Highland Treasure by Lynsay Sands

January 22, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Highland Treasure by Lynsay Sands
Highland Brides #9
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

After escaping from the English soldiers who attacked her home and imprisoned her in a dungeon, Lady Elysande de Valance is grateful for the rugged Scots who are escorting her to safety in the Highlands. Even with danger dogging their every step, she hadn’t expected to welcome the strong comforting embrace of their leader, Rory Buchanan. They say he’s a healer, but she finds the heat of his touch does so much more…

Let his brothers get married—Rory is too busy tending to the sick to be bothered with wooing a bride. But when he is tasked with accompanying a family friend’s “treasure” to the Highlands, he is surprised to learn the treasure is a beautiful woman on the run—and even more surprised to discover bruises hidden by her veil. Rory makes it his mission to tend to her injuries and protect her, but the thought of losing her makes him realize that perhaps it is his heart that is most in need of healing…

Talk about a heroine being tested by fire. A reader meets Elysande while she’s in the middle of a life and death situation. Right away, this reader wanted the heroine to be safe, to find justice for her family, and I wanted her to stop hurting, both physically and emotionally. The author wanted to make sure that I was vested in the fate of Elysande, and Ms. Sands was 100% effective in creating that link.

I remember the last story, when Rory’s brother, Conran, was mistaken for him. Although there was a substantial plot, the sense of humor, adventure and romance was quicker to happen and grins were more prevalent. Highland Treasure has an extra serious bent because more than Elysande’s life is on the line and she feels that pressure every step of the way, in every place that they stay. Rory starts off doing what’s right but the quest quickly turns personal. I enjoyed watching their friendship and relationship grow. The moment both realize they have red hot chemistry happens in the absolute darkness of night in a forest, alone, when Rory has to apply more pain salve on Elysande’s bruises. That scene was the tipping point and I knew right then that not only were they going to be great together, but once that genie is out of the bottle, there’s no putting it back in. It gets quite hot. Even during those times, there were elements of humor and embarrassing instances which made for fun reading.

No story written by Ms. Sands is heavy-handed in dark plots – there are moments to spice it up, to provide motivational conflict and drama, but they are short lived, placed perfectly and give the right level of backdrop to showcase the strengths of both hero and heroine. This novel is no different. It’s entertaining, interesting and at times, quite adventurous – in short, a great read.

I felt so bad about one of the bad guys. I mean, I really hope that he can be redeemed because I truly felt that he was a victim too and shouldn’t be written off. I hope Ms. Sands lets readers know the full skinny when she’s ready. As it is, he served his diabolical purpose in this book.

Highland Treasure ended with a truly surprising and broad-scoped happy ever after that was over-the-top wonderful and satisfying. I enjoyed it so much and was left with a happy glow. There was so much joy it was almost perfect. There is one thing the author didn’t do and that was answer the biggest question about Elysande!! How could Ms. Sands not do an epilogue of the epilogue!! I hope to find out the answer in the next book. There WILL be a next book in the Highland Brides series, right?

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

The Salty Rose by Beth M. Caruso

January 21, 2021 By 11 Comments


The Salty Rose by Beth M. Caruso
Publisher: Lady Slipper Press
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rated: 3.5 stars
Review by Rose

Marie du Trieux, a tavern keeper with a salty tongue and a heart of gold, struggles as she navigates love and loss, Native wars, and possible banishment by authorities in the unruly trading port of New Amsterdam, an outpost of the Dutch West India Company.

In New England, John Tinker, merchant and assistant to a renowned alchemist and eventual leader of Connecticut Colony, must come to terms with a family tragedy of dark proportions, all the while supporting his mentor’s secret quest to find the Northwest Passage, a desired trading route purported to mystically unite the East with the West.

As the lives of Marie and John become intertwined through friendship and trade, a search for justice of a Dutch woman accused of witchcraft in Hartford puts them on a collision course affecting not only their own destinies but also the fate of colonial America.

The story starts off slowly, with first person chapters from Marie du Trieux telling her granddaughter about her life (my favorite part of the story) and chapters in third person describing the relationship and mentorship between John Tinker and John Winthrop Jr. There was a lot of detail given to Tinker and Winthrop and, at times, I felt lost and wondered where the actual story was going.

