It's Getting Scot in Here

Scottish hijinks!

I must say, I enjoyed this immensely. Nothing like the brawny alpha males being dragged into doing something against their will. Backstory--the Sassenach mother of three young sons, Coll, Aden, and Niall fled to London from the wilds of the Highlands for her own good reasons, taking their young sister Eloise. Now comes the tricky part. Upon her marriage Francesca controlled the purse strings (highly unusual). But then her father, the Viscount of Hornford "had more money than Midas and a bevy of very fine solicitors." Part of the agreement when Francesca fled Aldriss Park was that come marriageable age, the boys must marry English women before their sister married else the funds supporting Aldriss Park and Clan Ross show more would be forfeited.
Francesca has selected a bride for the eldest, Coll MacTaggert, Viscount Glendarril, the epitome of barbarian Scotsman who won't be told. However, when his mother's choice of bride, Amelia-Rose Hyacinth Baxter answers Coll somewhat tartly he storms out--of their very public theater box no less! It appears Coll is looking for an insipid bride whom he can leave to fade into obscurity in London, whilst he stays in the Highlands master of his own life, apart from the obligatory getting an heir visit. Even that had more strings attached!
And this is where things become interesting as the younger MacTaggert brother Niall keeps trying to rescue the situation. Of course he becomes madly attracted to the proposed bride. But what can he do? There's the legal agreement and the tenants and retainers of Aldriss Park all depending on them to 'bring home the bacon', as it t'were.
Couple all this with Amelia-Rose's situation. She has the prune faced mother who bemoans missing out on marrying a title and who sees her daughter as fulfilling these ambitions. Never mind the cost. (Mind you I just finished watching a movie about the Duchess if Devonshire so I was well and truly upset with the double standards for men, and the various ambitions of the ton.) Amelia's dilemma played into my already jaundiced view.
A witty tale with amusing interludes and selected moments of heavy breathing. I so disliked Francesca, but came to quite enjoy her towards the end. She's still a bit of a mystery. And just exactly why does she have so much social power in the drawing rooms of London?
A stand out, stimulating read especially when viewed against so many other Highlander romantic efforts set in this era.
I am oh so looking forward to the future novels in this series!

A NetGalley ARC show less

3.7 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Before she could face forward again, he caught her gaze with those impossibly light-green eyes of his. “Too late. I’m already charmed, adae. Whether ye dunnae wish me to tell ye so or not.” And she was charmed, as well. If only he’d been the oldest MacTaggert. If only her mother wasn’t mad for a title in the family. If only, if only, if only.

Wild Wicked Highlanders is a new series by Enoch involving an English woman who married a Highlander, found she missed London and when the shine comes off their whirlwind romance, their combined stubbornness had her taking her baby daughter to show more live in London and leaving behind her three boys. Seventeen years later, with only a handful of letters exchanged, the sons learn that their father signed an agreement stating that his son's have to marry, Englishwomen at that, before the daughter, with their mother directly picking at least one woman for one son or their mother can cut off funding for their home. The three sons angrily travel to London after learning their sister is engaged, thinking they'll be able to intimidate anything English to get out of the mess. Once arrived, they learn there is already a contract drawn up for Coll, the eldest, to marry an Englishwoman named Amelia-Rose. Coll, not used to being in control or getting his way, turns into a beastly Highlander and leaves his youngest brother Niall, the peacemaker, to smooth things over with Ameila-Rose. What follows is an insanely romantic at times, complete journey between two people just wanting to love one another.

And then he’d said that he found her charming, which had kept her awake all night.

At well over 300pgs, this was a little longer than romances have been clocking in lately and it showed, for the better. I was a little nervous about the engaged to one brother but falling in love with another but even though it was a little awkward in the beginning with how the author kept Coll out of the picture, and he'll have to work extra hard in his own book to make me forget how immature and rude he was in the beginning, I was all-in for Niall and Amelia-Rose's romance. With a higher page count, the author had the time to bring the reader in, this means I felt introduced and had a stable footing to grow to know the characters and immerse myself in their thoughts and feelings. There is a quick spark between Niall and Amelia-Rose but they obviously can't act on it right away, there was an actual getting to know, gradually appreciate, and bonding between the two. This made the second part of the book and ending so much more emotional for me, I believed in them.

