I just finished reading this and enjoyed it immensely! The Scot of the title, Arran, was well-developed -- a proud laird of a large clan, who married Margot in order to help England/Scotland politics. Margot was a typical 18 year of the arly 1700s (and later), with her personal life proscribed by her male relatives. Thrown into marriage with barbarian Scot, she first runs and then returns under orders from father and oldest brother. But she's grown up and grown a backbone as well! Suffice it to say, all ends well. Can't wait for next book in the series!

I firt received this as an ARC in exchange for a review. Looks like it got out into the public before I got around to writing this!

What an entertaining book, full of secrets, espionage and unfulfilled love. Ms. London has written a page turner featuring spoiled English lady, Margot Armstrong, and her wild Scottish husband, Arran McKenzie. Margot's father has no qualms about bartering his only daughter away into a marriage that will increase his wealth and land holdings. Having never experienced life outside of London society, Margot is horrified when she is taken to the McKenzie stronghold in the highlands of Scotland. The people and customs are strange to her and even though Arran aroused passion in her she never knew existed, it's not enough for her to stay. When she flees back to London, she has no idea that she has left a heartbroken Scot behind.

Ms. London weaves an unforgettable story of secrets, lies and misunderstandings. I loved Arran's strength and his commitment to being the best Laird he can be for his people. Even though he succeeds in bringing wealth into his clan, there is an emptiness inside him that cannot be filled. The interactions between Arran and Margot when she returns to her husband is believable and not instant forgiveness that would have certainly diminished the story. The danger woven into the story kept me glued to the pages and I couldn't read fast enough to see if Arran and Margot would survive the events set into play by Margot's greedy father and brother. Fans of Scottish romances will definitely love this story. Highly recommended.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book from Julia London. In the past I have had troubles connecting with her books but in this case I found myself wanting to keep reading, The premise, an estranged married couple trying to co-exist again, was attractive and interesting. The book jumps back and forth within the timeline in the first couple of chapters which makes it a bit tedious. The characters (main and secondary) could use a bit more depth. We don't know much about them and the lack of depth makes a lot of the scenes repetitive. The book could also use more of a backstory. After finishing the book, I am still a bit unsure of why and how their marriage came to be.

I’m a new Julia London reader. What attracted me to Wild Wicked Scot was the Scot part of the title, (I do have a thing for those highlanders!) and of course the premise. Margot Armstrong was basically a child bride, forced into an arranged marriage at 18 to Arran. And while Arran was very good to his virgin bride in the bedroom, that was the only place they connected. She was spoiled back in England. Spoiled with a capital S P O I L E D! She came to the highlands completely clueless as to the way of life and her condescending attitude did not go very far with the clan. Arran knew all of this. He knew she was struggling but he blew it off, until she left.

You want to know what made me appreciate this story so much? It started in the middle and there were not a lot of flashbacks; in fact, I’d call them beefy memories instead of flashbacks. I’m not a fan of flashbacks. In all of this, London was able to convey to me an understanding of both sides. I found myself sympathizing with Margot, the spoiled little princess. Turn the dial and all of a sudden Margot is the devil that dumped our hero. And there was depth to these emotions. I was a conflicted, conflicted reader, my friend. This couple wronged each other. They hurt each other. Really…a little communication would go a long way, right? Bump forward a few years, Margot is back and not much has changed in the Highlands…except for Margot herself. And the new Margot might be even more irresistible to Arran even if he cannot trust her. And oh boy, do they have trust issues!

Wild Wicked Scot is a very good start to a new series. With a catalogue like Julia London’s I would expect to get well-rounded characters and smart story telling. Throw in some political intrigue and all of a sudden this became a story that I did not want to stop reading. I think it is fair to say that I enjoyed this installment to the series very much. And a little web searching tells me that book two in the Highland Grooms series is coming soon to a kindle near me, namely the end of February.

Definitely some lively parts!

As a young girl, English Margot Armstrong romanticized marriage. She falls in love at a glance with Scottish chieftain, Arran McKenzie and heads off to the highlands for her dream HEA, only to discover that life is far different in the raw highlands to the English society she'd inhabited and grew up in.
Fortunately Margot takes well to her wifely duties in the marriage bed. Outside of that she's like a fish out of water. Misunderstandings lead to Margot leaving her husband--to return three years later after being persuaded by her father that her husband Arran is a traitor and her father will be involved. Only Margot has the power to clear her family's name. Margot's father is a despicable villain of the first water.
I found the beginning slow, and for some reason, the end seemed too hurried.
The Wild Scott, Arran just seemed not quite as I imagined him.
Don't be mistaken, I liked both main characters but Margot was hampered from the start by her tantrums and the character flaws she'd been imbued with. They are both Interesting characters that needed more time to develop. Whilst the survival scenes are important, I found they dragged on a tad.
Still for all this, an enjoyable read.
3.5 stars

A NetGalley ARC

All reviews appear on Amazon, Goodreads plus Gr Facebook, LibraryThing plus LT Twitter, eyes.2c review blog (December 2016)

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy of this one. Wild Wicked Scot by Julia London was a great read, and one that I gobbled down in just one day! There are some books that you just can't put down or read fast enough and this is one of them! I am beyond excited that this is the first in a new series and I can't wait for book two!

Book one features Margot Armstrong, a young and inexperienced English lady and Arran McKenzie, Scottish Clan leader. The two had an arranged marriage and couldn't be more different in personality. Despite the natural passion that ran between them Margot runs away and returns to England.

Three years later she is sent back to Scotland by her father to spy on her husband. Although, deep down she is convinced that the Arran she was married too couldn't be a traitor she has to find out for sure. In her quest for the truth Margo finds out a lot about Arran, including some things she didn't see as a new bride. She also finds out a lot about herself and how she could have settled into the Scottish Castle a little better all those years ago. Arran doesn't want to trust Margot when she comes back, but he is making some of the same discoveries about himself, Margo and their marriage.

Watching Margo and Arran work through their differences and overcome huge obstacles is a pleasure, and a good reminder that marriage isn't perfect and sometimes you have to work really hard at it. This book is full of witty dialogue, and it has plenty of steamy moments for the pair as well! Highly recommended!

I really loved this book. I think every next Julia London book just gets better and better.

London writes hot, brutish, proud Scots like no other. The first in a series of English ladies fighting with and falling for Mackenzie men. This is a series to stick with.