When I first read The Highwayman I was blown away by the depth of the story. It was so much more than your typical historical romance novel. It didn't shy away from tragedy and pain and the dark, gritty side of life. The rest of this series has been just as amazing. I was a little more cautious going into The Scot Beds His Wife since the Hero has a reputation of sleeping with every female he sees ( I really hate manwhores). Ms. Byrne was able to make the reader see him as more than a lothario but as a man who hides behind this vice. Someone who is so desperate to hide his pain and his shame from the world that instead of being turned off by his licentious ways I empathized with him. I loved Sam and her "foul mouth". It is so refreshing to see a strong, independent heroine who is NOT some perfect virgin. I loved that she swore and could shoot and ride as well as any many. Ms. Byrne is an amazing author. She gives you flawed, damaged characters who are so deeply drawn that you find yourself swept away in their stories and invested in their path to redemption, love, and happiness.

That's child abuse!

Damn, I wish his mother could get a divorce, or at least run away with Thorne, maybe even Liam.

Thank God his mother survived!

Crap, I thought Liam would turn out okay. I guess that night was the tipping point. Is Hamish the one who was hanged? Because I wouldn't have minded that.

Did the government allow you to change your last name like that?

What just happened?

Really, Sam, You just met a hot Highlander, and you're thinking you might have to shoot him one day?

What is he, in the mafia? Does he always travel in a pack?

Whoa. She is really taking this acting job seriously. If I didn't know better, I'd think she actually was Alison Ross.

A lot of cursing going on.

Small world.

They did not have that phrase in the 1800's.

Yep, Callum knows.

She keeps tripping up with things that the Scottish-born Alison would know.

He was going to shoot a pregnant cow! Shouldn't he know the signs of labor if he is going to be a cattle baron? Although it is cute how mesmerized he is by the miracle of life.

Shoot, she's pregnant. A baby is always a blessing, though.

Damn, things just escalated quickly. Her brothers-in-law must have followed her.

When did Dorian enter the picture, I wonder.

Aw, I sense a love match between his mother and Callum's father.

Only he could propose, and in the next breath plan their eventual affairs.

Should pregnant women be taking laudanum? I always wondered.

Whose name will she sign on the marriage certificate?

Yeesh, a branding iron? Ouch!

I like how she talks back to His Lairdship.

Does this make the real Alison a bigamist?

Um, guys? Did you forget you're outside, and that he was about to go on a ride with other men?

They're just so cute together!

Colleen was schizophrenic.

Just when you think your problems are over, the cops show up.

Sex on a train.

They say the true test of a relationship is travel.

Ruh-roh!

Haha, I know, right?

Such a great set-up for future books.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

That title makes me a bit embarrassed, but I had fun reading the latest in Kerrigan Byrne's Victorian Rebels series!

Samantha Masters shot her husband dead between the eyes after a failed train robbery, saving the life of Miss Alison, who was en route to Scotland to save her family's estate from the damn Earl of Thorne. Alison (who I believe may be a future heroine) gives her identity to Samantha, giving her the opportunity to start a new life on Alison's estate. All Samantha has to do is keep it out of the hands of the Mackenzie family.

All Gavin, Earl of Thorne, Mackenzie wants is to take over Erradale, the estate he thought he could easily buy off the young ex-patriot. He isn't expecting the firecracker, pistol toting, crack shot, filthy mouthed lass who comes to fight his claim.

Both struggling to hide from ugly pasts, this is an excellent enemies to lovers tale!

What I most enjoyed was Sam's character. She is not afraid of the hero, doesn't take his shit, and fights most of her own battles. Gavin, while a total dick in the beginning, is redeemed by the end. I'm assuming the next in the series will be about the enigmatic Rook.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!