Scot Under the Covers by Suzanne Enoch is the second book in her Wild Wicked Highlanders series and it did not disappoint! Despite running a little longer than needed the chemistry between the feisty heroine and the barbarous middle MacTaggert brother was undeniable!
I want to thank Netgalley and the publishers at St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an early copy of this book!
If you’ve seen the British series, Poldark, you’ll definitely love this series, and especially this middle book because it reminded me so much of Ross and Demelza from the show. It had the fiery on screen romance and all the drama that comes with putting it all on the table and hoping to get out of it on top. Gambling is the main focus of this romance as the leading lady, Miranda is literally gambled away when her brother can’t pay his debts. She is dubbed a prize to a despicable man that is countlessly described as a vulture in both appearance and personality. And that’s where Aden MacTaggert enters the picture offering his help to get her out of this horrid situation.
“Aden kept the loose grin on his face—mainly because it seemed to annoy her, but also because he’d never expected to cross paths with such a sharp-tongued lass in this soft country. A bit of fire.”
He’s intrigued by her razor wit, drawing him into her world allowing him to be just what she needs to get her out of the downward spiral her brother threw her in. And by the way, their chemistry is off the charts! What I liked most about their relationship was how much he liked the way Miranda chose to be and not what society wanted her to be. He liked her from the beginning because of her stubborn, outspoken ways that contradict the Sassenach perception that he thought all prim and proper English ladies followed in order to obtain a husband.
“He generally liked a sharp tongue on a lass, a bit of fire to warm a chill night. And Miranda Harris had that aplenty, with a touch of flame in her brunette hair and a smolder in her deep-brown eyes to match. It was a shame she didn’t seem to want to warm up to him as much as she wanted to burn him into a crisp and shovel him into the ash bin.”
Aden’s perception is as sharp as Miranda’s wit and this commentary was as hilarious as it was swoon-worthy. He is clearly falling for her and yet he can sense her feelings aren’t returned but it doesn’t deter him. This sums up their relationship at the beginning stage of the plot and I loved it because it nailed the feelings being stirred around the plot. It was a forced proximity romance in a way and it was executed very well.
The one thing that had me slightly angry was when they slept together, a woman’s reputation was very important to keep especially one that was unmarried. Their virtue was coveted and losing it would most likely lose all of their standing within society and yet Miranda threw hers away in the middle of the plot to a wild highlander…To me this didn’t make sense to the story. Being in this genre however this scene was essential but again it wreaks havoc on my brain and perception of this era. To me, a character like Miranda wouldn’t have given in to temptation despite ones’ efforts. Is this just me? I’m still fairly new to the genre but I like my regency romance to have some authenticity and for me this was taking it almost too far outside of that realm for my liking. I still loved the story and Aden! And I am definitely looking forward to the next and final book featuring the eldest brother, Coll. He might even be the stubbornest and I cannot wait to see who ensnares him as a husband!