I don’t do a lot of monster romance but this was a great intro into the genre. I love cryptids so I was hooked as soon as I heard about this. I loved the setting and the characters, the grief they go through and the love they found. I felt like the mystery part was a little confusing and I got lost a bit but overall had a great time and enjoyed the ending! We’re doing this for our January book club!

What a fun story! I wasn’t quite sure where it was going but the little surprises along the way and the hint of mystery was so great! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Key and Lachlan’s evolution in their relationship just worked so well and the fact that she just accepted all the changes in her life made it even better. The ending was so good too. Overall, really enjoyed this one and can’t wait for more paranormal books from Lana!

I realize that I sound like a complete idiot admitting this, but I didn't realize that the main character was *spoiler alert* the ACTUAL loch ness monster until I was much too far into reading Under Loch and Key. This is one of those books that a lot of people will read because of the popularity of the author but, in this case, it doesn't live up to the hype. Lana writes hot bedroom scenes, but the plot was predictable, and plodding.

I have always enjoyed reading paranormal romances, and Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson sounded like a book I would love. It’s a Loch Ness Monster story, which I had never encountered before. Since this was my first book by author Lana Ferguson, I was eager to dive in. Unfortunately, the book didn’t captivate me as I had hoped, and I often found myself putting it down. I did enjoy some aspects of it, especially when it came to learning about the lore of the Loch Ness Monster and the mystery behind breaking the curse.

I appreciated how the FMC, Keyanna, was connecting with her father’s family in Scotland after his death, even though some of them initially treated her poorly. Their behavior stemmed from her father’s sudden departure without explaining his reasons. I loved how she wasn’t going to give up, even when they were being difficult. As they began to open up to her, Key discovered more about her father, and she also found herself a family after her father’s death.

I liked Lachlan, but I didn’t appreciate how he treated Key at first. He is a grump, but he harbors a secret that eventually comes to light, and he becomes close to Key. However, I wasn’t fully invested in their romantic relationship because it felt more physical than emotional. Even by the end of the book, I still wasn’t completely convinced, despite them figuring out the curse, which felt a bit rushed. Overall, it was an okay read, and I give it three stars. I wish I had enjoyed it more since the Loch Ness lore and the mystery of the curse were intriguing, but it just didn’t capture my attention as much as I hoped.

Single/Dual POV: Dual POV.

Standalone or Part of Series: Standalone.

Would I recommend this book? Although I gave this book a 3-star rating, I would still recommend it because other readers may enjoy it more than I did, especially if they have read Lana Ferguson before.

What to Expect:
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Paranormal/Monster Romance
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Enemies to Lovers
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Found Family
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Magic

This was such a pleasant surprise! I was not entirely sure what to expect when I jumped into this one. If you plan to pick this one up, I cannot recommend the audiobook enough, the male narrator has an accent and it was perfection!! I had so much fun with these characters, overall the book was rather lighthearted but it did deal with grief/comfort as well. There will be moments that definitely pull on your heart strings. I loved watching Key and Loch slowly fall for each other and the spice does not disappoint!

If I didn't already love Lana Ferguson's writing this would have solidified it for me.
This has to be the best book she has written to date!
The characters were fun, the legend was well thought out, the air of mystery and betrayal was spot on and the spicy scenes were starting fires.
I laughed, I cried, I swooned and am already itching to reread this.
Much love to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing Group for my copy!!!

Overall, it was a cute concept for a novel, but it felt underdeveloped at times for me and the ending seemed a little too overly simplified. I enjoyed the romance (I’m glad it wasn’t like a full fledged monster romance) and I enjoyed the setting.

Entertaining but not exactly my cup of tea definitely outside my comfort zone for reads. I’ve since been educated on the whole monster romance subgenre - which I don’t think is my jam 🤷🏼‍♀️

This one was also outside my preferences for spice - as in too spicy. I tend to skew more to the closed door, fade to black or less is more.

In this case, I think fans of monster romance and spicy reads will definitely enjoy and be intrigued.

𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐞𝐲
By Lana Ferguson

Read if you 🩷:
• ❤️‍🔥 Enemies to Lovers
• 🐉 Just a hint of Monster Romance
•🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Every Grumpy Man with a Scottish dialect
• ✨ “If you had the chance to change your fate, would ya?”

Key MacKay’s father’s death leaves her with more questions than answers, sending her to Scotland to uncover the mysterious past he kept hidden. When brooding Scotsman Lachlan Greer saves her from a mishap, their paths—and secrets—collide. As Key uncovers her family’s history, strange powers, and a centuries-old curse, Lachlan might hold the answers she seeks—and the key to her heart. Together, they must untangle their shared mystery and decide if their connection is worth the risk.

This is the first book I’ve read by Lana Ferguson and I am now HOOKED! I’m definitely adding her other books to my TBR after reading Keyanna and Lachlan’s romance. I love how while the book is spicier than average for me, there’s still an attention-grabbing plot that never drops. Also, while the reader may see the direction where the ending was headed, there are still twists and surprises for even the most analytic person.

I found myself switching between the audiobook and my physical copy because my eyes are faster than my ears, and I wanted to know what happens! However, if I do reread this one, I’ll definitely stick to just the audiobook because I LOVE the narrators. Flint Park’s Scottish dialect is a joy for any ear that loves a good accent, and Samantha Summers perfectly brings the brightness and chaos of Keyanna out to play in her scenes. This is also the first audiobook I’ve read where the narrators also read their own character’s dialogue during the other character’s POV, which I greatly appreciated as it was easier to keep track of what was happening.

If you’re looking for a magical adventure across the pond, be sure to pick up Under Loch and Key at your favorite local bookstore! This is going to be a romance I recommend to my friends for quite some time.

