Thank you NetGalley, Berkely Publishing Group, and Lana Ferguson for this ARC!

3.75/5 stars for me!

I really loved the idea of this book and was super excited to read a book by Lana Ferguson, since I had heard great things about The Fake Mate.

I thought that the concept of the monster and magic brought alot of intrigue to the plot, but I felt like the pacing in the beginning of the book was slow for me personally. I kept getting distracted as I read and I recognize that it was due to needing to set up parts of the plot, but I wasn't pulled in immediately. I did enjoy the banter between the two characters and I'm basically always weak for a sunshin x grumpy pairing.

I didn't personally connect with the FMC which could just be a me thing but she just felt ... there for me. I didn't dislike her or LOVE her but I was like well she's the main character.

While a fun read, I think that there were a few aspects that fell short for me to really love the book. I would reccomend this to people looking for a paranormal romance that isn't just a vampire or werewolves!

So first off idk why but this book started super slow for me. I found myself starting other books instead of picking this one back up. Aka the pacing was ok off to me. Don’t get me wrong there were times I couldn’t put it down but I almost did not get there.

Overall the book was a fun campy monster romance. I just hated the pacing.

3.75 ⭐️

The idea for this book was a lot of fun and it made me quite eager to read this book. I found the setting and characters to be delightful and the banter between Key and Lachlan was funny. My biggest issue with this book that brought it from 5 to 4 stars is primarily how predictable and obvious things with the curse were. It was one of those things that the characters were so confused and it made me genuinely wonder why our MCs suddenly became so dumb when it came to this one thing as everything surrounding the curse and breaking it, especially once we get the big reveal, were quite obvious. I wish the stuff with the curse had just been written with a bit more subtlety since as is, it really just made roll my eyes at the fact that these characters couldn't figure out something so obvious. Also a minor note, toddlers aren't as articulate as the one in this book was, and it made me a bit suspicious about what genius toddlers this character was based on.

Good book, but I did start to get a bit frustrated towards the end when things really ramped up with the curse-breaking component. Overall, the idea was very original and I found Key and Lachlan to be so sweet together.

4.25 ⭐️

*ARC Review*

I was so excited to dive into this book, especially after loving "The Fake Mate" I can say that this was incredibly fun and spicy but I didn't love it more than "The Fake Mate". I think the setting for this book and the idea was so incredibly creative, unique and so well-executed that I was very easily immersed into the story. The beginning almost feels like you're reading a mystery book because there are so many questions (about the monster and the magic) that need answers that it hooked me in very easily. (I recommend going in as blind as possible for maximum enjoyment)

I love enemies to lovers and the banter turned to flirting was fun and it kept me giggling. The way Lachlan called Key "devil woman" had me blushing and the tension between them from the very beginning was amazing. All the Twilight references definitely made me laugh. I think the way Lana made the legend of the Loch Ness monster her own and included Scottish "history" was really interesting and I liked how she weaved Key and her family into it even if I could predict some of the things that happened I still enjoyed them. The smut was also really fun and the way she incorporated the monster aspects was unexpected but appreciated. This book was a lot longer than I thought it would be and toward the middle I did feel like it dragged on a little but I still really enjoyed it. The ending was fun (even if a little predictable) and it gave me everything I wanted. If you liked "The Fake Mate" if you like monster romance, or if you are simply curious about what a romance where the guy is also the Loch Ness monster entails then give this book a chance you might find yourself having a good old time.

I got as an ARC, and I feel so honored to get approved for this book! Lana Ferguson is my Favorite Author, I wasn't sure it could get any better than the Fake Mate ,but I enjoyed and loved this one just as much!
I loved every second of this book!
Found family, loss, plot twist! (I'm a suckered for legends and lore, and this was amazing and made sense) I love how Nessie has a penis lmao!
So funny, never boring or going flat, and a dash of sadness. So well rounded in every possible way!
Www.goodreads.com/mind_ofa_reader

✨ Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Penguin for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ✨

✨ARC Review 4.9 Stars ✨
Publishing Date: December 3,2024

“Love is a living thing. It grows like wild brambles, taking over everything. Love had taken me hostage.”

Brief Summary-
This Paranormal Romance follows Keyanna MacKay whose father has recently passed away. As a result of this, she travels to Scotland to learn more about her father's history, to uncover the secrets of her childhood, and have a chance to connect with her family that her father left behind. Along this journey she meets Lachlan Greer, who is just as riddled with secrets and a curse that has been forced upon him and his ancestors.

