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Highland Grooms #4
Devil in Tartan
Peril and passion on enemy seas…
Lottie Livingstone bears the weight of an island on her shoulders. Under threat of losing their home, she and her clan take to the seas to sell a shipload of illegal whiskey. When an attack leaves them vulnerable, she transforms from a maiden daughter to a clever warrior. For survival, she orchestrates the siege of a rival’s ship and now holds the devilish Scottish captain Aulay Mackenzie under her command.
Tied, captive and forced to watch a stunning siren commandeer the Mackenzie ship, Aulay burns with the desire to seize control—of the ship and Lottie. He has resigned himself to a life of solitude on the open seas, but her beauty tantalizes him like nothing has before. As authorities and enemies close in, he is torn between surrendering her to justice and defending her from assailants. He’ll lose her forever, unless he’s willing to sacrifice the unimaginable…
Lottie Livingstone bears the weight of an island on her shoulders. Under threat of losing their home, she and her clan take to the seas to sell a shipload of illegal whiskey. When an attack leaves them vulnerable, she transforms from a maiden daughter to a clever warrior. For survival, she orchestrates the siege of a rival’s ship and now holds the devilish Scottish captain Aulay Mackenzie under her command.
Tied, captive and forced to watch a stunning siren commandeer the Mackenzie ship, Aulay burns with the desire to seize control—of the ship and Lottie. He has resigned himself to a life of solitude on the open seas, but her beauty tantalizes him like nothing has before. As authorities and enemies close in, he is torn between surrendering her to justice and defending her from assailants. He’ll lose her forever, unless he’s willing to sacrifice the unimaginable…
379 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 20, 2018
187 people are currently reading
1236 people want to read
About the author
Julia London
190 books3,140 followersJulia London is the New York Times and USA Today best selling author of more than two dozen romantic fiction novels. She is the author of the popular historical romance series, the Cabot Sisters, including The Trouble with Honor, The Devil Takes a Bride, and The Scoundrel and the Debutante. She is also the author of several contemporary romances, including Homecoming Ranch, Return to Homecoming Ranch, and The Perfect Homecoming.
Julia is the recipient of the RT Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance and a six-time finalist for the prestigious RITA award for excellence in romantic fiction. To keep up with all the Julia London news, please visit http://www.julialondon.com. Follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/julialondon
Julia is the recipient of the RT Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance and a six-time finalist for the prestigious RITA award for excellence in romantic fiction. To keep up with all the Julia London news, please visit http://www.julialondon.com. Follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/julialondon
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
February 26, 2018
ARC provided by NetGalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I really look forward to Julia London's books. Her books are well written with strong characters and good story lines. But I have to say lately I've been finding her books to be more average. I'm finding the characters not as likable, weak with not much depth or character. Her last book story line was too jumbled but I regress here, let me give my take on this one.
Lottie our heroine is in dire straits, crisis time. Her family business of illegal whiskey, monies are gone. Lottie, is portrayed as this strong and determined young woman. She proceeds to come up with the idea of going to sell the whiskey overseas. Off to sea she goes, in a boat not really equipped for the journey (too small/little of a boat). Comes up with a plan to steal another boat and this is where our hero comes in.
Aulay MacKenzie, captain of the family's only boat, has set sail to prove he can make some money to help support the clan. As he is off at sea he encounters a distress small boat/ship. Against his better judgement (kinda of feels propelled as well to hep) he assists the crew and rescues them. Low and behold beautiful Lottie is part of the crew and everyone is beguiled. Lottie in my humble opinion uses it to her full advantage. She with her crew overtakes the handsome Aulay and his crew (they are all to dazzled by her beauty, really...)
And so the story takes off from there, mostly taking place at sea. The two dance around each other, fighting the attraction the is developing between them. Each has a mission they are determined to fill but are struggling with developing feelings and conflict of interest.
I had stated in the beginning my struggle with liking the characters in resent book for this author.I also found way too many characters in this storyline which made it somewhat distracting too. Unfortunately these two just came across as shallow and never really developed into someone likable. The plot was average and didn't really find much romance between the two main characters.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I really look forward to Julia London's books. Her books are well written with strong characters and good story lines. But I have to say lately I've been finding her books to be more average. I'm finding the characters not as likable, weak with not much depth or character. Her last book story line was too jumbled but I regress here, let me give my take on this one.
Lottie our heroine is in dire straits, crisis time. Her family business of illegal whiskey, monies are gone. Lottie, is portrayed as this strong and determined young woman. She proceeds to come up with the idea of going to sell the whiskey overseas. Off to sea she goes, in a boat not really equipped for the journey (too small/little of a boat). Comes up with a plan to steal another boat and this is where our hero comes in.
Aulay MacKenzie, captain of the family's only boat, has set sail to prove he can make some money to help support the clan. As he is off at sea he encounters a distress small boat/ship. Against his better judgement (kinda of feels propelled as well to hep) he assists the crew and rescues them. Low and behold beautiful Lottie is part of the crew and everyone is beguiled. Lottie in my humble opinion uses it to her full advantage. She with her crew overtakes the handsome Aulay and his crew (they are all to dazzled by her beauty, really...)
And so the story takes off from there, mostly taking place at sea. The two dance around each other, fighting the attraction the is developing between them. Each has a mission they are determined to fill but are struggling with developing feelings and conflict of interest.
I had stated in the beginning my struggle with liking the characters in resent book for this author.I also found way too many characters in this storyline which made it somewhat distracting too. Unfortunately these two just came across as shallow and never really developed into someone likable. The plot was average and didn't really find much romance between the two main characters.
June 28, 2024
Review from 2018
I've given this an A for narration and a C for content at AudioGals - the excellent narration bumps up the grade as a whole, but the story is pretty lacklustre.