My first ever monster romance and it was fun!! I liked the background and the romance but felt they were a little too in their heads and lacked communicating at times. Listened to the audiobook for parts and enjoyed the duet narration!

Another fun romp from Lana Ferguson with the heart and heat I've come to expect from her work and a genuinely fun and intriguing way to bring about the Loch Ness Monster as a romantic monster companion

This was my first read from this author. I love a book that doesn't take itself too seriously, and that's what was provided here. There were moments where the plot died down a bit and provided more of a cozy vibe than I expected, but it wasn't necessarily slow. The lore was interesting and I found myself wondering which parts are historically true and which were made up for this new take - sparking interest is always a win! It's not the be all and all of monster romance, but if you're looking for a chiller vibe, this may be up your alley.

🐍Book Review🐍
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Summary- Keyanna “Key” MacKay is used to secrets. Raised by a single father who never divulged his past, it’s only after his death that she finds herself thrust into the world he’d always refused to speak of. With just a childhood bedtime story about a monster that saved her father’s life and the name of her estranged grandmother to go off of, Key has no idea what she’ll find in Scotland..

Lachlan Greer has his own secrets to keep, especially from the bonnie lass he pulls to safety from the slippery shore—a lass with captivating eyes and the last name he’s been taught not to trust. He’s looking for answers as well, and Key’s presence on the grounds they both now occupy presents a real problem. Things he shouldn’t care about, and someone he definitelydoesn’t find wildly attractive.

When their secrets collide, it becomes clear that Lachlan could hold the answers Keyanna is after—and that she might also be the key to uncovering his.
*
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
My thoughts- This was quite a book, I did not know this was a monster romance. 🤣call me surprised when that happened, lol. But it started off really strong before it really just slowed down. I was super into it and couldn’t wait to see what happened even with the monster twist. Unfortunately it was way too long, it was hard to follow towards the end. They were acting like what was happening was super high stakes but it ended up just falling flat. It was unique and steamy, but really just crawled to the ending with this one.
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QOTD- if you could turn into a monster or cryptid who or what would you turn into and why ?! I think the Loch Ness monster or Moth Man would be super fun. 🤣

This book is so fun! I lowkey love a paranormal romance and I truly have been eating up Lana’s books!! I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

5✨

A Loch Ness monster romance about a man who’s cursed and a bright eyed red head who’s the key to help him? Like literally THE key cause her name is Keyanna. I was soooooo obsessed with everything this book had to offer. Like I was almost down in the trenches cause I was so hooked on every single second of this monster romance.

You can definitely tell that Lana really enjoyed writing this book since her enthusiasm and passion shined through the story. Keyanna and Lachlan (or should I say Princess and Nessie 🤭) had the best chemistry ever and the chemistry only grew as the book went on. The “pretending to be enemies” banter was just full on goodness for me and when they finally acted on all that pinned up sexual tension? I was floored by how spicy the spice was! I love a good chunk of monster smut, it just hits every single time. The split tongue… 🫢 IYKYK.

The mystery of the story about Lachlan and Key trying to beat the curse that Lachlan was under was just so interesting and I was on the edge of my seat reading every single clue we were getting. One of my favorite parts of the book was also Key’s relationship with her grandparents. First off how cute and sweet her grandpa was and then the emotional part of it she had with her grandma. I feel like Key’s dad would be so proud to see who Key became while in Scotland. And the epilogue? I was tearing up for sure.

Just such a feel good romance with a lot of top notch spice and a mystery that leaves you wanting more and more. This is definitely Lana’s best work to date!!!

🦕 What to expect:
— loch ness monster romance
— enemies to lovers
— magic and mystery
— forced proximity
— only one barn
— small town in scotland
— he calls her princess
— she calls him nessie
— sarcasm as flirting
— grumpy scotsmand
— split tongue action
— touch him and DIE

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this ARC!

*3.5* This was another fun read from Lana Ferguson! I loved the breaking the curse/family history subplot!! There were really strong characters in this one, too! I was really looking forward to the enemies to lovers trope between Key & Lachlan, but I was disappointed with how quickly they became lovers. It felt a little rushed, especially since there was so much story left once they got together. Overall, a good read that I would recommend to anyone looking for a lighthearted paranormal romance!

I enjoyed this title so much! I was almost sad when the curse was broken, if only because Key seemed into it, but I'm sure it's fine. The story flowed and every beat in the book was on point. At no point did it feel like the plot was dragging. The attraction and between the romantic leads was wonderful and believable. Even through their animosity you were rooting for them.

I've been obsessed with Lana Ferguson books lately and this one hit it out of the park. A really unique story, Scottish setting, little bit of monster romance (a category I never thought I'd read, but Lana is great at introducing new romance genres to me), and a sweet family story as well. The beginning felt really sad to me, and a little unexpected for a romance, but I think it was necessary to build up the character. All in all, a great story.

I loved this book so much! Just the right mix of contemporary, fantasy, and monster romance. Lachlan and Key have such a cute relationship once they go from enemies to lovers (though I don't really think it is a true enemies to lovers romance). True, her family of Selkie magic did curse his family to become the Loch Ness monster but the two meet hundreds of years down the line. It's more the unavoidable attraction that makes the two frustrated with each other.

The two team up to unravel the curse before the time clock runs out. Will love win out in the end?

This book was a fun, spicy escape with an intriguing premise and plenty of steam. The mystery element added a unique layer, though at times the urgency and tension felt a bit forced. The miscommunication trope didn’t always land for me, and the FMC’s frustration over secrets felt a little over the top considering how little time the characters had actually known each other.

That said, the story was still entertaining, and the spice definitely delivered. While it lacked some of the emotional depth I was hoping for, it’s a light, engaging read that doesn’t take itself too seriously. If you’re in the mood for something steamy and escapist, this one’s worth checking out.