Loved this book. A widowed man with a penchant for all things dangerous finds a woman trapped in a crate shipped to his house. She slowly winds her way into his life and heart, but can he let go of the past? And, can she stay out of the danger that follows her? Can they get through it together or will it be too much?

Hugh Pennington prides himself on being a fair judge of the law and enjoys ballooning in his spare time. Grace Ware is near to death when he opens the crate she had been boxed in; she had escaped from the men responsible for killing her father, who had once been Napoleon's tactical officer. She hides her identity and in spite of herself gets to know Hugh. Her identity is eventually revealed when danger follows her to Hugh's door.

Romancing the Scot is a Pennington family novel, though it isn't necessary to have read the others in the series to enjoy this one.

Grace is an intelligent woman with plenty of guts and determination. Hugh is open to new ideas and is able to discuss things without taking it personally, a wonderful trait in any character. Their relationship develops slowly, and I enjoyed the subtle issues that were brought up in their background as well as with the overall social structures. Most of the intrigue is outside of the social whirl, and here it actually brought the drama to Grace.

Jo is a great character as Hugh's sister and eventually Grace's friend, so I look forward to seeing her story next.

It was a fun but intriguing read! It was a different kind of historical and I really enjoyed it. It brought in hot air ballooning, Napoleon (in a way that is not often done), romance, and espionage. GOOD read!!!

Thanks the Lord not a duke or a marquess again, these past HRs reading months have been just about those. To the point they kind of lost their appealing. I think like viscounts better now. I also like Scotland and I like law. Hence, my life. Aaaand I like secrets ready to explode. So this romance was already starting well. However, I do not particularly enjoy spies' intrigues in HRs; definitely not the closest to my heart.


Plus, it is to be highlighted, I think, that this novel wants to put an important and appreciated focus on certain historical issues that took place at those times. Which I always find to be a plus in this genre. Still, in this case, I found it to partially overshadow the love story, which in turn, sometimes tends to be a bit too flowery for my tastes.


So, this novel certainly possesses subjective and maybe also objective good aspects, but on the love story side it is a bit lacking in my opinion...being this described as a romance I would have expected something more. But I am for sure going to read the next novel in the series, which I hope is going to be Jo's.

Grace found herself in a precarious situation. Clinging to life she was rescued. Life changed at that moment and she would do anything to protect herself. The fear of the unknown consumed her as she stayed at Baronsford. She is hesitant in her new surroundings and does not want to draw attention to herself but that gets pushed to the side when she meets Hugh. After rescuing Grace he begins to feel alive for the first time after a tragic past. Will they come together and fight any obstacle that stands in their way?

Ya había mencionado que me gustan mis romances históricos ligeros y sin tanto drama, no necesito tanta profundidad, solo personajes y situaciones divertidas. Por esta razón no leo sobre espías y cosas así. Romancing the Scot tiene un poco de intriga pero fue la cantidad justa para que yo disfrutara el libro.



Grace Ware es hija de un hombre que peleó al lado de Bonaparte. Aún después de haber terminado la guerra, tiene contacto con el hermano del hermano. Van camino a Bruselas cuando son atacados y para escapar Grace se mete en una caja que después es sellada y enviada por barco al Vizconde Hugh Pennington quien se asombra enormemente al encontrar a una mujer casi muerta en su envío. Entre él y su hermana Jo logran hacer que sobreviva. Grace, temerosa de que la arresten por ser considerada una traidora, finge haber perdido la memoria.



La relación entre los personajes va floreciendo poco a poco y ambos me agradaron mucho. Grace tiene una memoria excepcional y le encanta leer. Hugh es un juez y es la primera vez que encuentro uno como portagonista, generalmente los que leo son caballeros que no hacen muchpo. Hugh es inteligente y terminó enamorándome.



Casi al final del libro conocemos a los padres de Hugh y Jo menciona un poco de su trágica historia. Ya que terminé Romancing the Scot y entré a la página de los autores (al igual que Ilona Andrews, Nikoo y Jim McGoldrick son una pareja que escriben bajo el pseudónimo May McGoldrick) y descubrí que los padres de Hugh y los tíos tienen su propia serie llamada Scottish Dreams. También descubrí que un hermano de Hugh tiene una historia corta en una antología que estoy leyendo.



Así que hay bastante de estos autores que quiero leer y espero hacerlo lo más pronto posible.

Loved this book. It was read over an afternoon. Loved the action, the love, the laugh out loud moments.Great read. Fast paced. Well written. Strong characters.

Grace Ware is running from dangerous enemies. They murdered her father and are determined to kill her. She is rescued from a crate by Hugh Pennington, Viscount Greysteil, but she's afraid that he'll think that she's a traitor to the English. As she struggles to regain her strength from her near death experience, she finds herself attracted to Hugh. Their chemistry is powerful but can it overcome the pain and suffering that they have both experienced. I cared for Grace and Hugh. I wanted them to experience love. They deserve to be together. Grace isn't afraid to stand up for herself and Hugh is an upright and fair man. They are such strong characters. May McGoldrick has written an exciting story filled with passion and romance. The dialogue and the setting drew me into the story. I couldn't stop reading Romancing the Scot until I knew what happened. I can't wait for Lady Josephine's story. I didn't like the way she was treated. The Pennington Family has many stories to tell. I can't wait to read them
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved this book. Grace was just amazing. I love her drive and knew she was the right person for Hugh. Im bursting at the seams to hear more from this author.

