Lady Elizabet Harding is an only child to Lord and Lady Dawsey who only see her as their biggest financial asset and promise her to Ferguson Ramsey who ‘purchases her’ to help her parents financially. Laird John MacGregor is a Scottish Highlander, who secretly spends his nights as the Highland Highwayman stealing from corrupt gentry to give back to others.

Their paths cross when he rescues her from her runaway horse and again when he holds up her carriage. When Elizabet is accidentally shot during the encounter, John takes her with him to treat her wound which turns into a month of them getting closer and falling for each other. But knowing that Elizabet is the daughter of Johns enemy and practically engaged to another, she is the one person he can’t get close to to, even if that’s all he wants.

After recovering in the Highlands, John reluctantly returns her home to her parents. But when he sees her in a London ballroom, he can’t stay away. Desperate to get out of her impending marriage, she blackmails John into asking the king for her hand in marriage. The King refuses and, when Elizabet and John try to run away, John is shot and presumed dead. Days later, when she finds out he is still alive, she does whatever she can to go to him.

Just like the previous book in this series, I thoroughly enjoyed it! I don’t mind low steam as long as there is an interesting plot with lots of swoony looks exchanged and romantic phrases whispered, which Ms. McLean definitely delivers in her books!

Steam : There was lots of swoon and one steamy scene.

Tropes: Steam outdoors, Scotland highlanders, Titled hero, Protective alpha hero, Beta hero, Virgin heroine, Instant attraction, Forbidden romance, Suspense/danger, Revenge trope! Forced proximity, Secret identity, ( )

How to Ensnare a Highlander by Michelle McLean
The MacGregor Lairds #2

Robin Hood is a highlander in this book with Laird John MacGregor, sometimes highwayman, playing Robin’s part. His Maid Marian, Lady Elizabet Harding, is a woman he first encounters when he stops her runaway horse.

There are despicable villains that do not get their just desserts, good men trying to right wrongs, a woman trying to avoid a marriage, romance aplenty and eventually an ending that made me smile…but also wonder what will happen in the next book of the series.

For a short book this packed a punch. The dynamics between H/h were fun to read and made me hope they would be able to end up with a HEA together. The heroine was not a shrinking violet and the hero was oh so charming. The dialogue was witty and entertaining and the story fun to read. One scene had me worried (toward the end) and I wondered just how the author planned to make things work out for everyone in the end but that, to me, was great since so often I seem to KNOW how things are going to happen before the characters do ;) There is a hook for the next book in the series and since there is no real closure on the evildoers I am eager to find out when and how they will get their comeuppances.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars ( )