Reviewer: Tracy Rogue with a Brogue (Scandalous Highlanders, #2) by Suzanne Enoch
Series: Scandalous Highlanders #2
Also in this series: Mad, Bad, and Dangerous in Plaid (Scandalous Highlanders, #3), Some Like it Scot (Scandalous Highlanders, #4)
Publisher: Macmillan
Publication Date: July 29th 2014
Point-of-View: Third
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 333
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Series Rating:
A ROGUE FOR EVERY LADY
London, 1817: Stuck in a Mayfair ballroom thanks to his lovestruck brother, highlander Arran MacLawry wants nothing but a bit of distraction from an arranged betrothal-and a clever auburn-haired lass in a vixen's mask promises just that...until he discovers that she's the granddaughter of the Campbell, chief of clan MacLawry's longtime rival. Despite their families' grudging truce, falling for fiery Mary Campbell is a notion too outlandish even for this Highlander...THE THRILL OF THE FORBIDDEN
Raised on tales of savage MacLawrys, Mary is stunned to realize the impressively strapping man in the fox's mask is one of them. Surely the enemy shouldn't have such a broad chest, and such a seductive brogue? Not that her curiosity matters-any dalliance between them is strictly forbidden, and she's promised to another. But with the crackling spark between them ready to ignite, love is worth every risk...
Arran MacLawry is a man who has the Highlands in his blood. When his brother seems to be falling for an English woman, Arran heads to London to stop it. He’s too late to stop anything, unfortunately. Now he’s in England, the last place he wants to be, watching his brother, the Laird of his clan, seeming to become more English every day. Arran’s fed up with his brother and decides he won’t play whatever games his brother is playing.
Arran is also trying to escape any young English marriage minded debs that want to get close to him. He especially wants to stay away from one woman in particular and when he tries to escape her attentions at a masquerade ball he ends up dancing with someone who sparks his interest. The woman is dressed as a fox, as is he, and he is fascinated by her. He finds out later that she is Mary Campbell – the granddaughter of his clans rival. Though the Campbell’s and MacLawry’s are in a truce at the moment neither clan expects it to last and each tries to make connections with other clans to back them up in case of a break in the truce. Unfortunately Arran and Mary are key parts to those deals as they’re each to marry…not each other.
The pair form a friendship that should never be. They find themselves getting closer and closer and Arran finally admits to himself he’s in love. Mary’s not sure what’s happening but she knows she wants nothing more than to be with Arran. The question is…how can these two star crossed lovers be together when their families want nothing more than to kill each other? If either family finds out, the couple will be ripped apart forever. Arran obviously doesn’t want that to happen so he makes a plan to save them both.
This was a wonderful second book in the Scandalous Highlanders series. Arran was definitely scandalous, that’s for sure. He defied his brother at almost every turn and then went and got himself attached to a Campbell no less! The scandal that ensues causes both families to make rash decisions and Arran and Mary are the two that end up paying the price. I loved Arran’s personality and strength and I adored Mary’s staunch belief in herself as a highland lass – even though she was raised in England.
The story was engaging and intriguing almost from the first page. I was taken with how sweet Arran was with Mary even when he was telling himself that he needed to stay away from her. They were so very perfect for each other that I wanted nothing more than for them to be together from the first moment they met. Of course like any story of rivaling families that’s not how it works, as we all know. I thought that Enoch did a lovely job of giving the characters depth. These weren’t shallow youths who had no idea what was what. They each knew what they wanted, didn’t deny it, knew their families would do anything to stop it and went after it full force anyway. I loved that.
This has been a wonderful series so far and I can’t wait to see where Enoch takes us in the next book.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Scandalous Highlanders
This is on my list of reads…looking forward to it.