A sweeping saga of a love story, but it came off a little meh.

This came out under a different name in 2015, and was edited and rereleased. I think that comes across in the book. The bonus is that you can continue to read the series immediately if you fall in love with the world.
The hero, Duncan, is amazing, and his devotion to the heroine is beautiful. The writing is amazing (of course it is, it’s Jennifer Haymore). However, the pacing of the story felt a little off. I’m not sure what it was, but something about this book just never hit a home run with me.

Star Rating: 3/5
Tropes: Insta love, solider/nurse, class difference
CW: Death, violence, injury, medical content

When Grace goes among the wounded at Waterloo, she finds Duncan a wounded Scottish soldier who is from her brother-in-law’s regiment. After nursing him back to health, she is happy to hear she will see him in London. Since they are of different classes, they try to deny their attraction. I received an ARC from NetGalley and the author for my honest review.

The Spinster and Mr. Scott was like a tender pork tenderloin and I enjoyed every bite. These two characters were soft as silk and gentle as a moonbeam. I'm a sensitive sponge and it does my delicate heart good when I read tender romances. I knew from the first page that I'd love these two and that adoration persisted until the final page. Grace and Duncan were an enchanting pair and I wanted these two lovebirds to get married as soon as they met on the battlefield. Wartime nurse and injured soldier isn't a trope utilized much in modern romances, but ooh it was juicy. I personally dallied with becoming a nurse but bailed on my final week of training when I realized I didn't want to change adult diapers or bathe octogenarians I just met. Romances featuring protagonists with inclinations towards medicine is so few and far between that I really wanted to shout "Hello, nurse!" when Grace channeled her inner Florence Nightingale.

The Spinster and Mr. Scott worked on so many levels for me and I was hooked from the first chapter. They had an immediate chemistry and their courtship had a natural, steady progression. Duncan was so patient and determined to win her charms. Scottish heroes already make me howl, but when they're kind and understanding? Oof. It's a whole 'nother ball game. I appreciated that their main quarrel was legitimate as they belonged to different classes in a time period where that was a big deal. The story didn't bother to rely on my most dreaded writing crutch: miscommunication. They made mistakes and Duncan gave such a humble, earnest apology that even I wanted to forgive him! My interest started to wane near the notorious third act breakup, but thankfully our dream team reconciled. Can we just completely nix miscommunication and 11th hour separation from the romance handbook? Asking for a friend.

The Spinster and Mr. Scott was like a refreshing glass of sweet tea straight down the gullet. It was sweet, tender, and made me wish I could order these Highlander heroes from a catalog or something. This is the year of our Lord 2023, surely we have the technology? This was my first foray with this author and I hope to read more from her in the future. She really nailed those gentle interactions and I was immediately invested in our couple's eventual nuptials. When I can practically taste the wedding cake, I know I'm in good hands. I would happily attend the completely fictitious wedding of The Spinster and Mr. Scott any day of the week!

Posted on Jenna Vahue’s Goodreads
4/15/23

Ok. Apparently I have a thing for Scottish men…

Lady Grace meets Duncan on the battlefield of Waterloo. They slowly start to like each other but they know that their love is frown upon. Tow different classes can’t possibly share a life together. She is a lady, he is a soldier, a common man.

Very entertaining story of forbidden love and that sometimes love is all you need in your life. The author has a beautiful story of storytelling which keeps you curious.

I really enjoyed the book. I discovered that forbidden love trope maybe is for me :) and that is surprising!

Highly recommend this story and author. Her books are full of feelings!

The Spinster and Mr. Scott is book one in Jennifer Haymore’s new regency period series, The Highland Knights.

Book one opens on the battelefield the day following the battle at Waterloo, where Lady Grace Carrington is searching for survivors and finds Sergeant Duncan Scott amongst the wounded. Although they are strongly attracted to each other over the coming days they both know that any relationship between them is doomed to failure due to their stations in life.

Soon, Duncan is rewarded for his service by being asked to become part of the newly formed Highland Knights, a group whose goal it will be to root out traitors to England and bring them to justice. With this turn of fortune, Duncan and Grace are brought into each other's company often, because one of the other members of the Highland Knights is Grace's brother in law.

Full of forbidden romance, intrigue, and danger, I found The Spinster and Mr. Scott hard to put down. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series, and this author, in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy of this book for review.

A satisfying read by Jennifer Haymore. Lady Grace meets Duncan Scott on the battlefield of Waterloo in the aftermath of the fight. The attraction is instantaneous, but their differing classes keep them apart. And so begins a heartwarming tale of love overcoming all obstacles. The biggest hurdle is Grace’s father, and Duncan’s own commanding officer. A great addition to the Highland Knights saga!

Love across the class divide in Regency times

Lady Grace Carrington picked her way across the battlefield looking for any survivors. Waterloo and all its imagined gory descriptions! A name to conjure nightmares!
That’s where she finds Scotsman Sergeant Duncan Scott a sheep farmer from the highlands. A world away from home, and centuries away from a woman like Grace.
And yet when Duncan and Grace meet there will be no going back. Soulmates!
Duncan is assigned to be part of a task force to investigate anti monarch organizations back in England with Grace’s brother-in-law Major Sir Robert Campbell. They are all now officially Highland Knights.
Still, how can these two come together separated as they are by class and lineage?
I found the first couple of chapters piqued my interest. a(Although Heyer’s novels dealing with this time and occasion is still the pinnacle as far as I’m concerned.)
The rest of the story is fine if somewhat superficial, yet there’s no doubt about the rightness for each other that these two star crossed lovers have. I could wish for more story and less bedroom scenes. We see no gathering of information about the group the Knights have been assigned to track, only the ending as it affects Grace and Duncan. I’m somewhat confused about how Duncan’s supposedly involved in the gathering of information, yet to my mind the only gathering he does is Grace.
Nonetheless a fine start to a new series with more of the Knights’ tales to come.

A Victory Editing ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

This is a re-release of a book from Jennifer Haymore's Highland Knight's series. The story has been re-worked some with extra scenes. I read the original a while back, and I'm not sure what's new. It was enjoyable to read the first time and enjoyable on a second reading. There were a couple of continuity errors that keeps this from being five stars. However, The Spinster and Mr. Scott is a great story, and I hope that the author will add to the series.

I read this book to relax. To get my mind off reality. And the novel did just what I wanted it to. I loved the characters and the situations they found themselves in. The storyline was just different enough to keep me turning those pages