The Lyon’s Laird by Hildie McQueen
Publisher & Release: Dragonblade Publishing, June 17, 2020
Time and setting: Regency England, London
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: 129 Pages
Heat Level: 1 Sweetheart
Rating: 4 Gold Crowns
Book Description:
Enter the world of the most notorious gambling den in London, where matches are made... unusually. Welcome to the world of THE LYON'S DEN: The Black Widow of Whitehall Connected World, where the underground of Regency London thrives... and loves.
After being caught in the most embarrassing of situations that leaves her with a permanent limp, Evangeline Prescott’s reputation is beyond repair, and so her mother takes it upon herself to approach the Widow of Whitehall in an attempt to find her a suitable husband.
In London for a short season, Scottish Laird Camren MacLean accepts an intriguing invitation to a prestigious gambling den where he loses a high stakes card game. The price of his loss is for him to marry a stranger within a week.
A beautiful socialite, a handsome Laird, and a game of chance. Can anyone win?
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Vikki’s Musings
Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for a complimentary copy of The Lyon’s Laird by Hildie McQueen for the purpose of reading and reviewing prior to publication. This is a sweet Regency romance. My opinions are my own and no one has influenced them.
The Lyon’s Laird is a novella with engaging characters and a unique plot. The pacing captured me and kept me in its thrall from the beginning to the end. While there a few minor editing mistakes, they didn’t interfere with my reading enjoyment.
Evangeline Prescott’s character is feisty and a delight. When she made her curtsey to the ton, she created a scandal that led to a permanent injury and ruined her. When her parents decide to find her a husband, it doesn’t thrill her, but her mother ensures her that she can find her someone she can love. I enjoyed her interaction with her mother, the hero and her dearest friend.
Laird Camren MacLean is a great hero. When he enters a game of chance at the Lyon’s den, he’s confident he will win, but his confidence is misplaced, so he must wed a woman the proprietor choses. While frustrated, he honors his word. After all, he’s of an age to wed. I enjoyed his easy-going demeanor and his responsibility to his clan.
The romance between Evangeline and Camren is sweet and fulfilling. This is more along the lines of the old fashioned traditional Regency romances. While there is a strong attraction between them, other than a few innocent kisses, it has no graphic sexual scenes. That worked for me, but if you enjoy a sensual Regency, then you might want to pass on this one.
If you enjoy sweet historical romances with characters that will tug at your heart and an enchanting plot, then you will enjoy The Lyon’s Laird as much as I. This is the second book I have read in the Lyon’s Den series, and I look forward to the next book. Happy reading!
Excerpt:
Camren arrived at 29 Hart Street at precisely two in the afternoon as per his instructions. He was greeted at the door by a footman. Just inside the door stood an elegant blonde woman, the barely noticeable gray strands in her upswept blonde hair and soft laugh lines did little to distract from her beauty.
“Welcome, Laird. I am Olivia Prescott.” She smiled at him and he bowed slightly to her. “Please come in. My daughter is in the drawing room.” He was just about to ask if she was the one he was to marry. He would not have minded getting to know the woman, although she was definitely older than him.
She paused just a few steps further. “My daughter is not aware of your identity, but I did tell her you are the man she is to marry. I am hopeful that after spending time alone, you and she will find each other suitable.”
“You are aware that I lost a game and that is how I come to be here?” Camren asked.
The woman nodded. “Yes, fully. Each man at the table was handpicked by me.”
Understanding dawned and he prepared himself for the woman in the drawing room, just on the other side of the slightly open doors. Whomever the woman was, was probably lacking in every way.
“May I have a moment?”
“Of course,” the woman replied, not seeming at all taken aback by his request. “Why don’t you go into my husband’s study and then enter through double doors that connect into the sitting room when you are ready?”
She motioned to a doorway and then walked away.
Camren paced the length of the small room, wishing to be anywhere but there. If only there was a way out of the predicament he’d gotten himself into. He was not a coward nor would he ever go back on his word. However, this was a situation that he’d never thought to be caught in.
He blew out a long breath and reached for the doorknob.
Upon opening it and stepping into the sunlit room, he did not see anyone right away . His first thought was that the woman had gotten upset at his hesitance and left.
Then movement by a set of French doors caught his attention. Just outside stood a vision in lilac. The young woman was bent at the waist petting a huge, orange cat.
“Lucille, how did you get out? What a sly little devil you are.”
Camren studied the younger version Olivia Prescott. She was womanly, her breasts full and her waist slender. She was not a waif, which pleased him.
Seeming to sense his perusal, she straightened and stared at him with wide, green eyes.
“Miss Prescott, I am Laird Camren Maclean,” he said, bending at the waist.
Her lips parted and she leaned to the side to look past him. When not seeing anyone, she met his gaze and then looked away. Her chest lifted and lowered and when she took a step and swayed, he reached out.
“I’m fine. I am not about to swoon.”
Then taking several more steps with a pronounced limp, she entered the room.
Only English society would find a limp to be a reason for someone as beautiful as her not to be marriageable.
“Would you like something to drink?” She went to a sideboard. “I need something...”
She poured sherry into two glasses and held one out for him.
Camren accepted it, noting she’d yet to give him her full name. “What is your first name?”
“They didn’t give you any information either?” She looked surprised.
“No, only the address and time to be here.”
She drank the sherry down in two sips and motioned to a chair. “Would you please sit? Your height makes my neck hurt.”
The young woman was outspoken. He liked that she did not hesitate to speak her mind. “After you.”
They sat in chairs facing one another.
“My name is Evangeline.” She didn’t elaborate as to whether there was a second name.
“Your name suits you perfectly,” he replied, meeting her gaze. “It’s beautiful.”
She let out a breath. “Thank you.”
“Did you ask your mother to do this?” He tried to keep his voice even, not sure why he found fault in the idea of a woman forcing a man into marriage.
She lifted her pert nose into the air. “No, Sir, I did not. Nor do I agree with this entire charade. I must ask, why would you?”
This story was so much fun to write. I hope you get a chance to read the delightful story!
Hildie
Author Bio:
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ENTICING. ENGAGING. ROMANCE.
USA Today bestselling author Hildie McQueen Author of Medieval Highlander and American historical romance as well as a few contemporaries, Hildie writes something every reader will enjoy.
Most days Hildie McQueen can be found in her overly tight leggings and green hoodie, tapping away at a keyboard with a cup of Earl Grey tea at her elbow. When taking a break, she tiptoes to the window to spy on the landscaper.
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