The estimable Derek Perkins returns to Julia London’s Highland Grooms series to narrate book four, Devil in Tartan, which features Aulay, the middle son of the Mackenzie brood, and the one least often to be found at the family estate of Balhaire. With his elder brother Cailean living mostly in England with his wife and stepson, and his younger brother, Robbie, aiding their father in the management of the Balhaire estate and lands, Aulay has increasingly come to feel something of an outsider, and has more or less resigned himself to a life alone. He has made his life at sea, captaining the Mackenzie ship and contributing to the family coffers by his various profitable trading enterprises, but his latest voyage, designed to bring in some much needed funds, is destined to end in disaster.
A few days after they have set sail on their latest commission, Aulay and his crew sight a smaller vessel which is clearly in distress and go to its aid. Unfortunately, however, Aulay’s generous intentions prove to be his – and his crew’s – undoing, because despite his caution, the ethereally lovely young woman aboard proves so distracting that a momentary lapse of attention on Aulay’s part enables her crew to incapacitate him and the rest of his crew and to take over his ship.
Charlotte Livingstone is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Her clan is desperately short of money and is unable to meet its obligations to its laird, and their only option now is to sell their illegally-made whisky in Denmark, where such a sale is unlikely to generate suspicion. Lottie, her father and their motley crew set out in the only seaworthy ship on their small island of Lismore – but when their vessel is damaged and her father injured, it’s up to Lottie to find a way to save everyone aboard and their cargo – and when another ship is sighted it’s with great reluctance that she turns pirate and commandeers the Reulag Balhaire.
Aulay is – naturally – not at all pleased when he regains consciousness to find himself bound and gagged in his own cabin, and vows to bring Lottie and her men to justice as soon as he can. But when circumstances force them to work together, he begins to understand that Lottie was motivated by love for her family and had no other way to save her clan and crew than to do as she did. Aulay agrees to help Lottie to find the man she believes will purchase the whisky, but it’s clear once they arrive in Denmark that something is rotten (sorry, couldn’t resist it!) – and they have to beat a hasty retreat. Needless to say, things aren’t plain sailing (ka-ching! I’ll be here all week!) as Lottie and Aulay, forced into close proximity, find themselves fighting a reluctant attraction to one another while also watching for signs that they are being pursued.
That’s pretty much all there is to the plot – Lottie takes over Aulay’s ship, they argue, they fall in love, The End. I’m sitting here trying to remember what else happened and honestly that’s pretty much the entire story. I enjoyed the first two books in this series (Wild Wicked Scot and Sinful Scottish Laird) but wasn’t wild about the third (Hard-Hearted Highlander) and I only decided to pick up Devil in Tartan because I could listen to Derek Perkins read just about anything, and I thought I’d give the series one last go. Sadly,
however, I think it’s time for us to part ways, because while I liked Aulay more than I liked Robbie in the last book, I really couldn’t warm to Lottie and the idea that she was so amazingly, breathtakingly incredibly beautiful as to cause an entire crew to go so completely ga-ga that none of them notices the men creeping up behind them with koshes was, frankly, ridiculous. And while I understand that she acted out of desperation, it doesn’t make it her actions in commandeering Aulay’s ship and effectively bankrupting his family any more palatable.
The romance is lacklustre, too; I never felt there was much of an emotional connection between Aulay and Lottie and I never connected with them, either. Neither character is particularly well defined and they both lack depth and that special something that brings them to life in the mind of the listener. Aulay has appeared as a secondary character in the other books in the series, so I was looking forward to learning more about him, but other than his love of the sea – which I already knew – all I learned was that he paints on the quiet and that he is still, at thirty-seven, craving his father’s approval. Lottie is clever enough to know that she can use her looks to her advantage when dealing with men, but otherwise she’s a mess of determined and flustered.
If I hadn’t requested this title for review, I might have set it aside and not returned to it. Fortunately for me, however, Derek Perkins’ smooth, velvety tones kept me company throughout and I was at least able to enjoy his first-rate performance. He seems to have become the go-to narrator for historical romances featuring Scottish heroes and it’s easy to understand why – his accent, as I’ve mentioned in reviews before, is excellent and consistent; he employs enough of the brogue to bring all that sexy Scottishness to bear, but it’s never so thick as to be unintelligible. There are quite a large number of secondary characters in this book – from the various crew members to the Danes Lottie and Aulay approach about purchasing the whisky, to the members of the Mackenzie clan we’ve met before, and Mr. Perkins differentiates between them all very effectively, from salty sea-dog to lady of the manor. His performance is, in all other respects, as accomplished as I’ve come to expect from him, and he continues to be one of the best male narrators of historical romance around. I just wish he’d been given stronger material this time.
If you’ve been following the Highland Grooms series and/or are a fan of Mr. Perkins, then maybe you might want to consider picking up Devil in Tartan. But I can’t in all conscience recommend it for anything other than the narration.
I've given this an A for narration and a C for content at AudioGals - the excellent narration bumps up the grade as a whole, but the story is pretty lacklustre.
The estimable Derek Perkins returns to Julia London’s Highland Grooms series to narrate book four, Devil in Tartan, which features Aulay, the middle son of the Mackenzie brood, and the one least often to be found at the family estate of Balhaire. With his elder brother Cailean living mostly in England with his wife and stepson, and his younger brother, Robbie, aiding their father in the management of the Balhaire estate and lands, Aulay has increasingly come to feel something of an outsider, and has more or less resigned himself to a life alone. He has made his life at sea, captaining the Mackenzie ship and contributing to the family coffers by his various profitable trading enterprises, but his latest voyage, designed to bring in some much needed funds, is destined to end in disaster.
A few days after they have set sail on their latest commission, Aulay and his crew sight a smaller vessel which is clearly in distress and go to its aid. Unfortunately, however, Aulay’s generous intentions prove to be his – and his crew’s – undoing, because despite his caution, the ethereally lovely young woman aboard proves so distracting that a momentary lapse of attention on Aulay’s part enables her crew to incapacitate him and the rest of his crew and to take over his ship.