What To Expect
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿MMC is from a cursed bloodline
🏞FMC returns to her father's homeland of Scotland as his final request
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Talks of Grief
🏞Sunshine x Grumpy
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Enemies to Lovers
🏞Found Family
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Scottish mythology
🏞He falls first and harder
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Heavy Banter
🏞A race against time
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿"She’s mine"
🏞Hot Scot
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Banter
🏞Monster…antics


My Thoughts:
Keyanna honestly was a hit or miss for me. I didn't love her character but I also didn't hate her. I found her tolerable. I found her to be a bit much. I found her personality to be kinda grating. I adored the storyline and loved Lachlan but found Keyanna to be kinda whinny. I thought the concept was fun and fresh take on Nessie and that it was a breath of freshness to a legend known world over. Lachlan in a sense broke my heart, he lost his father to the curse at a young age and as a result of that he also lost his mother. He was raised by his grandmother and once she passed he was on his own. My heart just wanted this Scottish man to have love in life and boy did he get his happy ending!

I highly recommend this read, if you want a fun, monster romance with a good spice this book is for you.

Guys, this book was EVERYTHING. Lana has a way of writing about the most off the wall random situations and just making magic. I swear, this book had me in its grips. Lachlan and Keyanna were such engaging characters that I just wanted to live in their world. I loved discovering her family history and magic and chaos with Keyanna and I loved watching Lachlan fall into his snarky, jerky, guarded ways. These two played off of each other so well and it was so fun to live in their heads. I will admit that the Loch Ness Monster being a man was a bit of a stretch at times, but Lana pieced it together so perfectly. This book was the perfect balance of steam and spice and mystery and drama and romance and fantasy and I cannot wait to read it again,

When I saw that Lana Ferguson had a new book coming out, and that it was set in Scotland, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! This book is about Keyanna, an orphaned young woman who is returning to her Scottish roots to reconnect with long lost family. Along the way, she meets Lachlan, a grumpy Scotsman who has a secret of his own and a family curse that he’s bound to.

This book was definitely out of my comfort zone. I’m not a regular reader of paranormal romance, but I’m a fan of Lana’s and I love Scotland so this was a fun journey out of my normal reading. I loved the Scottish setting and some of the Scottish family folklore that was incorporated into the story. I actually took a tour of Loch Ness when I visited Scotland, and there is definitely interesting information out there related to all the Nessie sightings and conspiracies. I definitely found myself surprised by some of the spicy scenes and learned that maybe I’m more of a contemporary rom com girl, but it’s fun to read something out of the box every once in a while! I still enjoyed Lana’s classic banter, humor, and appreciate her ability to write all types of romance. I also enjoyed a sneak peek of her upcoming book that sounds like it will be amazing- an enemies to lovers lawyer office romance!

Thank you so much to Lana Ferguson and Berkley Romance for the arc and opportunity to be an early reader and reviewer.

Arc review: 4 ⭐️
Lana Ferguson is an auto buy author for me at this point. I love how she can jump around different romance subgenres successfully. I really liked this book. I enjoyed how it followed the plot line of breaking a curse and uncovering the complicated relationship between two families’ ancestors. The romance and spice definitely hit for me 👌
There was a slight lag in the pacing in the middle of the book, but overall I really enjoyed it!

A book set in Scotland recently captivated me, and I couldn’t put it down! Scotland, with its breathtaking landscapes and rich history, was brought to life beautifully in this story, which masterfully combined romance, fantasy, and mythology.

The relationship between Lachlan and Kay was one of the highlights for me. When they first met, Lachlan saved Kay and, in a moment of exasperation, called her an idiot. That unexpected exchange set the tone for their interactions—full of witty banter and genuine warmth. Watching their connection deepen as the story progressed was both delightful and heartwarming.

The way the author wove Scottish mythology into the narrative added an enchanting layer that made the story even more compelling. The vivid descriptions of Scotland’s rugged beauty made me feel like I was right there with the characters, experiencing the magic of the place.

Lachlan and Kay’s journey, from their fateful meeting to the deep bond they developed, was a joy to follow. This story is a perfect blend of romance, adventure, and a touch of magic, and it’s left me eager to explore more from this author.

How are her books always so good? The world may never know.

I am very particular about my monster romances. But this, THIS, was a monster romance I fully can get behind.

Keyanna was a fantastic FMC. She was sweet and kind but FIERCE and I loved watching her constantly handing Lachlan his balls. On a platter. And Key’s grief for her dad was so PALPABLE. God, it made my heart ache so much.