Time to begin again. And this time, he’d be wooing the lass for himself.

Niall was a sexy sweet hero, he really shined because of the contrast with his older brother and his antics but the way he listens to the heroine and his self-assured “I am what I am” in the face of London superiority complexes was greatly attractive. I really liked how the author handled the tangled weave of him falling in love with what is supposed to be his brother's betrothed. There's no emotional connection between Coll and Amelia-Rose but Niall stills try to respect it, which gave us some great barely leashed restraint. The first half is spark and getting to know while the second half is desire, longing, and learning. Niall turned out to be a ridiculously lovely hero, you're going to swoon over him.

No one had ever called her stubborn before, except for her mother, and Victoria had meant it as an insult. Stubborn meant she had a backbone, and a lady wasn’t supposed to have one of those.

Amelia-Rose was a heroine who I grew to really like over the course of the story. It was refreshing to have a heroine who unapologetically enjoyed London society, the parties, friendships, and culture. She had some preconceived notions about the Highlands and Highlanders but she was willing to listen and get to know. She felt real to me, from her trying to constrain herself so she didn't feel society's backlash, looking to marriage as an escape from her parent's home, and to her being so scared to fall and give into her love for Niall. She's young, nineteen, and I know women will have their heart break a little bit for the woman she is told she must be and the woman she wants to be. Consequences, losses, and gains were beautifully articulated through her character.

She followed the rules of propriety as best as she could, but his lass did have a wicked streak.

This story could have been 500 pages and I don't think I would have complained. I would have liked to have seen Amelia-Rose interact more with people she considered friends, a little more time, depth, exploration into the three sons becoming more open to their mother, and the four siblings having more interactions. This is a series though and I imagine the author is saving some of those emotional moments for future books, I just enjoyed this world so much. I can see some maybe thinking the story gets a little slow in the middle but if you lean into, the emotional payback will be greater at the end, and this was a little bit less sexual than has been coming out in historical romance lately. I, personally, enjoyed the focus more on the emotional personality bonding, longing, and working/fighting for a relationship but I can see some wanting a few more sexually hot scenes. The author took the time to craft a relationship between her leads and I greatly enjoyed losing myself into Niall and Amelia-Rose's romance for a while. I can't wait future books in this series.

“Because of you, I am me.” show less

FINALLY! I had been struggling to find a book that I actually liked in 2019 and it has been a struggle. Or, it was a struggle until I had the great opportunity to read Suzanne Enoch’s It’s Getting Scot in Here. If the title alone doesn’t get you, the plot definitely will. Niall MacTaggert may very well be my new definition of swoon-worthy because I blushed, I giggled-I was swooning!
Amelia-Rose is stuck. She and her big mouth has landed her in a position where she has barked off every suitor her mother has chosen for her. Her mother insists on her marrying a man with a title, as she should have when she was younger. Her father supports her mother but supports his drinking habit more.
The MacTaggert brothers are also stuck. They show more barge into London enraged yet encaged in a binding agreement between their father and their absent mother, Francesca, which forces them to marry a woman from London. Even worse: one of them has to marry a woman that their mother has already chosen. Their mother who abandoned them as children and took their youngest sister with her to London while they grew up in Scotland.
Amelia-Rose is chosen by Francesca to be married to Coll, the most brutish of all three, and the eldest who will take on the title. Coll keeps getting into trouble and his younger brother, the dashing peacekeeper Niall (I am still swooning, by the way), steps in for him to court Amelia-Rose and save her from embarrassment from the ton. No one expected them to fall for each other.
I love the bantering between Niall and Amelia-Rose. I love his persistence in making sure that she stays true to her character, not what people tell her to be. I also loved that the brothers were very respectful and supportive of their sister that they did not get the opportunity to see grow up. The brothers were simply a hilarious trio of mischief. It was very entertaining when the three of them were in the same scene. They call each other out yet still humor and maintain a level of respect.
The pacing was great in this book and it is very easy to get caught up in the world that Suzanne Enoch creates. The villains are very clear in this book and still haunt me. The character development, particularly of Niall, is very strong and I cannot praise this book enough!
In conclusion, I am thrilled that this is the first book in the Wild Wicked Highlanders because I simply must have more of these storylines! It has the perfect balance of humor, romance, and conflict. I loved every page and I highly recommend this book to readers of romance, regency romance, and highlander romances.
For those who may be triggered/offended: There was mild foul language, alcohol use, bullying, violence, sibling separation, divorce/parental separation, and parental abandonment.
Please note: an electronic advanced reader copy of the book was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (Thank you!) show less

