Claimed

by Tarah Scott

Sometimes, the hero must be the villain...

Fourteen months ago, Lady Rhoslyn lost her husband and infant son to a fever. Now, by order of King Edward I, she is yanked from the healing tranquility of a convent to marry the king’s favored bastard knight. Rhoslyn has no intention of returning to the home where her husband and child died. Neither does she intend to hand over her fortune to the ‘Dragon’—no matter his sweet promises and warm kisses.

Talbot St. Claire tires of war. Seventeen years is enough. King Edward will never release him from service, but the king promises Talbot will find some peace in front of his own hearth. Talbot expects to find a horse-faced, hostile woman in the Scottish heiress Edward commands him to marry. Instead, he discovers a fiery Highland beauty worthy of a man’s respect... and love. Talbot determines to do anything to win his new bride’s acceptance. Anything except the one thing she demands: betray his king and embrace his Scottish heritage.

Genres: Historical, Romance, Medieval, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Adult

332 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 27, 2015

Reviews

[~ Becs ~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, after a promising start, this one ultimately fell a little flat for me. I loved the thrill and excitement of the beginning - Rhoslyn our widowed and grieving heroine is captured by our handsome hero Talbot St Claire who she has been betrothed to as she rides out to marry in haste to another man of her grandfather's choosing and is then once again abducted by another man only to be rescued by Talbot. It was all very exciting and breathtaking BUT I kind of then expected a beautiful romance between Talbot and Rhoslyn and, while we did get a bit of that, it ultimately disappointed me with it's lack of passion and feeling and, for me, it's all about the FEELS.

The second half of the story has so many extra characters thrown into the mix that I got thoroughly confused as to who everyone was and how they all fitted in and it all distracted me from the romance which I wanted to be up front and centre but really took a back seat to all the confusing action. Possibly my expectations were wrong but the cover really did lead me down that path and I felt a little let down by it all and rushed through the second half.

Also, the big drama that I'd been expecting and anticipating right from the first abduction of Rhoslyn happened 'off page' and I'd been dying to see that and howled in frustration at that point. Talbot was a great character that I liked a lot but he was pretty much the only one and I didn't care much for our heroine for large parts of the story.

2.5 sadly disappointed stars - probably not the right highland romance for me

[Marta Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half
I've read a lot of stories with a strong paranormal twist this week so thought I'd shake things up with an historical romance and the beautiful cover of this one caught my eye. Plus I've seen this authors name crop up frequently so thought it high time I investigated her work.
Set in Scotland during the war that brought such as William Wallace and Robert the Bruce to prominence we meet Rhoslyn a young widow who understands her position in the society she's been raised in. Shackled by her gender and little more than a brood mare to some she's horrified to learn that the English King has married her off to one of his favourite Knights. Then to compound the issue her grandfather decides she should instead marry an ally of his and you start to understand just how little power over her own destiny Rhoslyn has.
Talbot wants to finally settle down and live in peace and if that means marrying some unattractive harridan then so be it but what he won't stand for is anyone taking what he considers is his. The couple get off to a bad start as Rhoslyn is following her grandfathers orders but Talbot isn't the barbarian Rhoslyn had expected. When Talbots jealous half brother kidnaps Rhoslyn he follows their trail but like with everything else in life there are always consequences.
Well this went in a completely different direction to what I had expected. Talbot is without a doubt a hero and I'm stunned at just how noble and honourable he is. Perhaps too perfect? The contrast of Rhoslyn who is definitely flawed made for a slightly for me disjointed story. Yes she's suffered and indeed during this story is violated but her reaction just astounds me. Anger is her weapon of choice and yes certain things are glossed over so I applaud the author for not glorifying ignoble, vile acts but come on no woman would be that calm!
Yes it has a strong historical setting and I really enjoyed all the details and research that has clearly gone into this book. The second half particularly brought more characters and action into the story. There was a slightly lighter moment involving a goat and a dress but for this reader it lacked any real emotion. I think what I'm trying to express is that whilst the couple seem to reach an understanding I didn't feel any love and now I think about it I don't recall any declarations of love between them! Surely a romance needs romance? This ended abruptly so I'm guessing there's another book to come and if so I sincerely hope for a stronger romance aspect because to my mind agreeing to a peaceful marriage with apparently spectacular between the sheets action isn't what I'd call love.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

[Seon Ji (Dawn) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well I finished it. Although it was painful.

My beef:

The h was cruel, insensitive, selfish, immature, arrogant.
There was little to NO romance.
I cringed every time in the 2 love scenes when the female anatomy was referred to as her "sex." Example: "and she moved her sex along his body"
I had NO clue why the H liked the h or stayed with her at all.
The ending was NOT an ending it just stopped.
The H & h NEVER said "I love you" to each other.

I gave two stars only because I finished it.

[Space Cowgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Power of One💃💋

Highlander Romance circa 1300, the reign of King Edward.
Two brothers, one woman. A big fight over Politics, love, Obsession, Power. Adventure, Abduction, sword fights, Revenge. Redemption.

