Review: The Devil of Clan Sinclair by Karen Ranney

Posted August 14, 2013 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

For Virginia Traylor, Countess of Barrett, marriage was merely the vehicle to buy her father a title. Widowhood, however, brings a host of problems. For her husband deliberately spent the money intended for Virginia and her in-laws, leaving them penniless—unless she produces an heir. Desperate and confused, Virginia embarks on a fateful journey that brings her to the doorstep of the only man she’s ever loved…

He’s known as The Devil, but Macrath Sinclair doesn’t care. He moved to a tiny Scottish village in hopes of continuing his work as an inventor and starting a family of his own. He bought the house; he chose the woman. Unfortunately, Virginia didn’t choose him. Macrath knows he should turn her away now, but she needs him, and he wants her more than ever. Whatever game Virginia’s playing, Macrath intends to win—one wickedly seductive deed at a time…

Virginia is in a pickle. Her husband of 9 months is dead and her and her in-laws, who she’s come to know as family, will be kicked out with no money as soon as the new Earl takes his place. Should she take the chance that she will be able to find work or will she take her mother-in-laws suggestion and get pregnant by another man and pass it off as her dead husband’s heir? Virginia chooses option B and heads to Scotland to see her once and only love, Macrath Sinclair.

Macrath and Virginia had fallen in love the year before and planned to get married. Unfortunately Virginia’s father didn’t want him in the family for many reasons. Instead he contracted for Virginia to marry an Earl who ended up hating her. Now Virginia is in Macrath’s home and they realize that even though time has passed they still love each other. Macrath sees her in his home forever but after only a day, Virginia leaves again.

The plan works and Virginia ends up giving birth to a bouncing baby boy who then becomes the eleventh Earl of Barrett. Of course Macrath knows nothing of the baby as Virginia never told him she was pregnant. Of course Macrath can’t leave Virginia to go back to her life now that she’s free so he eventually goes to see her in London and finds out the baby’s his. When Virginia’s sick and out of it he takes the baby back to Scotland but of course she follows but he’s not about to give up his son – ever.

I’ve only read about 5 books by this author and the majority of those I really liked. This one was no different. I think she does a lovely job writing her characters and they draw me in and I end up wanting to read more and more. Of course all those burly Scots in her books are wonderful! Lol

In this book I really liked reading about Virginia’s strength. Did she make some big mistakes – oh yeah, most certainly, but she learned from them and tried not to make them again. She was incredibly stubborn but not so much that she couldn’t see when she was wrong. I did think that she could have gone to Macrath and asked him to help her and her deceased husband’s family after he died and I know he would have helped but then we wouldn’t have had the book, would we? 🙂

Macrath was part stubborn fool, part romantic, part sensitive father. I really enjoyed reading about him and frankly the fact that he couldn’t stay away from Virginia endeared him to me. He wasn’t so pigheaded that he thought “she left me once after she was a widow, why try again?” He swallowed his pride (ok, it took him months!) and went to see her hoping for the best. He really was a great character.

Overall I really liked the story and can’t wait to read more about Clan Sinclair.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Karen Ranney