I had so much fun reading this book. Loved the mythological shifter aspect and that she discovered more about her family roots and found her place in the world. The romantic plotline was well done. I would call this book monster-lite romance.

The magical elements were a whimsical collection of soft magic that worked well for the story and setting. I really loved the Loch Ness monster tie in. It felt fresh and something I definitely haven't read before.

I loved the unfolding of the family secrets and how her relationship with her grandmother especially grew. Just a magical and fun story.

Content: language, explicit

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

This book was such a fun read and I loved every second!

This is not a Christmas romance, but Lana Ferguson really gave with both hands this holiday season! Not only does she gift us a book that has Scottish accents (def listen to the audiobook), but it also has monster peen. I was shocked and soooo pleasantly surprised. I was already giggling and enjoying the banter between the characters, but when the spice hit and then THAT scene occurred I was beyond sold.

To the girlies that have been thinking of maybe trying a shifter monster romance book, this one is for you!!! It’s a nice entry point into the genre while being a feel good book. If you are a seasoned shifter monster romance lover like myself, I think you’ll still enjoy this one because it has a good balance of all of the tropes and the story is sweet.

Also, I highly encourage listening the audiobook while you read for a full on immersive experience and because Samantha Summers and Flint Park do an amazing job! No matter how you do it though, definitely get a copy of Under Loch and Key!

Ugh, I LOVE Lana Ferguson. The first time I read The Nanny, I was hooked on the banter and writing style. I equally enjoyed The Fake Mate, but this book I didn't love AS much. Now it was still a decent read, but a bit too long for me. I think the premise was golden and hilarious, but there is only so much plot that can happen between the two main characters. Overall, I would recommend one of Lana's other books first, but I still love her and cannot wait to see future projects!

After her father’s death, Keyanna (Key) MacKay travels to Scotland to find her estranged grandmother and better understand her father’s past. However, she’s stymied by Lachlan Greer, her grandparents’ sexy Scottish farmhand, who right off the bat despises her for seemingly no reason. When Lachlan exposes his deepest secret to save Key’s life, they both come to realize their relationship may be the *key* to unraveling family mysteries and ensuring that everyone has a happy ending.

Supernatural romance, Scotland... we all know where this one is going. As usual with Lana Ferguson, the chemistry between Key and Lachlan is off the charts. Keyanna’s relationship with her grandmother starts off rough but is tender and sweet as it evolves. I enjoyed the mystery aspect of the story, but it wasn’t mind-blowing; I knew where it was heading. I thought it would be hard to beat werewolf romances in the supernatural romance world, but Lana may have changed my mind!

This one started out strong for me but ended up being a bit of a slog. I liked the chemistry between Lachlan and Keyanna, and the magical realism element was fun, but it did get a little over the top after awhile. The duet style audio narration was excellent though. Definitely the way to read this one!

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley and the LibroFM ALC program for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Lana Ferguson has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I don’t care if it’s humans, wolves, or the lochness monster I want it! This one was such a fun read, with an element of mystery I could not get through this one quick enough. A little monster erotica was super steamy and honestly I loved Lachlan and Key, how their relationship evolved as well as Keys relationship with her grandparents. Parts had me tearing up. Overall it was a fantastic found family, supernatural, mysterious and steamy read.

Thank you to the publisher and author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5⭐️ rounded up.

This was a solid book, but not a favorite for me. I thought the premise was really unique. I just found the middle to really lag and I didn’t like that we didn’t have a full resolution with Brodie. I really enjoyed Key and Lachlan as characters. I thought the mythology and history was super fun. The epilogue was so cute!

“𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦’𝘷𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥, 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘼 𝙈𝙖𝙘𝙆𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣…”

Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson was everything I needed and more! Key just became my favorite Lana Ferguson heroine to date!!! There were several scenes where I felt bad for her, but then she amazed me by how she didn’t let that bring her down!!

Lachlan…. I LOVE HIM!!!!! He was broody, moody, but oh so yummy!! The scene where… well a *certain scene* had me giggling and kicking my feet!

Can I just say, I loved Rhona and Finlay so much!!

This was a paranormal romance, paranormal romance like no other. Have you heard of the Loch ness monster before? Well, grab a cup of coffee and dive into this new story that will have you on the edge of your seat, unable to put down the book for even a second!!!

Lana gives us another great monster romance that feels contemporary and not entirely fantastical! The twist of a Hatfield vs McCoy family feud feeding the curse of the Loch Ness Monster makes for a fantastic starcrossed lovers romance story!

