"The Lyon's Laird" is not worth your time. Not recommended. Anemic writing (with some pitiful editing) matched with a weak plot is not a good combination.

Thanks for NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for my review.

Evangeline is nearing 30, single, and satisfied to live the rest of her life quietly with her loving mother and father, comfortably middle class folks in London. Years ago, she had an exciting affair with an aristocrat -- she knew he would not marry her but she gladly slept with him anyway -- which came to a terrible end when they were caught having sex in a public park. Her lover abandoned her (naked, with only a picnic blanket to cover her), and a woman who was one of the many witnesses to this indiscretion fell on Evangeline, breaking her leg. The leg did not heal properly so now Evangeline has a limp as a daily reminder of her scandal.

Right. So, sure, this well-bred young woman agrees to throw her "virtue" -- one of the things that women were supposed to cling to -- out the window and enjoy an exhibitionist affair. And not only do they get caught, HER LEG GETS BROKEN? Right.

Camren (UGH, please, this not a name at this point in time) is a Scottish laird, handsome, wealthy, charming, intelligent. He's come to London on business, whisky business. Soon after they arrive in town, he and his friend/business partner Gideon receive a sought-after invitation to a notorious gambling den. They decide to check it out, and Camren ends up losing a card game. His "punishment" is marriage to Evangeline.

Turns out Evangeline's loving mother and father desperately want her to get married, so they have made arrangements with the owner of the gambling den to set up a card game where the LOSER has to MARRY their child.

And Camren's like, oh, well, what can you do, needs must, I'm honor bound, etc etc. He has *no problem* that his new fiancee, whom he does not know, had an affair which ended with her public humiliation in a park. And Evangeline makes a little noise about how this won't work, but she and Camren have a heavy make out session on the second day of their acquaintance so she figures what the heck.

It is all amazingly stupid. Turns out Camren is *divorced* -- the book says that the church granted him a divorce because his first wife was a cheater, but you know what? Churches don't grant DIVORCES, they grant ANNULMENTS (see note above about editing) -- and he has some jealousy issues which only briefly pop up when the asshole former lover shows up once or twice. The first wife/divorce thing is only crammed in to give him a reason to be He-Man-ish. Ugh. Never to be referred to again.

Evangeline has a sneaky cousin who tries to undermine everything, That lasts about two chapters and then goes away. She's such a caricature of an evil bitch that it's ridiculous that Camren would have fallen for her clunky attempts at damage.

One outstanding editing mistake: Day three or four of their engagement, Evangeline calls him "Camren," to his face. I'm like, uhhhhh, noooooo, no you don't. And seriously, two or three pages later, BOTH Evangeline and Camren think about the fact that it is too soon for them to use each other's first names. Like that whole scene two or three pages previous had not happened. Did no one check this book?

(Anyway, they get married, have lots of hot sex, he gets hurt, he gets better, they move to Scotland, she tells off his mistress -- YOU CAN'T TOUCH MAH MAN -- the end.)

Overall, it's just weak. Weak transitions, weak characters, poor dialogue. All bad. Please don't bother to read this book.