I love the way I never know what to expect when I start reading a book by Kerrigan Byrne, but what I know I can expect is excellent writing, rich and vivid period details and an epic, character driven romance.

The hero of this story, Gavin St James, Earl of Thorne, grew up with a father who delighted in cruelty. He rejected his father’s tainted Highland legacy to create his own. Gavin is a complex character, seductive, manipulative, haughty, fierce and yet so vulnerable. Admittedly, it took me some time to warm up to this character. Of course, a character doesn’t need to be ‘likeable’ to be a great character.

Samantha Masters was the unwilling member of an outlaw gang and is now a widow on the run. After a harrowing journey across the Atlantic, her first encounter with Gavin is a collision of cultures and the start of an unlikely relationship. Sam is intrigued by her new neighbor, who appears to be a barbarian dressed as a gentleman. Their relationship starts off on the wrong foot and is based on a deception. Sam has come to England with false identification papers of a Scottish heiress whose estate, Erradale, is coveted by Gavin.

Gavin has underestimated her, she is definitely no damsel in distress. Sam is brash, gutsy, witty and not inclined to back down from a fight. She is aware of the depths Gavin is willing to sink to own Erradale but she is determined to keep it away from him. I enjoyed their battle of wills. Gavin usually manipulates or seduces his opponents but in this case, he really has his work cut out for him. Sam gives Gavin a run for his money and she can’t be forced into anything. There is no trust between them. But Sam’s past has way of catching up with her, and she is finally ready to accept Gavin’s much needed help and protection.

This is a solid story, one that captured my attention early on and held it. But in my opinion, it took too long for the story to change from a confrontation to a love story with loyalty, trust and passion. The chemistry between the characters was there, and yet some emotional moments fell a little flat to me. But in the end, this story left me with a smile on my face and I’m looking forward to seeing what other characters and stories Kerrigan Byrne writes next. This book is part of the Victorian Rebels series, but can be read as a standalone.

An advanced copy of this book was generously provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.

The Scot Beds His Bride by Kerrigan Brynne
Victorian Rebels #

Brash, bold and beautiful but is the heroine believable…not in the beginning but perhaps a bit more toward the end of the book…maybe. I wanted to put this book down in the first pages and even at the halfway point because no matter how untamed the United States Wild West might have been in 1880 the heroine did not ring true to me. Raised as a Mormon would her language, attire and behavior be as they were described? At times I felt like this was the story of Annie Oakley (with a bit of Bonnie from Bonnie & Clyde) going to the Scottish Highlands incognito. I persisted in reading because I looked back and realized that the three other books I have read in this series all rated highly and my comments reminded me that I had loved the stories. So…I continued to read…and glad that I did. I never really found the story believable but did find it entertaining. AND since this is fiction first and not necessarily based on fact…I let those niggling thoughts go by the side and immersed myself in the story.

The book begins with a horrific scene from Gavin’s childhood in which he is forced to watch something then experience something no child should ever encounter. His story picks up nearly a quarter of a century later. He is gorgeous, hates his family name, works part-time in a distillery, dislikes his brother, wants independence and sees his future as owner of a piece of land he will raise cattle on…land that belongs to someone else.

Samantha “Sam” Masters’ story begins on a train. She saves a woman’s life by killing a man but then her life is in danger for other reasons and Alison Ross, the woman she saved, offers her identity to Sam in exchange for living on land in Scotland for a year to keep it from returning to the MacKenzie family. Needing a place to hide she takes Alison’s offer and heads to Scotland where the first persons she meets and falls into the arms of (literally) is Gavin. He wants “her” land and she won’t sell it.

With two people both wanting the same land and both willing to do what it takes to keep it the tussle begins. Sam and Gavin have secrets and scars and are damaged souls but they also are more than they appear to be upon first introduction. As the reader gets to know them both better and they get to know one another more intimately the story begins to heat up. When the past arrives to interfere with what seems to be a happily ever after in the making all bets are off and the future less secure – for everyone.

