Category: Historical Fiction

By Alyson McLayne

4 Stars. Best enjoyed with a glass of wine behind a locked door. 

This book is #4 in The Sons of Gregor MacLeod series, although it can be read as a standalone, which is exactly how I read it. 

Laird Gavin MacLeod is looking for his son who has been lost the last two years after being taken away from the site of a clan gathering following the death of his distant and cold wife from the plague. His single minded search for Ewan MacLeod has turned him into a bitter and angry man, blind to anything other than finding his heir and holding him in his arms again. Little does he know that his young son has been given to the care of Lady Deidre MacIntyre under the guise of him being a bastard son of her own husband. Lady MacIntyre has grown to deeply love the young boy who so lovingly calls her ‘mother’ and the child is the only thing in the MacIntyre estate—in her very life—that she cares about. When Laird MacLeod storms the estate for the boy, Deidre refuses to let the child go without her, and Gavin MacLeod is forced to take his son’s adoptive mother with him, albeit reluctantly. 

As Gavin gets to know Deidre and sees the love she has for his son, feelings begin to stir deeply within his heart—and lower—feelings he hasn’t had for anyone in quite a few years. Feelings that Deidre’s own body echoes back in secret. However, the kidnapping of Deidre begins the stirrings of a war between the patriarch of the MacIntyre clan and that of her family, while there are also parties in the shadows who have been scheming against Gregor MacLeod and his foster sons, including Gavin. Will Deidre and Gavin’s feelings remain unrequited or will the growing feelings of love and physical attraction give them the strength to conquer all?

I really did love this story and I’ll tell you what—Alyson McLayne knows how to write a steamy love scene! Good Glory! The characterizations were deep and meaningful and the growing feelings between Deidre and Gavin weren’t instant, which I always appreciate. Both of the main characters had a lot of their own demons to overcome, both inner and outer. I also love stories where the heroine is well read and the Highland Captive delivered this, along with a fierce and protective hero who could seriously rev some engines! 

The plot was fast paced and many of the characters were both relatable and likeable when they needed to be, and repulsive and unlikeable when it called for it. I had a ton of sympathy for Deidre’s life—she had it rough—but she also more than overcame it with a little encouragement from Gavin and grew to be less timid as the story went on, which is believable and often happens when someone who is pushed into the shadows is brought back into the sun. 

Although I have not read McLayne’s other works, you can bet that I’ll be picking up the others in short order!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca in exchange for a fair and honest review.

By Jane Goodger, Pub July 9, 2019

4.5 Stars, Best enjoyed in one sitting.

Rebecca Caine never planned to be a duchess. She never planned to have to be sold to settle her father’s gambling debts. She never expected that she would be brought far north of her St. Ives home and into a dark and foreboding estate, one in which the master, her own husband, was believed to be cursed and ghosts could be heard in the walls. She also never expected the passion she would experience with the man who hid himself in darkness.

Oliver Sterling, Duke of Kendal, was cursed with an affliction that pushed him into the dark, scurrying about the hidden passages in his own estate, and causing rumors and fear in the servants and nearby villagers alike, who were convinced that to look in the Cursed Duke’s face would turn them to stone. The only person who saw the Duke was his guardian and estate caretaker, Mr. Winters. His affliction made him a very lonely man, wishing only for a wife, a companion, when he sees a painting of a girl from St. Ives and requests that Mr. Winters find her, marry her in proxy, and bring him back to the estate. He only expected a wife in Rebecca. He never expected to find love, and he most definitely didn’t expect that this union would allow him the chance to walk in the light once again.

This was my first Jane Goodger book, but it will not be my last. I absolutely loved the rich atmosphere and the overall story. The undertones of Beauty & the Beast, one of my personal best-loved fairy tales, only further enhanced it. The characters are well thought out when needed. Rebecca is resilient, Oliver is empathetic, and Mr. Winters is someone you absolutely grow to hate for the part he has played and the other things that he’s done. Rebecca finds her feet under her rather quickly, which says something given that she’s been thrust into a new world and new, much more lofty social status than she ever could have imagined. I’ve always loved a good gothic tale, and this had plenty of that feel even if the cover itself is rather deceptive. It’s atmospheric, creepy at times, scary in others, and both heartbreaking and undeniably romantic. The very estate itself felt real, even with all of its hidden passages and dark chambers, and the reveal of Oliver’s affliction was very surprising and the build up to it kept this reader on her toes. This was an absolutely amazing read. I devoured it in one sitting. ENCORE!

I received an advanced copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley and Kensington Books in return for a fair and honest review.

By Pamela Mingle. (Spies in Love, #2)

3.5 stars, best enjoyed with mulled wine by firelight.

Isabel Tait has known little of the world outside of her home where she lived with her mother, half brothers, and recently deceased step father, who was not a very nice man, other than the world can be a cruel place. Cloistered all her life, she is both grateful and afraid when her mother tells her that she is getting remarried and her spinster daughter is to be married off or sent elsewhere. Hope comes in the form of Bess Shrewsbury, an acquaintance of her family, who offers Isabel a place amongst the circle of companions for Mary, Queen of Scots. Isabel takes the position and is thrust into a world she has never been a part of, full of plotting, dancing, intrigue, gossip, and secret trysts.

Amongst those at Shrewsbury is the handsome and beguiling Gavin Cade, a reluctant spy sent on behalf of queen and country to look into a suspected plot to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I, with the Scots queen at the very center. Isabel, who is quickly taken into Mary’s confidence, become a pawn in a game she never wanted to play, and falls prey to Cade’s charms. However, Cade’s own allegiance seems to shift as he gets to know the demure and intelligent ‘Bel’ and finds himself falling for the fiercely loyal young woman. Their love grows even as their lives are thrown into chaos, with an attempted abduction, murder plots, and other unsavory dealings. Apparently, that’s just court life with an imprisoned Queen whose very existence is a threat to the crown.

I’m a sucker for historical spy romances, especially when the romance was one of the slow burn kind. It’s a super niche interest, but Game of Spies satisfies and checks a lot of the boxes. I was pretty hesitant when it came to this because I recently studied this period in history and Queen Elizabeth and Mary’s relationship is hotly contested, and historians are still trying to figure out whether Mary truly was involved in planning the plots in which she was embroiled and also whether Elizabeth meant to put her to death (spoiler alert–not in the book, but historical spoiler if you don’t know anything about this piece of history). However, Mingle showed her hand and expertise on staying as true as possible to the historical subject matter and did an excellent job of straddling that line, allowing her characterization of Mary to still leave the reader to decide if she was, in fact, guilty. It’s always difficult to take on controversial subject matter like this in a novelization and I was left entirely satisfied.

Additionally, Mingle used the actual places that Mary was during that period, which only added to the realism of the story. It’s also pretty fantastic to be able to see pictures of the actual places and get a sense of what it was like. One such example is Tutbury Castle. Although the castle isn’t exactly intact 500 years later, recent pictures nonetheless still lend credence to the events that took place and also allow the reader to visualize what it looked like for these historical players and their fictional counterparts, bringing us further into the story.

Although the book admittedly seems to drag around 75% of the way through, I was invested enough in knowing how it turned out and also enjoyed reading the author’s interpretation of Queen Mary, which helped me keep my pace. Overall, Game of Spies was an enjoyable read, and the only reason I didn’t read it all in one sitting was because I looked up and it was 3am on a ‘school night’ and I’m sure my husband was getting tired of the light from my e-reader.

It’s the perfect season for an escapist read like this one. If you’re into historical romance I recommend you pick up a copy for a summer escape!

Thanks to Netgalley & Entangled Publishing for this advanced copy in exchange for a fair review!