However, once the author got into the heart of the story – the witchcraft trial – the pacing picked up. I am not very familiar with the witch trials in Salem, and this was an interesting look at the same period. This middle section was my favorite part of the book. I wasn’t familiar with the telling of this purported witch’s story, so I was anxious to learn her fate and how John Tinker and Marie played a part in the trial.

Can I first say that I loved the character of Marie. She made the book for me. It was interesting to read the author’s notes at the end of the book and discover that she, along with the other major players, were actual people. The author did a good job of taking the historical facts of the characters’ lives and creating an interesting story about witchcraft in the early colonies.


Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Land Below by William Meikle

January 19, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Land Below by William Meikle
Publisher: Severed Press
Genre: Action/Adventure, Historical, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A treasure hunt into the deepest cave system in Europe takes a turn for the worst.

Now rather than treasure it is survival that is at the forefront of the spelunkers’ thoughts. But their attempt to escape out of the dark deep places is thwarted.

Men are not at home in the depths. But there are things that are, pale terrifying things.

Huge things.

Things red in tooth and claw.

Ed has talked his hotheaded brother Thomas into investing some of their family fortune into looking for hidden treasure left by a Teutonic Knight deep in a cave. Ed had carefully researched the two-page map he found in an old manuscript and is sure something has been buried where they are heading, but Thomas is merely interested in the fame and glory. When Ed hires on Daniel Garland – a washed up army Captain – for protection is causes friction with Thomas who is certain they have no need for a guard. As they meet a final member who joins their small team, their adventure takes them deeper beneath the earth they find there are far more dangers and monsters than any of them expected.

I am a massive fan of William Meikle’s S-Squad series and have read a number of his other books and enjoyed them to varying levels as well. I’m also often a sucker for a “expedition goes into the cave and finds monster that eat the party” style of book and was happy to give this one a whirl. I was delighted by what I found and enjoyed the full length story immensely.

I struggled a little to discover exactly which historical time period (or perhaps some “close but alternate” style of reality) this was set in as that aspect of the story was kept rather vague. It certainly isn’t a modern in the sense there were no cell phones or GPS and I’m leaning towards somewhere Victorian-ish as their headlamps were from encased flame rather than battery powered. Still, the time-period setting is not critical to the story and I feel readers who enjoy both past and present monster and adventure style stories should equally enjoy this book.

One thing I feel William Meikle absolutely excels in is his action/adventure and “big toothy monsters” plotlines. And this story has both these in spades. While I enjoyed the tension and interactions between Ed, Stefan, Thomas and Daniel it was the way they approached the cave and the monsters they faced within it that really captured my attention and had me up late into the evening turning the pages. I feel Meikle had an exceptional pace throughout the story and as the reader I felt the rising tension as the four main characters explored deeper into the caves. There was equal parts wonder and worry as the danger became more clear but – as you’d expect – the only way out was to continue going forwards.

Thrilling and just a little bit scary this was a brilliant story and one I greatly enjoyed. If there is a subsequent story after this I am very eager for it and will absolutely be purchasing it promptly. I can also very strongly recommend that anyone who enjoys this story try out Meikle’s S-Squad series which has many of the same strong positive points (start with “Infestation” and then move right along to “Operation: Antarctica”). With excellent characters that were unique and vividly different, some scary and amazing monsters, a grand adventure under the earth and a whole bunch of tension this story was excellently written and I feel should appeal to a wide range of readers.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Looking for Miss America: A Pageant’s 100-Year Quest to Define Womanhood by Margot Mifflin

January 12, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Looking for Miss America: A Pageant’s 100-Year Quest to Define Womanhood by Margot Mifflin
Publisher: Counterpoint
Genre: Non-Fiction, Historical
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Looking for Miss America is a fast–paced narrative history of a curious and contradictory institution. From its start in 1921 as an Atlantic City tourist draw to its current incarnation as a scholarship competition, the pageant has indexed women’s status during periods of social change—the post–suffrage 1920s, the Eisenhower 1950s, the #MeToo era. This ever–changing institution has been shaped by war, evangelism, the rise of television and reality TV, and, significantly, by contestants who confounded expectations.