Ultimately I came away glad I had persevered with reading this story. I was satisfied with the ending. I still found this book, in many ways, to be unbelievable. BUT…I enjoyed it thoroughly. And, I would love to know more about Allison, Callum and…The Rook!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

Samantha Masters is on the run from more than just trouble in the west. She’s running from her own actions, her own decisions, and her own demons. Gavin McKenzie isn’t running, he’s hiding in plain sight. Everything that is dark and dangerous within him is hidden behind his handsome face and his easy smile and wit. When these two come together it’s unlike anything the Scottish Highlands have ever beheld.

Sam is one tough heroine with a dirty mouth and the ability to stand up for herself. She doesn’t need someone looking out for her or protecting her. She’s been doing that her whole life. Gavin has one desire and the only way to obtain it is through sharp edged woman that keeps pulling her gun on him. He should find her unappealing. He should be enraged. Instead, he’s finding her compelling and oh so tempting. It makes no sense whatsoever.

This was a slower paced read but without a lot of unnecessary prose. Although Sam is not my favorite type of heroine, with her background she couldn’t be any other way and I accepted her as such. Gavin was more of the alpha hero I like and the fact that he had to keep reminding himself he simply wanted Erradale more than Sam actually made me love him all the more. He just couldn’t lie to himself regarding his feelings for her.

I absolutely loved everything about the secondary characters. They added so much depth to the story while also setting the reader up for future stories. This had a great ending even though there was so much happening all at once and very quickly. I would’ve liked to have seen it expanded a bit.

I have other books by this author on my wish list but this is my first time to actually read anything written by her. I’m currently making plans to check a few things off that list very soon.

This is an honest review of an advanced copy provided by NetGalley St. Martin’s Press.

Dual POV
Safety questions: (view spoiler)
No apparent triggers

Kerrigan Byrne has done it again with her latest release, The Scot Beds His Wife. The story is involved, it has many twists I didn’t see coming, and the flow of the story keeps my attention. Gavin St. James is the Earl of Thorne and the second born legitimate Mackenzie, though he has spent his whole life trying to disassociate himself with his father and that name. You see, Gavin’s father, the Marquess, is or was a terrible man. He was abusive and enjoyed hurting others both physically and mentally, including his own family. Gavin is so close to disowning the name and getting the little piece of land in his possession, that he will never have to rely on the Mackenzie’s again. That is until Samantha Masters, posing as Alison Ross, denied Thorne the land.

What? You say? Samantha Masters is an American wanted for the murder of her highway-robbery husband and she saves the life of Alison Ross. Thus, Alison Ross tells Samantha to become her and take over and reclaim her lands back in Scotland, the very land that Thorne wants. However, she promises to never let a Mackenzie have the land because the laird Mackenzie (Thorne’s father) killer Alison’s father. Yet Thorne needs that land in order to make his severance from the Mackenzie’s complete, though his father has since passed. The name Mackenzie still haunts Thorne from his father’s grave. Sam Alison's alibi to start a new life.

What neither of them expects is to fall in love. In fact, when Sam meets Thorne, she is unimpressed and quite cantankerous to the man. Hell-bent on making sure the land never falls to Thorne. But he falls in love with her free spirit and wild American ways. She falls in love with his heart that is buried under lots of scars. Ahhh. And how satisfying that Ms. Byrne can write. As the two fall in love, we are gifted with beautiful writing.

This kiss was a dynamite shift in the very stars that wrote their fates. It peeled back years from his soul somehow took him back to before he’d become a hunter, and a traveler. Before Colleen had torn what was left of his heart from his chest and left him alone in the world.

If you can be patient with the introductions to all the characters and not put off by Sam’s crass American language (that is completely in character), this story will grow on you and you’ll be smitten in the end.

Even towards the end, she fights her love for him. But it’s her character to not trust since she’s had a tough upbringing. But how sweet Thorne can be when they both have their walls down.

They stood like that for a silent moment. Well, he stood, and she neslted into the cradle of his arms feeling very small, and oddly safe.

It was queer to explore another’s body with parts other than your fingertips.