This is an intriguing story of a young woman caught up in a web of circumstances involving war, spies, rebellion, and love. Grace is the daughter of a military man, who fought on the wrong side of the English. Hugh is the heir of an earl, and an English magistrate in Scotland. The two meet under what can only be called bizarre circumstances and begin a romance that is entwined with a plot filled with dark mystery and danger. It wasn’t until nearly the end that the reader could determine the identity of the antagonist which kept me interested.
I enjoyed the story and it’s descriptions of the history of the times. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy historical romance.

This book took me a while to finish as it didn’t hold my attention and I cannot really recommend it

These are Awesome Books?! You get swept away, and wished that it never ended! I highly recommend! Thanks! Enjoy!
Carolintallahassee 👒

Grace Ware has just disembarked from her long journey by ship to Antwerp. She is headed into town when she witnesses her father and his servants murders. With enemies hot on her trail, Grace takes aid from some local urchins. Although she escapes, Grace soon finds herself in another conundrum.

Hugh Pennington, Viscount Greysteil and Lord Justice of the Scottish Courts is shocked when he opens up his latest shipment to discover a woman inside. From the looks of it, she is at death's door. Hugh finds no clues to her identity other than some American coins in her pockets and later his sister uncovers a large diamond sown into the mystery woman's dress. Hugh plans to get to the bottom of things and to right the unjustice done to the poor young lady.

Grace Ware must keep her identity secret in order to protect herself until she leaves Hugh's home. She does not want to put such a kind man and his family at risk. With her father having been a military commander close to Napoleon's family and her mother a Jacobite, Grace could be hung for treason. For now, she will claim a loss of memory until another better plan presents itself.

Hugh has been through plenty of death and grief in his time having survived the Napoleonic wars and losing his wife. He is determined that Grace make a full recovery. Hugh knows there is something she is hiding, but the longer they are together, the more protective he becomes of Grace. He must convince her she is safest at his side. Can Hugh learn to open his heart again? How will he feel when he learns all of Grace's secrets?

I am always on the hunt for a good historical and the storyline for new-to-me author May McGoldrick's ROMANCING THE SCOT really drew me in, not to mention the cover! It is a thrill ride from start to finish. War is never pretty and no man who comes home really feels like a hero when he's seen death. Seeing how it effected Hugh is horrifying. He didn't just lose other men close to him during war time, but he also loses his young wife in a terrible way. Hugh does not know it yet, but his heart is ready to heal. Grace is a strong spirited woman who comes into Hugh's life at just the right time. Although she comes close to death, she fights tooth and nail to stay in this world. It takes her and Hugh a while to open up to one another although both have a mutual attraction in the beginning. I loved watching them both grow and find love together. ROMANCING THE SCOT is a magnificent start to the PENNINGTON FAMILY series and I cannot wait to read Ms. McGoldrick's second novel, IT HAPPENED IN THE HIGHLANDS.

I really enjoyed the fresh perspective in this book - this is a new author for me and I cannot wait to read more

Well written some. Loved the characters. What would you do if you opened a crate that is to contain the new basket for your hot air balloon and you also find a half dead woman. This is a fun romance story that will keep you turning the pages to see what these two will do next.

Started a little slow, but the characters and attention to detail was outstanding!

Grace Ware is an enemy of the English crown along with her father, an Irish military commander of Napoleon’s defeated army. On top of that, her mother, was an exiled Scottish Jacobite. On a the way to deliver a new message to the wife of Napolean’s brother things went terribly wrong. Her father and his footmen slain and Grace was in the run for her life. While running from her father’s murderers through the harbor alleyways of Antwerp, she hid in a crate never realizing that said crate would then be sealed moved aboard a ship.Grace’s luck went from bad to worse when the crate was delivered to the home of an aristocrat in the Scottish Borders. Baronsford is the last place she could expect to find safety, and Grace feigns a loss of memory to buy herself time while she recovers.

Hugh Pennington—Viscount Greysteil, Lord Justice of the Scottish Courts, and a hero of the Napoleonic wars—is also a grieving widower with a death wish. When he receives an expected crate from the continent, he is shocked to find a nearly dead woman inside. Her identity is unknown, and the handful of American coins and the precious diamond sown into her dress only deepen her mystery.

*** This was an absolutely terrific read with an amazing adventure and truly sensual romance. Grace had spent her entire life caring for her father after her mother’s passing. Bad enough to have seen her father’s murdered bloody body but when trying to escape she had the misfits to hide in a crate, which was then sealed and loaded onto a ship without food or water for five days. When Hugh Pennington discovered her half dead body it was no wonder she wasn’t forthcoming with information about herself. After the many days it took for her to recover, she discovered she was in the home of a man who had every reason to detest her for her father’s actions during the war.

However, there was even more hurdles to overcome when both began to feel the passion that seemed to be brewing in each others hearts and to realize someone out there was still looking to capture and/or kill Grace for the secrets she was carrying without knowing herself what they were.

Truly a great read and one I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Marilyn Rondeau

I really enjoyed Hugh and Grace's story!

Talk about a crazy start to a relationship!! Being delivered in a box nearly dead is a crazy way to start a relationship. Add to that, that Hugh thinks that Grace has lost her memory. Wow!

McGoldrick does a wonderful job of weaving the mystery in with the romance. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

This story had a lot of surprises, secrets, danger, and love. Grace is a fighter, and I loved the emotional journey of hers. She loses a lot, could lose more, but learns to trust in a man and his family. Hugh's fair justice, even when he is forced to take a closer look at his methods, and willingness to admit wrong doing made him a great hero. This story did not stop moving and kept me wanting more. I enjoyed this story very much and look forward to the next in the series.

I received a copy of this story through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.