Her Scottish Scoundrel is the seventh book in the Diamonds in the Rough series. This tells the story of high-born Charlotte, a woman who just wants to be a novelist, and Blayne, a Scottish tavern owner with a secret past. Charlotte initially hired Blayne to be a protective guard as she travels through the city, but upon learning her parents have brought a suitor from America to marry her, she tells them that Blayne is actually her fiancé, because ultimately she has no intention of ever marrying. Over the course of the book, the two get to know each other with a series of mishaps, run-ins with those in society who look down on Blayne, a robbery, and some sneaky kisses. Just when they think they might be able to have a HEA, Blayne’s past arrives in an attempt to ruin everything.

I would rate this 3.5 stars overall. I liked both Charlotte and Blayne as characters, and the plot was interesting. I felt their love story grew at a good pace, though I was frustrated there were what I felt to be an excessive number of parts of this book that were “three days later” or “ten days later” where it was briefly hinted that the two spent time getting to know each other, but the reader did not get to experience it. Also, I wish the ending after the climax was more in depth as well. It seemed to just wrap things up in a very surface way.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hidden secrets and longings of the heart—Blayne and Charlotte take us through a page turning journey to find both. Of course it is the character of each that truly captures your devotion. Who doesn’t love a scoundrel with a compassionate heart or a lady restricted by society who breaks free? Of course, I’ve never read anything by Sophie Barnes that didn’t inspire me snd leave me in my happy place!

Blayne MacNeil has been hiding in plain sight for nearly 20 years because of an event that took place in his youth that involved his father. He runs a tavern in St. Giles and keeps a low profile to keep the law from finding him. Miss Charlotte Russell has a secret of her own and needs a bodyguard to help protect her when she visits her publisher. Her parents have no idea about her writing and plan to marry her off to a wealthy American industrialist. Charlotte is horrified and enlists Blayne to play her fake fiance as well as her bodyguard. When their worlds start to collide, can they protect each other from the worst happening?

I really enjoyed this book and loved that Charlotte was a writer and had a bestseller. She has never wanted to marry enjoying her independence too much. She plans to buy a cottage in the country when she's saved enough except love has a way of thwarted all plans. Blayne was such a stand-up guy who helped Charlotte with everything and had no intention of falling in love with her. I immediately knew who the villain was when Charlotte's publishing company was robbed and her latest manuscript stolen and didn't care for the resolution of that subplot. I also prefer to have an epilogue about the couple and not a preview of the next book. Those 2 criticisms brought the book down to 4 stars for me although neither dampened my enjoyment of the overall story. Ms. Barnes throws enough twists and turns into the story that kept me turning the pages.

Charlotte Russell is a writer, who publishes under an alias who plans to never marry. One day after collecting her earnings from her publishing home is robbed, so she decides she needs a bodyguard and Blayne MacNeil is the perfect person for
the job.
But when she's informed by her parents that they set her marriage with an American businessman, she promotes Blayne to her fiancé.

I really enjoyed this book, even though on some parts I felt the pace was a bit rushed. Charlotte and Blayne were great leading characters. Both of them sacrificed something important for each other but in the end they were rewarded.

This my first book of the author and I'm planning on reading the rest of the series as well.
I received a free ARC and these are my honest opinions.

Charlotte is a very admirable character. Not only is this romantic but it has a good deal of suspense which makes it entertaining, intriguing and shocking. There's a lot going on with both characters but I think they are great for each other, it will take some time to fully detangle this web of deceit but love will always find a way.

Charlotte has been a publishing author in secret. After being robbed on the street she decides to hire Blayne to protect her. Without intending to he ends up pretending to be her fiancé. This was a very enjoyable read. Though I didn't like how Blayne tried to push Charlotte away, but am glad they both made the right decisions in the end.

Charlotte needs a bodyguard to protect her while she drops off her manuscripts to her publisher. She hires Blayne, a rough and tumble Scotsman. When forced to become her fake fiancé, Blayne hopes his past deeds do not come out to harm them. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

Charlotte's secret profession as a writer of slightly scandalous novels sees her travelling through dodgy places in London, so she decides to hire Blayne (who looks rather dodgy himself!) to escort her. Blayne has every intention of ending their arrangement - and yet, still finds himself pretending to be Charlotte's fiancé when she asks it of him. But more than their hearts are at risk if Blayne's past catches up with him.

I wanted this book to last forever. It combined so many of my favourite elements - Scottish scoundrel with a heart of gold, woman secretly making a living as an author, said woman owning a pistol, a shrewd opponent as the other suitor, lovable side characters, dark family past, etc. I could go on. Basically, this was exactly my kind of romance. I adored Charlotte and Blayne as characters, especially together! I will certainly be checking out Barnes' other novels.