Spotlighting individuals, from Yolande Betbeze, whose refusal to pose in swimsuits led an angry sponsor to launch the rival Miss USA contest, to the first black winner, Vanessa Williams, who received death threats and was protected by sharpshooters in her hometown parade, Margot Mifflin shows how women made hard bargains even as they used the pageant for economic advancement. The pageant’s history includes, crucially, those it excluded; the notorious Rule Seven, which required contestants to be “of the white race,” was retired in the 1950s, but no women of color were crowned until the 1980s.

In rigorously researched, vibrant chapters that unpack each decade of the pageant, Looking for Miss America examines the heady blend of capitalism, patriotism, class anxiety, and cultural mythology that has fueled this American ritual.

There she is…but she’s not just one thing.

I’d watched the end of a couple televised Miss America pageants and even attended a very small, very local pageant when I was a kid. I wasn’t fascinated by the gowns or the girls, but how they managed to wear those huge earrings and not have them ripped out of their lobes. I was a strange kid.

Since that’s what I thought of the pageants, I picked up this book. I have to admit, picking it up was a total lark. I just saw it at the library and grabbed. I wasn’t all that interested in pageants, but this book certainly opened my eyes. The girls who took part in the early pageants did it for the money and because they wanted to get the notoriety, but many of them were heavily chaperoned and some exploited. I had no idea the first few girls who won the Miss America pageant were sixteen years old. Crazy.

This doesn’t just give the dirt on the pageant, but also the stories of determination and overcoming difficulties. This book talks about the changes in the sixties when the contestants would push back against stereotypes and in the seventies when multicultural women were finishing high in the pageant and changing the ideals of what was beautiful.

If you’re looking for something that’s a little more substantive than it could be and full of great tidbits on the pageant, then this might be the book for you.

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Shot Through the Heart by Andrea Downing

January 8, 2021 By 1 Comment


Shot Through the Heart by Andrea Downing
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

Gunslinger Shiloh Coltrane has returned home to work the family’s Wyoming ranch, only to find there’s still violence ahead. His sister and nephew have been murdered, and the killers are at large.

Dr. Sydney Cantrell has come west to start her medical practice, aiming to treat the people of a small town. As she tries to help and heal, she finds disapproval and cruelty the payment in kind.

When the two meet, it’s an attraction of opposites. As Shiloh seeks revenge, Sydney seeks to do what’s right. Each wants a new life, but will trouble or love find them first?

It’s been quite a while since I’ve read such an original plot. I’ve honestly never read a storyline quite like this one. I found it especially clever when I connected the title of the book to a scene within it. I’ve never read anything by Andrea Downing before and I was impressed with her intelligent writing style.

The hero, Shiloh, and the heroine, Sydney, both have strong moral beliefs that oppose each other’s values. I felt like I was caught in the middle, trying to understand both points of view while questioning my own values and moral beliefs. I for one enjoy reading for entertainment purposes and for pure escapism. Because of my preferences, I probably won’t re-read this book but I genuinely enjoyed the originality, cleverness and writing style, enough to recommend this book to others. I really believe this would be a perfect book for a philosophical reader.

The romance between Shiloh and Sydney was sweet and realistic for that time period. There wasn’t a large cast of characters, but I found that the few the author introduced me to were well developed and relatable.

In conclusion, Shot Through the Heart has the potential to hit the mark in future readers’ hearts!

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

No Hero Here by Faith Cameron

January 7, 2021 By 2 Comments


No Hero Here by Faith Cameron
Publisher: Champagne Books
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

Beauty finds herself between two beasts fighting for a place in her heart…

Damsels in distress quiver in excitement for a chance encounter with famed highwayman Silver Hawk. His devilish handsome face and genteel manners cause the stoutest matrons to grow faint with desire when accosted by him for their baubles. His identity is the best-kept secret of England until he dares to kidnap Rose Witherby, an American woman on her way to greet her fiancé—his enemy. Sebastian Graham, Duke of Dorchester.

Sebastian is Silver Hawk’s exact opposite. Scarred, a recluse, he dwells in a castle hidden from the world. When he hears his intended bride is missing, he gathers his courage and stages a successful rescue, only to find the young woman’s heart hopelessly ensnared by the highwayman he despises. The very man Sebastian holds responsible for his disfigurement.

