slow burn as they start to actually get to know each other.

Then came the plot twist of all plot twists: Lachlan and his entire family are cursed. And not just your standard curse—nope, these guys turn into the Loch Ness monster every night from sundown to sunrise. Let me tell you, I was not ready for the “monster” elements to take over the story. The curse? Wild. The stakes? High. And Key? Turns out she’s the only one who can break this centuries-old curse.

This book was honestly a rollercoaster. I didn’t hate it, but I wasn’t expecting it to veer so sharply into the paranormal. If you’re into grumpy/sunshine romance with a dash (okay, more like a bucket) of monster lore and an unexpected amount of family drama, this might be the wild ride you’re looking for.

I loved this book! The concept was super fun (seriously - the Loch Ness Monster?! Obsessed) and I really enjoyed all of the characters. I loved the romance and the banter. The familial focus was also great.