Charlotte Livingstone is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Her clan is desperately short of money and is unable to meet its obligations to its laird, and their only option now is to sell their illegally-made whisky in Denmark, where such a sale is unlikely to generate suspicion. Lottie, her father and their motley crew set out in the only seaworthy ship on their small island of Lismore – but when their vessel is damaged and her father injured, it’s up to Lottie to find a way to save everyone aboard and their cargo – and when another ship is sighted it’s with great reluctance that she turns pirate and commandeers the Reulag Balhaire.
Aulay is – naturally – not at all pleased when he regains consciousness to find himself bound and gagged in his own cabin, and vows to bring Lottie and her men to justice as soon as he can. But when circumstances force them to work together, he begins to understand that Lottie was motivated by love for her family and had no other way to save her clan and crew than to do as she did. Aulay agrees to help Lottie to find the man she believes will purchase the whisky, but it’s clear once they arrive in Denmark that something is rotten (sorry, couldn’t resist it!) – and they have to beat a hasty retreat. Needless to say, things aren’t plain sailing (ka-ching! I’ll be here all week!) as Lottie and Aulay, forced into close proximity, find themselves fighting a reluctant attraction to one another while also watching for signs that they are being pursued.
That’s pretty much all there is to the plot – Lottie takes over Aulay’s ship, they argue, they fall in love, The End. I’m sitting here trying to remember what else happened and honestly that’s pretty much the entire story. I enjoyed the first two books in this series (Wild Wicked Scot and Sinful Scottish Laird) but wasn’t wild about the third (Hard-Hearted Highlander) and I only decided to pick up Devil in Tartan because I could listen to Derek Perkins read just about anything, and I thought I’d give the series one last go. Sadly,
however, I think it’s time for us to part ways, because while I liked Aulay more than I liked Robbie in the last book, I really couldn’t warm to Lottie and the idea that she was so amazingly, breathtakingly incredibly beautiful as to cause an entire crew to go so completely ga-ga that none of them notices the men creeping up behind them with koshes was, frankly, ridiculous. And while I understand that she acted out of desperation, it doesn’t make it her actions in commandeering Aulay’s ship and effectively bankrupting his family any more palatable.
The romance is lacklustre, too; I never felt there was much of an emotional connection between Aulay and Lottie and I never connected with them, either. Neither character is particularly well defined and they both lack depth and that special something that brings them to life in the mind of the listener. Aulay has appeared as a secondary character in the other books in the series, so I was looking forward to learning more about him, but other than his love of the sea – which I already knew – all I learned was that he paints on the quiet and that he is still, at thirty-seven, craving his father’s approval. Lottie is clever enough to know that she can use her looks to her advantage when dealing with men, but otherwise she’s a mess of determined and flustered.
If I hadn’t requested this title for review, I might have set it aside and not returned to it. Fortunately for me, however, Derek Perkins’ smooth, velvety tones kept me company throughout and I was at least able to enjoy his first-rate performance. He seems to have become the go-to narrator for historical romances featuring Scottish heroes and it’s easy to understand why – his accent, as I’ve mentioned in reviews before, is excellent and consistent; he employs enough of the brogue to bring all that sexy Scottishness to bear, but it’s never so thick as to be unintelligible. There are quite a large number of secondary characters in this book – from the various crew members to the Danes Lottie and Aulay approach about purchasing the whisky, to the members of the Mackenzie clan we’ve met before, and Mr. Perkins differentiates between them all very effectively, from salty sea-dog to lady of the manor. His performance is, in all other respects, as accomplished as I’ve come to expect from him, and he continues to be one of the best male narrators of historical romance around. I just wish he’d been given stronger material this time.
If you’ve been following the Highland Grooms series and/or are a fan of Mr. Perkins, then maybe you might want to consider picking up Devil in Tartan. But I can’t in all conscience recommend it for anything other than the narration.
Read
March 9, 2018It had been five years since I’d read a historical romance, ones by Sylvia Day and Maya Banks. With an enticing blurb, hot Scottish hero, Scotland setting, and allure of the rich history, I was excited to read new-to-me author Julia London’s romance. Devil in Tartan looked like a good fit.
However, I struggled with Devil in Tartan, a story I tried to read for three days. Unfortunately, I could not finish more than fifteen percent of this story, one that did not resonate nor connect with me. I was a bit lost while reading and could not wrap my head around the writing style nor connect with the characters. This novel seemed to bounce a lot between characters, causing some confusion for me.
I may try re-reading Devil in Tartan in the future after I get accustomed to reading historical romance again. I wanted to like this story—I really did. Disappointingly, it did not work for me at this time.
However, I struggled with Devil in Tartan, a story I tried to read for three days. Unfortunately, I could not finish more than fifteen percent of this story, one that did not resonate nor connect with me. I was a bit lost while reading and could not wrap my head around the writing style nor connect with the characters. This novel seemed to bounce a lot between characters, causing some confusion for me.
I may try re-reading Devil in Tartan in the future after I get accustomed to reading historical romance again. I wanted to like this story—I really did. Disappointingly, it did not work for me at this time.
March 24, 2018
My Opinion:
I enjoyed this scottish tale. I could almost feel myself at sea with Aulay and Lottie at certain points in the story. I found it adorable how she was with her father and brother. I didn't like how she second guessed herself on several occasion, as we might have all done ourselves, but I thought it was overdone in this book. I didn't like how much Lottie would go back and forth with any decision she made. It seemed to be to much of a tug of war. I can understand the second guessing but not so much that it was the basis of all her decisions.
Lottie has to get rid of a shipment for her family before the owner of the land finds out and they get in trouble. A lot of things happen and her father isn't able to make decisions like he should have been doing all along. He is a poor excuse of a Chief of Lotties family. She has taken charge of the family since his father isn't capable of doing so since his wife passed away (before that even). His late wife was doing it before Lottie. Lottie is used to the role, but feels she is a poor decision maker and everything is her fault. The two are mixed for me and therefore the book is a mix of emotions for me. Lottie did have a good plan but nothing seemed to be on her side and that was sad for her.
The sizzle in the love scenes were ok but didn't make me pant for me. It was more a gloss over for me - i.e. there, but not exciting. Although, I felt they were right for each other, I didn't get into either of their characters nor could really relate to them. I liked that he painted but it wasn't explored or even enticing. Lottie although at first seemed like a strong female character, I didn't feel like she was.