Rose Witherby survived the war with England, only to find herself in the middle of another war. Two men claim to love her, but mystery swirls around them both, binding her heart with apprehension toward her new life and stringing her nerves in ever tighter knots. She fears one of them is not being truthful about his identity and must decide which man to trust when tragedy strikes, setting her on a path filled with family secrets and betrayal, her heart in jeopardy from two men fighting to claim it as their own.

This book was masterly crafted, exquisitely written and executed like a fine tuned orchestra from beginning to end. My suggestion is to read the synopsis very carefully because I didn’t. Typically, I would never purposely choose to read a story that included a love triangle. I’m actually glad I read this one. Now, what I really want to know is, is there going to be a second book for the one who didn’t claim the heroine’s heart? Because I totally connected with the character and I won’t be happy if there isn’t a follow up.

There isn’t much more I can say that the synopsis doesn’t already cover, not without triggering a spoiler alert. I was conflicted about who should be chosen by the heroine, and figuring out who I’d choose was part of the entertainment. When the heroine made her decision, I felt sad for the unchosen one. My heart was tugged all over the place.

Normally I’d write a much longer review, but in this case there’s not a lot I can share that won’t lead to the temptation to reveal spoilers. What I can say is that this is a must read. I am placing No Hero Here on my bookshelf to read again. I highly recommend others to read this story!

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

A Lightness in My Soul by Annette Oppenlander

January 7, 2021 By Leave a Comment


A Lightness in My Soul by Annette Oppenlander
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Inspired by the incredible true story of a German teen taken prisoner at the end of WWII, determined to survive and to reunite with his mother – A Lightness in My Soul is a tribute to the triumph of hope and redemption against all odds.

Germany, October 2019: In a car repair shop an elderly man waits next to a woman. They begin to talk about the Great War, when he was just a teen. He tells her a story, one he has never shared—his own.

Bavaria, April 1945: For the last two years, fifteen-year old Arthur and his classmates have lived in a youth camp. Far from home and allied bombs they spend their days with lessons, hikes, play fights and helping local farmers harvest ever decreasing crops. They have been told that the war will be over soon and that they’ll return home to a victorious Germany.

When the U.S. Army marches into camp, they are arrested and taken to the just liberated Dachau concentration camp. Everything they ever believed turns out to be false. They were lied to… not only has Germany lost the war, what they find is monstrous. But being a prisoner is only the beginning of their ordeal…

War is never easy for anyone, especially minors.

Arthur was a likeable character. He struck me as someone who was kind of hard on himself for the portions of his story that he would have done differently if he’d known all of the bends and twists in it from the beginning. His mistakes were generally minor ones like wishing for larger meals when rations were cut yet again or to no longer catch diseases like scabies that can spread so easily in institutional settings. These small moments humanized him. Honestly, I would have complained about them, too, if I’d been in the same situation. I kept hoping for a happy ending for him no matter how unlikely his chances of getting one might have looked at the moment.

The ending felt a little abrupt to me, especially considering all of the traumatic experience Arthur had been through during the last few years of World War II. There were some important subplots that were never resolved, especially as they pertained to some of the people he met along the way. While I definitely wouldn’t expect every single one of my questions to be answered due to this being loosely based on a true story that was set during such a turbulent era, it would have been nice to have a few more conflicts resolved.

This novella was filled with detailed descriptions of Arthur’s life at a Kinderlandverschickung, a rural camp set up for children and youth by the Third Reich to protect them from allied bombs, as well as his much more difficult experiences shortly after the war ended. Arthur observed more human suffering during these teenage years of his than many people know in a lifetime. I appreciated how honestly he shared his tale, especially the portions that he found painful to recount.

A Lightness in My Soul was an absorbing tale I’d recommend to adults and teens who are interested in what life was like for German civilians during World War II.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Raining Cats and Dogs by Marie Krepps, Gideon Kane, David Quesenberry, Garrison Kelly, Larry D. Fort, and Lenore Hart

January 5, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Raining Cats and Dogs by Marie Krepps, Gideon Kane, David Quesenberry, Garrison Kelly, Larry D. Fort, and Lenore Hart
Publisher: Hollow Hills LLC
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Raining Cats and Dogs is a collection of fantasy short stories and poetry that feature an animal as a main character. Stories may be dark and full of strife but a happy ending is always in sight! Lovers of pets or animals in general will enjoy these fantasy tales.

