I enjoyed this historical romance with all of the characters. The two main characters were Callum Sinclair and Violet Danver.

Violet Danver husband has been executed for treason. The king has decided that she will have to marry a favored knight or suffer his punishment. She not happy that the king is making her marry this man. The man that the king wants is not a good man. So with the help of the king's cousin she escapes but not her daughter.

Callum Sinclair was wounded in a battle and now has return to find out that his wife died in childbirth and his brother was murdered. So when a friend asked him to help by sheltering a person that is in need. He surprised that the person is a woman.

This was a fun story to read. It had a little bit of a mystery to it that was fun to guess.

I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley and BookSprout. This is my honest unbiased opinions.

Callum SInclair is forced into becoming the next Laird for the Sinclair Clan. Violet, the heroine of the story, is forced to flee England once her husband is executed and King Richard directs her to wed an unworthy knight. A friend directs her to Callum Sinclair and his clan lands for protection from King Richard and his choice of suitor for Violet.

To be up front, I love Scotland, books set in Scotland, and am a huge Outlander series fan. I love the novels because the characters are deep and well-rounded. The books are descriptive in nature, whether it is description of the surroundings, characters, or plot of the story. Unfortunately, this proves to be a tough standard for other authors to live up to. The Seduction of Laird Sinclair, compared to the aforementioned series, just doesn’t stand up to that standard.

The writing of this author is very simple and basic. The plot follows suit, and, in my opinion, very shallow. The beginning of the book is very hurried with the set-up of characters and backstory. The character, Violet, is very hasty getting started with a seduction plan once she arrives on Sinclair Lands. Most other fictional books set during the same time period show the female heroines in a more modest light, as they worry about how others view their virtue. Violet and her maid do not seem to worry about this at all. The progression of the book feels forced, as the character development just isn’t there to support a forward trajectory.

I appreciate that I was allowed to receive a copy of The Seduction of Laird Sinclair in exchange for an honest review. However, I do not foresee myself reading any other novels in this series. I was looking for a little more depth.

The Seduction of Laird Sinclair by Kara Griffin

The books follows the trials of Callum Laird Sinclair and Lady Violet who has fled England for fear of persecution.

The story is full of intrigue, murder and superstition. It is a very full entertaining book though it does get very intense at times. It’s a worthwhile read. A good way to while away a winter day. 4.5/5

This book set in the medieval England when when women had little or no rights. The story is about a widow who is sent away to live in Scotland, safe from the court intrigues of England. The plot is predictable, and the heroine seems to have a single goal, to seduce the laird where she had other opportunities to explore and grow. As a modern reader, historical lack of access for women is clear, however when women do not take some initiative, the story is waiting for other people to drive the narrative. Friendliness among women is not well presented and the female villain is predictable. Having a missing child is not enough to add suspense.

Melt-your-Kindle hot and a great romantic story. Loved this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

A lot of books flow a predictable story line.but this one takes a little different path. It still has your happily ever after but makes them work for it. The story is strong and the characters are very good. Take the time to read it. It’s worth it

Absolutely loved this book. A good story with many historical facts. Can't wait to read the other books in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Griffin Publishing for providing an advanced copy of The Seduction of Laird Sinclair. I’m not a big reader of the romance genre, but after finishing this book, I have to admit that my preference has changed. I really enjoyed the entire story, from start to finish. I also appreciated the historical aspects of the book, especially the impact of Haley’s comet. I was happy to discover that all of the characters had their own distinct personalities and that they interacted with one another in a natural way to move the plot forward. Specifically in regards to Callum and Violet, not only were destined lovers, they were also real people, with real problems. Most importantly, I liked that the plot was not just cheesy romance. There were elements of family strife, love, loss, deception, murder, mystery, and betrayal intertwined with Callum and Violet’s love story.

Could not engage with the characters, nor with the plot and the time period. DNFed the book approximately 10% in.

This was a quick read that had mystery and romance. I love the highlands and I loved the men in this book. Yummy. The only problem I had with it was the way the romance was carried out. It drives me crazy when someone keeps saying they can’t be together. Over and over again. I’m not a fan. How many times does someone keeps trying to force it??? Anybody??