I did however enjoy the writing, it flowed well and I didn't get bored with it. My favorite part was the ending. I like that little twist and how the clan came together to help the family. I enjoyed the book and will get another in this series to see if I like it. You didn't really feel that you missed others stories in this book, there was a small part here and there sprinkled in of others but nothing that made you say "Oh, NO, what am I missing." which I enjoyed. I hate when you feel like you are missing big parts in the backstory and this didn't have that.
I give this book 3.5 of 5 stars!
http://stackingmybookshelves.blogspot...
I enjoyed this scottish tale. I could almost feel myself at sea with Aulay and Lottie at certain points in the story. I found it adorable how she was with her father and brother. I didn't like how she second guessed herself on several occasion, as we might have all done ourselves, but I thought it was overdone in this book. I didn't like how much Lottie would go back and forth with any decision she made. It seemed to be to much of a tug of war. I can understand the second guessing but not so much that it was the basis of all her decisions.
Lottie has to get rid of a shipment for her family before the owner of the land finds out and they get in trouble. A lot of things happen and her father isn't able to make decisions like he should have been doing all along. He is a poor excuse of a Chief of Lotties family. She has taken charge of the family since his father isn't capable of doing so since his wife passed away (before that even). His late wife was doing it before Lottie. Lottie is used to the role, but feels she is a poor decision maker and everything is her fault. The two are mixed for me and therefore the book is a mix of emotions for me. Lottie did have a good plan but nothing seemed to be on her side and that was sad for her.
The sizzle in the love scenes were ok but didn't make me pant for me. It was more a gloss over for me - i.e. there, but not exciting. Although, I felt they were right for each other, I didn't get into either of their characters nor could really relate to them. I liked that he painted but it wasn't explored or even enticing. Lottie although at first seemed like a strong female character, I didn't feel like she was.
I did however enjoy the writing, it flowed well and I didn't get bored with it. My favorite part was the ending. I like that little twist and how the clan came together to help the family. I enjoyed the book and will get another in this series to see if I like it. You didn't really feel that you missed others stories in this book, there was a small part here and there sprinkled in of others but nothing that made you say "Oh, NO, what am I missing." which I enjoyed. I hate when you feel like you are missing big parts in the backstory and this didn't have that.
I give this book 3.5 of 5 stars!
http://stackingmybookshelves.blogspot...
September 1, 2019
Aulay MacKenzie tidak menyangka dirinya bisa dikecoh semudah itu oleh seorang wanita cantik. Lottie Livingstone terpaksa membajak kapal milik Aulay krn kapalnya sendiri mulai tenggelam dan ayahnya sedang sekarat. Dia tidak membiarkan kapten yg ganteng ini memudarkan harapan ayahnya dan klannya utk menjual wiski gelap dgn harga tinggi di Denmark, maka rencana mrk hrs tetap berjalan.
Sayangnya takdir menetapkan hal lain. Mereka gagal total menjual wiski gelap itu. Bahkan dlm perjalanan pulang, kapal milik Aulay malah karam walaupun semua awaknya selamat. Lottie tidak dpt menghindari hukuman gantung bagi lehernya yg cantik. Bagaimana dgn Aulay yg tidak bisa meredakan ketertarikannya dgn gadis petualang ini?
Dibandingkan dua buku sebelumnya, buku ini seperti dewa penolong yg bekerja secara mukjizat. Karakter Aulay dan Lottie jauh lebih baik drpd Daisy - Cailean & Rabbie - Bernadette. Tapi saya masih merasa chemistry mereka masih kurang bekerja secara maksimal selain ketertarikan secara fisik. Novel ini lebih banyak mendeskripsikan kehidupan di laut lepas bahkan hingga seremonial pemakaman di laut ala bajak laut. Begitu juga deskripsi pulau kecil Lismore yg dihuni oleh klan Livingstone lumayan menggelitik saya ttg kehidupan bangsa Skot yg agak terpencil ini di abad 18. Mungkin yg tertarik utk membuat buku ttg bajak laut, buku ini bisa menjadi referensinya.
Karakter Aulay maupun Lottie bagi saya mereka mirip satu sama lain, cenderung sembrono tetapi ikatan mereka kpd keluarga sangatlah kuat. Mereka menjunjung kekeluargaan sangat tinggi, bahkan saking kompaknya mereka sepakat utk "mengkhianati" Arran, sang kepala keluarga MacKenzie. Sepertinya inilah bagian yg paling koplak bin kocak.
Saya masih menantikan lanjutannya ttg Catriona. Semoga lebih baik drpd buku-buku sebelumnya.
Sayangnya takdir menetapkan hal lain. Mereka gagal total menjual wiski gelap itu. Bahkan dlm perjalanan pulang, kapal milik Aulay malah karam walaupun semua awaknya selamat. Lottie tidak dpt menghindari hukuman gantung bagi lehernya yg cantik. Bagaimana dgn Aulay yg tidak bisa meredakan ketertarikannya dgn gadis petualang ini?
Dibandingkan dua buku sebelumnya, buku ini seperti dewa penolong yg bekerja secara mukjizat. Karakter Aulay dan Lottie jauh lebih baik drpd Daisy - Cailean & Rabbie - Bernadette. Tapi saya masih merasa chemistry mereka masih kurang bekerja secara maksimal selain ketertarikan secara fisik. Novel ini lebih banyak mendeskripsikan kehidupan di laut lepas bahkan hingga seremonial pemakaman di laut ala bajak laut. Begitu juga deskripsi pulau kecil Lismore yg dihuni oleh klan Livingstone lumayan menggelitik saya ttg kehidupan bangsa Skot yg agak terpencil ini di abad 18. Mungkin yg tertarik utk membuat buku ttg bajak laut, buku ini bisa menjadi referensinya.