All proceeds for this anthology will benefit Good Old Tails Senior Animal Rescue based in Hanover, PA, USA. This non-profit helps save the lives of older pets by finding them homes.

Some heroes are fuzzy and have four (or more) limbs!

“The Matchmaker” showed what happened after Tima rescued an abandoned dog and named him Biscuit and shared the little she owned with him. I adored this story from the first sentence. While Tima and Biscuit clearly both had their share of secrets, the deep emotional bond that soon developed between them was a beautiful sight to behold. It also played an important role in the plot twists to follow as some of the secrets the audience were teased with in the beginning began to be revealed. I had a wonderful time discovering who Tima really was and why Biscuit’s opinions about the humans he did and didn’t like were so important.

There were some tales in this anthology that I would have liked to see fleshed out some more. ‘The Beauty and the Spider,” a poem about an elf and a spider who went on a hunting trip together, was one of them. It was never clear to me if the spider was her pet or why she decided to take it along with her. As amused as I was by the mental image it provided and the inclusion of a creature that isn’t generally listed alongside cats and dogs as companion species, it sure would have been helpful to have more stanzas explaining their relationship and how spiders and elves are expected to behave in this universe.

I’ve always enjoyed the thought of a Rainbow Bridge where deceased pets wait to reunite with their beloved humans after death, so the expansion of this legend in “Magical Men” grabbed my attention immediately. A woman named Jennifer looked after some of the pets there while trying to figure out why the humans they were so patiently waiting for had never shown up. I was fascinated by what she found and how various solutions to this problem were tried out. This could have easily been stretched out into a full-length novel, and yet I learned everything I needed to from its actual size.

If you’re an animal lover, Raining Cats and Dogs might be right up your alley.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Heart of Ash by Kathy Otten

January 4, 2021 By 3 Comments


Heart of Ash by Kathy Otten
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Romance, Historical, LGBTQ
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

In the skies over France during the Great War, the life expectancy of a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps is measured in days.

Captain Elliot “Ash” Bainbridge is certain he’ll be the next pilot sent spinning to earth in a ball of fire. Not because the Germans will shoot him down, but because God will punish him for daring to love another man.

When Ash met Lieutenant Harry March, their attraction was instant. But Harry hates Ash’s fatalistic attitude. He believes in capturing the moment.

Can Ash set aside his fear of death and take a chance on love? Or should he try to keep his heart safe from hurt forever?

It’s hard to fall in love when death may only be a few heartbeats away.

Ash and March had wonderful chemistry. They understood each other in ways that the vast majority of other humans did not, including most of their fellow pilots. Their personalities complemented each other nicely as well. March excelled at things that Ash found difficult and vice versa. This was especially true when it came to how each of them had dealt with their sexual orientations in a time and place when two men falling in love was forbidden. I truly enjoyed getting to know both of them and would be thrilled to read a sequel to their love story if the author ever decides to write one.

I appreciated how honest this tale was about the physical and emotional pain that these pilots experienced. Ash, March, and their fellow pilots were doing dangerous work that had a high mortality rate. The thought of dying young was on all of their minds constantly, and that was only the first item on a long list of things they had to worry about. It was interesting to see how that affected how they spent their time when they weren’t in the air.

The world building was spectacular. I felt like I’d travelled back through time over a century to experience France during the first world war. Ms. Otten used every one of the five senses to show readers what this part of the world was like during that era, from the popping sound of distant gunfire to the oily scents that tickle the nose of the main character when he’s flying a mission.

Heart of Ash was a heartwarming and life-affirming read that I can’t recommend highly enough.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

To Marry a Scottish Laird by Lynsay Sands, narrated by Kieron Elliott

January 4, 2021 By Leave a Comment


To Marry a Scottish Laird by Lynsay Sands, narrated by Kieron Elliott
Publisher: HarperAudio
Genre: Historical, Suspense/Mystery/Thriller, Romance
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Highlander Campbell Sinclair is no stranger to battle, so when he sees a lad attacked by bandits, he jumps into the fray. He didn’t count on being stabbed. Grateful to the boy for nursing him back to health, Cam offers to accompany Jo safely to his destination. But when he accidentally comes across the lad bathing in the river, Cam discovers that Jo is actually Joan . . . with the most sinful of curves.