But if you love this historical romance genre, I feel like you’ll still enjoy this.
This was a Netgalley ARC from the publisher and I’ve given my honest opinion.

This review was a wee bit hard for me to put into words. You see, I don’t like being overly critical of a book, especially when it had some elements I did really enjoy. At the end of the day and book, however, I got to be me by being truthful to myself. So here goes ..

Kudos to the author for the unusual main couple set up. That usually doesn’t work for me, but she juggled it in such a way I didn’t object. Thank you especially for Callum not claiming to be in love with his lying wench of a deceased wife. No, there wasn’t much to like about her...ever. The torch he carried for her now was more of anger and regret from a hard lesson learned. I’ll just leave it at he was quite gullible/naive years ago and should have seen the writing on the castle wall at the verra beginning.

I did feel and enjoy the main couple’s hot, sizzling at first glance chemistry and banter. I can take an “I want you, but don’t think I can have you” theme. In fact, it can be epic. But I prefer it not be served with heaping doses of wimpy, wishy-washy thinking and behavior.

Violet’s situation was quite different from Callum’s but a tad similar. She had a handsome, pleasant, liked, respected good guy, but mostly absent husband but was not deeply in love with him. Necessity led them to the nuptial altar. She seemed to grieve the loss of a good friend more than anything else when he died. She did love their three year old young daughter, Cora.

What eventually began to kill this story line for me is I can only take so much knuckleheadedness. At least four harmful, in some cases eye rolling scenarios set up to hurt/endanger Violet and at the same time made her look like an idiot for keeping her trap shut about them. Musing about them in her head doesn’t count, folks. One in particular was quite deadly, scary and would have made a great scene for Callum to come to the rescue crawling on his knees to her bedside, but, no, it didn’t turn out that way. Brushed under the rug was more like it.

Throw in the large cast of characters talked about or making appearances, too many, at times out there, complex scenarios of other people’s past and present misdeeds wrecking havoc, along with overly verbiage in general had the words and plot crawling at a snail’s pace. I found myself really wanting the book to end with Violet being reunited with a certain someone she’s been looking for. You know it isn’t a good sign when you are skimming like crazy wanting it all to wrap up. This resulted in my conflicted review. Though I liked parts, overall, the writing didn’t stay consistently on point, so to speak.

Title: The Seduction of Laird Sinclair, Series: Lairds of the North (Book 1), Author: Kara Griffin, Pages: 308, pub. 6/8/20, stand-alone but part of a series, graphic smex later in book, no OW drama. OM seem to always want her, felt overly long/drawn out. Rating: 3 - 3.5 stars.

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review. There is no affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley.)

I enjoyed Callum and Violet's story. It had some unexpected twists. The story line was well written and the characters had great chemistry. Can't wait for the next story in the series.

I enjoyed this tale. Violet is so strong.
Her husband executed,, her daughter abducted by the king, and told she must marry an evil lord. She escapes to Scotland and meets Callum. Callum is a wee bit confused and worried about h I s brother's murder and also who tried to kill him. Great story, and I look forward to the next in this series.

I love finding new authors and books and I'm so glad I found her. Love all Highlander books and this one didn't disappoint.

“Violet shook the confused questions aside and rose”
I too am confused- on how this book made it this far. Let me preface by saying that the storyline, plot, characters are all really good, there is a story there and an interesting one, good characters and a bit of mystery. What killed this book for me was how it was written. It needs an editor and someone with strong grammatical and language skills. I made it to Chapter 12 and said no more, her being stuck in a thorn bush and the only way out was to undress was just absurd. I also did not think her falling into bed so quickly with Callum at all suitable given what she had gone through and the way her character was set up. Again, development would have really helped in this case, there was no "seduction" to speak of, no real romance just her being a whore- which was so not her character.
It’s almost like English was not the first language it was written in and while I can certainly sympathize with that if I was reading a self-published, proof copy, but for the finished published version by an authorized publishing company I was shocked and disappointed. This novel needs more development, more character well-rounding, and organization. I felt like I was reading a high schoolers attempt at writing a novel and this is a published author with many books under belt!. I am sorry about leaving a negative review and I encourage all readers to make up their own minds about it. I received an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

**As a follow up, I did go back and read the entire book cuz I hate leaving a book unfinished. As I have mentioned, there really is a good storyline there, its just not well written or developed.

