I listened to the audio book and the sexy times were really embarrassing. :)

I liked the storyline and the characters. The first half of the book was amazing, the second half was just good (there were some tstl moments and my favourite character wasn't part of the book anymore). Still, great romance.

I'm not surprised at all that this book has been among 100 best romance books for years. 
It's a very humorous story about a Scottish laird who is forced to marry with an Englishwoman. Alec and Jamie were both wonderful characters. Sure, Jamie was almost too perfect, but Julie Garwood used her few flaws to make me laugh all the time. I loved her banter with Alec and the way her husband tried to make her angry, when he saw her sad or worried, was hilarious.
The story also had a little bit of suspense and danger. But actually it's an amazing "feel good" book and it just made me happy.

Her Scottish Wolf by Theodora Taylor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


For those looking for an interracial book with shades of Harlequin Presents with a black heroine, this would fit the bill. Good news is it's also a paranormal/werewolf romance.

Grumpy boss (check)
Plain Jane/Shy/Low Profile heroine gets her man and a great life (check)
Angsty angle (check)
Hot, steamy sexy paranormal romance (check)
Hunky hero with Scottish brogue (check)
Office romance (check)

I wasn't sure what to think when this book started. At first, I kinda hated Iain. He was being a total douche to Milly. And when she gives him her reasons why she's quitting, he goes full on a-hole with her. I didn't get him at all. I mean, who says that to someone who gives him that kind of news? It turns out that he had a plan all along, and things weren't how they seemed. His reasons for being a jerk become very apparent. Not an excuse, but there you have it.

There are some consent issues about something if I'm honest. If you've read Bitten, you know what I'm getting at. But it turns out better for Milly.

So that's not the happy ending, no Iain has to spend the rest of the book gaining Milly's trust. She has plenty of reasons not to want to be mated to him. Her life changes hugely, and I think any person in her situation would have had misgivings. I'm glad that she stayed true to herself and didn't lose her identity in the face of a very strong personality like Iain.

I loved the arguments between Milly's friend Tara and Iain's brother Magnus. They were a big source of entertainment, and Tara would go toe to toe with him in a way that Milly didn't with Iain.

For all the angst, there is some good humorous moments with Iain's villages wacky residents. There's some major culture shock for Milly, and Iain has to rearrange his life greatly, but he's got his mate, so that's all that matters.

I'd recommend this book, but we warned that Iain does start the book as a major ahole.



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Her Scottish King by Theodora Taylor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Quite different from the first book in good ways. And more than one twist I did not see coming. Magnus is not exactly likable most of the time. He's really cocky and demanding. I know part of it is being an alpha werewolf and a famous Scottish rugby player. He didn't take Tara's rejection well, sure that they are fated as mates, and not able to understand she is running from their bond. I liked that Tara did have a legitimate reason for not wanting to mate with Magnus, and the reveal is really fascinating. Tara has a lot of layers to her that Magnus had to work to develop. It was good, though. He was used to getting everything he wanted easily. But that's how it works with your mate. While that bond is fated, that doesn't mean that your mate is not worth any effort and emotional commitment. And Magnus had to decide if his pride was worth more than losing his mate (ironically his father faced the same choice).

I liked that this wasn't a predictable book. Werewolf romance has some formula to it (as much as I love it), but Taylor did a good job of keeping things innovative.

It's not a five star because I didn't love Magnus. I really liked Tara a lot and she had a lot of dimensionality and strength to her, beautifully complex.



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It was kind of addictive. I started the book and several times decided to stop but couldn't, because I wanted to know how it will end. So I finished it and now I have no idea how to rate it.

The beginning was quite interesting and mysterious. Veronica gets dumped by his cheating boyfriend and suddenly sees a handsome young man, who is wearing a kilt. The next moment the man disappears. A bit later Veronica travels to Scotland with her friend Mackenna, who has inherited her aunts cottage. In Scotland Veronica again sees the same man and hears about Doon - a magical land hidden behind a veil of mist, which can be visited only once in a hundred years. The village people are sure that Mackenna's aunt was one of the people who had seen Doon with her own eyes. 

When girls find aunt's diary and the rings, Veronica decides to prove that Doon exists. Mackenna doesn't believe in it but plays along, so that Veronica could go on after she realizes Doon is just a fairytale. 
It turns out Doon is real and before you know the girls are thrown into a dungeon, accused by being the accomplices to a witch, who has tries to destroy Doon for centuries. Veronica's dream man turns out to be the crown prince of Doon, who can't stand the girl and acts like a total jerk.

Doon was a weird place with indoor plumbing, sword fights, sushi, and carriages. At first it was so strange, but there was a rather good explanation of this mixing of centuries. 

Some days ago I moaned about the lack of books with true female friendship, well Veronica and Mackenna were really good friends. But the girls themselves were ... I don't have good enough word for this. Some examples maybe:

[spoiler]* they don't like their looks but think the other one is absolutely gorgeous. 
* Mackenna has no time or patience to read her aunt's diary. She's stomping around the room and singing hits from musicals while Veronica is reading the diary. 
* They are accused of witchcraft and instead of keeping her mouth shut, Mackenna threatens a man with some "Disney magic". 
* The other time she decides to be silent and let Veronica speak, but opens her big mouth anyway and makes things worse again.[/spoiler]

Veronica plays a martyr almost the whole story. 

[spoiler]* She believes it's her duty to save Doon without saying anything to Mackenna or James. 
* Although James tells her, that he is a grown up and for once would like to make his own decisions (it turns out when you are a crown prince, your whole life is planned before your birth), Veronica just takes his choices away, because she "knows" what is best for James and Doon. 
* She also makes assumptions without knowing all the facts and almost kills everyone. 

[/spoiler]

And James, I actually thought he was bipolar. His mood swings were confusing as hell. Later I understood his behaviour but his stalling was annoying. 

I actually liked Duncan, Fiona, and Fergus. They had some sense and although some things were so obvious, those didn't bother me as much as all that stuff I wrote before.

I so hoped it to be a 5 star read because of Scotland, travelling to a fairytale land, magic, but unfortunately it wasn't so.