His shoulder against her cheek was round and firm beneath the fine fabric of his jacket. His biceps swelled beneath her back and the crooks of her legs, tau with the strain of her weight. His lean torso pressed firmly against her sides, rippling with strength.

The “ah ha” moment at the very end is a bonus and makes us eager for the sequel. But no spoilers here! Just know that the ending is worth the wait and the next book proves to be amazing and we can’t wait for it to come out. Thank you, Ms. Byrne, for penning another fabulous novel.

Kerrigan Bryne is a new to me author so I wasn't quite sure what to expect with The Scot Beds his Wife. However, Renee over at Addicted to Romance promised I would love it. She is usually right, so I took a chance.

The Scot, Gavin St. James, Lord Thorne, is a Scottish manwhore. Seriously, the man gets around. So, I wasn't really sure I would ever warm up to him. I am kind of tired of the manwhore thing. But, the prologue is a heartbreaking story of his youth that might have thawed me a little. Gavin wants to buy the land of his neighbor so he can quit working for his brother, Laird Mackenzie and strike out on his own. He hates his family and wants to distance himself. The problem is, the young American girl who has inherited the land won't sell.

Samantha, the American, was married to a criminal that she had to kill. By killing her bastard husband, Samantha saved Allison Ross. Allison, desperate to keep her family farm in Scotland out of the Mackenzie hands, sees an opportunity. Samantha can go to Scotland and pretend to be Allison, save the Ross farmland, and avoid being hanged for her crime. Allison gets to stay in American and marry the man she planed to marry. Samantha jumps at the chance. She was raised in the American West; she can ride, knows how to farm cattle, and shoot better than just about anyone. She is prepared to fight tooth and nail to keep Mackenzie's hands off Ross land but Lord Thorne is distractingly handsome.

I liked Samantha! She is scrappy. Her life has been crappy but she is a survivor. Her and Gavin are oil and water from the moment they meet and she is quick witted enough to keep him on his toes. I don't think anyone but Samantha could be a match for Gavin. Bryne had to give him a foul mouthed, tough as nails American because no one else would be able to stand up to him. And I loved the secondary characters that lived in the area surrounded the Ross farm. They added such levity and depth at times!

Samantha and Gavin both have SO many secrets and these secrets nearly cost them both everything, including their marriage (which starts as a deal, but grows until the secrets unravel!). If you like tough heroines, slightly less than lawful heroes, secrets and lies, and enemies to lovers then The Scot Beds His Wife is a great pick!

This book was everything, Everything, EVERYTHING I was hoping it would be!! My heart is overflowing. Exciting, emotional and so very romantic. Ms. Byrne has a way with these flawed and imperfect characters. You can't help but fall in love with all of them.

Gavin wasn't quite the anti-hero that I thought he was going to be. But I'm very happy about that. While he wasn't an angel, I totally understood where he was coming from and why he did the things he did.

Samantha has so many secrets, I'm amazed she kept a clear head. But she was the perfect person to heal Gavin. And the same for Gavin healing her. I just loved her.

I loved all the side characters and returning characters. It was quite fun to see them. I'm glad Gavin and Samantha aren't the only ones who were healed through this experience.

I have so many things going around my head. Plus I have some high hopes for the next one. In fact, I'm all a flutter with the thought of it. It would be so grand!

I received and ARC for an honest review.

3.75*
The prologue of this book was such a heartbreaking few pages that it sucked me right in. I only wish the rest of the book was as good. Don't get me wrong. There is still a lot to be recommended in this book, it just did not hold my attention as well as the other books. Though the characters and secondary characters are very good and made me laugh and cry. The witty banter and smart and sassy comments throughout the book kept the story going.
Gavin St. James, Earl of Inverthorne and Samantha Masters are two broken people with devastating pasts and very bleak futures. Gavin has hidden his past behind his looks and carousing and making a name for himself. Samantha escaped a life of servitude by running away with and marrying a man who made promises he had no means to keep. After the death of her husband Samantha is offered the an escape and a new life in Scotland, but it doesn't come without secrets of its own and expectations. As the worlds of Gavin and Samantha collide a undeniable attraction grows. Samantha is the first and only woman to hold her own against Gavin with her foul mouth and excellent use her pistols. The secrets and lies that they hide from each other could bring their budding life together crumbling down around them.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

From an off-putting beginning to a hero and heroine who were each hard to like this just wasn't my favorite by Kerrigan Byrne.