Karakter Aulay maupun Lottie bagi saya mereka mirip satu sama lain, cenderung sembrono tetapi ikatan mereka kpd keluarga sangatlah kuat. Mereka menjunjung kekeluargaan sangat tinggi, bahkan saking kompaknya mereka sepakat utk "mengkhianati" Arran, sang kepala keluarga MacKenzie. Sepertinya inilah bagian yg paling koplak bin kocak.
Saya masih menantikan lanjutannya ttg Catriona. Semoga lebih baik drpd buku-buku sebelumnya.
February 20, 2018
Devil in Tartan is a tale of adventure that takes us to the seas with much at stake for both hero and heroine. Lottie Livingstone has no choice but to take the illegal whisky and try and sell it in Denmark in order to earn the money to pay the rent for her clan. Aulay Mackenzie is also on a mission himself to set sail and deliver goods he's been commissioned to do. When his ship is taken over by this maiden turned pirate, he finds himself in uncharted waters between desire for her and revenge for the piracy.
Lottie is an interesting character because she finds herself more of a mother to her family and the responsible one for the clan. What wouldn't you do for your family when your back is up against the wall? Desperate times call for desperate measures and she sees no other choice but to 'borrow' Aulay's ship to complete her mission. When it all goes awry her only option left is to return and marry for convenience. I understand the dilemma she faces and how much of an emotional stretch this journey has taken her over the last few weeks. What she didn't count on is her own desire for Aulay and to put the woman in her first for a change.
Aulay knows what this job means to his family and will do his best to find favor with his father. Now he's shackled and powerless to command his ship and in an unimaginable pickle. His pride took a big hit when a woman took him down but now he sees her in a different light. She's the first woman to stir a longing he's never felt before and he's not sure what to do about it. Helping her out was the right thing to do and he falls hard for her the more he's around her. I can relate more to Aulay coming from a big family and finding it hard to stand out on our own. The one thing he did know is that Lottie was the one for him and he went to great length to have her in his life.
Julia London is a great storyteller and she delivers a wonderful adventure. It had conflict, humor, romance and love; family and romantic. It was slow in the beginning but picked up along the way and then it was hard to put down. Both Lottie and Aulay are looking for their place in their family and to have what they all want from family - acceptance. This is the fourth book in the Highland Grooms series and can be read as a stand-alone story. I'm pleased to see there are two more in this series and I'm happily looking forward to it.
January 13, 2018
I received an eARC at no cost from the author.
Devil in Tartan is the fourth book on the Highland Grooms series, by Julia London.
Having read the first three books, it’s impossible not to make comparisons between them. Sadly, for me, this was my least favourite book.
It had an interesting premise, and I liked Aulay, but I just couldn’t connect with Lottie.
Lottie is described as strong, courageous, fearsome woman, but even if she was trying to do her best to save the (illegal) family business, she just didn’t act nor did justice to her descriptions. She was, no doubt, intelligent enough to use her pretty face to fool men, but that didn’t make me like her more – it actually made me like her less.
And Aulay, although I did like him more than Lottie, he too was a bit of an empty character. He was a painter, which I liked, but felt it wasn’t explored enough. I liked that Julia London mentioned his role in the family, how he felt, because that made me connect with him more, but it just felt like it was lacking something.
I liked revisiting characters from the previous books, but it was for such a short while that it wasn’t enough to save the book from a simple 3 star rating.
I just couldn’t connect with the characters as much as in the previous books, and I felt that with both Lottie’s crew and Aulay’s crew always around it felt a bit too crowded and there were too many characters (and sometimes I even got confused with who was whom – and I read the book in just two days, and rarely get lost in these books, but with this one it was hard to remember all the minor characters).
Julia London’s writing isn’t being put in question here, she was as good as always, I just felt like she tried to put too much in one book and ended up not focusing enough on what was really necessary. Still, it was a different read, and I managed to enjoy parts of it.
Devil in Tartan is the fourth book on the Highland Grooms series, by Julia London.
Having read the first three books, it’s impossible not to make comparisons between them. Sadly, for me, this was my least favourite book.
It had an interesting premise, and I liked Aulay, but I just couldn’t connect with Lottie.
Lottie is described as strong, courageous, fearsome woman, but even if she was trying to do her best to save the (illegal) family business, she just didn’t act nor did justice to her descriptions. She was, no doubt, intelligent enough to use her pretty face to fool men, but that didn’t make me like her more – it actually made me like her less.
And Aulay, although I did like him more than Lottie, he too was a bit of an empty character. He was a painter, which I liked, but felt it wasn’t explored enough. I liked that Julia London mentioned his role in the family, how he felt, because that made me connect with him more, but it just felt like it was lacking something.
I liked revisiting characters from the previous books, but it was for such a short while that it wasn’t enough to save the book from a simple 3 star rating.
I just couldn’t connect with the characters as much as in the previous books, and I felt that with both Lottie’s crew and Aulay’s crew always around it felt a bit too crowded and there were too many characters (and sometimes I even got confused with who was whom – and I read the book in just two days, and rarely get lost in these books, but with this one it was hard to remember all the minor characters).
Julia London’s writing isn’t being put in question here, she was as good as always, I just felt like she tried to put too much in one book and ended up not focusing enough on what was really necessary. Still, it was a different read, and I managed to enjoy parts of it.
February 13, 2018
This was cute - I wish it had a little more emphasis on the romance. But I liked H/H. I haven't read Julia London in so long
Review coming
Review coming
December 21, 2019
Lee la reseña completa en: https://oceanodelibros.blogspot.com/2...
Hace poco de la publicación en español de esta novela y tenía un poco de añoranza por lo escocés y ya si le ponemos una aventura en el mar pues mejor que mejor. Aunque este es el cuarto libro de la serie “Highlands grooms” se puede leer por separado sin problemas como ha sido mi caso.
La novela tenía buena pinta, una joven llamada Lottie Livingstone asalta el barco del escocés Aulay Mackenzie para poder vender su whisky ilegal. El inicio de la historia no puede ser más prometedor, las primeras páginas mantuvieron mi atención pero poco a poco el interés decrece.
