Lana Ferguson can do no wrong in my eyes. Whether it’s contemporary, or paranormal romance, or honestly just random musings in her broadcast channel, I’m going to read whatever she puts out. Everything is entertaining and engaging, but each book doubles down on how good it can be.

Under Loch and Key is a paranormal romance because it for sure does have some monster smash, but it’s also unexpectedly emotional and gut wrenching. I did not anticipate being weepy over family drama and secrets.

I loved this book. I loved how flirty and sexy some scenes were, but also how it never got in the way of the plot. If I could have made one minor recommendation, it would have had the transition from enemies to allies/lovers go a bit deeper. It felt a bit light-switch-ish for me, and there was opportunity to build trust and build tension that felt missed. All in all though that’s a minor suggestion/complaint and it’s great as it is!

I never thoughtI liked monster romance, then I read this book. Lachlan and Key meet and it is hate at first sight. Key came to Scotland to spread her father's ashes and finally meet her grandparents. What she finds when she gets there is not what she planned. The only one who is happy to see her is her grandpa and the guy who works for her grandparents seems to hate her and she has no idea why.
Lachlan knows he needs to stay away from Key, his family is cursed because of her, but he just can't seem to leave her alone and maybe, just maybe she is the key to breaking the curse. The more time they spend together, the more secrets they uncover and the closer they come to finding the truth of what happened so many years ago.
I thought this was so sweet. I enjoyed there was mystery and fate all intertwined. It was such a fun read and I am more than a little obsessed with Lachlan and his Loch Ness side, if you know what I mean. 4.5 stars.
Thank you to Berkley, Lana Ferguson and Netgalley for an early copy.

This book was surprisingly cute. I honestly expected a little more “monster”, but ended up loving it for exactly what it is. The back and forth between Key and Lachlan was entertaining and felt genuine. This is definitely my favorite Lana Ferguson I have read!

I wasn't familiar with Lana Ferguson prior to Under Loch and Key but I am a sucker for a romance set in Scotland or Ireland, and I find a fun touch of paranormal never leads you astray in love stories. I was so excited to get the chance to read this advance copy.

Key heads to her ancestral homeland to spread her father's ashes. Meeting her long lost family doesn't go quite as expected however, and Key suddenly finds herself at odds with Lachlan, the farmhand on her grandmother's land.

Key and Lachlan have excellent chemistry though I do wish that it had been drawn out slightly longer. It would have kept the pacing better towards the end of the story. The enemies to lovers vibes were immaculate.

Altogether, I felt this was equal parts funny, mysterious, romantic, engaging, and touching. I can't wait to check out other titles by Ferguson.

I did not expect to get approved for an ARC of this book but I had just finished The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson and thought why not give it a shot, when I got the approved email I was so excited!!! I devoured it in three short days! I think this has to be one of my favourites of Lana’s if not my favourite and that’s probably because the atmospheric setting of the Scottish Highlands was so beautiful and magical! She put some great thought and detail into verbally painting the story's backdrop because the land and the history have an important part to play for our characters. I also have to note that although the Scottish people’s dialogue wasn’t written phonetically she did capture some common Scottish colloquialisms this helped even more with the immersion into the Scottish backdrop.

The characters were lovely from our mains to our seconds. I adored Lachlan, he was the perfect grumpy Scottish man, who doesn’t want people to know how much he clings to hope, and he was wonderful for our main girl Keyanna, who was also just the most wonderful female character, I loved her reliance and her desire to help those who need it. Their romance was a central part of the story and was interwoven with a journey to solve a centuries-long problem that Lachlan has been desperate to answer. Their romance blooms as they work together and they both grow as characters through their romantic relationship in healthy ways and that was great to read.

I have to say that Lana Ferguson is one of the top spicy contemporary romance writers that I have read! Her scenes are hot and steamy and she writes them so well, you’ll be flushed. This story definitely had some unique intimate scenes and she pulled them off wonderfully, she doesn’t just throw them in there to have them, they feel like important parts of the story especially in terms of our character's relationship development.

