From New York Times bestselling author Julia London, comes DEVIL IN TARTAN—the fourth novel in her Highland Grooms Series!
DEVIL IN TARTAN is now available. Order your copy today!
DEVIL IN TARTAN Synopsis:
Lottie Livingstone bears the weight of an island on her shoulders. Under threat of losing their home, she and her clan take to the seas to sell a shipload of illegal whiskey. When an attack leaves them vulnerable, she transforms from a maiden daughter to a clever warrior. For survival, she orchestrates the siege of a rival’s ship and now holds the devilish Scottish captain Aulay Mackenzie under her command.
Tied, captive and forced to watch a stunning siren commandeer the Mackenzie ship, Aulay burns with the desire to seize control—of the ship and Lottie. He has resigned himself to a life of solitude on the open seas, but her beauty tantalizes him like nothing has before. As authorities and enemies close in, he is torn between surrendering her to justice and defending her from assailants. He’ll lose her forever, unless he’s willing to sacrifice the unimaginable…
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Excerpt:
It was a catastrophe—there could be no other word that would adequately describe it. It had really begun a fortnight ago, in the early evening of Sankt Hans, the annual celebration of midsummer. The Livingstone clan had been preparing for a play, one written and produced by Duff. Duff fancied himself quite the actor, and he’d rallied a few members of the clan to join his theatrical troupe. There were six of them set to perform when they heard the warning horn from Old Donnie. He lived on the tip of the island just across the loch from Port Appin, and it was his job to sound the horn if anything or anyone should come to the island.
Everyone had frantically begun to gather up incriminating whisky jugs. “What of the play?” Duff had wailed unhappily.
It just so happened that Lottie’s horse, Stjerne, was still saddled from her participation in the pony races, and when she saw Norval and Bear Livingstone leap to their horses, she joined them. It was the way of things on Lismore—she was always in the thick of things.
She’d not been the least surprised to find Laird Campbell, his periwig tightly curled and overly powdered, skulking among the rabbits. It wasn’t his first attempt to find the stills. Naturally, Mr. Edwin MacColl, the chief of the clan who inhabited what the Livingstones considered to be the good side of their island, would accompany him.
Lottie had always liked Mr. MacCollas long as he stayed on his end of the island. He was a widower, his children grown and married with children of their own. He was older than Lottie’s father, but still had a broad chest and thick, snowy brows that slid up when he smiled wistfully at Lottie as he was wont to do.
But his visits to the north end had become all too frequent of late, and quite recently, he’d suggested to Bernt that Lottie might make him a good wife. “I’ve a nice house for her to keep, plenty of food for the table,” he’d suggested, apparently considering these two facts to be his better points of persuasion.
Lottie had not been surprised by the offer. Frankly, on an island where unmarried lassies were not plentiful, every man seemed to believe himself her perfect match, just as her mother had predicted, God rest her soul.
Her mother had warned Lottie of her allure to males. “You’re a beauty, lass, and men are drawn to beauty to their own detriment like moths to light, aye? You must no’ allow them to turn your head with bonny words and empty promises. You must be diligent in seeking the man who honors you for your heart and no’ your face, then, do you understand me? And beware your own father, lass—aye, he loves you, more than life, he does, but he’s easily persuaded by the promises of others.”
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Review:
3 stars
***
This was an okay read for me. It has been awhile since I read a historical romance, but the blurb of this one sounded good so I gave it a shot. This is Lottie and Aulay's story. Aulay is a ship captain who carries cargo from port to port. Lottie's family, the Livingstones, make and sell illegal Scottish whiskey. When their laird finds out, they hatch a plan to take their whiskey by boat to sell it across the sea. But their ship runs into trouble and they have to be rescued by the nearest ship, which happens to be Aulay's. Lottie and the Livingstones trick Aulay and take over his ship, tying him and his men up as captives. They sail the ship themselves to try to get to a port to sell their whiskey. As they spend time on the ship, Lottie and Aulay develop an attraction to each other and find they like each other. There is a lot of adventure along the way but everything works out for the two to fall in love and have their HEA.
I felt like the beginning of the book was slow moving and hard to get into. The Scottish brogue was also hard to get used to reading. By the middle of the book, I started getting into the story and enjoying it. I was able to feel the love between Lottie and Aulay. But I felt like the end was anticlimactic. The couple never quite got where I needed them to be to feel like they had a strong love connection. There was a lot going on besides the romance. Lottie's brothers and their band of merry Livingstone men were silly. I don't know if they were supposed to be comic relief, but I didn't really enjoy them. I liked Lottie and Aulay in general. Lottie had made some mistakes in life, but she took responsibility and was contrite. I did think it was a bit funny that there was no talk about Lottie's virginity. Aulay is not her first, but he never questions or speaks about it with her at all, which I thought was unusual for the time period. Overall, I enjoyed parts of this book, but I didn't love it. The pacing was off a bit. I did like the overall premise of the story though and I may try this author again in the future.
I felt like the beginning of the book was slow moving and hard to get into. The Scottish brogue was also hard to get used to reading. By the middle of the book, I started getting into the story and enjoying it. I was able to feel the love between Lottie and Aulay. But I felt like the end was anticlimactic. The couple never quite got where I needed them to be to feel like they had a strong love connection. There was a lot going on besides the romance. Lottie's brothers and their band of merry Livingstone men were silly. I don't know if they were supposed to be comic relief, but I didn't really enjoy them. I liked Lottie and Aulay in general. Lottie had made some mistakes in life, but she took responsibility and was contrite. I did think it was a bit funny that there was no talk about Lottie's virginity. Aulay is not her first, but he never questions or speaks about it with her at all, which I thought was unusual for the time period. Overall, I enjoyed parts of this book, but I didn't love it. The pacing was off a bit. I did like the overall premise of the story though and I may try this author again in the future.
Julia London’s DEVIL IN TARTAN – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:
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February 21st
Jax's Book Magic – Excerpt
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February 22nd
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February 23rd
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About Julia London:
Julia London is the New York Times and USA TODAY best-selling author of more than thirty romantic fiction novels. She is the author of the popular Cabot Sisters historical romance series, including The Trouble with Honor, The Devil Takes a Bride, and The Scoundrel and the Debutante. She is also the author of several contemporary romances, including Homecoming Ranch, Return to Homecoming Ranch and The Perfect Homecoming. She has over 100,000+ Facebook followers, is the recipient of the RT Book Reviews for Best Historical Romance and a six-time finalist for the prestigious RITA award for excellence in romantic fiction. You can visit her website JuliaLondon.com. She lives in Austin, Texas.
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