Lottie se presenta como una mujer luchadora, muy pendiente de su familia y que lo da todo por ella, eso ha sido así y no es fácil teniendo un padre bastante irresponsable, y un par de hermanos que no son fáciles de llevar sobre todo Drustan que tiene su peculiaridad. Por otro lado, está Aulay, un hombre solitario, que ama el mar sobre todas las cosas y que en este encuentra su lugar en el mundo. Las ideas de cada uno las expresan muy claramente y eso me ha gustado.
Hace poco de la publicación en español de esta novela y tenía un poco de añoranza por lo escocés y ya si le ponemos una aventura en el mar pues mejor que mejor. Aunque este es el cuarto libro de la serie “Highlands grooms” se puede leer por separado sin problemas como ha sido mi caso.
La novela tenía buena pinta, una joven llamada Lottie Livingstone asalta el barco del escocés Aulay Mackenzie para poder vender su whisky ilegal. El inicio de la historia no puede ser más prometedor, las primeras páginas mantuvieron mi atención pero poco a poco el interés decrece.
Lottie se presenta como una mujer luchadora, muy pendiente de su familia y que lo da todo por ella, eso ha sido así y no es fácil teniendo un padre bastante irresponsable, y un par de hermanos que no son fáciles de llevar sobre todo Drustan que tiene su peculiaridad. Por otro lado, está Aulay, un hombre solitario, que ama el mar sobre todas las cosas y que en este encuentra su lugar en el mundo. Las ideas de cada uno las expresan muy claramente y eso me ha gustado.
February 12, 2018
Devil in Tartan is my first Julia London book and I have to say it's defiantly not going to be my last.
Aulay MacKenzie is the captain of his families only ship. He's on a mission to prove to them that this ship can provide the much needed income to help the clan. Hired to deliver cargo he sets off to Amsterdam to deliver it and make the paycheck his family needs.
Lottie Livingston, the wild child from Lismore island, sets off in a too small boat full of illegal whisky to Denmark. She desperately needs to sell this whisky to earn money to pay the families back rent.
Unfortunately, Lottie and her crew were shot at and their too small boat is now sinking.
This is where Aulay and Lottie meet. And the rest (as they say) is history. I loved all the action in this book. So much happens that you don't have a moment to be bored.
This book book can absolutely be read as a stand alone (I haven't read the earlier books in the series). If you like your historicals with a strong female heroine and a hero that has many layers then you will enjoy Devil in Tartan.
Aulay MacKenzie is the captain of his families only ship. He's on a mission to prove to them that this ship can provide the much needed income to help the clan. Hired to deliver cargo he sets off to Amsterdam to deliver it and make the paycheck his family needs.
Lottie Livingston, the wild child from Lismore island, sets off in a too small boat full of illegal whisky to Denmark. She desperately needs to sell this whisky to earn money to pay the families back rent.
Unfortunately, Lottie and her crew were shot at and their too small boat is now sinking.
This is where Aulay and Lottie meet. And the rest (as they say) is history. I loved all the action in this book. So much happens that you don't have a moment to be bored.
This book book can absolutely be read as a stand alone (I haven't read the earlier books in the series). If you like your historicals with a strong female heroine and a hero that has many layers then you will enjoy Devil in Tartan.
February 17, 2018
3.75 stars
An adventure romance that takes place in the high seas. Aulay MacKenzie comfort zone is being on his ship sailing the seas on board the Reulag Balhaire. Seeing no role in the clan and at home. By chance he came across Lottie Livingston in need of assistance when her ship went down. Alas it was a ploy to get another ship so a reluctant pirate. Aulay was mesmerized by the beauty so he succumb to her plan. Oh the heated battling of captive and captor the tension is there but not in a bad way.
It's rare for me to come across Scottish lingo like this that seemed authentic so to hear Aulay and his crew was a great thing. But also it made for lots of characters I needed to flip back and forth since Lottie's crew was also a lot. At first I wasn't used to some words and had to look it up..The elements and descriptions very picturesque even at sea they made the story though. I never read this series but I had no trouble catching up and would like to read the others. The conundrum for Aulay is helping Lottie or losing her is quite interesting when it plays out.
I wanted to feel more romance between there is some attraction that leads to more but I didn't feel it as strongly. I haven't read this author for a while but I liked this premise so I gave it a go. I should probably go back to the others in the series. I didn't quite grow to love Lottie as much as I would like, sure she's shrewd smart in her preposterous plan good intentions but I can't say whether she went about it right. Aulay was interesting enough I wanted to know more.
There are good points in this as there things that I wished were fleshed out in some way and lessened on the other aspect. There was a lot going on but watching it unfold was portrayed well. I saw some characters that seemed to be from the other books that caught my eye. I liked that it was different from most of my historical romances though and it was fairly enjoyable.
*** ARC provided for an honest review ***
An adventure romance that takes place in the high seas. Aulay MacKenzie comfort zone is being on his ship sailing the seas on board the Reulag Balhaire. Seeing no role in the clan and at home. By chance he came across Lottie Livingston in need of assistance when her ship went down. Alas it was a ploy to get another ship so a reluctant pirate. Aulay was mesmerized by the beauty so he succumb to her plan. Oh the heated battling of captive and captor the tension is there but not in a bad way.
It's rare for me to come across Scottish lingo like this that seemed authentic so to hear Aulay and his crew was a great thing. But also it made for lots of characters I needed to flip back and forth since Lottie's crew was also a lot. At first I wasn't used to some words and had to look it up..The elements and descriptions very picturesque even at sea they made the story though. I never read this series but I had no trouble catching up and would like to read the others. The conundrum for Aulay is helping Lottie or losing her is quite interesting when it plays out.
I wanted to feel more romance between there is some attraction that leads to more but I didn't feel it as strongly. I haven't read this author for a while but I liked this premise so I gave it a go. I should probably go back to the others in the series. I didn't quite grow to love Lottie as much as I would like, sure she's shrewd smart in her preposterous plan good intentions but I can't say whether she went about it right. Aulay was interesting enough I wanted to know more.
