Absolutely loved this book! You can tell that the time period (early 1300s) was extensively researched and utilized to move the story forward. The romance, and smut, breathed life in to history and worked so well. Iain and Harry were an absolutely amazing couple. A love story for the ages. Harry's wife, Alys, deserves her props too for knowing what she wants and be willing to have a lavender marriage, with children, at that time. It was great to see modern ideals within the timeframe of the book, but it wasn't over done. A perfect blend for anyone who loves historical romances. The nods to Arthurian legend were a great touch, too. Who doesn't dream of a knight in shining armor? Or in Iain's case, black armor. Overall, this was a fun and well-rounded book.

I think about this book often. It is a gripping tale of discovering oneself while building trust and falling in love. But there's heartbreak and mysteriousness too. Can't get enough of Harry and Iain. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Love this book soooo much! 10/10 would recommend and would read again. Would KILL for an audiobook version!

The Scottish Boy is an epic M/M adventure spanning political machinations, medieval tournaments, a country knight slowing winning over a feral, furious boy forced to be his squire, a revenge plot, and everything in between. It’s the sort of epic romantic adventure that has awful villains one loves to hate, and the two MCs inexorably making their way back to each other.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Scottish Boy, and didn’t very much notice how it’s written in the present tense, which I usually try to avoid. It makes the plot very immediate, and helped me to jump into Harry’s shoes and feel the feelings and events that’s happening to him. He struggles with his responsibilities as a poor country knight, and having to wrestle with taking care of his people as a newly minted knight without the guidance of his mother and the knight he was squired to, all the while trying to be the good person he was taught to in actually following through on making Iain his squire.

I loved this, ... and apparently I am at a loss for words. This was such a high stakes novel with tears, laughs and everything in between. Worst part was when I listed to 'Stop the wedding!' by Ashe by coincidence when reading a part of the book that matches really well with the song. Wish we were given a longer epilogue though to be honest.

I simply could not put this down. It’s gripping, romantic, and well-written. Harry and Iain are such well-developed characters who work so well together despite their differences. I loved seeing how their relationship developed alongside the political machinations afoot. Despite the book’s length, the story flew by. I am grateful to have received an ARC and can’t wait to pick up a physical copy!

I absolutely loved this one. I thought I’d enjoy it, I did not expect to love it. I’ve read several thousand gay romance books over the last 15 years and I am always so excited to find historical fantasy or historical fiction. I don’t look for it because it’s realistic, but because I find different times and cultures, religions and politics, and the way society treated those who were not doing as expected (or hiding it) intriguing and often heartbreaking. Always creating so many questions for me as I’ve no experience of it. It makes me want to go be a re-enactor of some sort.

The Story of Harry and Ian is both a romance and a historical fiction. This definitely has a lot of smut scenes - but I found them well done, if not a bit plentiful at times. I enjoyed the mix of history and romance with the tension of war and the military and court combined. The world was well done and it felt lived in. The way the story orients around time makes perfect sense and it creates natural time shifts that really make you feel almost like it’s a diary but without that format. It feels personal. It made me like the characters more, care more for them, and even get mad when they did things I didn’t agree with. They felt like such boys at the start - one literally so, the other on the cusp of manhood with all the sudden responsibility for others besides himself.

I found the language to work perfectly for me and didn’t find it to be overly poetic or wordy. It took a minute to get used to it but, once I did, I was all in. I started with the book but ended up getting the audio from the library and that took this story from 4 to 5 full stars. The voices of all of them are phenomenal. There is enough texture in the voice and enough distinction for a single narrator in this type of story.

Harry as the proud and noble knight who comes from aristocracy but who certainly seems one season away from the poor house and Ian the Scottish captive. The first parts with that theme are compelling - because they make you feel like you are there. I often say if an author can engage my senses, I generally will be invested. This author does that incredibly well. I love the little touches that convey care and love - they were all over in this one. Glances, expressions, touches, the ability to exhale when you are with someone you love. It felt so poignant.

Of course the setting of England and Scotland during this time frame is somewhat familiar for those of us who grew up with movies and books and stories of this period and the reality of life. I suppose some would find this boring, but I was fully invested in it and it truthfully gave me a real desire to read more historical fiction. The smells, how things appear, the having very little and feeling genuinely grateful for every little thing. The flow of life at this time. The politics of course being primary.

When there is a switch to tournaments and more politics and how to keep things running, it felt like a natural next step. Both in the story and where the countries were, and in the romance. There was such a feeling of dread as you have a good sense as to what is going on and what role our two men play in the future.

The last 15% I found so emotional and, frankly, surprising. I didn’t expect it. I hoped for it, for this romance. For a future for them. Time being a part but also what happened as well to both of them. I’d say more but I don’t want to spoil anything.