A Scot in the Dark Scandal & Scoundrel

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance A Scot in the Dark is the second book in the Scandal and Scoundrel's trilogy and somehow I missed out on reading this book and had just realized it so when I saw this book available at my local library, I just knew that I had to pick it up and I am so glad that I did. I will admit that I adore Sarah MacLean, but some of her books have been a hit or miss and mostly due to reading engagement. So I decided that audiobooks are the BEST way to go and she has such a wonderful narrator for this story: Justine Eyre. Justine is fabulous in narrating historical romance especially if you love historical romance. A Scot in the Dark begins when our heroine, Lillian Hargrove, has gotten caught up in a scandal of her own making. Lillian was approached and courted by a handsome young artist and Derek was a man she thought she was in love with but it turned out it was quite opposite on his side of things. When he invites her to a presentation of his artwork he announces he will be revealed a nude piece and Lillian is revealed as the mysterious lady and that the painting will be viewed by the public. And now there is a scandal surround Lillian and not to mention her heart and dreams for the future have been shattered. The Duke of Warnick, a Scot, has recently come into the title and he despises everything english and for good reason. But when he suddenly learns that he has a ward and that she is caught up in a scandal, he heads down to London to handle the situation so he can return home. Even though he is fascinated by Lillian, with her passion and her fighting spirit he knows the best course of action is to get her married especially when he learns that its something she really desires but is afraid to trust anyone else. But Warnick is not wanting to admit his true feelings for Lillian since he is her guardian and doesn't feel like its appropriate. But Lillian doesn't want marriage and she wants to find a way out of her own mess but her heart become intertwined with Warnick and she only needs to convince him that their love is worth the risk.... Listen to me. You do not let them win. Not ever. There is nothing in this world they like more than tearing a woman down for having too much courage. And there is nothing in the world that makes them angrier than not being able to break her. A Scot in the Dark was simply a wonderful story and I had so many fun times with this book a lot more than I expected and after Justine's performance in waking up this story with zest and passion, I am definitely going to listen to future books by MacLean because this narrator is superb. Now I will admit that this story does start out a bit slowly, but it quickly picks up speed and when you reach about 30 percent, is where the story really pulls in the reader to the story. I love Guardian/Ward romances and this one was so well written. I really loved the set up where Lillian posed for a nude by an artist....this is always something I enjoy reading especially in a historical romance. It shows that Lillian was empowered by her own sensuality and not ashamed of the desire she felt or her body and I truly loved that about her. She has her dreams and fights for them even if that dream is to find a man to love and have a family together. This book shows how beautiful that dream is and worth searching and finding the right man for the job. We do get some fun appearances with other characters from fellow books which was SUPER fun and it made me want to re-read this trilogy for sure. I am always captivated by how Sarah MacLean writes her friendships and they just take in Lillian right away and accept her since they have scandals attached to their names too but in the name of love. We see how she has to find some peace with her past and accept the friendships with these ladies. The romance that developed between Lillian and Warnick is so detailed and well done in the feels department. Now, this author is superb when writing fun bantering and boy these two just made me so happy all the time even when they were fighting. I just had a fun time with these two and see them working out their differences. They definitely have different views and boy Lillian is a fighter and she gets a bit creative with how she fights back and I loved it. I enjoyed seeing these two really find some common ground eventually and once they hit that then all is far in love and war. Because when these two love they do it HARD and STRONG!! I wanted these two to find their happy ever after so badly and it takes time and pain but they do get there and it was the journey to their HEA that made this book so moving. I was so involved in their romance and seeing them find what they needed in each other. Overall I found A Scot in the Dark  to be a sensual, full of giggles and delicious sexual tension to win your hearts!!!  A MUST READ FOR MACLEAN LOVERS

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews. Lillian Hargrove is a real beauty that any man would love to have. Unfortunately, she's been all alone her entire life. Now, there's a scandal surrounding her, which sets her apart even more. Alec, a Scot who's the Duke of Warnick, doesn't want anything to do with London. But when his ward Lillian needs help, his plan is to find her someone to marry. I liked Lillian right from the start. After what happened, she got stronger, fierce and wouldn't take bullshit from anyone. I feel like along the way she lost that a little bit and then got it back. Lily knows that she wants to marry Alec. Unfortunately, he thinks he isn't good enough for her. This Duke shows lots of vulnerability throughout the story. On the outside he's so big and tough, but in the inside he's vulnerable, which I loved! I felt so bad for Alec because all his life he heard that he wasn't the type of man women would marry. He was only good for bed and he truly believed that! It was really sad because he's actually a great man. I haven't read much books that contain a scandal, much less a Historical story with a scandal. I think the author did a great job in fleshing out the scandal and how she portrayed it. It stayed very realistic, especially in a historical setting. There was lots of witty banter between Lily and Alec. I found myself grinning when they would bicker. It was so fun to read! A few other characters gave so much light to the story! One of those characters is Sesily and I'm seriously hoping she gets her story because she deserves it! She was a great friend to Lily and would make her laugh when she was sad. Sesily is a character I would love to have as a best friend. "Because all men are addlepated imbeciles who deserve to be strung up by their thumbs in St. James Park and set upon by bees." Lily blinked. "That's terribly creative." Sesily smirked. "I may fantasize now and then." Overall, A Scot in the Dark is bold and very enjoyable. I'm definitely looking forward to more books in this series. I received an eARC from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

I will stand by that Sarah MacLean is like no other when it comes to crafting impactful yet riveting historical romance books. I always look forward to her stories. This was another winner for me. I loved the idea of Lilly trying to save herself instead of relying on false promises and I loved her determination and perseverance.