If you’re looking for that next great romance read with a wonderful atmosphere and great main characters as well as side characters I would highly recommend you check out this new book. You’ll maybe even start to question if the Loch Ness Monster really is real and if he’s available!

Under Loch and Key is a new Berkley paranormal romance release that will have you wrapped up in so many elements that are intrinsically interesting: family secrets, Celtic mythology, cryptids, curses, a generations-old family feud... Then you add in some really well executed romance 'ingredients', and you've got yourself a damn good book.

Keyanna MacKay travels to her father's homeland of Scotland to spread his ashes and to meet her family on his side for the first time. A falling-out occurred when he moved to America before Key was born, so she isn't sure what to expect. What she finds is a grumpy farmhand who calls her stupid two-seconds after meeting her (when he saves her from falling into the loch) and an unwelcoming grandmother. Key is all but ready to give up on her hope of connecting with her family when she does fall in the loch, and discovers an ancient, impossible secret about both herself, and the hunky farmhand, Lachlan. After that, she can't leave until she gets to the bottom of the generations-old mystery.

First of all, bravo to the title. What a play on words while directly including the names of the two main characters. Color me impressed. There's something special about a good title, and this one has it.

Let's start with the romance.

Keyanna and Lachlan don't get off to the best start (see above). And with their constant run-ins and a harmless prank, it gets close to EtL (enemies to lovers) territory. And ladies and gentlemen, these two have chemistry! Steamy, sexy chemistry. The force pulling them together is kinetic and so satisfying. Be forewarned that it does creep a little over the line into monster porn (lol) in two of the scenes, but the rest of them are everything, so I can forgive ;-)

What about the plot?

Behind the romance is a mystery. We know Lachlan is hiding something early on through his POV chapters, but we don't find out what it is until Keyanna does. Layers unfold just enough at a time to keep us readers tantalized with new facets to the story. There are secrets being kept on all sides, and Key is...you guessed it, the key to fitting all the pieces together (see what I mean about word play?). This is so much more than a romance, it's a family saga, a mystery, and a literal legend.

If you're looking for a new romance to escape into, this one is well worth your time!

Under Loch and Key is the second book I've read by Lana Ferguson. Just like The Fake Mate, I found myself getting tired of the book by the 60% mark. Once Key and Lachlan got together, I wasn't as interested in the book. I wish the tension and slow burn were drawn out more. I thought Key and Lachlan had good chemistry. I liked the "you're my enemy" tension at the beginning of the book. I enjoyed the way Key was written. Ferguson did an incredible job developing Key and creating an empathetic storyline. The side characters were fine! I liked the layer the grandparents brought to the story. Although some of the plot points were predictable, I found the whole curse storyline interesting. I did find some of the steamier scenes cringey. I skimmed through those passages. Overall, this wasn't my favorite read. Although her stuff isn't bad, I don't think Lana Ferguson is for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

“You’re a real ray of sunshine, you know that?”
“That is what people say about me. Yes”

Who knew that the Loch Ness monster was so hot!! I absolutely adored this book! From start to finish Lana Ferguson created the sweetest most heartwarming story. It is without a doubt my favorite of her books and Keyanna and Lachlan will live in my heart for a long time to come!

After her father’s death Keyanna travels to Scotland to scatter his ashes and reconnect with the family she has never known. But she is not greeted with warmth or open arms and when her attempt to spread her father’s ashes results in her needing to be saved by the rugged but infinitely rude Lachlan Greer, Key is ready to give up and return home. Lachlan's distrust is deeply rooted in their families’ history but when Key discovers his biggest secret and vows to help rather than use it against him he begins to trust and care for her more than he ever thought he could. Together they must unravel the mystery behind the centuries old curse or risk losing each other forever.