[Vero Stro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Claimed by Tarah Scott. The book is very well written with a thorough desciption about the problems and confrontations going on at that time. I enjoyed the story and felt that the characters were very realistic. There wasn't a moment of respite and I needed to pay close attention not to miss a thing!. I really fell in love with Talbott. He is an amazing hero, sweet, strong, brave, loyal!!! Rhoslyn is also a very likeable character.
This is the first book I have read by Tarah Scott and it won't be the last one!!! I'm really looking forward to read what will happen next

[ᑭᑌᑎƳᗩ [Punya Reviews...] · Rating 2 out of 5]

My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts as I went with the book... for more, visit Punya Reviews...

It must be my unlucky timing with medieval romances. I’ve read 3 of those in the past 3/4 months and all ended up being such downers. They had a good story going, with a great hero but it seemed to be the heroine of the story who killed all the fun for me. Tarah Scott’s Claimed is one of those cases. It started out well, but in a few chapters I was ready to kill the heroine, Rhoslyn and felt no remorse about it either!

I’d admit unashamedly that I picked up Claimed solely because of the cover as I’ve never read anything by the author before. It’s so damn hot! ;) I’d go as far as to say that she wove an interesting story but failed in characterization. A sexy and adorable hero, interesting storyline but an insufferable heroine = no enjoyment at all. I became frustrated because this could’ve been a great enemy to lover themed stoyline, except for the fact that Rhoslyn hated Talbot way too much that she was blind to his every good deed for the most part. Rhoslyn’s trust issue was so palpable, so thick that I thought the relationship to be doomed right from the start. There was almost no romance, but then, when all the heroine does is to throw barbs and jibes at the hero for the most part of it, how can you imagine anything resembling ‘love’ budding between them?

Initially I had no intentions of doing a review but the following bugged me way too much that I had to get it out. In about 70% in the story, I became so annoyed that I HAD to put this one down. Didn’t pick up for the next 3 months. I recently did simply because I don’t give DNF ratings and so, wanted to finish.

Now onto the review...

Rhoslyn is a Scottish lady and an heiress to her grandfather’s legacy. She was married off to this older man at a very young age, who was more of a guardian/protector rather than a husband. It was no love match but she did her duty well and thought she had come to love and respect Alec. They had a good marriage and after a long wait of 7 yrs., she also bore him a son, Dougal. Unfortunately, both father and son, who was still an infant, died in the space of a few weeks due to some fever. Needless to say, Rhoslyn was devastated. To deal with her grief, she retired to a nunnery, with every intentions of severing her ties with the outside world for the rest of her life. It’s been a year and a half and her grandfather, Seward, had other plans. He wanted to her to marry a much younger son of a neighboring family and move on with her life. This might also because of the fact that King Edward of England has a plan to grab their home, Castle Glenbarr, which stands at the Scottish border. For that, he’s sending his most accomplished knight, Sir Talbot St. Claire with an order to marry Rhoslyn and take control of that castle.

Rhoslyn wasn’t aware of any of it when, in the middle of the night, she was forced to leave the abbey by her grandfather’s men. When at last, she became aware, she would’ve married that young man, even if she wasn’t attracted to him. He was barely a man but it would’ve served their purpose. Moreover, it was duty, plain and simple. With her married, Edward would have no chance of grabbing Glenbarr. Besides, though Talbot is half Scot (father English, mother Scottish), he has sworn his fealty to Edward, so there was no way Rhoslyn was going to marry an English stranger as it’d make them beholden to Edward’s whims. Talbot being a bastard was another reason for Rhoslyn to turn her nose up on him. So all in all, she’d decided she won’t marry him. But Talbot was made aware of this from a secret source, who is revealed later on as someone close to Rhoslyn, about Seward’s plan to marry his granddaughter off. He rides in and accosts the troupe. There is a small fight and he’s able to grab Rhoslyn before the plan came to fruition.

Rhoslyn is angry and the dislike she might’ve had for Talbot manifolds into a deep seated hatred and distrust. And from there starts her verbal abuse of Talbot at the drop of a hat, at each sentence spoken between them. Honestly, at first I was very sympathetic to her plight. I even understood her hatred about marrying an essentially English knight; she would’ve preferred nunnery to that marriage and becoming a pawn to the English King. All understood. But well into the story, when Talbot, after doing everything possible for the betterment of not only Rhoslyn and her people but also for themselves, fails to garner her regard, it began to grate seriously.

I don’t agree with the blurb because Talbot was a good and honest man. There was nothing villainous about him. He saw Rhoslyn once and fell pretty hard for her. He wanted Glenbarr, that was true but it was not because of greed. He’d earned it well. But most importantly, Talbot wanted a family of his own. Talbot doesn’t remember her mother. He had a sister too, whose tattoo can be seen on one of his arms, done after she also passed away quite young leaving Talbot without a family. No matter how his relationship was with his father, he was still a bastard. He has a half-brother, his father’s legit heir, Dayton, who has always been resentful towards Talbot’s accomplishments, among other things. Dayton is no knight but he’s shrewd enough to be a splendid strategist; something Talbot knew well. He also knew that his brother’s hatred for him would bring trouble sooner or later, now that he’s about to possess his own castle and become a Lord on his own.

Let’s get back to our heroine, shall we?

