Quiet, sweet-tempered Lydia Hunt knows she’s not her father’s favorite daughter. That honor belongs to her prettier, younger sister Portia who has a talent for getting into trouble. When Lydia discovers her sister’s latest scheme involves kidnapping a very angry Scottish rogue in order to convince him to marry her, Lydia knows she must help the man escape. Yet, she never imagined the man would mistake her for Portia and abduct her as revenge and flee to Scotland.
Brodie Kincade is a natural heartbreaker and vows never to marry. But when he’s kidnapped by a young woman who desperately wants to marry him, he swears vengeance on the cunning and beautiful lady by kidnapping her instead and whisking her away to Scotland. His plan to ruin make her his mistress rather than wife soon falls apart when he realizes that he’s kidnapped the wrong sister. He never expected that a sweet, passionate woman could change his views on love once and for all.
Plot/Idea: 8 out of 10
Originality: 8 out of 10
Prose: 8 out of 10
Character/Execution: 9 out of 10
Overall: 8.25 out of 10
Assessment:
Plot: In this addition to the League of Rogues series, Smith introduces a new heroine who becomes unexpectedly romantically entwined with a rogue Scotsman. A case of mistaken identity adds a fresh twist to this fun and passionate historical romance.
Prose: Smith delivers vibrant prose and dialogue befitting the historical era and offers an easy balance between exposition and in-scene storytelling.
Originality: While Never Tempt a Scot adheres to many of the expectations within the Regency-era romance genre, Smith’s uses of humor and intrigue are decidedly unique and supremely engaging.
Character/Execution: Readers will swoon as they witness brooding and invulnerable Brodie Kincade soften under the gentle graces of charming Lydia Hunt. Side characters are similarly well-differentiated, with the contrast between Lydia and her more heedless sister, being especially pronounced.
Date Submitted: May 31, 2020