Way too many sentence fragments and single-sentence paragraphs, the bane of my romance-reading existence at this point. However, good conclusion.

Not my fav characters. so many misunderstandings

After 17 deaths, the titular Scot Alec finds he's assumed the title Duke of Warnick and one ward, the beautiful Lillian Hargrove. Embroiled in a scandal regarding a nude painting after an ill-advised relationship with an artist, Lily is desperate to escape. However, Alec has other plans for her, namely finding a man for her to marry, although it seems he may be the best one for the job... So much fun. I love Sarah MacLean's characters. She gives them wonderfully damaged pasts, but brings them together in the best ways. Can't wait for the next one! **listened to on audiobook and I found just as charming and just as steamy as the first go around. These are two characters who you want to scream JUST KISS ALREADY! and when they do it is so so good.

Find this book review and more at kimberlyfaye reads. Every time I read a historical romance novel, I think to myself "I should read more historical romance." Somehow that never works out, unless I go on a massive binge. I love them, but I find they require a little more concentration that contemporary books and, to be honest, I don't always have that level of concentration. So, despite loving the first book in the Scandal & Scoundrel series, this one has been sitting on my iPad just waiting to be read, for ages. I am glad I finally picked it up. There was a bit of a slow start, but I'm attributing that to the fact that it's a historical romance and as I said above, I just read those differently. It definitely kept me turning pages and it finished on a really strong note.  Sarah MacLean is easily one of my favorite historical romance authors. I love her unconventional heroines — and heroes, for that matter. She has this great way of taking current (or at the very least, contemporary) events and putting them into a historical setting. Maybe it shouldn't work as well as it does, but I love it. But her heroines are the real stars of the show for me. They're unique to the time period. Their roles aren't that of traditional regency women. They're often fiery, sassy and stronger than expected. I don't think I should have to explain why I love that like I do. Lillian was all of those things and I adored her because of it.  Once I got through the initial bumps with the book, I was all in. I was entranced by Warnick. As I said, I adored Lillian — even if sometimes she made me want to scream. I loved how things built between them and how it helped her character grow. This book was swoony, super sexy and charming. I grinned through the largest portion of it, loving everything that was going on. It was a totally enjoyable read. Now, I just need to read the third book ASAP, since part of my mind is still back in that time period with those characters. Another great historical romance for Sarah MacLean! I'm loving this series! FAVORITE QUOTES "And, if I am to live in such a cage, my lord, it may as well be gilded, don't you think?" And then the name echoed through her — The Scottish Brute — she loathed that moniker. Loathed the idea that it was whispered behind his back. Loathed the idea that he was whispered about, at all.  "My reputation is a ruined, because I am a woman, and we are not our own. We belong to the world. Our bodies, our minds."  He kissed her like she was air. Like she was all he'd ever wanted. Like she was temptation and sin and he could not stop himself.

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews. Lillian Hargrove is a real beauty that any man would love to have. Unfortunately, she's been all alone her entire life. Now, there's a scandal surrounding her, which sets her apart even more. Alec, a Scot who's the Duke of Warnick, doesn't want anything to do with London. But when his ward Lillian needs help, his plan is to find her someone to marry. I liked Lillian right from the start. After what happened, she got stronger, fierce and wouldn't take bullshit from anyone. I feel like along the way she lost that a little bit and then got it back. Lily knows that she wants to marry Alec. Unfortunately, he thinks he isn't good enough for her. This Duke shows lots of vulnerability throughout the story. On the outside he's so big and tough, but in the inside he's vulnerable, which I loved! I felt so bad for Alec because all his life he heard that he wasn't the type of man women would marry. He was only good for bed and he truly believed that! It was really sad because he's actually a great man. I haven't read much books that contain a scandal, much less a Historical story with a scandal. I think the author did a great job in fleshing out the scandal and how she portrayed it. It stayed very realistic, especially in a historical setting. There was lots of witty banter between Lily and Alec. I found myself grinning when they would bicker. It was so fun to read! A few other characters gave so much light to the story! One of those characters is Sesily and I'm seriously hoping she gets her story because she deserves it! She was a great friend to Lily and would make her laugh when she was sad. Sesily is a character I would love to have as a best friend. "Because all men are addlepated imbeciles who deserve to be strung up by their thumbs in St. James Park and set upon by bees." Lily blinked. "That's terribly creative." Sesily smirked. "I may fantasize now and then." Overall,  A Scot in the Dark is bold and very enjoyable. I'm definitely looking forward to more books in this series. I received an eARC from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.