We'd met Gavin St James in a previous book. His heroine Sam was an American frontierswoman pretending to be Gavin's neighbor to escape her issues in the US. There is frequently deceit in Byrne's novels, but I felt Sam's was particularly galling. Add that to her odd, chilly, foul-mouthed personality and she just wasn't likable. Gavin was a mediocre hero who never captured my heart.

I swear more than a sailor on shore leave, but Sam's OTT F-bomb droppage made me cringe a little. Maybe another instance of not wanting to read reality? Gavin depended on his looks to get what he want - which painted him as a little more shallow than interesting.

<blockquote><b>"'Women doona fear these hands, they crave them. The doona cringe from my strength, they beg for it. They drop their fans and handkerchiefs. They run into me on purpose only to touch my body.'"</b></blockquote>

I look forward to the next book in this series because it remains a favorite. I know there are readers who will love this book - and I certainly didn't hate it. I just loved the book before this in the series so hard that it made for some tough (and perhaps unfair) comparison.

<blockquote><b>"'I told ye that ye were nothing to me, and that was my biggest lie of all, bonny, because ye've become my reason for everything.'"</b></blockquote>

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book tells the story of Sam Masters and Gavin St. James. Sam is not your traditional heroine since at the beginning of the book she was married to, well a villain. When we first meet Sam she is in fact helping her husband rob a train, up until she shoots him in the head. Which is especially unfortunate as one of her brother-in-laws sees her do it and now she is on the run not only from the law but also from her husband’s family, who are looking for revenge. Luckily on that train she meets Alison Ross, a woman from Scotland who happens to need a stand in on location in order to claim her family’s land. Works out well for Sam, who needs a place to hide out for awhile. Gavin is looking to use that same piece of land in order to get out from under his brother’s thumb however, so Gavin and Sam battle it out over this land dispute. But when Sam’s troubles follow her to Scotland, Gavin vows to protect her.

Overall I liked this book. The plot line, while a little far-fetched in certain parts, was certainly intriguing. And while Sam was most definitely a flawed heroine, she had spirit and was pretty fierce. I tend to appreciate honesty over all else so some pieces of the story line (towards the end) kind of rubbed me the wrong way but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. There was a hell of a lot of flowery language in this book, especially considering how much of a rogue the hero supposedly was, I was surprised how poetic he could be. There was a good amount of swearing in this book, lots of f-bombs, so if you don’t like swearing just be warned. I didn’t mind it though, the characters in this story were fierce and it was fitting with their characters. I would be interested in reading some of the other books in the series.

I have loved everything I've read by Kerrigan Byrne and her latest release is another success. It starts off quite dark but I love dark, intense scenes so I was instantly hooked.
The darkness subsided after that to some degree but there was enough element of menace, adventure, romance and humour to keep me entertained and reading into the wee hours.

I instantly liked the characters Thorne and Samantha. Both are fighters who will do what is necessary to survive. I expected Thorne to be ambitious, tough and kind and I admired Samantha's sense of adventure and her bravery.

This was an exciting, historical romance I didn't want to put down.

What I wouldn't do to hear the Scottish brogue, oh my! I find myself re-reading many sentences just to say it right. Hopefully you have read the other Rebel books, if not no worries, because this one tops them all. An American woman with a past has come to takeover the neighboring land to Gavin's estate. She is a western woman all the way to her bones with her feisty witt and rather crass language, but she's captured Gavin's heart. It's a wonderfully told story with guns, cattle, dirty humor and sexy men. I always enjoy Byrne's style of writing as she captures the language and historical content of the 1880s perfectly, I assume. Even though Hamish Mackenzie was the devil in a kilt he made some rightfully brawny men, only the right woman can tame them. My review was written voluntarily after reading an advanced copy from Netgalley.

