To Wed a Wild Scot

We met Lady Juliana Bernard in The Wayward Bride, book one in this series. I really liked her in that book because she was intelligent, caring, and seemed to have her act together. In this book, Juliana seems to be a tale of two people. In the Scottish portion of the book, she is strong, intelligent, caring – stubborn and determined. In the English portion of the book, she seems to shrink as a person. I did enjoy both locations, but the Lady Juliana that we meet and get to know in Scotland is much more relatable than the one we meet in England. Logan Blair loves Scotland and his clan above all else. He is devastated by the clearances that are happening all over Scotland and does everything in his power to help the people – especially those on his lands. Well, technically they aren’t his lands and technically he isn’t laird, but he was raised to act as laird and to care for the people of the land. Logan has a twin brother who is eighteen minutes older than him and it is that brother who owns the lands and the lairdship. That could all be well and good, but the two brothers were separated shortly after birth – the older brother was raised by his uncle in England and the other was raised in Scotland. Logan’s brother is the heir to his uncle’s dukedom and they haven’t seen each other in all that time. When I mentioned that Logan would do everything in his power to help his people – that is literally true – and what he does causes harm to others without his meaning for it to do so. When the person who was harmed turns up at his door, he doesn’t feel guilty at all because what he did was for the good of his clan. But then, he comes to understand the real harm he’s caused – not that he is inclined, at first, to remedy the situation. Lady Juliana is as dedicated to her young niece, Grace, as Logan is to Scotland and his clan. When she acted nobly – in The Wayward Bride – she thought she had another alternative. However, she hasn’t heard from that alternative in months and her time is running out. If she isn’t married soon, before her father dies, she’ll lose custody of Grace to a really despicable character. She absolutely cannot allow that to happen and takes off for Scotland to track down her betrothed. This story is well-written and well-plotted but I did have a little trouble understanding how Juliana came to Love Logan so quickly. He’d done something that could ruin not only her life, but her niece’s as well, and he showed no remorse for it nor any real intention of making amends. Yes, don’t get me wrong – I LOVED Logan – I just didn’t get how she could become so enamored of him so quickly. On the other hand – I can easily see why he’d come to care for her – she was honest, brave and strong. I couldn’t give a 5-star rating because there was just too much – misconception, jumping to conclusions, and total lack of communication. They spent more time angry and not speaking than they did actually speaking which is why I came to question the true romance. I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lady Juliana Bernard had to get married quickly so that her beloved niece Grace would not end up with a villain for a guardian. Juliana departed for Scotland, where she would ask her best friend, Fitzwilliam Vaughan, the Duke of Blackmore to marry her. After all, they had been betrothed since childhood. Alas, during the months when she'd had no news from him, Fitzwilliam had found love. In view of everything that happened, Logan Blair, Fitzwilliam's brother would marry her and set things right, even if it's the last thing he wants. Goodness me, where to begin? TO WED A WILD SCOT has one of the most dramatic prologues I have ever read, and crucial in understanding Logan's motivations. If the prologue doesn't grab your attention, nothing ever will. Logan hates the English, and it's entirely justified, but what he did was wrong, and made Juliana's predicament even worse. I was on the edge of my seat from the first pages, and completely involved in the story. Anna Bradley writes with superlative assurance, her words impart movement, emotions, a feeling of urgency; you're not reading the story, you're living it. There are so many splendid scenes, but the reason why Logan had first noticed Juliana is utterly memorable. The euphoria of a heroine who is not an imbecile! She's all business, she's on a mission, and she will do everything to ensure Grace's well-being. Juliana is simply magnificent, she has to be one of my favourite heroines ever! And she needed her backbone of steel, because Logan is a formidable adversary. And if you enjoy seeing a hero grovelling to atone for his many mistakes, Logan is your man. By chapter six, I was nearly moved to tears because I couldn't fathom how it would all work out for the better. Neither could I see how the romance would play out, because it seemed like mission impossible. TO WED A WILD SCOT is a masterpiece of stellar storytelling, with a brilliantly crafted and very intricate plot, and enough twists and turns to make your head spin, and all of them believable. I have seldom seen so many exceptionally complex and well defined characters whose interactions are, at times, painfully realistic. The villain, whom we had met in Book 1, The Wayward Bride, is absolutely perfect; no moustache-twirling ogre with bad breath here, my friends. I had loved to hate him then, and he remained true to himself. I'm not sure how Ms. Bradley did it but, while this story was set up in the previous installment, TO WED A WILD SCOT stands entirely on its own. I could have done - again - with fewer sex scenes, as I started skimming them at some point. Now, this is a personal preference, and I know most readers disagree with me: the Gaelic. I don't know how to pronounce it, I don't know what the words and expressions mean, and when they're not immediately translated, I just stop reading them. There is a Gaelic glossary at the end, but I'm too lazy to go check. I never "penalise" the author, but for me, too much Gaelic constitutes a minus. Still, TO WED A WILD SCOT is a superb, intelligent, exciting, and historically accurate Regency romance. And do read the Author's Notes at the very end, as they are most enlightening. Ms. Bradley's dazzling eloquence, her sublime prose, clever dialogues, and supremely compelling characters are the icing on this scrumptious cake.

He was a man on a mission to save his clan. After the English had made a path through Scotland, killing and burning everything in sight, he was determined. But Logan Blair was not really the Laird of Clan Kinross. His twin brother was, who had been taken when young and raised in England by their uncle who had even changed his brother's name to Fitwilliam. Years later, Fitzwilliam does go to Scotland, and Logan wants him to step up and marry a Scotish lass which will tie him further to the clan. Fortunately, Logan begins intercepting letters sent to his brother from an English lady in care of a local inn. He sees she is wanting them to get married and he will have none of it and destroys the correspondence. Lady Juliana Bernard, has to get married as quickly as possible so she can have custody of her six year old niece. Fitz was her best friend and they had been bethrothed since childhood so she kept writing to him to let him know. Unfortunately he had not answered her last letter with her urgent plea. So she sets out for Scotland to find him! Headstrong and determined, Juliana comes upon Logan by chance at an Inn on her way. Wait, what? this man who looks like dear Fitz but has a Scottish Burr? Plus he looks a little harder around the mouth. No, what is going on? Then she sees him burning one of her letters at the Inn she has been sending them to! No wonder! Let the adventure begin! So she demands Logan marry her. Oh yes, and the sparks begin to fly. Yes their attraction is high but there are other emotions that come out. Can these two ever come together and trust each other? Absolutely loved this story and Anna Bradley always grabs me with her writing and her strong characters. Although this can be read as a standalone, I encourage you to read the first book. You will be happy you did! Excellent!!