I love when a book starts off as an enemies to lovers and ends up being so much more. The way that this story combines family history with magical elements is remarkable. It is smart, funny and filled with the perfect amount of spice. I am a sucker for a well written dual pov and loved that so many of my favorite tropes found their way into this book. Most of all though, I loved that the relationship between Key and Lachlan is incredibly sweet and so full of love.

If you are a fan of paranormal/magical romance then this is a must read!!

Full review on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFE3mwVU/
Fmc: 3/5 stars
Mmc: 4.75/5 stars
Story: 3.75/5 stars
Setting: 4/5 stars
Spice level: 3/5
Spice quality: 4.5/5
Mystery: 3/5

This book was pretty good but the ending fell really flat for me. I loved the complicated family dynamics, the banter between the love interests in the beginning was great but they got together too quickly in my opinion. The sudden switch from hate to absolute love and adoration was like whiplash. Also the cousin being the bad guy was SO predictable it was painful. The big finale fight dialogue was kind of painful to read. Overall it was a good story with interesting folklore interwoven in but the story fell flat by the end.

This was so fun! I’m a sucker for monster romance and I simply could not pass up the opportunity to read a Loch Ness Monster romance.

It was an opposites attract romance set in gorgeous Scotland, about a sunshiney woman who is trying to connect with her recently deceased father’s family, and the grumpy farmhand with a secret who thinks she is part of his family’s curse.

There’s magic and mystery as their secrets start to come out, and they have to learn to work together to try to save Lachlan and his family before it’s too late.

I enjoyed the uniqueness of the story, there’s a good amount of steam, and the setting was fun.

Monster (S)mash

This book was so cute!! It reminded me of a 2000s romcom. A grumpy Scotsman. American girl. A mysterious curse. Overall just a really fun time.

Tropes:
Grumpy Sunshine
Dislike to Love
Forced Proximity
Dual POV
Spicyyyy

This is the first of Lana Ferguson's books that I have read, and I was really excited to try her stuff after seeing how popular The Fake Mate was. However, I think maybe the monster romance type genre isn't for me. With that in mind, I will try to remain as unbiased as possible on all other aspects of the book.

The first third of the book basically felt like you were playing the pronoun game. All of the ambiguous "she's" and "hers" got to be a little too repetitive for me. I understand it was trying to create a sense of mystery about Lachlan's past, but when reading from both perspectives, it just got a bit tedious. If the story had been told her only Key's perspective I think it would have played out okay. The romance was alright? It definitely had the enemies to lovers storyline, and I'm a sucker for that. However, it felt almost too forced.

The riddle felt too easy and I honestly saw all the twists coming. But the book wasn't written to be a suspenseful novel really, so I'll let it slide. I think there was a little of the miscommunication trope with the end of the riddle, but it felt too low-stakes and the fight in the third act didn't read as genuine because of this. Overall, the book was okay, but I don't think that I would recommend it to anyone.

I would usually give two stars, but giving three because I don't want to have the Loch Ness Monster romance of it all to cloud my judgement. I finished the book, it didn't captivate me, but I can see how others may enjoy it.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
🐍 Monster romance
🔮 Magic & mystery
😘 Sarcasm as flirting
🛌Only one barn

Lana knocks it out of the park with whatever she writes but I think paranormal/monster romance is her specialty. I never thought I’d be so attracted to a lochness monster.

Under Loch and Key balances magic, mystery, spice and heartwarming moments perfectly. I don’t know how she does it but I swear Lana keeps getting better with every release. She takes her signature Lana elements like wit, sarcasm, spice and elevates them with each release. The tender moments hit harder and the funny moments had me laughing harder.

Just like with The Fake Mate, Under Loch and Key is a perfect gate way book for anyone who has been hesitant to dive into monster romance. The spice scenes were 😮‍💨😮‍💨 and give you just enough monster elements to have you endlessly craving more.

This is a must pick-up for anyone and I will endlessly recommend it.