The beginning was so good. Sam was on the run and fled to Scotland under an assumed identity with the help of a friend. She was pretending to be the owner of land that Gavin the Earl of Thorne wanted. He was determined to do anything to acquire it. Sam was not what he expected. She swore like a sailor, wore jeans, and was good with a gun. I loved Sam! Being from the Wild West made her quite different than the usual female in a historical novel. Bold and brave are often traits of these types of characters, which Sam was, but she was so much more. There wasn't a meek bone in her body, and she feared nothing. The sparks flew from the instant she and Gavin met. They were both determined and headstrong but the attraction was there. They argued often since he wanted her land and she wasn't willing to give it up.

About half way through Sam discovered something. Suddenly desperation took over, and she was no longer a force to be reckoned with. The amount of secrets she was keeping kept piling up. The worst part is she knew it was all going to blow up in her face but lacked the guts to tell Gavin the truth. The first half of the book was good when the two of them were arguing. Sam already was withholding some important info. If it had stayed that way and she had remained bold and dangerous, I would have liked the second half a lot better. By the end I wasn't shipping them anymore. Gavin deserved better.

This did set up some new characters for future books. I hope the next book is about the mysterious and notorious pirate the Rook. One of my favorite men from this series will be involved in his story. It's also looking like Allison Ross will be getting her own book too. I didn't love this one but can't wait to read the next!

If I were able, I’d actually give it 3.5 stars because I really liked the premise of this story and was so excited to get to read it – but – once I started I was really disappointed. The story itself is good, but, in my opinion, it is a contemporary romance with horses instead of cars. I don’t know, nor have I ever known, anyone who is as foul-mouthed as the heroine in this story and I truly cannot believe you’d have found anyone in that time – male or female – who cussed like that. I think that the author might be trying to appeal to a newer, younger audience, but I don’t know about that. So, I’ll say that while I like the storyline itself, I don’t care for the characters – especially the heroine -- or their language. It took me a week to read this book, and I usually read one in a day – two at most.

Both characters in this book had bad and sad beginnings, his much, much more so than hers. Her parents died and she was raised by a foster family who worked her hard, but they didn’t treat her any differently than they did their own children. It didn’t sound like she was starved or physically abused, just required to work hard. I don’t think that was particularly unusual for the time. He was born to a cruel, evil, abusive father who used his children as punching bags, whipped them (literally) and tried to make them as hateful and abusive as himself.

Both characters handled the pitfalls life threw at them very differently also. When her foster family arranged a marriage for her with someone she didn’t want to marry, she ran off with a handsome ranch hand. She loved him (at least she thought she did) and she thought he loved her. Turns out that he was a bank robber – and she went along with him and his brothers robbing banks. She was a part of the gang – she didn’t like it, but she did still go along with it. She could have left and made her own way at any time. No, it wouldn’t have been easy – but it wasn’t impossible – and she didn’t even try. Seems she made lots of poor choices for herself rather than life dealing her an impossible hand. She just floated along until lives were lost and she ended up shooting her husband between the eyes. Because of his father’s cruel and abusive treatment, Thorne learned to hide his real thoughts and feelings and to deny any emotion. He became a lothario constantly bedding different women – hundreds (maybe thousands) of them. He didn’t beat anyone, he didn’t rob anyone, he just didn’t allow himself to feel anything other than lust.

Gavin St. James, Earl of Thorne wants nothing more than to distance himself from the legacy of his family name, MacKenzie. His father was a brute of a man who terrorized his family and his entire clan. He brutally beat Gavin and even threw him out a second story window of the castle and left him outside in the cold all night. Gavin managed to survive, but his mother ended up blinded. In order to emancipate himself from the MacKenzie name and clan, he has to have a way to earn income. So, he wants to purchase Erradale an abandoned neighboring estate, but the owner has told him very bluntly that she will never sell to him because his father killed her father. He is determined to challenge her however he can to win the estate.

Samantha Masters met Alison Ross during a train robbery. Samantha, her husband and his two brothers were going to rob the train, but not the passengers – and nobody was supposed to get hurt. Suddenly, there was gunfire – and then her husband was in the car with her and he’d just shot the male passenger in the car and had taken Alison hostage. He was going to murder Alison – so Samantha shot him between the eyes. Samantha and Alison had become friends during the train ride – so Alison came up with a plan to save Samantha in gratitude for saving her life. That meant Samantha had to travel to Scotland.

Samantha meets Thorne as soon as she steps off the train in Scotland and she’s determined NOT to have anything to do with him. He’s amazed that there is a female that can resist him. Thus begins a battle of wits, lust, and determination! Then you add in two brothers bent on revenge and you have quite a tale.

I can’t enthusiastically recommend the book, but I will tell you that the premise of the story is a good one. If you don’t mind that a historical ‘feels’ like a contemporary read, and having two foul-mouthed main characters, you might enjoy it – I do see many 5-star reviews.

"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

Gavin St. James, Earl of Thorne, is a notorious Highlander and an unrelenting rake who uses his slightly menacing charm to get what he wants. Samantha Masters has come back to Scotland, with a whole plethora of dangerous secrets from her time spent in the Wild West trailing behind her. When she fears she’s been followed her only hope of protection is to marry & quickly. Gavin is only too willing to provide that service for someone he finds so disturbingly irresistible.
Gavin is handsome, brooding & angry having suffered from a brutal father but he’s fiercely protective caring for his mother & everyone he holds dear. Sam is a feisty gun toting American. The pair verbally spar with each other from their first meeting but there’s also attraction there. The characters have plenty of depth & in their different ways are very likeable. The pace is very good & I found the time flew whilst I was reading & I read well into the night to finish it. I also liked the secondary romance which simmered in the background, also the teaser which I hope will be the next in the series, Callum deserves his HEA! My only criticism is Sam’s language which was definitely from the gutter & dampened my enjoyment of an otherwise very good book
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Murder! Passion! Lies! Sex! Pistols! Family Curses! Smugglers! Lairds! Ok, that was me trying to summarize The Scot Beds His Wife because so freaking much happens in this book and it is almost impossible to describe without giving away too much. A lot happens in this book. A lot. And I enjoyed every melodramatic moment.

American Samantha Masters is on the run when she meets the infuriatingly arrogant Gavin St. James, Earl of Thorne. There are so many moving parts to her story, from how she survived her brutal upbringing, to her new life in the Scottish Highlands trying to protect the very land Gavin demands, to falling for Gavin, to running for her life. Samantha's saga is like something from a Danielle Steel miniseries but with no commercial breaks.

What sets Samantha apart from other Kerrigan Byrne heroines is how impossibly "flawed" she is; it is her actions and fears and stubbornness that drive her further into a web of lies that become achingly painful for her to bear as she falls for Gavin. It is both sweet and heartbreaking watching the closed off Gavin fall against his will for the prickly Samantha, knowing that the lovers are headed for a painful reckoning.

Not only was this unbelievably dramatic with twists and turns, this really was about two loners who finally found or accepted their place in a true family. Speaking of family ties, it was fantastic to see Liam the Demon Highlander not to mention hearing about Dorian. I can't wait for other characters to get their stories told - Callum? Rook? Alison??

The book was a hit and miss for me. I liked the steaminess of Gavin and Sam's romance. There was some definite chemistry between these two. However, thus romance was a little dark for me due to the characters' backstories. I felt like Sam's history and circumstances would be too much for someone to overcome. Also, although I know why she lied and she had my sympathy, I also thought the things she lied about were too big to get over. Most foundling relationships would not recover from such discoveries and I felt the HEA was not entirely deserved by her.

It took me a week to finish this book, not that it was bad or anything, just...ebooks and me this last week have not gone hand in hand. The baby is way too curious about what is going on behind her. The text was tiny too. Poor book never got my full attention.

Gavin really hates his family name, like haaaaaaaate it. He hates his brother too. And that first chapter, damn, messed up family for sure. Though I feel he should forgive his brother and his brother should forgive him. So after a messed up childhood he boinked his way through the world.