It’s Getting Scot in Here by Suzanne Enoch
Wild Wicked Highlanders #1

Hmmm….engaging, easy to read, fun historical romance that seems more a fairy tale than a truly believable story BUT when reading romance one is really trying to escape and this book did take me away to another country and earlier time period. I experienced stinky London, went to balls and saw the gorgeous costumes, rode in carriages, danced, was thankful that expectations then were not what they are now and got to watch the two main characters fall in love. So, it was a fun day spent reading and I enjoyed it.

What I liked about the book:
* The brothers – they were there for one another
* The romance between Niall and Amelia-Rose
* The slow build but steam when it show more came within the romance (even though...really?)
* The addition of Eloise to the brothers’ lives
* The costumes
* The way the brothers interacted
* Niall’s sly way of getting what he wants but also allowing Amelia-Rose to get what she wants, too
* The red stag on the landing...what a hoot!
* Quite a bit, actually

What I did not like:
* The parents...both Taggert and Baxter couples left a lot to be desired.
* The expectations of the parents in regard to their children
* The willingness of some to do all for title or money
* The way Coll (the oldest brother) interacted with Amelia-Rose
* The short time it took for Francesca to win over her sons...I don’t think I would like her that easily if I were the sons

So, the Taggert sons arrive in London knowing that to keep the money coming to their ancestral estate so it will not fail they have to cater to an agreement their parents made when their mother Francesca left them and their father seventeen years before. They have ideas about how to satisfy the letter of the law within their parents’ agreement without really having to change their lifestyles. One of the sons drew the short straw and will have to marry the woman their mother has chosen as a bride to keep the funds flowing to Aldriss...like it or not. There is a slight glitch in that a different brother wants Amelia-Rose than the one that is supposed to marry her. The way the couple finally arrive at a happily ever after is quite a tale and also a good read.

I am looking forward to finding out who Coll and Aden will end up with and since these women must be English it will be interesting to see who they meet and fall in love with. I am almost more curious about Amelia-Rose’s companion Jane than I am about Coll and Aden, though. Jane seems an intriguing woman who deserves a book of her own but I wonder if that will happen or not – hope to find out in this series. I also noticed a mention that Eloise Taggert wants her father to walk her down the aisle and if he should show up to do so then will Francesca and the husband she left behind rekindle their romance or will fur fly?

And...if you do decide to read this book...do note the story of the cats being milked for cheese...what a hoot!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars show less

This was a wonderful introduction to a new series. The writing was excellent and the main characters were very likable. While I love the title of the book, I think a more appropriate title would have been ‘The Mothers From Hell’. I’m sure I was supposed to start out disliking Francesca and then soften toward her as the book moves on. That didn’t happen, because, bottom line, she abandoned three little boys and never contacted them again until she wanted to demand that they meet her demands or lose the support for their estate. In seventeen years, she didn’t write to them, she didn’t go visit them, nothing – nada, zip. Then, she demands – yes demands – that they do her bidding. Yes, she did help our hero out, but – show more well – as far as I was concerned, it was too little too late and not enough to make up for what she’d done.

Amelia-Rose Hyacinth Baxter was raised to know that she had one purpose and one purpose only. She was to marry a title. It didn’t matter which title, but her mother wanted a title and would accept absolutely nothing else. Amelia-Rose tried to be the dutiful, meek, mild, docile, opinionless young woman her mother wanted her to be, but it was hard – so very hard because she was none of those things. She found out in her first season that if she wanted any marriage proposals, she really was going to have to ratchet down her true self because nobody wanted that. This season, she’s received proposals, but none of them had a title, so her mother has declined all of them (yes, evidently the father agrees). Now, her parents have signed a betrothal agreement between her and a wild, uncouth, uncivilized Highlander who is the heir to an earldom. She’ll try to be what she’s supposed to be, but she’s really unsure about this whole thing.