Rhoslyn hated Talbot, a stranger, whom she didn’t want to marry. After making sure she won’t be marrying anyone else, he leaves her for a day to deal with something. Her hatred was so deep that to escape him, she goes with Dayton who met her in disguise of a well-wisher, another STRANGER if I might add, in the MIDDLE of the night, ALONE and lets herself be kidnapped. When she finally figures out what a stupid mistake she’d made, it was too late. Her maid and her guard were already dead, thanks to Dayton. He not only kidnaps her but also rapes her to stake his claim on Glenbarr. In his twisted thinking, by doing this he’d not only trump Talbot but also take what should be his as the legit son of Lord St. Claire! Dayton even apologizes to Rhoslyn after binding her to bed and proceeding to the ‘task’, telling her he’d marry her once they have the opportunity. Well, that ‘opportunity’ never arrived as he runs away at the first sight of trouble, leaving Rhoslyn where she was. Talbot rides hard to save her. He was late, but he saves her nonetheless.

As I see it, it definitely wasn’t Talbot’s fault that she was a dumb b!tch. Nope, wasn’t feeling very sympathetic towards her since the rape was HER fault. She shouldn’t have left with Dayton when she had known him for all of 15 mins.! Yet she kept yapping on about it and blaming Talbot for everything, in every step of the way. For the first 2 weeks she was insufferable but Talbot was understanding. He even took it all onto himself because he felt he’d failed to protect her and should’ve been more cautious about Dayton. Talbot marries her too and doesn’t even wait to find out if Rhoslyn became pregnant from that encounter or not, then consummating the marriage. So when finally she finds out she’s pregnant, Rhoslyn had no idea whose baby it was. But Talbot had no second thoughts and claimed the baby as his own the moment he hears of the news. He also promises to catch Dayton and punish him for what he’d done; a promise he keeps in the end. I failed to see how Rhoslyn could be so nasty to a man like Talbot at all! Her distrust, disrespect and contempt of him was so blatant that at one point I felt disgusted.

Talbot had already started doing some good work around the keep, his every intension to take care of Rhoslyn, the baby and the rest of them. Even her grandfather, after a while, saw that Talbot was a keeper, even if his fealty still lay with Edward. But Rhoslyn fails to notice any of it. Oh that doesn’t mean she’s not attracted to his hot bod and fair good looks! She definitely is and had no qualms about having sex at night, every night... or daytime, whenever he wanted it. However, the moment sex was over, she’d be back to her shrewish self. I wondered how could Talbot stand her at all and touch her after the appalling lack of faith she’d showed. Instead, throughout the story, there was this attempt of trying to show that her ill-tempered manners, rash, idiotic moves and horrible treatment of Talbot as something strong and admirable. Huh?! Everyone seemed to encourage Rhoslyn’s bad behavior, including Talbot. Were these people blind and deaf?

Personally, if I could kick her out of the story and take Talbot for myself, I would, especially if he looked anything like the guy on the cover. I mean, seriously! ;P

As her pregnancy starts showing, very late in the story though Rhoslyn begins to show a change of heart. Talbot was utterly devoted to keep her and the baby safe and sound, which showed in everything he did. I guess she thought this was for the best seeing she can’t even tell whose baby she was carrying! Besides, apart from his most hated English heritage, Talbot was a stud. So yah, Rhoslyn was definitely having a change of heart, so much so that when she spies him with an older woman once, she gets jealous and immediately decides he has a mistress. I mean if he does, why do YOU care? It’s not like you gave him a chance to breathe thru all your barbs! Then there was that young widow, some Lady, who had attended their marriage and showed her appreciation of Talbot’s fine figure very openly, which almost threw our Rhoslyn to a bitter rage, mentally calling the woman anything equaling a slut. Well, again, why do YOU care? It’s not like your love for Talbot is overflowing to the brim!

Now, the fun part came when Rhoslyn was quite heavily pregnant. The same Lady drops by one day, unwanted of course as she still had no liking for the woman. At night, the lady finds Talbot alone and proposes a discreet affair while Rhoslyn’s pregnant. Talbot had no interest in an affair or her and was about to decline when Rhoslyn, who was fuming and instantly suspicious of these two, comes rushing in. When she finds the Lady trying to kiss Talbot (which he didn’t initiate and was fending off), she instantly translates it as him cheating on her. Oh if you could only see her then, as mad as a hatter, telling Talbot to never to touch her again! Poor Talbot, again trying to allay her suspicions by coming out with the complete truth— that he had no intentions of cheating on her ever because it’s her he had always wanted. *sigh* This though, mollifies our Rhoslyn a little and she goes back to Talbot’s bed. That, IMO, was the only smart move she’d made in a long while!

Yet the joke was on Rhoslyn who, while accusing Talbot of cheating, makes the reference of her first husband never taking a mistress etc. What she didn’t know that Alec HAD cheated on her with that same Lady while she was pregnant with Dougal. It was so discreet (or Rhoslyn was quite obviously dumb) that she never found out. Talbot though, the moment he was propositioned, knew that the lady was used to with it which is why she assumed that he’d also be interested in an affair. After he declines, he requests that the woman keep quiet about it so that Rhoslyn is not hurt by this revelation, to which she complies immediately. I also immediately couldn’t help but respect her as it was obvious that she had no intentions of breaking up the marriage out of contempt or anything. The moment she understood that Talbot was committed to Rhoslyn, she backed off. She also made a statement that if Rhoslyn didn’t get what she had in Talbot, she’s a fool. Well yah, she was, no doubt about it. Personally, I would’ve loved her to find out about Alec’s indiscretion only to enjoy her reaction of it. Unfortunately, the author decided it was best to keep her in the dark. I say it was an equally dumb move. She NEEDED to find out that her first husband wasn’t the saint, the paragon of virtue that she liked to dish out on Talbot every chance she got! *SMH*