Under Loch and Key was such a great story and I had so much fun reading it! This had a delightful mix of entertaining moments with a romantic comedy vibe, blended with a bit of fantasy and paranormal romance, plus a touch of mystery. I loved the characters and the excellent build to learning their secrets. Everything all together had me excited while reading.

I loved both Keyanna and Lachlan. I felt for Key as she put herself out there to connect with her estranged family. She was strong-willed and I loved her determination. Lachlan was fantastic. He’s grumpy and has secrets but underneath it all, he had a big heart. Together they took verbal sparring to a whole new level thanks to the enemies-to-lovers vibe between them, I loved the animosity and bickering. There is a fine line between love and hate and I was thrilled when the feelings between them bubbled over into more. When that banter changes, it's flirty and playful, and I really enjoyed it. I loved watching their feelings grow as they got to know each other and started to let their guards down. There was a nice amount of heat as well. When Lachlan releases the beast so to speak, holy wow!

I was excited when Keyanna found out about Lachlan’s secrets and everything was revealed. I liked learning about the curse, the magic, and all the mysteries surrounding loch-ness. It creates a bit of drama and intrigue but mostly it was just fun. There were a lot of heartfelt moments mixed into it too. I love the characters involved. Lachlan has friends at a bar that are twins and they were a crazy pair that added a good amount of humor. Key had a sketchy cousin that I had a million questions about. I liked her grandparents and loved the evolution of Keys' relationship with her grandmother.

This was an awesome escape and I enjoyed it all. I love a grumpy guy with a secret and Lachlan’s was a doozy but I liked how Key was there for him and discovered secrets of her own, which brought them to a wonderful happily ever after.

3.75⭐
This was more a me problem, not the book's. While I was expecting just a Scottish story, there was too much of the story focused on the Loch Ness monster. Storytelling and spice were great, I just wasn't that interested in the monster part of it.

I have wanted to read this author since her last paranormal romance, and when I saw this one was set in Scotland, well my love of the country thanks to my Outlander obsession, I knew I had to read it! I was unsure if it would end up actually qualifying as monster romance, but it definitely became that about 3/4 of the way through.

I loved the characters, even if Lachlan was a bit rude at first, it made sense. Even if the rhyme the way he knew it, which we didn’t get the actual full bit to start, made me think that he should have been happy to see her, as I would have interpreted it as she was the “savior” in this case. Which, Keyanna or Key as she preferred to be called, kind of needed something like that in her life after how things had gone for her recently. And once she found out the history between families and what the curse Lachlan was suffering was, of course she made it her mission to help him solve it.

The family history was very unique, but I loved the way it fed into Scottish folklore and mythology. And while things seemed to be kind of straightforward, I loved how the author made some unexpected twists, even one I kind of saw coming, but it was different than I expected. The relationship with her grandmother started out harsh, but seeing how they soon were able to become family, and I loved her grandfather, it made for more than just romance, but also a family reunion story.

And let’s mention quickly the monster romance bit of the story, or should I say monster steamy “bits”, lol. That was fun how the author did it, and again some unexpectedness! My first book by this author that I’ve wanted to read for a few titles now, and I can say this will not be my last! Now to get caught up on those I still need to read!

3.5 ★

some of the family history & rivalry went over the head, but under loch and key was a decently entertaining tale overall. key and lachlan had an endearing connection, as they worked to solve a centuries old mysterious that had been a curse upon both of their families. key's growing bond with the relatives she's never known was a nice touch, providing her a tie to the father she lost and this land that should have always been her home.

thanks to berkley and lana ferguson for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Berkley Romance & PRH Audio for the copy!

Under Loch & Key
By Lana Ferguson
🎧 Narrated by: Samantha Summers and Flint Park
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️

LISTEN. TO. THIS. BY. AUDIO. The narrators were incredible, and it was DUET and Flint Park’s ACCENT was 🔥🔥🔥.

This is the perfect slump breaker book. I thought I was entering a reading slump, and even when I’m not I constantly bounce between books, but once I started Under Loch and Key I could not put it down. Every single character was so intriguing, and the plot zipped along without losing any character depth.

Some people are calling Under Loch and Key a monster romance, and it is very monster romance light - so if you’ve liked previous books by Ferguson, I think you should give it a try. Monster romance curious? This is a great starting place.

Lana Ferguson’s books tend to be on the spicier side of the cartoon cover romances that I’ve read, and this one felt very tame and more slow burn compared to The Fake Mate. It definitely still has spice though!

This gave me “Do Your Worst” by Rosie Danan vibes, which was another enemies to lovers + solve a paranormal mystery books that I’ve loved!

Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson is standalone romantasy novel set in Scotland. We meet Keyanna “Key” MacKay, who recently lost her father, and wants to honor his last wish, to spread his ashes in Scotland. Key flies to her father’s hometown in Scotland, and is determined to meet her estranged family, where he had never returned to Scotland; and needing to learn more about his past. Key will meet her grandparents, as they learn that her father passed away; her grandfather welcomed her with open arms, but her grandmother still held grudges, having never seen her son again; in time her grandmother will openly love Key. Key will try to mend the broken ties between them; and her cousin, Brodie.

Lachlan Greer has his secrets, which he keeps quiet, with only two friends at the pub, who have known his secrets for years. He meets Key, and tends to be nasty to her, with Key not liking him at all. Lachlan, works for Key’s grandparents, gets a view of the lukewarm welcome from her grandmother. When Key attempts to spread her father’s ashes, she slips and comes face to face with the Loch Ness monster.

Key learns that Lachlan is affected by an old curse that affects all Greer men in a Scottish urban mythology revolving around the Loch Ness monster. Key begins to understand that Lachan has been trying to find clues to end the curse. They will begin to work together on trying to find the clues behind the curse; and their attraction brings them even closer and they fall very much in love. Key needs to help save Lachlan and find a way to break the curse. She also discovers that she has been developing strange powers, such as fire from her hands, as well as opening windows and stopping rain.

I really loved Key, as she was great heroine; and learning to love her grandparents. Lachlan turned out to be great, as he had fallen hard for her. I will say I thought there was a lot of smut throughout the last half of the book. Under Loch and Key was fun, lighthearted, family oriented, heartwarming, forgiveness, with a mystery that Key might be able to solve. Under Loch and Key was very well written by Lana Ferguson.

Let me tell you I love a good monster romance. this book is dipping your pinky toe into the monster
romance genre. So if you’re looking for a good intro book, look no further.
Lochland is a Loch Ness monster at night and by day he is a human man and is trying to find the
“key" that would break the curse that will allow him to be fully human again. Enter Keyana, a women
who lost the only family she ever known and now she is trying to connect with her extended family
in Scotland. When Lochland and Keyanna collide they’re instant enemies until they have to come to
get her and figure out how to break the curse.
This book feels like a nice summer read; very light hearted and funny. The banter between the two main
characters is very entertaining, and the spicy scenes were very creative when it came to the
monster inside Lochland. Over all I’ll give the book a 3.5 stars. If you’re expecting a paranormal with
lots of smut, skip this book. If you’re looking for a good summer mystery with medium smut and a
sprinkle of monster romance, this is the book for you.

This is such a perfect introduction if you're someone who's been wanting to dip their toes into monster romance! I think I'd read Lana's grocery list at this point, everything she writes is so much fun! The Scottish setting is PERFECT. I truly loved the relationship between Loch and Key, everything flowed so naturally and realistically for the premise of the book to be what it was.

I'm still unsure if I liked this book or not, but it was entertaining. I was kind of shocked that Lana didn't go THERE (if you know what I mean), but it was a fun read about an urban legend.

monster romance (if you can even call it one)? not for me.

i really wanted to like this one, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. i think if i had the DNF gene, this would have gone into that pile.

but i persevered. it took 6 days, but i finished. still doesn’t change how i feel though.

i just wasn’t connected to the story and i didn’t believe that in a 2-3 month time span, key and lachlan fell in love and broke a curse of 25+ years. and for what, truly?

this book tried really hard to be an enemies to lovers, but there wasn’t enough enemy-ing to really be called that.

there were also a significant amount of plot holes, the characters were not memorable, and i couldn’t keep up with the background of it all.

thank you to berkley pub for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

🌶️🌶️

Thank you to Berkeley and prh audio for the copies, all thoughts are my own.

Hookayyy. I could not stop listening to this! I’m glad I was listening to it as I was reading the ebook version, so I didn’t have to stop reading when I had to run errands. I absolutely adored this book! The lake scene had me like 🥵. Plot wise there weren’t any real surprises in it, all the moves were telegraphed in advance but I still couldn’t put it down!

❤️ Tropes ❤️
💋 paranormal romance
💋 Scottish magic
💋 an ancient curse
💋 Nessie is a dude. A shapeshifting dude

Key definitely has nothing left going for her in the world. She is on her way to spread her Dad’s ashes in his favorite loch and then try to meet his family who wanted nothing to do with her for her entire life so far. Easy peasy. Only some jerk ruins her moment with her dad and insults her. Oh? And he’s staying on her grandparents farm. And he was nicer to her than her own grandma. This is going well.