My favorite thing about Ferguson’s paranormal romances is that they fit in so naturally with the regular world. In The Fake Mate, werewolves were widely accepted, but even though the magic was secret in this book, it wasn’t over the top. They weren’t all powerful, and the magic was deeply ingrained into their history in a place where magic is deeply ingrained into the land’s history.

The romance was also perfect. It was such a well done, well paced, enemies to lovers. And I always appreciate it when they don’t run from their feelings. They both knew they were in love and both planned to tell the other.

The spice was top notch, as it always is, and their chemistry was perfect and off the charts.

I loved this book and I am SO HAPPY I was able to get an ARC of it.

First, I was sold from the moment I found out this book was set in Scotland. Second, I loved Key’s character and the adventure she’s went on. Third, Lachlan is insanely hot. Like who knew monster romances could be so hot??

Overall, this was such a fun book by Lana and if you haven’t read her other books - you definitely need to. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley for the arc <3

3.5 stars - Characters felt flat despite well fleshed out backstories, but the plot was very fun and entertaining. Bonus points for a cryptid shifter MC

I first found Ms. Ferguson through Fated Mates and was hooked. I enjoy the banter and flow of the "monster' books, and how it's part of the story without being the whole story. I was also sold on the story being set in Scotland, and I fully enjoyed the side characters, even when there were ups and downs with the extended family. I was iffy about Lachlan for a bit, which way was he going to go, and then Keyanna as a character I felt so much because I also lost a parent. I could feel what she was going through and really connected with her character.

This is the first I've ever read by Lana Ferguson and certainly won't be the last. I loved the way she handled the romance and the backstory with cryptids and her father's past. I think patrons will really enjoy this grumpy-sunshine romance so we will purchase for the collection.

An entertaining monster romantic comedy. This is my first novel from Lana and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I avidly love cryptids and any books that revolve around them. Admittedly I thought this was going to be a romance of two loch ness monster hunters who fall in love while searching for Nessie and that they would eventually find the evidence they had been searching for.
I was way off but in a good way! If you are tired of werewolves, vampires, or dragon shifters, I definitely recommend this novel. A loch ness monster shifter was not on my bingo card for books I was going to read this year, but I found it to be fun and unique.
I would really love to listen to this audio because Lana Ferguson brought so much life and realism to these characters.

I’m genuinely convinced that there is nothing that Lana Ferguson could write that I would not absolutely adore.
This book was a super easy read that I enjoyed every second of. I could tell where the story was going and honestly that was good in this case!! I thought both of the characters were easy to love, the plot moved at a good pace, and the when the spice happened, it was goooood (I wish we got one more scene!!).
I also think the fanart will be sooooo good for this one (I’m looking at you chapter 24).
One of my favorite things about Lana’s books is that I get so immersed and truly can enjoy every second of it. And she’s the one author whose third act breakups don’t scare me!!
Also the teaser for the next book…yes please!!

This was my first read by Lana and I really enjoyed it. Key is on a mission to get to know her late father better which takes her to Scotland. There she meets family, some who are not so excited she's turned up on their doorstep and others who are elated to have a piece of their family back. Key meets Lachlan, the broody farm hand who thinks she's all parts frivolous and naive. Lachlan on a mission of his own, is searching for answers within the MacKay family and to his dismay will need Key to solve the riddles and puzzles they will face in order to get answers they both seek. This was full of fun banter, all the tension (yum), culture and adventure. I had a really fun time reading this. I love that we get a nessie shifter and that this nessie is a man. Very fun twist on the cryptid. It was easy to read and definitely a page turner. Lachlan is absolutely delicious and such a grump but in the end a huge softie (that's my type!).

Another stunning book by Lana Ferguson! Lachlan and Key were absolutely fantastic. I loved their immediate enemies to lovers chemistry. Their spark was literal FIRE! Literally, there was fire involved :) and of course, the unique monster twist was so different and creative. I loved the acknowledgments where Lana talks about settling on these characters. I laughed, I cried a few times. Lana just continues to shine with Under Loch and Key! Can’t wait to take this book with me to Scotland in a couple weeks, this book put me in the mood for some Scottish romance!

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an early copy!

This is Lana Ferguson's paranormal follow-up to "The Fake Mate", and in this installment she reimagines a twist on the loch ness monster, as a cursed, shapeshifting man. This book is centered around Key visiting Scotland for the first time and uncovering her recently passed dad's past, while seeing how her family plays a role in Lachlan's curse. While the mystery elements are simple and straight-to-the-point, I felt that they were a nice complement the romance and gave space for Key and Lachlan's relationship to develop. I also enjoyed how Lana Ferguson established the Scottish setting.