Category Archives: Historical

Scandal And The Duchess by Jennifer Ashley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Scandal follows Rose Barclay, young widow of the Duke of Southdown, wherever she goes. It’s never her fault–honor bright–but newspapers love to write about the young woman from Scotland, and the much older duke she married, who died on their honeymoon. The duke left her with a large widow’s portion, now contested by his son, who kicks Rose out of the estate’s dower house and uses it to kennel his dogs.
Rose does *not* need to be found with a large, handsome Scot passed out at her feet, fueling gossips and giving her stepson more ammunition. The Scot is Steven McBride – a decorated soldier who is notorious for heavy gambling and womanizing during his leave time. Steven is happy to open his eyes and find the beautiful woman standing over him, and happy to help spirit her away. He comes up with a ruse to foil the journalists, but Rose will have to go along with his very scandalous proposal.

My Musings:

Rose, the Dowager Duchess of Southdown, and Steven, a officer in her majesty’s army, deserve each other. And I mean that in the best possible way.

Rose is the former Miss Barclay and has always had little use for convention. Amazingly enough, she ends up married to the Duke and it is a love match. Unfortunately, he dies shortly after their marriage and she is left destitute due to the machinations of her stepson.

Steven is an excellent officer, but when off duty, enjoys wine, women, and gambling far too much. Due to his drinking, he literally runs into Rose in the streets and gives the scandal mongers even more ammunition to write about her. Although not titled, Steven is a gentleman and knows he must help Rose with both her financial difficulties and her damaged reputation.

Steven enlists the help of both the Mackenzies and his own brother Simon to help Rose deal with her stepson’s efforts to keep her from her inheritance. Steven’s assistance is altruistic, but that does not mean there is not a strong attraction between he and Rose. From their first meeting, the heat is evident.

The ending of the book was different from what you would normally expect, but it was definitely the ending that fit the personalities of the characters. Rose and Steven are not the normal couple of the ton, so of course, their romance was not normal either. Don’t worry though. They definitely have their “happily ever after.”

I only had one problem with the book. Rose’s former husband was described as a kind and generous man. He was completely estranged from his son and that part of the story did not ring true. I felt that there should be more explanation of why the bad feeling between the father and son existed.

All in all, this is a strong addition to the Highland Pleasure series. It can be read as a stand alone, but I highly recommend the entire series. As I said, my favorite part was catching up with the Mackenzie family and friends.

Ratings:
Overall: 4
Sensuality level: 3

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Highlander Most Wanted by Maya Banks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Title: * Highlander Most Wanted
Author: Maya Banks
Series: The Montgomerys and Armstrongs, #2
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Format: ebook
Date/Year: March 19, 2013
Reviewed by: ElaineReads

*This book was provided to me by NetGalley for review.

Summary from the publisher:

In Highlander Most Wanted, a reclusive woman content to live in the shadows shows a Highland warrior the true meaning of love.

Genevieve McInnes is locked behind the fortified walls of McHugh Keep, captive of a cruel laird who takes great pleasure in ruining her for any other man. Yet when Bowen Montgomery storms the gates on a mission of clan warfare, Genevieve finds that her spirit is bent but not broken. Still, her path toward freedom remains uncertain. Unable to bear the shame of returning to a family that believes her dead or to abandon others at the keep to an imposing new laird, Genevieve opts for the peaceful life of an abbess. But Bowen’s rugged sensuality stirs something deep inside her that longs to be awakened by his patient, gentle caress—something warm, wicked, and tempting.

Bowen seizes his enemy’s keep, unprepared for the brooding and reclusive woman who captures his heart. He’s enchanted by her fierce determination, her unusual beauty, and her quiet, unfailing strength. But wooing her will take more than a seasoned seducer’s skill. For loving Genevieve, he discovers, means giving her back the freedom that was stolen from her—even if it means losing her forever.

My Musings:

This is the second book in Maya Banks The Montgomerys and Armstrongs series and it is very much a sequel. The book could be read as a stand alone, but I don’t recommend it. To really appreciate the relationships in Highlander Most Wanted, you should read Never Seduce A Scot first. Many of the same characters appear and it is like a visit with old friends.

Bowen is the younger brother of his laird. He has been sent to take the McHugh Keep because of the crimes they committed against his family. Unbeknownst to him, even more terrible crimes have been committed to a captive of the McHugh’s . . . Genevieve. She has been tortured and abused by the McHugh laird’s son for almost a year. Bowen is her only hope of rescue and he doesn’t even know she exists.

Bowen is an honorable man and believes nothing is as important as protecting those who are unable to protect themselves. Genevieve has had no one to champion her and has lost her faith in everyone around her. She is shamed by what has been done to her and only wants to be left in peace.

So, of course, they fall in love.

One of the things I like about Maya Banks’ heroes is that they are not afraid to admit when they fall in love. Many times, the men recognize their feelings before the women do. It does not matter how alpha they might be, when they fall for a woman, they fall hard.

Genevieve was raised in a strong, loving family and that is what has enabled her to survive the past year in captivity. However, she no longer feels worthy of any man’s love and is too ashamed to want anything but to hide herself away.

Considering her sense of shame, an issue I had with the book is how easily Genevieve fell into a physical relationship with Bowen. Although there were moments when she felt threatened, they were quickly overcome and she lost herself in his arms. That’s not a direct quote, but the sentiment was definitely there. I just find it hard to accept that after a year of rape and torture by multiple men, she is able to relax enough to enjoy herself with Bowen.

Obviously, this is not an light romance, but so much more. The strength both characters show makes you love them all the more.

Genevieve and Bowen had a lot to overcome and just when you thought everything was going to work out, there’s a twist in the plot. Don’t worry. They get their “happily ever after,” but it doesn’t come easily.

If you enjoy Highland romances with strong male and female characters, this is a series you do not want to miss. Maya Banks writes in a variety of genres and this is one of her best.

The setup for the sequel is hinted at and I have already preordered the book. Highland Ever After is due out on September 24, 2013 and I cannot wait.

Ratings:

Overall: 5
Sensuality level: 3

This review was originally posted at Seductive Musings.

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