Sinful Scottish Laird by Julia London
Publisher & Release: HQN Romance, February 28, 2017
Time and setting: 1742, Scottish Highlands
Genre: Historical Romance
Book Length: 384 pages
Heat Level: 2 Flames
Rating: 3.5 Gold Crowns
Book Description:
A young widow puts her sexy suitors to the test in New York Times bestselling author Julia London's scintillating return to the idyllic Scottish Highlands.
Widowed and forced to remarry in three years' time or forfeit her son's inheritance, Daisy Bristol, Lady Chatwick, has plenty of suitors vying for her hand…and her fortune. But a letter from a long-lost love sends Daisy and her young son to her Scottish Highland estate to buy time for his return. Along the way she encounters the powerful Cailean Mackenzie, laird of Arrandale and a notorious smuggler, and she is utterly—though unwillingly—bewitched.
Cailean has no use for any Sassenach in his glen. But Daisy's brazen, flirtatious nature and alluring beauty intrigue him. When her first love appears unexpectedly at her estate, Cailean knows that a passionate woman like Daisy cannot marry this man. And to prevent the union, Cailean must put his own life at risk to win her heart.
Buy Link:
Add to Goodreads:
Vikki’s Musings
I have liked books by Julia London in the past, so when I found this on Net-Galley, I eagerly requested it. Sinful Scottish Laird is an interesting read, although it is slow in the beginning. In fact, the pacing is a bit slow for me throughout the book, and the romance lacked luster. I did enjoy the secondary characters, especially her son Ellis and her cousin, Belinda. The servants lightened the overall mood of this novel and help move the story along.
Daisy Bristol, Lady Chatwick packs up her young son and flees the unwanted advances of her many suitors while she awaits the return of her lost love. Although she must remarry or lose her son’s fortune, she wants love if possible. What she does not count on is the overwhelming attraction for Cailean MacKenzie, the laid of Arrandale, her closest neighbor.
Cailean is determined to remain a bachelor, and while the lassie on his neighboring estate is bonny, he has no use for her–after all, she’s English–but the attraction is too strong to ignore. Her suitor turns out to be a captain in the Royal Navy bent on bringing his smuggling days to an end. He cannot stand the thought of the man touching Daisy, or any man for that matter, but he could never consider marrying a Sassenach.
Can she convince him to change his mind, or will he staunchly remain a stubborn Scot to the end and deny them the chance of everlasting happiness?
I struggled with Daisy’s character for much of the book. I just never connected to her, except when she was involved with her son. Her love for him comes through loud and clear. She came across as somewhat of a flake in her dealings with others, and she seemed indecisive as well, vacillating between her feelings for Cailean and Robert, the man she thinks she wants to marry.
Cailean is a hero I could love. His tender care for Ellis won me over big time. His relationship with his family speaks well of his character. However, I did not feel the chemistry between him and Daisy, nor could I understand why he wanted her.
I guess my main problem with this story is the chemistry between Daisy and Cailean. For me, it just wasn’t strong enough. One thing I love about historical romance is the slow build of sexual tension between the hero and the heroine, and it was missing, for the most part, in Sinful Scottish Laird.
Nonetheless, I am glad I had the opportunity to read this book. It did have an excellent ending. I also quite enjoyed Ellis, her son. He had surprisingly good character development. This book has several great secondary characters, so future books in this series should be entertaining. Happy reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment