Tag Archives: Scottish romance

Forever Mine by Donna Grant

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

Title: Forever Mine
Author: Donna Grant
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
Dates read: 16th March 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: He’d been fighting Niall for two years.

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Synopsis

He’s been fighting a tyrant for years, but when Niall takes a hostage, his life is going to change in ways that he just didn’t anticipate. And couldn’t ever imagine.

Thoughts

This short story kind of had it all – romance, conspiracy and a fair amount of action. I was only going to read a page or two (since it was a little bit of a longer short story), but then I found that I just couldn’t put it down. The sprinkling of action and conspiracies throughout the romance, all set against a great Scottish background made me walk into a wall (actually) since I found it so difficult to tear my gaze away.

I love that although this is a romance, the story was also one of revenge and reclaiming ones’ heritage. It was about finding your own power and taking care of others. Concepts that I always enjoy, but I don’t always find so strongly intertwined with a romance. I was actually quite disappointed that this was a short story for this reason… after all, there was so much room for a greater storyline that interweaved the powers of passion and revenge.

 <- The Reiver ReviewThe Laird’s French Bride Review ->
Image source: Hachette Australia

The Reiver by Jackie Barbosa

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
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Title: The Reiver
Author: Jackie Barbosa
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: Easy reading, Historical romance, Scottish romance
Dates read: 12th March 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: But surely you should have brought me to a priest if that was your intent.

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Synopsis

The head of a Scottish clan captures the reiver who has been taking his livestock. But, it isn’t until he discovers who, and what they truly are that life begins to take a far more interesting twist.

Thoughts

Alright, so it’s incredibly easy to tell that there is going to be a romance from the very beginning. Like every other romance story that you have the privilege of reading. But, it was still kind of cute how it worked out. And I wasn’t fully expecting how the story unfolded. Yes, some parts where they fall in love was completely expected, but there were other aspects which just weren’t that predictable…

This was a great, cute and entertaining short story. It was just long enough that it felt like there was a little more substance to it than some other short stories I’ve been reading lately. But it also made me feel happy, curled up and believing in the power of love. Something that not many novels really seem to manage… novels give me all the other kinds of feels, but if they were all about the sappy love like this short story I’d be bored and *retch*.

 <- Her MacKinnon ReviewForever Mine Review ->
Image source: Hachette Australia

Her MacKinnon by Sandy Blair

Book Review, ,
Overview
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Title: Her MacKinnon
Author: Sandy Blair
Series: MacKinnon #1.5
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: Contemporary romance, Scottish romance, Time travel
Dates read: 5th March 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: Grinning, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “May I have this dance?”

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Synopsis

Maggie is stuck in a marriage with a man who is obsessed with the past. But a surprise accident turns everything on its head as a legend comes to lief and the past comes back to haunt them.

Thoughts

I was kind of surprised by how much I liked this short story. At the outset Maggie’s husband is completely horrible and I couldn’t see how he would be redeemed. The fact that she’s married tends to mean that there’s not a good way in which to find herself a new partner. So I really couldn’t see a way in which the story could be redeemable. The man is a horrible excuse for a husband, and Maggie has no way to get herself a new romance in such a short story.

Luckily for me, Blair managed to create a fantastic world in which Maggie was able to be with her true love, he wasn’t a douche and they got their happily ever after. It wasn’t quite what I expected, but it actually worked brilliantly. And I loved the fact that it all took place in modern day society. There was still a historical fiction aspect to the story, but it is still about a contemporary romance.

 <- Kissingate Magic ReviewThe Reiver Review ->
Image source: Hachette Australia

Kidnapping the Laird by Terri Brisbin

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
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Title: Kidnapping the Laird
Author: Terri Brisbin
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: Easy reading, Historical romance, Scottish romance
Dates read: 19th February 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: Cat focused on her task and soon the porridge bubbled in the cooking pot.

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Synopsis

Desperate times sometimes call for desperate measures. Especially when you’re married to a laird who won’t even look at you…

Thoughts

The beginning of this story wasn’t quite what I expected. I was really expecting a kidnap from the very start that possibly lead to a love and marriage. Instead it started with a marriage, and the kidnapping doesn’t occur until about halfway through. Though it works brilliantly and beautifully. And I turned the last page of this book with a great smile on my face.

This story starts off with an estranged couple, and quickly fills in the backstory as to their epic failing at being a couple. Even though it’s pretty obvious that they’re going to reconcile their differences fairly quickly in this story. After all, it’s in a romance collection. It’s still intriguing and captivating the ways in which the two stubborn fools manage to make their relationship work and start on a new adventure… together.

 <- Next Time ReviewKissingate Magic Review ->
Image source: Hachette Australia

Till Death by Maggie Shayne

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
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Title: Till Death
Author: Maggie Shayne
In: Weddings From Hell (Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey & Kathryn Smith)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary romance, Family, Scottish romance
Dates read: 5th – 14th February 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Fiction
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: He was Ian.

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Synopsis

Years ago, a heartbroken McLellan witch placed a curse on the would-be brides of her family. But Kira McLellan doesn’t believe in curses. Then she falls in love with Ian Stewart and is determined to break the spell…. Or die trying.

Thoughts

I absolutely loved this novella. It had everything in it that makes my heart go… romance, curses, and a woman that is not happy to take things as status quo…

From the very beginning of the story, it is obvious that Kira is a little lost and unsure of her role in the world. And, since this is a paranormal romance collection of stories about weddings, you knew that she was going to find her man… and probably get married at some point throughout. It’s a little cliché that she doesn’t really feel complete until she finds her partner, but it was still just a cute and easy read. One that had me smiling at the end.

Although this is a pretty predictable cliché of a story, I still really enjoyed it. Throwing in an ancient curse and reconnecting with family members that have never been met just made it all the more engaging, not to mention entertaining. I always enjoy a good romance, but one with a little extra spice and challenge thrown in works even better…

 <- Weddings From Hell ReviewHappily Never After Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins

Next Time by Donna Kauffman

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
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Title: Next Time
Author: Donna Kauffman
In: The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Science fiction, Scottish romance, Time travel
Dates read: 17th February 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: “I dinnae rightly know,” he said, which should have deflated her hopes entirely.

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Synopsis

Abby knows that she’s facing a very short life-span, so when she sees a ghost in the Scottish Highlands, she decides to find out more about him. What follows is an adventure that she couldn’t fathom experiencing.

Thoughts

This short story took a very different take on the idea of Scottish Romance. Especially when compared to the other stories in this collection. There was a very sci-fi, time travelling feel to it that focused more on the future and ideas of mortality. Most of the other stories in this collection focus on love and lust. And as a general, trend towards historical romance as their theme. This went the exact opposite direction.

I love a good time travel romance (I’ve probably only ever read two), but I do sometimes find that they can be a little hard to follow. Which meant that having a short story that focused on this idea was kind of perfect. It wasn’t hard to follow since it was a straight forward and cute short story. but it also had enough going on and enough complexity that I didn’t get bored. The perfect balance for someone with my tastes. And someone who is constantly studying and filling her head with other nonsense.

 <- After the Gloaming ReviewKidnapping the Laird Review ->
Image source: Hachette Australia

After the Gloaming by Leah Marie Brown

Book Review, , ,
Overview
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Title: After the Gloaming
Author: Leah Marie Brown
In: The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Celtic, Scottish romance
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: The emaciated man’s chest rattled with each tortured breath and his blue eyes, yellow with jaundice, darted frantically back and forth as if terrified at the thought of dying alone.

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Synopsis

Conrad has returned to the homeland to say goodbye to the father that he never knew. But in doing so, he might find a future for himself that he never expected. And break the ancient curse on his family at the same time.

Thoughts

I really liked the use of a bean sidhe in this Scottish romance. It took that sense of surreal otherworldness that I’m falling in love with within the genre and partnered it with the modern-day real world. Especially considering the fact that the story begins in yesteryear and then flashes forward to today. The use of a cursed woman and bean sidhe just echoed that perfectly.