Rumor had it that Talbot just might be the heir to an Earldom. That older woman Rhoslyn saw him with one day, and accused him of cheating on with, turns out to be Lady Teresa Baliman. This lady claimed that her deceased daughter, Peigi, was Talbot’s mother. Teresa is of Spanish descent, left her country with Talbot’s Scottish grandfather and remained happily married until his death. It was a love match. Peigi’s was also a love match for that matter, the only problem being the man she was in love with was English and already married. She left everyone and everything behind to become his mistress and bore him two children before her death. Talbot didn’t put much credit on any of it but I don’t know why he never asked his father about his mother’s identity. When, on Lady Teresa’s demand, he shows her of that tattoo of his sister, she confirms that the girl looks so much like Peigi that there was no denying their relationship.

Initially, Talbot had no interest in the Earldom, even if it’d make him very influential, not to mention filthy rich. He thought he already had what he craved for; a family. But Rhoslyn was quite keen on it. When his tentative but proper relationship with Lady Teresa is revealed, I couldn’t help noticing that she becomes much nicer to Talbot. Yep, she’d still poke at him for this and that, but overall, she seemed different. It also maybe the fact that had I had no liking for Rhoslyn, which may have tainted my POV where she was concerned, but previously if Rhoslyn showed any positive emotions towards Talbot at all, they were all encouraged by the fact that she either had something to gain from it or she was able to manipulate him into doing something her way. So if this latest change was brought on by Talbot’s new-found status, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.

In the end, as promised, Edward sends trouble Talbot’s way because by that time, he’d not only decided to accept the Earldom and embrace his Scottish heritage but also, to swear his fealty to the Scottish King. Without a doubt it made Rhoslyn immensely happy. After all, this is what she wanted all along; her castle remaining under Scottish territory, her children growing up as Scots, not English. She had made no efforts to hide her utter dislike for both all through the story, resulting in her insufferable behavior and treatment of Talbot. If she wasn’t pregnant, I’m sure she would’ve danced a jig! *snorts*

When Dayton is ‘taken care of’ at last and Talbot deflates Edward’s attack by flashing his new status as the powerful Earl of Baliman, Rhoslyn has her baby too. I won’t reveal if they had any idea whose child it was but Talbot was a happy daddy without one ounce of remorse or contempt. Though they declare their feelings for each-other, I wasn’t convinced of any of it. Talbot’s, yes but Rhoslyn? Nope. As I mentioned before, romance was sorely lacking. I couldn’t bring myself to believe that Rhoslyn actually loved Talbot, at least not unconditionally; not beyond the possibility of what he can give her. I still stand by my opinion that Talbot deserved better.

Even though I thought the ending was quite abrupt, I have to admit that I was interested in knowing some of the secondary characters better and would love to see if they get their own books or not— most especially Sir Derek, who was Lady Teresa’s bodyguard (among other things I imagine). He deserves his HEA.

I wouldn’t recommend this book, unless you think being shrewish is a sign of being strong and is an admirable trait in a person! Of course you can disagree with my review, but then, it’s my opinion so go ahead and give it a try for yourself. Who knows, you may end up liking it much more than I did. 2 stars.

[Amber Keehn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claimed by Tarah Scott is a good book with the potential to be a great one. I felt like the author crammed too many characters into a single story—almost like setting up pieces on a chessboard for future sequels. That setup could have been handled more smoothly.

One thing that really bothered me: the “secrets.” Supposedly only two people knew them, yet somehow everyone in the castle, the countryside, and apparently all of Scotland and England could magically figure it out from a single downcast glance.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Andrea Way · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was quick and easy. I enjoyed the historical setting. My main annoyance was that for me the romance was lacking something. They seemed to come together and the end as more of a partnership than to lovers. But the story was well written, unfortunately just not for me on the romance side of things.

[Barbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tarah Scott is a huge favorite author of mine. As I have heard members of my book group at Hamilton Booktrader say where she did a signing in 2013 they describe Ms. Scott as well written. Believe that description is right on the money! This book is absolutely brilliant and I highly recommend it as it is one you don't want to miss. I always hate they only offer five as the maximum amount of star as this spectacular book surely deserves more in my opinion!

Lady Rhoslyn whom has had so much tragedy lost her beloved husband and child to illness only a little over a year ago. Now, she is ordered to marry by the English King Edward I, favorite knight, Talbot St. Claire also known as the Dragon, As she had been healing in the safety of the peaceful walls of convent since her family's tragedy, plus the fact this Knight is labeled a bastard for his illegitimate parentage. As this is a forced political marriage not uncommon for this time period in history. Lady Rhoslyn has no intention of handing over her fortune to this handsome knight no matter how pretty his face nor how lovely his embraces feel! None of that matters as she has no trust in this Dragon!