There are good points in this as there things that I wished were fleshed out in some way and lessened on the other aspect. There was a lot going on but watching it unfold was portrayed well. I saw some characters that seemed to be from the other books that caught my eye. I liked that it was different from most of my historical romances though and it was fairly enjoyable.
*** ARC provided for an honest review ***
April 2, 2023
Comencé con cero expectativas, solo lo arranqué porque el nombre me llamo la atención, y quedé sorprendida, no he leído libros de época y eso, así que es algo prácticamente nuevo para mi.
Les dejo la sinopsis antes de seguir rawr.
“Amenazados con perder su hogar, Lottie Livingstone y su clan se hicieron a la mar para vender un cargamento de whisky ilegal; pero, tras sufrir el ataque de unos piratas, Lottie dejó de ser una dama virtuosa y se transformó en una astuta guerrera. Las circunstancias la habían obligado a organizar y ejecutar el asalto al barco del capitán escocés Auley Mackenzie, que ahora estaba a su merced. Atado, cautivo y obligado a mirar a la impresionante sirena que se había hecho con el Reulag Balhaire, Auley ardía en deseos de recuperar el control de su navío y de conquistar a Lottie. Se había resignado a una vida de soledad en los océanos, pero la belleza de aquella mujer lo atormentaba y, cuando sus enemigos la empezaron a hostigar, él se sintió atrapado entre el impulso de entregarla a la justicia y la necesidad de defenderla. Todo estaba en su contra, y la perdería para siempre si no hacía el mayor sacrificio de su vida.”
Bueno, bueno, me gustó muchísimo y creo que voy a mandarme a leer más libros así y de la autora, ya que fue el primero y quedé encantada.
Lo único que digo es que se me hizo mucho quilombo con los nombres pero eso es un detallecito.
El romance es, ufff buenísimo, rápido y apasionado, pero no le quita la tensión, a mi me encantó, y como se desarrollo la situación final es 10/10, en mi opinión.
Los personajes también, con sus múltiples capaz que vamos descubriendo con el pasar de las páginas, y para ser un libro corto, tuvo un increíble desarrollo. Destacó en en varios momentos tuve que parar porque comencé a imaginar múltiples caminos que los protagonistas podían seguir, y en más de uno quedaba destrozada por las cantidad de variables que había.
Les dejo la sinopsis antes de seguir rawr.
“Amenazados con perder su hogar, Lottie Livingstone y su clan se hicieron a la mar para vender un cargamento de whisky ilegal; pero, tras sufrir el ataque de unos piratas, Lottie dejó de ser una dama virtuosa y se transformó en una astuta guerrera. Las circunstancias la habían obligado a organizar y ejecutar el asalto al barco del capitán escocés Auley Mackenzie, que ahora estaba a su merced. Atado, cautivo y obligado a mirar a la impresionante sirena que se había hecho con el Reulag Balhaire, Auley ardía en deseos de recuperar el control de su navío y de conquistar a Lottie. Se había resignado a una vida de soledad en los océanos, pero la belleza de aquella mujer lo atormentaba y, cuando sus enemigos la empezaron a hostigar, él se sintió atrapado entre el impulso de entregarla a la justicia y la necesidad de defenderla. Todo estaba en su contra, y la perdería para siempre si no hacía el mayor sacrificio de su vida.”
Bueno, bueno, me gustó muchísimo y creo que voy a mandarme a leer más libros así y de la autora, ya que fue el primero y quedé encantada.
Lo único que digo es que se me hizo mucho quilombo con los nombres pero eso es un detallecito.
El romance es, ufff buenísimo, rápido y apasionado, pero no le quita la tensión, a mi me encantó, y como se desarrollo la situación final es 10/10, en mi opinión.
Los personajes también, con sus múltiples capaz que vamos descubriendo con el pasar de las páginas, y para ser un libro corto, tuvo un increíble desarrollo. Destacó en en varios momentos tuve que parar porque comencé a imaginar múltiples caminos que los protagonistas podían seguir, y en más de uno quedaba destrozada por las cantidad de variables que había.
February 15, 2018
Aulay Mackenzie has only ever felt himself when at sea. In an effort to save his family’s shipping business, Aulay decides to make his first commissioned trip, taking on cargo for another, despite his family’s concerns over the risk. Barely away from port, Aulay comes across a distressed ship and offers assistance to its beautiful passenger, Ms. Lottie Livingstone.
Lottie’s clan is at the end of its rope, hoping to sell their illegal whiskey overseas, when their ship is attacked, leaving her father severely injured. Lottie’s plan to commandeer Aulay’s vessel goes smoothly, despite her attraction to its captain. However, once things start unraveling, Lottie isn’t sure she should continue with her plans.
Devil in Tartan is an enjoyable highland adventure. Taking place mostly at sea, Lottie and Aulay are forced to spend time together in confided quarters, allowing their mutual attraction to boil over and develop into a friendship. However, it’s not sunshine and roses. Aulay stands to lose everything due to Lottie’s scheme, and Lottie bears the weight of saving her entire clan from losing their homes and land. Aulay’s constant struggle between his duty, family, and his feelings for Lottie create incredible emotional turmoil and conflict.
Aulay and Lottie are both lonely souls, doing what they can for their families. But whereas Lottie sacrifices herself to keep her family together, Aulay runs away from his, not feeling worthy under his father’s roof. Yet the pair, drawn by a powerful attraction, have the time to see the real individuals beneath the layers of protective outer shell that each has built to keep themselves emotionally distant. They grow close and fall in love, even though Aulay’s hurt overshadows the love for a while. Luckily Lottie doesn’t grow bitter, and remains open and caring, allow their reunion to proceed and love to grow, even after the damage she does.
Overall, I enjoyed Devil in Tartan. The romance and story progress and a slow and steady pace, allowing time for both self-discovery and a deeper mutual bond.
