Tag Archives: Sandy Blair

The Accidental Duchess by Sandy Blair

Book Review, ,
Overview

Title: The Accidental Duchess
Author: Sandy Blair
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Historical romance, Regency romance
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novella
Year: 2013

Thoughts

The Accidental Duchess is a pleasant historical romance and a great novella to transport you away for an hour or so. I love that in just a few chapters, Blair is able to not only create a lovely romance, but also a whole cast of characters with a lot of development.

Every story has a catalyst of change. And I love that this all starts because Rachael breaks into a house to stop herself from, you know, freezing to death. And then she meets Connor who is kind of a knob to be honest. But he grew on me enough that I liked the happy ending.

Not only is this a fun romance, but there is a lot of backstory of Connor’s mother is so brilliantly done. It’s hard to turn someone from a villain to a relatable secondary character in less than 20 chapters. But Blair manages it beautifully. It’s also a bit heartbreaking, because this is actually a backstory for women that is still happening today.

I seriously enjoyed this novella. But I also got quote distracted by all of the talk throughout of baking. That made me kind of hungry if I’m being honest… it made me want to bake decadent goodies in the middle of the night when I was reading this.

<- More Sandy BlairA Highlander for Christmas ->

Image source: Amazon

A Man in a Kilt by Sandy Blair

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
A Man In A Kilt (Castle Blackstone, #1) by Sandy Blair

Title: A Man in a Kilt
Author: Sandy Blair
Series: Castle Blackstone #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Historical romance, Scottish romance, Time travel
Dates read: 20th – 22nd May 2021
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Zebra Historical Romance
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: He knew that Angus and Douglas would insist on following him.

Synopsis

A Lonely Laird
Duncan MacDougall, the laird of Blackstone, was cursed centuries ago to wander as a ghost wihtin the echoing walls of his island castle – and only one woman can free him. Can it be the new mistress of Blackstone, just arrived from over the sea? Duncan has heard that pretty Miss Elizabeth Pudding is no more than a cook – and she haisl from a barbarous land called the Bronx. But she must learn the ways of a lady all the same – and she must stay at Blackstone for six long months to inherit. ‘Tis time enough to teach her – and time enough to woo her…

An Enchanting Lady
Beth has seen the handsome spectre from the day she crossed the threshold of Blackstone. Duncan MacDougall is a tall, translucent figure with black hair and piercing blue eyes. Yet a mist separates him from the land of the living… a mist as strong as cold steel. It is said that only love can dissolve it – and bring the man of her dreams to warm, breathing life…

Thoughts

The blurb of this book made me have certain.. expectations. And what I ended up getting was wholly unexpected. And seriously fun and enjoyable. Every twist and turn in this was a surprise and left me feeling very happy.

I thought there would be a bit more intensity in the time travelling aspect of this story. I mean, it’s been sitting on my shelves for this exact reason. It probably belongs I’m the historical romance shelf though. I mean, the ghost and time travel are both paranormal. But all of the setting and storyline… purely Scottish, historical fiction.

Almost all of the romances I read feature a strong woman who is also beautiful. I love that Beth is considered plain throughout and there are no hints of her being a particularly good looking woman. That, and the fact that one of the vipers in this story is the ridiculously good looking woman. There’s also the fact that although she is a virgin, there’s pretty much no fuss made about it. Rather, it’s a plot line to indicate her trust issues.

Duncan is dense. The combination of Beth and Rachael constantly bringing him to task honestly had me laughing loudly and for a long time. I mean… we women do have a tendency to run our men ragged at times, and I love the loving fear that they instill I their men. That, and the great combination of past and present in this incredibly cute romance.

<- More Sandy BlairA Rogue in a Kilt ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance edited by Trisha Telep

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Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of time travel romance book cover

Title: The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance
Author: Trisha Telep, Gwyn Cready, Sandy Blair, Maureen McGowan, Sara Mackenzie, Margo Maguire, Sandra Newgent, Michelle Maddox, Patrice Sarath, Jean Johnson, Patti O’Shea, Autumn Dawn, Holly Lisle, Cindy Miles, Michelle Willingham, Colby Hodge, Michele Lang, Madeline Baker, Allie Mackay & A. J. Menden
Series: Mammoth Books
In: The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Romance, Science fiction, Short story collections, Time travel
Dates read: 11th April – 30th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: She glanced over her shoulder, towards the light left on in her home, as if to remind herself she wasn’t so very far from safety.

Synopsis

Time has no meaning for true love.

Twenty tales of swachbuckling adventure and passionate romance from some of the most exciting names in romantic fiction, including Margo Maguire, Autumn Dawn, Sandy Blair, Michelle Maddox, Patti O’Shea, Holly Lisle, Kimberly Raye and Madeline Baker.

Join the heroines in this delightful anthology as they step backwards – or forwards – in time, transported to the Scottish Highlands of yesteryear, the Wild West or the distant future. Propelled through time into situations rich with possibility and fraught with danger, these sexy, sassy heroines each seek their dreamed of happy ending.

Will souls separated by time be reunited – or separated, forever?

Thoughts

This is an absolutely brilliant collection. I haven’t read any time travel romances before. So it was kind of nice to read a whole collection of them. I do have a few full length novels in this genre sitting on my shelves ready to go though. Now that I’ve read this collection, I kind of can’t wait!

Even though all of these stories featured time travel and romance in some way, shape or form, the themes and messages throughout were vastly different. The stories weren’t overly lustful like many of the romances that I’ve read. Actually, there tended to be more of a focus on the romances and the finding true love message. Or just on the ways in which time travel actually works.

The stories were generally a mix of present and past; or present and future. Only one or two stories feature the past and the future, but most had a great blending of realities. Sometimes characters ended up back in their own time, sometimes in a different time that fulfilled their greatest desires. There really was something for everyone in this.

Whilst I absolutely adored this collection, it isn’t one that I will probably read again and again. As much as I loved everything, there was nothing that stood out as a story that I wanted to reread.

<- The Mammoth Book of Thrillers, Ghosts and MysteriesThe Key to Happiness ->

Image source: Goodreads

MacDuff’s Secret by Sandy Blair

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of time travel romance book cover

Title: MacDuff’s Secret
Author: Sandy Blair
Series: MacKinnon #0.5
In: The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary romance, Scottish romance, Time travel
Dates read: 26th April 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: And sad that only I get to enjoy this place.

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Synopsis

Sarah is the teacher of a group of spoilt, rambunctious boys. When a bomb goes off, they finds themselves thrust back in time to the home of MacDuff. Love, understanding and a new future might be about to open up to them.

Thoughts

I really loved the little adventure that this story took you on. It’s a cute, easy read that takes you from modern times to a more ancient way of life. The fact that it’s a teacher who travels back in time with her students just makes it a little more fun. Especially since the inclusion of young children stopped this from being a clear cut and opaque story line.

This story follows a pretty typical trope – man meets woman, they fall in love, they want to live happily ever after. The fact that it’s the woman who travels back in time also kind of works – we don’t want to read about submissive women after all. So is the fact that they become attached to an orphan and decide to take him home with them. It still works beautifully. And the fact that it is entirely see through doesn’t mean that it isn’t an incredibly sweet and enjoyable storyline.

 <- The Key to Happiness ReviewLost and Found Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance edited by Trisha Telep

Book Review, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of scottish romance book cover

Title: The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance
Author: Trisha Telep, Heather McCollum, Patricia Grasso, Marta Acosta, Jackie Ivie, Elle Jasper, Jacquie D’Alessandro, Debbie Mazzuca, Julianne MacLean, Susan Sizemore, Lois Greiman, Kimberly Killion, Anne Gracie, Leah Marie Brown, Donna Kauffman, Terri Brisbin, Annette Blair, Sandy Blair, Jackie Barbosa, Donna Grant & Connie Brockway
Series: Mammoth Books
In: The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Historical romance, Scottish romance, Short story collections
Dates read: 23rd November 2018 – 16th March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: His hair was deep chestnut, a little long and brushed back from a widow’s peak, and his shoulders were wide in an inky black-blue suit.

Synopsis

Real Men Wear Kilts.

Enough to make even the hardiest Highlander blush, here you will find the steamy romantic history of Scotland laid bare. With swords, through sorcery and in the course of some of the hottest nights ever experienced on the Inner Hebrides, Scottish heroes stake their claims, both in the bedroom and out. Dreams come true and legends are born as ancient prophecies are fulfilled by time travellers from the future, in a Scotland where real historical figures exist side by side with pagan magic and werewolves. Dashing lairds and Scottish barbarians fight for love and honour in a wild, magical world.

Thoughts

Oh my gosh. I loved this collection! It had everything in it that I kind of love in the world – romance, Scotsmen and passion. I normally read short story collections because they are easy to put down… that wasn’t the case with this one. It was almost impossible to walk away from it and I now want to find other Scottish-inspired romances that give this same intensity of beautiful feelings.

Whilst the majority of the stories in this collection can be classified as historical romance, there are a sprinkling of contemporary romances scattered throughout. I did buy this collection with the intent of reading historical romances, but it’s kind of nice to have a hint of something a little more modern. It provides a great ability to change the pace of the stories and gives a little more variety.

I’ve read a few Mammoth Books now, and I love the variety of stories they provide under the same umbrella. These collections also run the gambit for story length – the tales in this collection are slightly longer than some other collections and I kind of loved that fact. It meant that I connected to the characters on a deeper level because I got to spend more time with them. And it made my heart skip a beat all the more quickly.

<- The Mammoth Book of Sea BattlesHighland Heart ->

Image source: Hachette Australia