A Devil in Scotland by Suzanne Enoch

A Devil in Scotland by Suzanne Enoch

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I always try to be upfront about my dislike of a certain trope (in this case second chance romance) and while this is technically not a second chance romance, the H/h still had a history. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this title anyway.

Callum MacCreath is immature and irresponsible. He has no plans beyond getting his next drink and it stunned to find it his brother is planning to marry his childhood friend, Rebecca. In a case of not realizing what he's got until its gone, Callum leaves Scotland for ten years.

Rebecca knows she made the right choice when she married Callum's brother, Ian, instead of Callum but she still misses Callum terribly while he's away. She is surprised but secretly glad when Callum returns after being away for so long. They begin working together to unravel the mystery surrounding Ian's death.

I highly enjoyed this title and had trouble putting it down. I couldn't wait to find the next clue about what really happened to Ian and that kept me reading probably more than anything. A lot happened in the novel, and I enjoyed almost every minute of it. I liked both Callum and Rebecca, though I thought Callum could be overbearing at times. Rebecca was an intelligent heroine throughout without having any TSTL moments.

I did feel like the romance itself was a bit tepid even with a few love scenes. Perhaps it was because of their history but there just wasn't much heat between Callum and Rebecca. I still found the love story believable (perhaps more so because of the lack of heat). I really enjoyed the fact that there wasn't a lot of "if only" from either character.

The major issue I had with this title was the use of "I reckon" over and over again. It was enough to drive me crazy but the story still managed to overshadow even that.

                                                           -Reader

*An eARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Duke in Shining Armor by Loretta Chase

A Duke in Shining Armor by Loretta Chase

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I thought this title was a lot of fun and can't wait for the next!!

Lady Olympia Hightower is surprised to find herself at her wedding to the Duke of Ashmont and is suddenly incredibly unsure she wants to go through with said wedding. Hugh, the Duke of Ripley, is Ashmont's best friend and is determined to make sure Olympia marries Ashmont.

I thought this book was a fun road trip story. I laughed out loud (sometimes in my kid's Taekwondo class) several times. I loved all of the characters (I'm already looking forward to Ashmont's story) and found the situations the characters found themselves in to be fun and believable.

I will definitely be reading the next title in the series!!

                                                        -Reader

*An eARC was provided by Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

It's Hard Out Here for a Duke by Maya Rodale

Hard Out Here for a Duke by Maya Rodale

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While not my favorite of the series, I did enjoy this title.

Before I really begin this review I feel like I need to disclose something: second chance romances are my least favorite. I have turned away many books because the H/h were previously together and were being reunited. Having said that, this title wasn't exactly a second chance romance in the traditional sense but for the first half of the book it certainly felt like one. There was a lot of "if only" in the first half of the book and a few times I seriously considered giving up on it.

I didn't give up, however, and the second half of the book made up for it. It was so much better than the beginning of the book and I really enjoyed it. I liked both James and Miranda and felt like they went together so well.

I enjoyed getting to see James learning to deal with his new responsibilities (whether he wanted to or not). And I felt like there was a real obstacle to his and Miranda's relationship besides their (very brief) history together. It wasn't something a simple conversation could overcome and that's often the worst part of a second chance romance.

I felt like this title was missing much of Miss Rodale's light and fun storytelling but it was still an entertaining read and I look forward to whatever she has coming next!!

                                                          -Reader

*An eARC was provided by Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.