At a skirmish on the border of Scotland and England, Callum Sinclair is turned upon by his own clan. Severely wounded he's saved by Henry Bolingbrook. When he returns home, his brother is dead and he is now the Laird. Soon Henry calls in his favor from Callum for saving his life, to protect Violet Danvers from King Richard II. Violet is to seduce Callum to insure she can stay, but the immediate attraction will make it easier, or will it.
A difficult emotional relationship ensues. Several murders are a key element of the story. I enjoyed this book, even though Callums' continuous treatment of Violet was frustrating to read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

This story begins with Violet's husband being executed by the king for treason. The king then demands that Violet wed a cruel man who has been a thorn in her side since she was a young girl. With the help of her husband's friend she escapes to Scotland to safety, but the king has taken her young daughter hostage.

At this point we meet Callum, who was ambushed by his own men during a battle with the English. Returned home after recovering from his injuries, he finds his brother (the laird) has been murdered, his wife died in childbed, and he is now the new laird. Callum is in turmoil over the deaths of his family and the attack on himself. He agrees to provide shelter for Violet since he owes a debt to her husband's friend.

The rest of story heavily focuses on the murder mystery and turmoil within Callum's clan. He is so absorbed in his problems that he doesn't appreciate the good woman he has found in Violet. I felt like their romance lacked depth and emotion. She shows up with the plan to seduce the man she is requesting sanctuary from before she even meets him. I didn't love that aspect of their romance, especially since her husband had just been executed. But their love story took a backseat to Callum's dilemmas and there is a lot of drama on that front.

This book was just ok. It lacked all the elements I look forward to in a romance novel. There was just no feels from their romance at all. It was simple, basic and undeveloped. I never got a clear description of what the characters looked like and that makes it hard for me to connect to the story. The only thing that kept me reading was the murder mystery, it was intriguing and I wanted to see how it would play out at the end.

In the end, I just felt like this book had too much going on. The assassination attempt on Callum, his brother's murder, his wife's deceit, a missing cousin, a cousin who keeps trying to murder Violet, and just so much more. Just too much drama taking away from the romance. My favorite part was the reunion of Violet and her daughter, that gave me the feels.

I recieved a copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

The ARC (extended preview) of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I cannot wait to read the rest of this story. I love Samiah's honesty, confidence, and self-awareness. Basically it is discovered through a series of Live Tweets that Samiah's current boyfriend is a catfish of sorts and dating multiple women. She ends up meeting up with the women when she goes to crash the date and they form an instant bond. They spend a wild night together and then return to their own lives with an agreement to continue their new-found friendship.

I'm not sure how far into the actual book I am, but so far it reads more like chick-lit than romance. The plot is an interesting premise and one I'm looking forward to reading more about. I look forward to being able to complete this review when my number comes up at the library.

My Ratings:

5*****I loved this book, consider it an all-time favorite
4**** Thoroughly enjoyed the book and will recommend it
3*** I liked it well enough,
2** Brain Candy - It was okay. Writing mediocre, will
keep/re-read if part of a series
1* didn't like/possibly not finished

Highlander Lite!

If you love Scottish Highlanders, but not too heavily in the rough and tumble, this will be what I'd call a "Highlander Lite" for you. With a role reversal, not the usual who was supposed to seduce who, not this one. Seduction aside, the story is full of danger, betrayal, the author just kept you guessing "who done it"?!?! If you are a history buff, you might love the fact that there are real historical figures in this story, despite being a historical romance fiction, to be able to relate the persons in history, during the medieval period to the story is a perk. An easy read you could finish in one night.

I actually DNFed this book because it didn't hold my attention as most highlander books do. Also, there was some things that happened and were said that I just did NOT agree with.