The MacTaggert brothers, Coll, Aden, and Niall, have lived the last seventeen years without their mother - Niall was only seven when she left. She got tired of the Highlands lack of social life and left with their newborn sister, Emily. They haven’t heard a word from her in all that time and now, she’s demanding that they travel to London and marry English brides. Yes, she can enforce that because she holds the purse strings that provide support to their estate, Aldriss Park. They have to think of the estate and their crofters and villagers. Plus, she also holds a paper signed by their father stating that in return for her support of Aldriss, each son must marry an English bride AND that their mother gets to choose the bride for one of them. To say that the three brothers aren’t happy would be a gross understatement.

Upon arrival in London, they learn that their mother has already arranged a betrothal for Coll who is heir to his father’s earldom. Coll is the most belligerent and argumentative of the lot and he has absolutely no intention of marrying anyone his mother has chosen. He’ll just annoy and outrage the prospective bride until she calls it off.

Coll is as good as his word and does whatever he can to enrage Amelia-Rose. Niall, the peacemaker of the brothers, steps in and smooths things over as much as he can to save the betrothal. Except, as he interacts with Amelia-Rose, he comes to like her better and better and comes to care for her. So, what will he do about that? Maybe nothing because his mother has said it has to be Coll who marries her.

I really, really, really disliked Amelia-Rose’s mother. She cared absolutely nothing about her daughter and basically told her as much. She was bound and determined that Amelia-rose would marry a title – and she even locked her in her room to assure that happened.

I loved seeing Niall and Amber-Rose learn to love each other. They are both loving, caring and funny. Niall gives her a nickname and tells her that it means Rose in Gaelic. Well, it doesn’t. I also loved the boy’s arrival at their mother’s home. It was priceless and you’ll love reading it.

What I didn’t love was how quickly the boys came to sort of have a peace treaty with Francesca. They had a legitimate, well-earned grievance with her and she never asks for forgiveness. Just expects that they should understand and capitulate. I’m guessing that we’ll learn more about her in future books, but still, the bottom line will always be – SHE left, SHE didn’t write, SHE didn’t visit – not once in seventeen years. For me, no forgiveness there. I am betting that there will be a book for the father and mother to reunite. I hope they get a HEA, but – it will still be too little, too late in my mind.

Great read! I absolutely love Niall and Amelia-Rose. I wonder who will be featured in the next book. Can’t wait to find out.

Please check out my reviews at:
Blog: https://flippinpages.blog/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/flippinpages...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlippinPagesRev
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbBookReview

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less

Overall this was a very fun book to read. There were a few spots where it dragged a little, but the rest more than made up for it. The three MacTaggert brothers have grown up in Scotland without the benefit of their mother's presence. Seventeen years earlier, Francesca had had enough of the isolation and left her husband and three sons behind, taking only her infant daughter with her to London. There had been no contact in all that time, until a letter arrived, informing them of their sister's upcoming wedding. At that point, an agreement made between their parents came to light. The three sons must marry before their sister, and they must marry English brides, or lose the funds that Francesca provides to keep the estate running.

I show more enjoyed the introduction to the boys. Coll is the oldest, heir to the earldom, and the most taciturn of the trio. Aden is the one in the middle, the free-spirited one. Niall is the youngest and the family peacemaker. He is the one who watches out for everyone and tries to find a solution for any problems. To say that they are not happy about the agreement would be putting it mildly, but they know that they have no choice if they want to protect their people. They decided that they would find their meek, empty-headed English brides, marry them, and leave them in England while they returned to their lives in Scotland. After all, it had worked for their parents, hadn't it? Their arrival in London was pretty amusing, especially the inclusion of their "friend" Rory. Their meeting with Francesca made it clear that they were there under protest.