3.5⭐️

As a huge fan of The Fake Mate I was so excited to read Lana’s next foray into the paranormal romance world and Under Loch and Key was a solid follow up.

I absolutely loved the atmosphere and Lana did an incredible job of making you feel like you are in Scotland. I could hear the Scottish accents in my head as I read the story. I also really loved the curse breaking plot line and the dynamic between Lachlan and Key.

The only reason I think this didn’t live up to The Fake Mate was simply the pacing. It was a bit slower than I prefer but I think if you’re someone who reads a lot of mysteries (or romances with a mystery subplot) you won’t have as much of an issue with the pacing.

I will admit that I did find the mystery itself to be very predictable but as someone who is primarily a romance reader as long as I get a HEA at the end that’s not a big deal for me.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book to Lana Ferguson fans or anyone that wants to dip their toes into the paranormal/ monster romance world.

Thank you to Berkley, NetGalley, and Lana Ferguson for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgally for providing me with an ARC to Under Loch and Key!!

I think knowing genres before going into a book is really beneficial so I think it should be advertised that this book contains fantasy realism. I saw nothing informing me of this before reading and was pleasantly surprised when I realized the fantasy aspect!

I think this would be such a fun audiobook with all the Scottish accents throughout the book! It does get a tiny bit confusing to read at times, but once you get into the story it flows so well and is a really fun flare compared to most romances being set in America or the UK.

I also believe that if you are already a fan of Lana Ferguson’s writing you will be obsessed with this book. It was not my personal favorite book by her (that would go to ‘The Nanny’ or ‘The Game Changer’) so I would definitely recommend starting with one of those first. I think their writing is a better first introduction to Ferguson.

I was impressed by the depth of the characters despite such a humorous plot. This made me do a deep dive into Scottish lore. The town felt like a charming hallmark escape with just a bit of an edge. Great pace, great characters, beautiful metaphors for grief!!

Keyanna's father passed away and his last dying wish was to return to his home in Scotland. Key has never been to Scotland before and is estranged from her father's family, but she decides to follow her father's dying wish. Key plans to meet her father's family, without giving them a heads up, but first she plans to spread her father's ashes in Loch Ness. Key's father believed that he was saved by the Loch Ness monster when he was younger, so Key thinks it is only appropriate to return him to these waters. As she is readying to spread the ashes, Key meets Lochland a grumpy local who chases her from the lake and brings her to her family. Lochland is hiding a major secret and Key is determined to help him uncover ancient family secrets.

This was cute and moved fast, but the fantasy elements weren't as developed as I would have hoped. Some of the romance scenes were ridiculous to the point of laughable. This book had a great framework, and just needs a bit more fleshing out of the fantasy elements.

UNDER LOCH & KEY
by @lanafergusonwrites
4.25 stars
🗡️📜🗝️🔓⚔️🛡️🪦🔍🕰️
we are now at the 'less than a month until release' portion of under loch & key and i just had to make some edits for this fun, steamy book.

keyanna travels to scotland following the death of her father to reunite with long lost family and learn more about her scottish roots. when she arrives, she meets grumpy local, lachlan, who is working on her family's farm (and is also secretly the LOCH NESS MONSTER lol). what starts out as *dislike* between two members of old feuding families, soon turns to some seriously spicy *like*, as the two work together to find out more about their ancestors and lachlan's cryptid curse.

lana has done such a fantastic job of mixing magical elements with a family saga. i really enjoyed this story and the resolution felt so satisfying. i will wait avidly for her next book - her banter and spice are TOP TIER for me.

thank you for the ARC @berkleyromance and @lanafergusonwrites

4/5 ⭐️

Listen, I love me a good Lana Ferguson book! And for this to be a romance/mystery meets the Lochness monster lore. Lana Ferguson books are just always so fun, light hearted and sweet and this one proves to be the same!

Ill always read your books girl 🤍