Expecting soon to be shackled to a horse faced ugly banshee of a wife from this forced marriage Talbot is happily surprised by this wife's beauty and her fiery personality. Talbot would do anything to win Rhoslyns love, respect and acceptance of this marriage, yet the one thing he cannot abide! That is in which is to betray his King and accept his Scottish ancestry! Yet it is the one thing his wife wants of him.You can feel the immediate mistrust as well as the sizzling chemistry between this couple which made this book so much fun to read. I don't want to to tell you too much as it would spoil the read, but it really is a an exceptional book.

I really enjoyed this adventure and ride this couple went on. So many surprises and all the captivating fascinating element you would want in an exception medieval read! Some of the elements in this book includes honor, hate, loss, betrayal, unrequited love, mystery adventure, passion and at long lasting sweet love like no other! It has so many twists and turns and a book I just couldn't put down which will take honors on my keeper shelf.

Yes,Tarah Scott is one brilliant writer and I always enjoy her style of writing, which never fails to amaze me so superbly written and one that lives forever in your heart.

As Claimed by Tarah Scott is such an appropriate title, as it did just that, as it both claimed my heart and soul in this dazzling page turner of a book! Highly recommend this wonderful book as I can't praise it enough. One of those rare books you don't want to end as I look forward to future books by Tarah Scott as always!~B

[JoRead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, full of wit, passion, courage, and non-stop action. The story takes place in Medieval England as Lady Rhoslyn is commanded by Kind Edward to marry his knight Talbot St. Claire. She reluctantly leaves the monastery where she’s lived since the death of her child but has plans of her own rather than following her king’s commands. Her plans don’t truly come to fruition and ends up marrying Talbot much to her chagrin. While living with her new husband she realizes he’s not the barbarian he thought him to be however has decided on never agreeing with him, whether right or wrong, just because he’s an English knight and believes his loyalty will always lie with England and deserves to be disliked. Ok, that last part I made up but only because there were times that was exactly what she sounded like.
Talbot is the epitome of honorability and courage, a true knight in shining armor by all standards. He’d do anything for his loved ones, those that served him right, and those he’s bound to honor and serve. Rhoslyn is reluctant to trust him because she was forced to marry him. Add to that the politics of the time made her wary of anything English and of anything that would not give her a sense of self-respect and independence as a woman. Unfortunately, that same set of mind got her into more trouble than her husband could help her get out of. It took her a while to earn some of his trust but he was ever so patient, ever so tender and loving, even at her worst petulant and irascible moments. Now, truth be told, romance does not take center stage in this story, and that’s part of why I loved it so much. The story in itself revolves around how they get to know each other and learn to trust one another and for that they have to conquer many obstacles and defeat many enemies, including their own emotions. There are plenty of love and tender moments between the two but the actual romance, the actual moment when you know the two have finally accepted one another does not happen on one page, it actually creeps up on you and leaves you wanting more. All in all a great book and will definitely will read more of the author.

**I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review**

[Michelle Greaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the hero must sometimes be the villain then who is the Claimed?

Lady Rhoslyn is threatened with a forced marriage not only by her grandfather but also King Edward. She is a Scottish heiress and as if that isn’t enough for any man to covet, her beauty would still entice. Forced to run from Talbot St. Claire, King Edward’s chosen husband, Rhoslyn is put on a path of emotional and physical horrors. Tarah Scott I feel did an excellent job at creating obstacles for the hero and heroine to overcome. First, Talbot’s reputation as an English Knight and then to Roshlyn’s kidnapping. Challenge after challenge is presented and Tarah convincingly unveils the attraction between Talbot and Roshlyn. I feel that Tarah Scott created spectacular chain of events that culminated her conclusion. However with all the political challenges between the Scottish and English and the growing attraction between Talbot and Roshlyn I only felt that Talbot was falling in love. It wasn’t until almost the end with the final battle you truly began to sense Roshlyn affections for Talbot. I felt Claimed left us hanging at the end. Did Roshlyn ever completely fall in love with Talbot? Did she express that to him before Talbot left for war? What happened with the threat of war? What was King Edward’s response to Talbot’s choice to survive the assassination attempt? Tarah Scott’s title Claimed suggest someone was claimed. The book holds true to that suggestion, but I feel it left us hanging as to who was the true hero that sometimes had to be the villain.
I still feel this was a good book and recommend reading if you like Highland Romance novels.
If you are interested in reading other reviews from my 2016 Goodreads Book Challenge you can review my read list or go to http://sensoryperceptionsbc.blogspot..... Also please check out Sensory Perception Book Club’s latest reading.

Thank you for reading my comments.
Misha

[Regan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Story with sufficient history to hold my interest

Set somewhere in the Highlands in 1291, this is the story of Rhoslyn, a widowed countess, ordered by King Edward to marry Sir Talbot St. Claire (for her lands) and by her grandfather to marry Jacobus Auenel, Lord Melrose (to protect said lands). One was English and one was a Scot. Rhoslyn doesn’t wish to marry either of them.

Rhoslyn’s grandfather collects her from the convent where she has been mourning her dead husband to be delivered to Lord Melrose, but for some undisclosed reason the abbess colludes with Sir Talbot, enabling him to capture Rhoslyn on the road.

This is a well-written story and while I loved the history and the historical figures (King Edward tries to dominate Scotland and the Scots resist), there were a lot of characters, some better described than others.

