Lana is one of the few authors who can truly get me to read outside of my genre preferences.

No matter what she writes, she writes gold. This story is rooted in loss, family drama, seeking out answers, and discovering who is worthy of your truths. And beyond that, we have a steaming enemies-to-lovers, monster romance, surrounded by family mystery and found family.

Like I said: a masterpiece.

I have truly been loving the Scottish setting for romance books lately—maybe because I recently traveled there myself, maybe because it’s truly just the most gorgeous place to imagine while reading. But this book could have no other setting, since the Loch Ness Monster, Nessie, is one of our main stars.

The banter kept me hooked from one chapter to the next, and the mystery made it so I couldn’t put it down no matter how important a deadline might have been.

Key and Lochlan are the perfect opposites-attract pairing. I loved it when they hated each other, when they started to trust each other, and when they found comfort in one another.

I also have to note that the audiobook is pure 🔥! The narrators absolutely nailed it and listening to Scottish accents in my ear might just be my new favorite romance preference. Well, that and Lochlan’s special…uh…abilities 👀

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
- paranormal/monster romance
- Family mystery
- Found family
- Enemies to lovers
- Family curse
- Opposites attract
- Only you

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson. This is the second of Ferguson's paranormal romances that we have covered on the podcast.

Key McKay ventures to her deceased father's homeland to meet the estranged family she's never met. Her goal is to connect with her only living family while discovering her father's secrets that she once believed to be only fairytales. Lachlan Greer is cursed. The "Key" to lifting this family misfortune may lie with the one woman he wants but can't have. Both put aside fears to work together to discover the answers - and some may not be the happy endings for which they hoped.

What we liked about the book:
- The charm and magic of Scotland and its mythical history.
- A strong female heroine who stands her ground with the hero.
- The connections between friends that surpass time

What we didn't like as much:
- Pacing through the middle section
- Needed more information on how Key develops her magic
- One very long and built-up scene could be removed to delve into the magic themes.

Overall, we enjoyed the book quite a bit. Rae, in particular, found it to be very emotional. Trigger warnings for parental death, grief, and estranged/found family drama.

Phenomenal! Lana is quickly becoming an autobuy author for me. I have read every single one of her books and I think this might have taken my top spot for favorite book of hers. I’m a sucker for anything Scotland and the fact Nessie is a hot cursed Scot? Say less.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: I have mixed opinions about this one. Some of the things I really enjoyed were the supernatural elements, folklore and magic. I felt like Lana Ferguson did a great job developing that, it was much better than I expected. The family story and character development was also more entertaining and satisfying than I thought it might be (I have not enjoyed the authors previous works but really love cryptid stories). My only real complaint about this book isn't even a complaint but more of a personal taste. It was a bit too smutty for me.

My favorite elements by far was the family history aspects and the cryptid incorporation. All in all this was better than I expected.

Perfect Romantasy for those that don’t usually gravitate to the genre! Absolutely ate this up and was one of my most anticipated reads! Lachlan is that bearded, broody, & beautiful book boyfriend you need in your life! A little first chance meeting from the grumpy man after clumsy Key bumps her head is the start of a fun relationship!! It’s a perfect romance with some paranormal vibes, family drama, angst and secrets!

Not many notes. Id recommend this to anyone who likes the idea of fantasy and adventure but actually prefers romance and drama with a side of mystery and spice. Unique enough in plot but also a very easy story to follow.

DNF @ 16%. I’m excited to see more paranormal romance being traditionally published, and was excited to read this. The writing’s fine, but unfortunately everything about the FMC made me grit my teeth. From her dumb name (Key McKay) to her selfishness and defensiveness (flying to Scotland unannounced to spring herself on her estranged grandparents, then getting mad when the MMC saves her from falling in a lake that’s on his property that she’s been trespassing on). I just can’t take this premise for an enemies-to-lovers romance and the instalust seriously.

Love, Love, Love this book! I won't stop recommending it. The author did such a cute job writing it. I love the chemistry, the characters, and the plot line. It was absolutely perfect. I will admit I did have to purchase this one because it was just so dang good. I highly recommend it.

Thank you Net Galley ARC and Berkley Publishing Group

While monster romance isn’t my go-to sub-genre, I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Lana Ferguson. So I was willing to suspend my disbelief at the idea of the Loch Ness Monster being a hunky dude who shapeshifts into the infamous Scottish legend…

I honestly didn’t know what to expect going into Under Loch and Key but, of course, Lana Ferguson didn’t disappoint, delivering a mythical, mystery-filled, mind-blowing, atypical love story. The romance is fiery and passionate and outrageously steamy, and the respective journeys taken by both characters kept me riveted from start to finish.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f monster romance
-frenemies to lovers
-rival families
-a family curse
-Grumpy/sunshine

Listen, we all know I'm trash for everything Lana writes and somehow I was lucky enough to read this one early. Did I read it again when I got the ARC? You bet I did. I love this story so much. Monster fucking, family mysteries, and two people with incredible chemistry who are just tried to figure out more of who they are and you know accidentally fall in love all at the same time.

I loved the pacing in this one so much, making it unputdownable. Loch alone I don't have words other than I may go buy myself a plane ticket to Scotland at this point. Somehow both tender and steamy all in the same well written breath, Lana is a favorite of mine for a reason.

I really enjoyed this author's writing. I haven't read anything by them before, but I really got into the story and the pacing of it. The characters were well developed and lovable.