Amelia-Rose is the girl that their mother has picked for Coll. She is smart and sassy and knows what she wants. Unfortunately for her, her mother is fixated on Amelia-Rose marrying a title, and nothing else matters. Victoria made it clear that Amelia-Rose was to tone down her attitude and not create trouble. Amelia-Rose wants to marry and get away from her overbearing mother, but she also wants a husband that will appreciate who she is and give her the life she wants in London.

The first meeting between Coll and Amelia-Rose did not go well. He was surly and resentful and managed to tick off Amelia-Rose in the first five minutes he was there. Then he got offended by her response and walked out of the theater, leaving her there to face Society gossips on her own. I liked how Niall stepped in to try to smooth things over. He is determined to show Coll in the best light possible and keep the agreement viable. What he didn't expect was to be drawn to her himself.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Niall and Amelia-Rose. It started as more of a friendship, as Niall attempted to cover for his brother, and Amelia-Rose just wanted away from her mother. Because Niall wasn't the one that she needed to impress, Amelia- Rose found it easy to be herself when she was with him. It didn't take long for Niall to discover that he wanted her for himself, and picturing her with Coll was painful. Meanwhile, Amelia-Rose began to realize that bowing to her mother's wishes was becoming more difficult. I loved the interactions between Niall and Amelia-Rose. They were fun and honest. When Coll made a particularly obnoxious scene at a ball, it was Niall who stepped in to prevent a scandal. I loved watching him stand up to both mothers and insist that Amelia-Rose is given a choice and that he would win her on his own actions. Things got a bit complicated when her mother made her own plans for Amelia-Rose's future. Amelia-Rose had to take a good look at what she really wanted and make some decisions. I loved Niall's solution to the whole issue and laughed and cheered as he and his brothers put it in motion. I was on the edge of my seat until Niall and Amelia-Rose were successful in their endeavor. There was an unexpected twist at the end that made for an even happier ending.

There were plenty of secondary characters to liven up the action. Niall's brother Coll, as Amelia-Rose's supposed intended, was a royal pain. He was surly to the point of rudeness and treated Amelia-Rose very badly. His motivation was made clear later in the book, but he could have handled things much better. He is also a bit on the arrogant side, and I am looking forward to seeing him meet his match. He did redeem himself somewhat at the end of the book. I didn't get much of an impression of Aden, other than his willingness to support his brothers. Their mother Francesca was something of a force of nature. I didn't like her much at the beginning, because of the way she abandoned her sons, with no contact in the intervening years. Her method of getting them to London was manipulative and seemed to show a lack of caring about their happiness. However, she grew on me a little bit as the book progressed. While I don't consider her redeemed, she did make progress toward it with her actions at the end of the book. Amelia-Rose's mother was a straight-out stinker. I hated the way she treated Amelia-Rose, never satisfied with her no matter what she did. Her fixation on gaining a titled husband for her daughter had nothing to do with Amelia-Rose's happiness, only with her own ambitions. I did like Amelia-Rose's cousin/chaperone, Jane. She was uptight and critical at the beginning, but she really did look out for Amelia-Rose's best interests. She was plain-spoken and gave Amelia-Rose some good points to think about. I loved her part at the end and suspect that we haven't seen the last of her. show less

I love me some good regency and highlander romances! I love the time period. Fascinated by it, really. If I could be born in any era, it would be the regency era and live in either Highland Ireland or Regency England during that period. I mean seriously. The men of that time are to literally die for. I love their descriptions, I love their accents coming off the pages of the books, I’m just simply a regency lover. No doubt about it.

Sitting down to read Enoch’s first book in her Wild Wicked Highlanders series was an absolute joy. Enoch created a wonderful plot line and filled it with beautifully chiseled characters. She has a master talent for making them come to life, that’s for sure! Whewee! Those darling Scottish men…..yes show more please!

Niall and Amelia-Rose are wonderful characters. I loved seeing them together. Their friendship blossomed, and their love was just right. I loved seeing it develop and felt every spark of passion between them as if I was in Amelia-Rose’s shoes and Niall was my guy. Loved that feeling!

Enoch has definitely hit a home run with this 4 star book, in my opinion. It’s got the perfect blend of sass, romance, captivating characters and room for so much more with the next books in the series. These Scotsmen and their ladies have definitely stolen my heart for the long haul and I can’t wait for the next one.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.* show less