There is much sparring between Rhoslyn and Talbot and the dialog quite good. The chase scene at the beginning was very exciting. I especially liked the part where the heroine stabbed the arrogant Sir Talbot, who by the way never seemed to do anything wrong, lose any battle or be defeated in any contest. But he was a great lover, so I guess we can excuse his being good at everything.

I would have liked to see more detailed descriptions of the characters. Some were just names and I had no idea what they looked like. And two things seemed a bit abrupt: Rhoslyn’s sudden love for Talbot; and the ending which left many questions.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should have heeded some of the other negative reviews at Amazon. This story is about Lady Rhoslyn and Sir Talbot St. Clair. She is a Scottish widow and he is an English knight. The English king orders her to marry him, and of course, they do. She doesn't expect to fall in love with him, but she does. The story really had potential but, unfortunately, that potential is not realized. I gave it two stars at Amazon because of the potential, and I gave it one star here because that's equivalent to two (I don't like it) at Amazon. The characters were not well-developed or even developed at all, and there were so many incidental characters that I often didn't really know which one was in the current scene. The dialogue was so stilted and elementary that it was almost painful to read, and the story has no real ending. There is a sort of climax and it just sort of ends - not sure if it's meant to be a cliffhanger, but I won't be reading any follow-on. The many grammatical and other errors, such as typos, were highly distracting. Unfortunately, independent and self-publishing has lead to messes like this book. It's unfortunate, when there is so much good independently published reading material out there. If you don't mind the errors, you might find the book passable. If you are looking for engaging characters and an exciting story, look elsewhere.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have to confess I would never have picked this book from a shelf in a bookstore, which would have been a very big mistake. But luckily we took this book for our April book of the month in a club I'm participating in, and so I got the most wonderful surprise in my life.
Not only is the book packed with strong men, but also strong women who know what they want and get what they try to achieve.
The story is set in the past, which makes it nice to read, and has a love story in it, between the action and normal things that you could imagine happening in those days.
Was difficult to put down and stop reading, pulls you in as you expect a good book to do.
Now hoping this was not a single story and we'll get a continuation sometimes.

Certainly a book I would advice my friends to read!

[Eniko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been waiting with great anticipation for this book and Tarah Scott delivered yet again. Sir Talbot and Lady Rhoslyn's story evoked quite a few emotions while reading. I cried for Rhoslyn, the situation she found herself in, would send lesser souls running for the hills. I like her spunk, she made me laugh a few times. And Sir Talbot... *sigh* .... he is just charming, loyal to a fault. Despite the many obstacles thrown in the path of this obviously well-matched couple, mixed with intrigue and deceptions from different directions the ending got me punching the air with my fist and yell YAY good for them :D

[C.M. Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat Convoluted

Overall, this was a good book with the potential to be a great book. I rated it with 3 stars because the writer appeared to dump a lot of characters into a single book to pull them out later when ready to develop them into sequels. It could have been done better.

Another irritating part of the plot were the secrets that only two people could know but everyone in the entire castle, countryside and the whole of Scotland AND England seemed to know simply by a down cast look.

[Shanelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Just wow. Awesone read.

[Les Romantiques · Rating 2 out of 5]

Posted on Les Romantiques - Le forum du site
Reviewed by Rinou
Review Copy from the Publisher

Claimed is a novel first published in 2015 and republished in May this year, taking place in Scotland in the 13th century. We meet Lady Rhoslyn when she learns she must marry, at the behest of King Edward the 1st of England, one of his favorite English knights.

I’ll begin by saying the political context is very present from the beginning, the author explains through the characters’ conversation the problems that led Edward on the Scottish throne at the great displeasure of the official pretenders. By the way there’s a moment where the political plot even seems to take the upper hand on the romance. And everything is more complicated by the fact that the many important male characters, whether they have a role in the story or are just mentioned, are named in turns either by their name or by the name of their title, which makes more difficult to follow who’s who and does what.

The medieval atmosphere is just as we imagine it, with violence very present from the start and all through the story, including toward the heroine, so I don’t recommend this novel to those who are sensitive.

The heroine is easily verbally aggressive, obstinate; she always finds something to reproach the hero even when it’s clear it has nothing to do with him or when he finally does something good for their people. Anyway she’s annoyed with him to start with because he’s English and she’s Scottish. Other authors have already used this plot with more success, here the heroine ended up getting on my nerves by being a pain. She intersperses her moments of animosity toward him by moments of reflection a bit more deep where she admits to herself he has qualities, but she comes back quickly to her first ideas. I admit I didn’t really see how she came to love him, and I didn’t really care at this point. However she recovers quite fast from her abduction from the hero’s brother, except for worrying regularly about the consequences of what he’s done to her, which is not very realistic in my opinion.

The hero as for him is the total opposite. He’s nice, patient, understanding especially toward her. He wants the peace after years of battles and is ready to do a lot of things to get it. He’s even ready to recognize his wife’s child even if he’s not the father, fact he repeats to her several times (and she goes on doubting till the end or so…). He admires the heroine very quickly, but there again I didn’t understand how he ended up loving her seeing her behavior toward him. Or else he’s a masochist… Of course he’s not perfect, he’s stubborn about some things and it’s only when he’s back into a corner that he changes his mind. But let’s say it’s not as serious.

The secondary characters are numerous and very present, especially Rhoslyn’s grandfather, and their actions often have important consequences on the couple, for better or for worse.

It’s too bad the (numerous) typos were not corrected before the republication. As a result of all of this I didn’t even complain when I saw the last 25 pages where a sneak peek of another book by the author because I couldn’t wait to be finished.

[A Klue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tarah Scott can certainly spin a seamlessly unfolding, rich in historical details Scottish vs.English tale, folks. I felt she did a great job with character development and capturing the political rivalries/uncertainties of this era. Unfortunately, she chose a path I do not like to travel in my romantic reads. Having the heroine raped by the hero’s brother did not sit well with me. Neither did him remaining a constant threat. Then throw in the fact she found out she was pregnant not overly long after marrying Talbot, the hero, so we never know for certain who the father is. Sure, Talbot intended to raise the child as his own regardless..but “Why? Oh, why?” do this to us avid romantic at heart readers in the first place. It just felt unnecessary and certainly not fair to the main couple, especially Rhoslyn, the heroine. I also wasn’t keen on finding out the heroine was only 15 when she was first wed to Alec, her deceased husband. Tarnishing his good guy image memory is the fact we discover Alec cheated on her with a woman who tries to seduce Talbot. Again, just didn’t think the author needed to add that unsavory element.

I would equate this book to being served what could have been a delicious meal then discovering something repulsive smack dab right in the middle of it. Sure, you can remove it but your appetite is now completely ruined and resentment sets in because you know it could have been great otherwise.

Rating: Was dramatically affected by an unwelcome plot element.

Unwelcome plot element: 1 star sexual assault
Writing: 3.5 stars
Heroine: 4 stars
Hero: 4 stars

Title: Claimed, Author: Tarah Scott, Pages: 262, stand-alone, English Knight good guy hero, widowed Scottish heroine whose child died, rape scene, evil family relative, don’t know who the daddy is, lots of political talk.

(I received a free advanced reader copy provided via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. No type of compensation was given to the reviewer. There is no relationship/affiliation between the reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley.)

[Book Reading Gals · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Claimed
Series: n/a
Stand Alone Title: yes
Author: Tarah Scott
Genre: Historical Romance
Blurb: Sometimes, the hero must be the villain...

Fourteen months ago, Lady Rhoslyn lost her husband and infant son to a fever. Now, by order of King Edward I, she is yanked from the healing tranquility of a convent to marry the king’s favored bastard knight. Rhoslyn has no intention of returning to the home where her husband and child died. Neither does she intend to hand over her fortune to the ‘Dragon’—no matter his sweet promises and warm kisses.

Talbot St. Claire tires of war. Seventeen years is enough. King Edward will never release him from service, but the king promises Talbot will find some peace in front of his own hearth. Talbot expects to find a horse-faced, hostile woman in the Scottish heiress Edward commands him to marry. Instead, he discovers a fiery Highland beauty worthy of a man’s respect... and love. Talbot determines to do anything to win his new bride’s acceptance. Anything except the one thing she demands: betray his king and embrace his Scottish heritage.
Thoughts: So, I’m usually not much for historical books, but every now and again I’m compelled enough to pick one up. This one wasn’t a total loss for me – there is a lot of political maneuverings and things going on and manipulations by various parties in the beginning that it lent an air of intrigue to it – certainly enough to keep you reading. I initially liked the characters, and I liked where the story seemed to be going. There was certainly the potential there.
The downside? At times there was a bit too much going on and too many characters that it did make it a little confusing. That wasn’t the main issue for me though. My issue was that the emotions to these characters and the romance just never went far enough for me. It was decidedly lacking in this area, which is a big reason why I read a romance to begin with.
Again, the potential was there, but fell a little short.
Rating: C+/B-
Review by: Sarah
http://www.thebookreadinggals.com

[Carmella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this e-book and am voluntarily leaving an honest opinion.

Lady Rhoslyn been in a convent for over a year after suffering the deaths of her husband and infant son from illness. Then she receives word that her hand in marriage is to be given to a Knight from King Edward's army. She tries to run away but is caught.

The King has declared them married already but Talbot wants it done with a Priest to really cement it. Rhoslyn and Talbot battle over politics but they are indeed attracted to one another and finally give in to that attraction.

The political climate is tense and Talbot could be called out to war at any time. As the couple begin to have feelings for one another their political opposition is a big thorn. Both expected the other to be totally different people, thinking that once the duty of an heir was done they could basically ignore one another but these two could never ignore one another!

Can Rhoslyn and Talbot come to a truce, one that will allow them to live and love together?

Loved this couple! Rhoslyn was spunky and could never melt into the woodwork. Talbot was a strong warrior, an alpha male who would take care of what was his. The writing was well done and the story had a nice flow.

[Linda J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I purchased this as part of a bundle this author offered called TARAH SCOTT'S HIGHLANDERS.

WARNING - RAPE SCENE - all but the final act is told. You have all the beginnings of what he did to the h. I didn't think she had lasting effects of the rape and I thought that was needed. When she and the H finally consummate their marriage, I thought she would have problems remember being violated - but no. The rapist wasn't H.

I didn't care at all for the h, she came across as spoiled and arrogant from beginning to the end.

This is not a romance story at all. It is filled with violence, many villains and a story line that was all over the place. They never confessed their feelings for each other. We never find out why the nun did the things she did.

This book was very confusing. There are so many character's thrown at us in the first few chapter's I couldn't keep it straight. It finally evens out and then more character's are thrown at the end.

There is lovemaking, within marriage, heat level 4 out of 5. It wasn't passionate for me because their wasn't a connection to them.

This does end with a cliffhanger (gosh how I dislike that)! No cheating, HEA, no romance and some spice. This is certainly not a feel good story. (ljb)

[Jayne Butcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! It is clear to me that I would not have lasted long in thirteenth century Scotland. There were so many power plays, deceitful strategies, and acts of violence. Fourteen months after her husband and infant son had died, King Edward, Lord Superior of Scotland, decreed that Rhoslyn was to marry Sir Talbot St. Claire, one of his favorite knights. Neither she nor her grandfather, Baron Kinsley, were happy about it. They knew that this was land, title and wealth grabbing by the King. Things got off to a rough start, and although they had some steamy and enjoyable moments, the turmoil of the times constantly got in their way. This story is non-stop action. It is just one thing after another. You will find kidnapping, treachery, betrayal, familial issues, murder, assassination attempts, secrets, revelations and the constant need to watch your back. Emotions and tempers run high as Rhoslyn and Talbot try to navigate through their relationship and the chaos surrounding it. This battle of wills and wits will keep you reading into the late hours of the night, and leave you wanting more…..so good!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ira · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't the first time that I've read this book and it probably won't be the last time because, on the whole, I enjoyed reading this book. It is well-written, captivating and fast-paced. The latter is the problem though. Even though I really enjoyed reading this book, it is rather too fast-paced and sometimes I just wondered how much could happen in such a short time. It felt as if our hero was always running or rather riding somewhere to fight and then there was this intrigue and that and these people to fight and those and well, you get the point, right?

I really liked the hero and the heroine and I was happy to see them find love and so on after everything especially Roslyn has been through but somehow the characters lacked some depth. And, well, let's just say that I was fascinated by the story of the tattoo because....well, because tattoos usually don't tend to be very realistic or accurate and as a big part of the story is based on a tattoo of a person...okay, you'd better read that for yourself, I think. Just know that I'm a bit wary and that I don't accept that twist easily.

Nevertheless, it is a nice and entertaining read that I enjoyed.

[Carey’s Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 Stars! I loved the first half of this book. The second half, not as much & the ending-not at all! This was a really good story & had me very interested! The story had a lot of parts I wasn't expecting & that was a refreshing change from most other romance books! I hate how the story just ends-I wanted to scream!! The story was about halfway rapped up but a lot was left, I'm guessing for a second book? So much was left open & unsaid! So many questions! Cliffhangers should be against the law!! At times I would be confused about who this person was or what that character was to the story. So many characters to remember, I felt like I needed to write it all down! Plus, I didn't know what a lot of the characters even looked like. A couple sad parts but life isn't always happy so I actually liked that! I wish there was more romance between the 2 main characters. I kind of felt like they hardly talked. I would have liked an update on Andreana too. Is she happy? What's been happening to her? Even with all these frustrating parts of the book, it was still a really good book & I hope there is a 2nd book on its way.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!*

[Sandra Dagg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent read...simply do NOT understand any of the negative reviews at all. This book definitely has romance to it...they aren't crawling all over one another, because l really don't think that was done in that time period. Women had no rights back then, but l found the heroine to be of very strong character for her time. I was never bored, had trouble putting the book down a good deal of the time, l just wanted to keep reading! My reason for not giving it 5 stars is the ending....it is like a cliffhanger! Is there another book after this one? I scanned the reviews and found nothing about a follow up, and l would love to read more about the characters in this book. If you don't mind cliffhangers, l definitely recommend to anyone who likes historical romance & action.

[P Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinion stated are solely my own and no one elses*

2.5 stars

The blurb sounded appealing and I was really excited about reading this one but sadly, everything went downhill pretty quickly for me.

I couldn't stand Lady Rhoslyn - she got on my nerves to the point, I just wanted her to give it a rest. She repeatedly insulted Talbot and disregarded his good deeds - suffice to say I didn't like her.

There was no romance and the heroine's behaviour just fizzled out any hope of good chemistry. There was no passion or undeniable attraction between the two which was disappointing.

[Terre J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this a few years ago, but received an arc in exchange for an honest review, so re-read. This seems to be missing part of the ending, I don't recall this as the end, nor did I recall an actual sexual assault, which I would think I would remember. I had previously liked the book, and both of those things would have kept me from liking it. I actually went searching for further books by this author at the time, so I believe there had to have been a more definitive ending if I liked it. Otherwise I liked it well enough, though the h was a bit of a b word, the H was quite lovely.

[D. Messing · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all things Scotland, especially in a historical setting and this more than delivered! I loved the setting, but it seemed a bit flat, and under detailed. There wasn't a tremendous amount of character development, but what there was fit into the story line. It had a nice pace for the majority of the story, though it did have a few spots where it dragged a bit. Overall it was a solid work, and a nice way to spend an afternoon after a long week. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this work.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has so much betrayal and brutal fighting all set among the marriage of Roslyn and Talbot. She never wanted to marry again with the loss of her husband and infant son so close together but the king as sent Talbot and she must follow his orders. This book will keep you interested and reading as it did me and loved it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.