Samantha is messed up too. She married a train robber. She ran away to Scotland and pretends to be someone else. Someone who is supposed to hate Gavin's family...

Oh they do clash. Guns a blazing. Tempers flair. Stolen kisses. These two are at each other's throats and not just cos they want to boink, but cos they do irritate each other. But at the same time want to boink. And then they fall in love.

Did I like how she handled one of her secrets...no...not cool. But it all worked out in the end.

Conclusion:
I do wish I had read his brother's book too, these guys are intense!!

Publisher's Description:

The Scot Beds His Wife is the next lush, captivating Victorian romance in the Victorian Rebels series by Kerrigan Byrne.

They’re rebels, scoundrels, and blackguards—dark, dashing men on the wrong side of the law. But for the women who love them, a hint of danger only makes the heart beat faster.

Gavin St. James, Earl of Thorne, is a notorious Highlander and an unrelenting Lothario who uses his slightly menacing charm to get what he wants—including too many women married to other men. But now, Gavin wants to put his shady past behind him...more or less. When a fiery lass who is the heiress to the land he wishes to possess drops into his lap, he sees a perfectly delicious opportunity...

A marriage most convenient

Samantha Masters has come back to Scotland, in a pair of trousers, and with a whole world of dangerous secrets from her time spent in the Wild West trailing behind her. Her only hope of protection is to marry—and to do so quickly. Gavin is only too willing to provide that service for someone he finds so disturbingly irresistible. But even as danger approaches, what begins as a scandalous proposition slowly turns into an all-consuming passion. And Gavin discovers that he will do whatever is necessary to keep the woman he has claimed as his own...

My Thoughts:

A woman running from a less than lawful past with another secret to conceal and a man who wishes to change and also put his shady past behind him. These are the elements that comprise this convoluted tale on Book #5 of the Victorian Rebels series.
Samantha has returned to Scotland to escape her unlawful past in the Wild West. Gavin is also trying to escape an equally unlawful past as a smuggler.
This pair come to a bargain of a marriage of convenience which turns out to be less than convenient after all.
I have read this entire series to date but this one is my least favorite. There is just too much use of the "F" word and the storyline was just not to my liking. It also has a feel of a less than historical story. I know it's not a regency and is a bit more modern as a Victorian title but it feels just too modern.
I gave this book 3.25 of 5.0 stars for storyline and characterization and a sensual rating of 3.5 of 5.0 flames. When the intimacy kicks in it can be rather hot and sensual. However it seems to be a different story when that happens.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this title via NetGalley from the publisher to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

I quite enjoyed this book. I have previously backed away from romance novels because I can't stand when the couple meet and they're having mad passionate sex in the first chapter. This book had such a build up in character and story, that by the time the sex happened, it was hot and steamy – just the way I like it! I love the characters of Sam and Gavin and would definitely like to see more of them in other stories....just to breeze in and see how their lives are going. The only downfall I had with this book was about the amount of swearing in it! I am not a prude by any stretch, but surprisingly enough, I felt a bit uncomfortable with it! That being said, I would definitely look out for this author again and hopefully, read more about Collin and his true love

Thorne despised his father from an early age. Hamish Mackenzie was known for his lack of piety, regardless of whether the target was a woman, an old man or a child. When he wanted to turn his sons into men, he didn't hesitate to use a woman in the worst possible way. His older sons might not be saved, but as for Thorne, his mother wanted to make sure she could save his soul, and that he would not be like his father.
In defending his mother on a day when his father was particularly violent, Thorne was only a boy, and was challenged by his father.

Years have passed, and Thorne becomes a different person. In a matriarchal society, he didn't need his father's name to make himself known and respected. He was Earl of Thorne.

The plot, although sad 'til this point, had an interesting appeal, but when the female character is introduced, it seems that everything was lost.
Samantha is a woman loaded with secrets, I found it difficult to understand how many people she really was, and the final solution was too fast. I could not feel any connection to the characters.
The author already leaves a link to the next story.
3 stars