Joan promised her mother that she would deliver a scroll to the clan MacKay. But traveling alone is dangerous, even disguised as a boy. When a Scottish warrior lends his aid, she is more than relieved . . . until he surprises her with lingering kisses and caresses that prove her disguise hasn’t fooled him. As their passion ignites, will the secrets of the scroll force a wedding . . . and lead to a love she’s never known?

I’ve read many a book by Lynsay Sands but I’ve never listened to one in audio format before. I think I’m in love with the book, the hero, and the narrator.

I have enjoyed Ms. Sands’ Scottish heroes in the past because they are usually so hunky, heroic and sexy. The heroines can be plucky, strong, and engaging and are always a good fit for the hero. Until now, I’ve only read them in my head and I have no gift for accents. Bring on the narrator in the audio book, Kieron Elliot, and my book experience just shot to new heights. It was an overload of pleasure and enjoyment. The narrator had a BROGUE!!!

I thought Cam was a fine hero. He showed his honor early on when he came upon a young man being beaten. Not for a second did he hesitate to come to the lad’s rescue even though he was outnumbered. The camaraderie between the two as they traveled to deliver the mysterious scroll the lad had in his care was clear, comfortable and sweet. That complacent feeling was yanked right out of the story when the hero came across Jo clearing the dust of travel off in a river. The narrator brought to life Cam’s astonishment when he discovered Jo was a Joan. I listened to that part twice, grinning from ear to ear both times.

At that moment I realized that Joan was no ordinary heroine. She had qualities that made “Jo” earn Cam’s respect, but as a woman? It was doubly impressive because Joan wasn’t a fainter, she’s a doer. I have to respect a person who doesn’t let life hold her down after being delivered devastating news – the loss of her mom and the place she called home. I appreciated that Cam came to the same conclusion – being a woman did not change the fact that she earned his respect. But, once he knew that he was a she, that opened up a Pandora’s Box – they were traveling alone and the chemistry was starting to sizzle and pop. Romance readers know it’s only a matter of time.

Since this is an audio book, I want to share an observation. Some narrators fit the characters they’re reading, male or female. There are some male narrators whose voice simply doesn’t lend itself well to a higher pitched lady’s voice. Not so with Mr. Elliott. He brought Cam’s growly lower voice to life and did an effortless job of creating a convincing and ear pleasing voice for Joan.

Supposedly it should take about 10 hours to listen to the audio version of the book, but like Ms. Sands’ print novels, time flew as I lost myself within the story. A 384 page book would take me about 3.5 uninterrupted hours to read, so it couldn’t have taken me that much longer to listen, did it? I didn’t fast forward even once – it was ALL GREAT! That’s because the story was great. All the characters – from Joan’s aunt and uncle, Cam’s mom and dad, the ladies that were there to marry Cam … yes, there was quite the mix-up that made things interesting over all.

There was a bit of suspense too because someone is trying to harm Joan. I thought for sure I knew who it was. The mystery to solve is, why? Why would someone go to those lengths to get rid of her? And, how far was the villain willing to go? The answer surprised me.

I thought I was going to blush scarlet when the narrator started reading the bed scenes between Cam and Joan. It wasn’t as bad as I feared because I forgot how well Ms. Sands writes them. They serve a purpose and weren’t placed there just to titillate. So, I listened and blushed just a little.

To Marry a Scottish Laird had every element I enjoy in a well-written romance. A plot that kept my interest, parts that made me gasp and scenes that made me giggle and chortle. There were surprises aplenty with near misses as Joan survived the attempts to harm her. Best of all was the romance flourishing between the two of them and the happy ever after delivered with a wonderful closing scene in the epilogue. I strongly believe that Cam and Joan’s romance story is a perfect read in any format, audio or print and I credit that to the strong writing skills that Ms. Sands is known for. I’m a happy … listener.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »