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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

'My Highland Lord' Blog Tour: Excerpt, Review, and Giveaway




Phoebe Wallington (London Heiress) and Kiernan MacGregor (the Marquess of Ashlund) tale is absolutely riveting.” – Rhonda Tutt
 
Fast paced and passion filled. If you enjoy conspiracies, romance, witty banter, danger and passion, then pick up this title. You will not regret reading this wonderful story!” – My Book Addiction
 
Synopsis:
 
London Heiress kidnapped by the Marquess of Ashlund, read the headlines. Yet no one tried to save her.
Phoebe Wallington was seven years old when a mass assassination attempt rocked Regency England. Her father was the only accused traitor to elude capture. Now as a grown woman and a British spy, she is no closer to learning what really happened that day.
Phoebe's quest for the truth takes a sudden turn when she's kidnapped by a suspected traitor. But Kiernan MacGregor, the Marquess of Ashlund, may not live long enough to stand trial. Someone wants him dead. And Phoebe stands in the killer's way.
 
 
About Author:
 
Award winning author Tarah Scott cut her teeth on authors such as Georgette Heyer, Zane Grey, and Amanda Quick. Her favorite book is a Tale of Two Cities, with Gone With the Wind as a close second. She writes modern classical romance, and paranormal and romantic suspense. Tarah grew up in Texas and currently resides in Westchester County, New York with her daughter.
 
 
 
 Excerpt:

“Forgive me for laughing,” he said.
“I can forgive the mistaken identity—as inconvenient as it is—but tying me up goes beyond the pale.”
“I'm pleased to have your forgiveness, regardless of the reason.”
“When this escapade is finished, you will find yourself at a disadvantage.”
“Heddy,” he said with resignation, “I find myself at a disadvantage now.”
She gave him a dry look. “I doubt that. When do you plan on sending word to the authorities of the murder plot against the duchess—or have you already done so?”
“No need to concern yourself with that.”
"But—my God, you don't intend to report them. You will stand idly by while a murder is planned and executed?”
“What is one murder in exchange for fifteen thousand?" he replied. "Or do fifteen thousand Highlanders hold less value to you than a single noblewoman?” He paused. "Perhaps, the gratitude of the duchess' male relatives interests you more?”
Phoebe shot to her feet. “Even Heddy wouldn't lower herself to such debased actions.”
“Lower herself?” Kiernan laughed, although the sound held none of his characteristic humor. “Heddy, I have seen—”
“By heavens," she burst out. "I am not Heddy.”
“No?” he murmured. When she gave a frustrated growl, he rose. “Well then—" He yanked her against him.
His mouth crashed down on hers and she froze. One arm slipped around her waist while the other cupped her neck. She gasped, but he hugged her closer. His tongue invaded her mouth, the taste of him, shocking and intoxicating. His arm tightened, but the kiss, the thrust of his tongue, softened to a feathery touch. He shuddered, and her heart leapt into a furious rhythm.
His mouth moved slowly against her lips. She became aware of the hard bulge pressing against her abdomen and clutched at his shoulders. Heat streaked from the unexpected throb in her breasts to her stomach, then lower. He abruptly tore his mouth from hers and buried his face in her neck. Phoebe swayed. His low laugh washed warm across her ear and she shivered.
“You temptress,” he breathed. “I understand what Regan sees in you.”
“Just because I borrowed Heddy's coach doesn't mean I am her,” she said through a gulp of air.
Kiernan straightened away from her and stared down at her, eyes intense. “I wonder if Regan would believe me if I swore I didn’t know you're his lover." His gaze slid down her body, and she couldn't find the will to turn away as his eyes lifted again to her face. "You make testing the theory tempting. In fact—"
His fingers tightened on her arms and she realized he intended to test the theory that instant.
 
 
My Review:
 
I have to admit it has been a while since I have read a historical romance and I wasn't sure if I would really enjoy this book, but this book made me remember just how enjoyable historical romances could be. I LOVED this book. It had everything I could have asked for: a strong heroine, a glorious hero, mystery, love scenes, action, and unpredictable plot twists.
It is set in nineteenth century Britain, a time period I know nothing about to be honest (I majored in English, not history), but because of the excellent writing it didn't matter. I was given all of the information I needed to understand the story right off the bat. Scott took an actual event, the Cato Street Conspiracy (a plot to assassinate the king's Cabinet) which took place almost two decades before the events of the book, and made a fictional story out of what happened after. The story is told in third person and includes documents written by different characters in the story. The documents were especially interesting in that they help push the story forward and also give a great feel for the time period of the story.
As far as characters go I loved Phoebe Wallington, the heroine of the piece, so much. She is tough, strong-willed, and refuses to take crap from anyone. She is an heiress whose father was accused of treason. She takes matters into her own hands and works to find the truth only to be kidnapped. If this book took place in modern day the fact that she takes matters into her own hands wouldn't be that big of a deal, but due to the time period (a time when women didn't have many rights) it says a great deal about her character. I also loved the hero/kidnapper, Kiernan MacGregor (the Marquess of Ashlund), who was honorable, sexy, funny, and pretty much everything else you could want in a male lead. The two had such great chemistry and I loved watching them interact. The best scenes between then were the funnier, more playful ones.
The dialogue in this book was impeccable and made me love the love story between Phoebe and Kiernan all the more. This book was quick-paced and full of action, romance, and suspense. It is well written and beautifully timed and organized. It definitely embodied everything there is to love about historical romance novels. And on top of that it took root in real events, making it more realistic and interesting. This is a must read for any lover of historical romance or historical fiction in general.
 
 
My Rating:
 
 
 

 


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