The only reason I took half a star off of my rating for this tale was that I thought it ended too quickly. The introduction took up about three quarters of the story. Then suddenly the two characters are obviously in love and trying to break the curse. You flip the page and the curse is broken. I felt that the amount of work and awesome storytelling that had gone into the initial introduction, could have extended out the ending a little and made you wonder about happily ever after for just that little bit longer.

 <- The Laird’s Vow ReviewNext Time Review ->
Image source: Hachette Australia

The Laird’s Vow by Anne Gracie

Book Review, ,
Overview
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Title: The Laird’s Vow
Author: Anne Gracie
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
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: Perhaps I’ll one day come to rue the day I plucked a wee bog sprite from the mud and married her, but I doubt it.

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Synopsis

The Laird wants to protect his inheritance from his spend-happy Uncle. And the only way to do so is to marry. In making a vow to marry the first eligible maiden he meets, he’s either making the greatest mistake of his life… or finding his own happily ever after.

Thoughts

Alright, so I knew that the first woman that the laird meets in this was going to kind of end up being the woman of his dreams. After all, it’s a short story in a collection of Scottish Romances. Nothing else is going to happen but two people meet and fall in love in a wonderfully short period of time. That isn’t to say that the journey isn’t wonderful. And my heart did that little skip-a-beat that it does when I find an incredibly sweet and beautiful tale.

I was expecting a lot more resilience to the bride in this story. Which meant that I was incredibly surprised when it didn’t really come about. The entire story was mostly about the marriage and then quickly getting to know one another, and of course, eventually realising that they were in love. I kind of liked the fact that there wasn’t a lot of resilience to the union – I was reading another romance at the time which did have a lot of resilience. So it was quite a nice change of pace to not have to worry about someone not getting their happily ever after.

 <- His Magick Touch ReviewAfter the Gloaming Review ->
Image source: Hachette Australia

His Magick Touch by Kimberly Killion

Book Review, , ,
Overview
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Title: His Magick Touch
Author: Kimberly Killion
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
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: Hot liquid cascaded over him and triggered his own release.

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Synopsis

Kiernan has been in love with the chieftans daughter for his entire life, so when she needs someone to rescue her from an abusive husband, he gladly steps up to the challenge. What follows is a mess of war, conspiracies and the winning of trust.

Thoughts

I was kind of expecting the woman in this to die and become miraculously bought back by one of the fae, or some equally mysterious being. It didn’t quite work out like that, but I enjoyed the fact. After all, instead of being rescued by a mysterious man creature, she was rescued by the man whom she had loved for a long time and known her entire life. Which I always enjoy in a story, love doesn’t always bloom in the space of a moment, but over a lifetime of knowledge.

This is a fun, quick and sweet read that takes you to another world and another place. I really enjoyed the fact that although there was a past love between the two leads, the abuse that she had suffered at the hands of men made her hard of trust. Rather than just falling at the feet of a strange, new man, she is fiercely independent and that trust must be earnt. Something that I think speaks to many people across the world.

 <- Beloved Beast ReviewThe Laird’s Vow Review ->
Image source: Hachette Australia

The Curse of Wolf Crag by Susan Sizemore

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
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Title: The Curse of Wolf Crag
Author: Susan Sizemore
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: Paranormal romance, Scottish romance, Werewolves
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: I tricked you, all right.

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Synopsis

Tara left Wolf Crag to escape a past, but when the past comes back to haunt her she begins to wonder if maybe running away wasn’t such a great idea after all.

Thoughts

This story needed to be longer. I loved it. I thought that the romance in it was great. But the development of the relationship went from negative to positive waaaaaaaaaaay too fast. I love when past antagonisms fester and must be overcome to create a happy future together. However, in the caes of The Curse of Wolf Crag, one moment Tara is yelling at her beau and the next she is having sex with him. Talk about negative to positive on the flip of a coin…

The imagery of the Scottish isles where the worlds of fae and human collide works so nicely. Especially when juxtaposed against the modern setting in which the story starts. Talk of curses, fae and the past give this tale a very romanticised, beautiful feeling. The mists across the crag give the story a further feeling of mysticism and otherworldliness. And although I loved this story, I think that it would have been ten times better if it was just that wee bit longer.

 <- The Rebel ReviewBeloved Beast Review ->
Image source: Hachette Australia