I don’t do a lot of monster romance but this was a great intro into the genre. I love cryptids so I was hooked as soon as I heard about this. I loved the setting and the characters, the grief they go through and the love they found. I felt like the mystery part was a little confusing and I got lost a bit but overall had a great time and enjoyed the ending! We’re doing this for our January book club!

What a fun story! I wasn’t quite sure where it was going but the little surprises along the way and the hint of mystery was so great! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Key and Lachlan’s evolution in their relationship just worked so well and the fact that she just accepted all the changes in her life made it even better. The ending was so good too. Overall, really enjoyed this one and can’t wait for more paranormal books from Lana!

I realize that I sound like a complete idiot admitting this, but I didn't realize that the main character was *spoiler alert* the ACTUAL loch ness monster until I was much too far into reading Under Loch and Key. This is one of those books that a lot of people will read because of the popularity of the author but, in this case, it doesn't live up to the hype. Lana writes hot bedroom scenes, but the plot was predictable, and plodding.

I have always enjoyed reading paranormal romances, and Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson sounded like a book I would love. It’s a Loch Ness Monster story, which I had never encountered before. Since this was my first book by author Lana Ferguson, I was eager to dive in. Unfortunately, the book didn’t captivate me as I had hoped, and I often found myself putting it down. I did enjoy some aspects of it, especially when it came to learning about the lore of the Loch Ness Monster and the mystery behind breaking the curse.

I appreciated how the FMC, Keyanna, was connecting with her father’s family in Scotland after his death, even though some of them initially treated her poorly. Their behavior stemmed from her father’s sudden departure without explaining his reasons. I loved how she wasn’t going to give up, even when they were being difficult. As they began to open up to her, Key discovered more about her father, and she also found herself a family after her father’s death.

I liked Lachlan, but I didn’t appreciate how he treated Key at first. He is a grump, but he harbors a secret that eventually comes to light, and he becomes close to Key. However, I wasn’t fully invested in their romantic relationship because it felt more physical than emotional. Even by the end of the book, I still wasn’t completely convinced, despite them figuring out the curse, which felt a bit rushed. Overall, it was an okay read, and I give it three stars. I wish I had enjoyed it more since the Loch Ness lore and the mystery of the curse were intriguing, but it just didn’t capture my attention as much as I hoped.

Single/Dual POV: Dual POV.

Standalone or Part of Series: Standalone.

Would I recommend this book? Although I gave this book a 3-star rating, I would still recommend it because other readers may enjoy it more than I did, especially if they have read Lana Ferguson before.

What to Expect:
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Paranormal/Monster Romance
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Enemies to Lovers
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Found Family
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Magic

This was such a pleasant surprise! I was not entirely sure what to expect when I jumped into this one. If you plan to pick this one up, I cannot recommend the audiobook enough, the male narrator has an accent and it was perfection!! I had so much fun with these characters, overall the book was rather lighthearted but it did deal with grief/comfort as well. There will be moments that definitely pull on your heart strings. I loved watching Key and Loch slowly fall for each other and the spice does not disappoint!

If I didn't already love Lana Ferguson's writing this would have solidified it for me.
This has to be the best book she has written to date!
The characters were fun, the legend was well thought out, the air of mystery and betrayal was spot on and the spicy scenes were starting fires.
I laughed, I cried, I swooned and am already itching to reread this.
Much love to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing Group for my copy!!!

Overall, it was a cute concept for a novel, but it felt underdeveloped at times for me and the ending seemed a little too overly simplified. I enjoyed the romance (I’m glad it wasn’t like a full fledged monster romance) and I enjoyed the setting.

Entertaining but not exactly my cup of tea definitely outside my comfort zone for reads. I’ve since been educated on the whole monster romance subgenre - which I don’t think is my jam 🤷🏼‍♀️

This one was also outside my preferences for spice - as in too spicy. I tend to skew more to the closed door, fade to black or less is more.

In this case, I think fans of monster romance and spicy reads will definitely enjoy and be intrigued.

𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐞𝐲
By Lana Ferguson

Read if you 🩷:
• ❤️‍🔥 Enemies to Lovers
• 🐉 Just a hint of Monster Romance
•🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Every Grumpy Man with a Scottish dialect
• ✨ “If you had the chance to change your fate, would ya?”

Key MacKay’s father’s death leaves her with more questions than answers, sending her to Scotland to uncover the mysterious past he kept hidden. When brooding Scotsman Lachlan Greer saves her from a mishap, their paths—and secrets—collide. As Key uncovers her family’s history, strange powers, and a centuries-old curse, Lachlan might hold the answers she seeks—and the key to her heart. Together, they must untangle their shared mystery and decide if their connection is worth the risk.

This is the first book I’ve read by Lana Ferguson and I am now HOOKED! I’m definitely adding her other books to my TBR after reading Keyanna and Lachlan’s romance. I love how while the book is spicier than average for me, there’s still an attention-grabbing plot that never drops. Also, while the reader may see the direction where the ending was headed, there are still twists and surprises for even the most analytic person.

I found myself switching between the audiobook and my physical copy because my eyes are faster than my ears, and I wanted to know what happens! However, if I do reread this one, I’ll definitely stick to just the audiobook because I LOVE the narrators. Flint Park’s Scottish dialect is a joy for any ear that loves a good accent, and Samantha Summers perfectly brings the brightness and chaos of Keyanna out to play in her scenes. This is also the first audiobook I’ve read where the narrators also read their own character’s dialogue during the other character’s POV, which I greatly appreciated as it was easier to keep track of what was happening.

If you’re looking for a magical adventure across the pond, be sure to pick up Under Loch and Key at your favorite local bookstore! This is going to be a romance I recommend to my friends for quite some time.