While I did enjoy the progression of the romance and the connection between Blayne and Charlotte, I think that things were resolved too quickly at the end, and also with no effort on behalf of the couple and their friends. The villain (in two cases) just showed up and basically monologued their plans. So, I'm basically thinking that this novel ended a few chapters before it did, because I would've preferred no resolution to the ending that happened.

I received this book for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Riveting and adventurous and of course steamy all the things you look for in a historical romance.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a decent historical romance with a strong heroine and a protective hero. I liked that he didn't minimize her love for shooting nor patronize her desires to be a writer. He loved those independent qualities. I wasn't crazy about his constant need to hid his past and push Charlotte away due to his secrets. His constant push and pull, made their love seem trivial. Glad he got it together at the end.

When Charlotte hires Blayne to be her bodyguard and then fake-fiancée, she never intends to fall for him. Charlotte wants to remain unattached and pursue her writing dreams. Blayne has never wanted love in his life either until he sees Charlotte, and she captivates him with her intellect, beauty, and fiery spirit.

Blayne and Charlotte enter into their fake-engagement certain that it will remain fake, and they will part ways once Charlotte makes enough money to live independently. Charlotte’s family doesn’t approve of the pairing, especially considering they arranged a union between Charlotte and one of their American business associates. Plus, Blayne and Charlotte both have secrets that they’re afraid to share. However, when secrets from Blayne’s past come back to haunt him and threaten his future with Charlotte, both must decide if their love is worth fighting for. Can this mismatched pair find their happily-ever-after?

I love Charlotte!! She is smart and brave, and she refuses to become beholden to a man. She yearns for independence and the freedom to pursue her literary goals. She also rejects the rules of society and instead follows her own set of rules. I love that she marches to the beat of her own drum even though she is judged harshly for it, especially by her own family. Charlotte is often underestimated because of her gender, but she repeatedly proves that she is as (if not more) strong and resilient as the men in her life. I love her take-charge attitude and passionate spirit, as well as her kindness.

However, Charlotte is helpless in many ways and has no one to turn to. She is a woman in a patriarchal society and family, and this limits her choices. Charlotte dislikes the society that her parents have forced her to be a part of and wishes for something more. She is a woman ahead of her time, which is one of the qualities that draws Blayne to her.

Blayne is one of the few people to really see Charlotte, understand her, and support her. The pair brings out the best in each other, and their characters are dynamically developed. Unfortunately, Blayne doesn’t feel like he is good enough for Charlotte. She is wealthy, and he is not. He has deadly secrets in his past, and he doesn’t want to burden her with his problems. Though he had a privileged upbringing, he does not live a life of privilege, and he is not a part of the ton like Charlotte. Luckily, Charlotte does not care.

I absolutely love the romance between Charlotte and Blayne! It is deep and passionate, filled with sexual tension, and lovely. Blayne admires Charlotte’s fiery, independent spirit and take-charge personality from the moment he first lays eyes on her. Their connection is amazing, and though they are from different worlds and are opposites in many ways, they complement each other well. I love their intellectual discussions, their shared love of literature, their continual efforts to find time to spend together, and their mutual desires to lead lives that are very different from what people expect. Two independent people who don’t quite fit into the expectations and standards of society, their respect for, attraction to, and support of each other makes for an epic romance! I also love that they save each other at different points in the story. It says so much about the characters and about their relationship. From the beginning, they have a partnership and are equals in every way.

I also like many of the secondary characters, especially Charlotte’s maid and Blayne’s friends. They are a wonderful support system and prove that family doesn’t always include blood relations. Hopefully, we’ll see more of them in future books in the series!

The mystery of Blayne’s past, as well as the mystery of Charlotte’s stolen manuscript, are intriguing and add suspense to this captivating romance. Will we find out what Blayne did in the past? Who stole Charlotte’s manuscript? Will Charlotte’s parents get their way and marry Charlotte off to one of their business associates?

Secrets, a fake engagement, stolen manuscripts, a murky past, and a sexy romance make for a well-paced and captivating read. I think people who enjoy historical romances will love this addition to the Diamonds in the Rough series, and though it is the fifth book in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Sophie Barnes for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
A typical Regency romance that quickly grabbed my attention. There were a few errors that made me cringe, however. At one point the character's name is changed to Louise (just for one sentence) and then the love interest is referred to by the wrong name as well. Minor errors that I'm sure will be fixed before publication, but frustrating all the same.

I enjoyed this book. I found the characters interesting and I would continue to read books from this author.