My Rating: B+ Liked It A Lot
Review copy provided by Netgalley
Originally posted at That's What I'm Talking About
Lottie’s clan is at the end of its rope, hoping to sell their illegal whiskey overseas, when their ship is attacked, leaving her father severely injured. Lottie’s plan to commandeer Aulay’s vessel goes smoothly, despite her attraction to its captain. However, once things start unraveling, Lottie isn’t sure she should continue with her plans.
Devil in Tartan is an enjoyable highland adventure. Taking place mostly at sea, Lottie and Aulay are forced to spend time together in confided quarters, allowing their mutual attraction to boil over and develop into a friendship. However, it’s not sunshine and roses. Aulay stands to lose everything due to Lottie’s scheme, and Lottie bears the weight of saving her entire clan from losing their homes and land. Aulay’s constant struggle between his duty, family, and his feelings for Lottie create incredible emotional turmoil and conflict.
Aulay and Lottie are both lonely souls, doing what they can for their families. But whereas Lottie sacrifices herself to keep her family together, Aulay runs away from his, not feeling worthy under his father’s roof. Yet the pair, drawn by a powerful attraction, have the time to see the real individuals beneath the layers of protective outer shell that each has built to keep themselves emotionally distant. They grow close and fall in love, even though Aulay’s hurt overshadows the love for a while. Luckily Lottie doesn’t grow bitter, and remains open and caring, allow their reunion to proceed and love to grow, even after the damage she does.
Overall, I enjoyed Devil in Tartan. The romance and story progress and a slow and steady pace, allowing time for both self-discovery and a deeper mutual bond.
My Rating: B+ Liked It A Lot
Review copy provided by Netgalley
Originally posted at That's What I'm Talking About
January 1, 2018
This is an enjoyable and well written adventure. What makes it stand out from other historical romances that feature Scottish highlanders is the fact that the Devil in Tartan referenced in the title is both a skilled sea captain and a painter. This fourth book of the Highland Grooms series can be read as a standalone, although readers familiar with the previous books will better appreciate the large cast of characters returning from earlier in the series. This one took me several chapters to get settled, but once I did I was intrigued with discovering how things would resolve. I did feel that I was never quite completely emotionally invested in Lottie and Aulay as a couple. I am looking forward to spending time with more books in this series and recommend this one to anyone looking for a unique twist on a Scottish highlander historical romance.
March 28, 2021
Une histoire qui sort un peu des sentiers battus par rapport aux romances de highlander habituelles, dans le sens où celle-ci se passe en majorité en mer. Et c'est ce qui fait l'intérêt de cette romance historique.
Nous avons ici une héroïne qui est loin d'être une oie blanche et qui mène son clan dans des aventures rocambolesques sur la base de décisions prise dans la panique. Et la voila à prendre en otage un navire écossais et son équipage, et dont les conséquences seront lourdes pour tous.
Le héros, Aulay, est plutôt éloigné des highlanders virils et guerriers, mais n'en est pas moins touchant et vaillant.
Une histoire un peu plus originale que d'ordinaire donc, et qui se lit avec plaisir.
Nous avons ici une héroïne qui est loin d'être une oie blanche et qui mène son clan dans des aventures rocambolesques sur la base de décisions prise dans la panique. Et la voila à prendre en otage un navire écossais et son équipage, et dont les conséquences seront lourdes pour tous.
Le héros, Aulay, est plutôt éloigné des highlanders virils et guerriers, mais n'en est pas moins touchant et vaillant.
Une histoire un peu plus originale que d'ordinaire donc, et qui se lit avec plaisir.
March 2, 2022
This was a great story- loved the relationship between Auley & Lottie, their adventure across the North Sea was entertaining especially as their roles kept changing and the feelings started to develop. I loved the scene with the Justice of the Peace & the MacKenzie clan coming together to protect Lottie & her clan. The loss of Lotties father w/burial at sea was emotional but written very well.
On to Catriona’s story next!! 😉⭐️❤️
On to Catriona’s story next!! 😉⭐️❤️
January 27, 2025
When you least expect your life takes a course you never saw on the horizon. That seemed to be the theme of this story and I enjoyed the telling of this tale.
March 19, 2018
On come on! Lots of plot (rather good) but too little kissin' and stuff for this genre.
March 22, 2018
Well, I must confess this book had my emotions all over the place. Though I enjoyed Lottie, the surprisingly sweet angelic looking but desperate enough to turn devilish rogue and “borrow” a ship at sea to get her clan out of a life-threatening predicament, I had a devil of a time not wanting to see Aulay, the hero, stranded on a deserted island all alone. Maybe that timeout would make him see you always fight for your lady love, regardless of the circumstances.
Sure, I understand his beef towards Lottie and her crew of misfit sailors and his frustration at the avalanche of trouble, chaos, destruction and ruin they inadvertently caused while he himself was attempting to make a voyage that would save his own family from financial ruin. But, let’s not kid ourselves here, folks. He would have done exactly the same thing if in her shoes.
No, his pride and angry came before his feelings for her throughout most of this book. She was good enough to romp around in the sheets with a couple of times, but he was always quick to rant about seeking justice by seeing her and her clan hang in the gallows. Even when some of that anger abated, for a long time he still wasn’t going to intervene to save her from death or imprisonment.
Yeah, when push came to shove, he did ultimately decide to help her. Ultimately, though it still felt like it was Lottie’s actions that lead to a certain unlikely someone else coming up with an unusual solution.
Yes, I stayed engaged, but this hero didn’t live up to my preferred book boyfriend code of conduct. At least Lottie had lots of backbone and was willing to walk the plank if need be to save the skin of her clansmen. Aulay, for some time, felt like the one who would have pushed her off that plank into shark infested waters.
Romance Safety Gang:
Title: Devil in Tartan, Serie: Highland Grooms (Book 4), Author: Julia London, Pages: 384, stand-alone but part of a series, ship captain hero desperate to prove himself, desperate to save her family heroine, a few steamy scenes, no love triangle, no cheating, no OW drama.
Book 1 - Wild Wicked Scot
Book 2 - Sinful Scottish Laird
Book 3 - Hard-Hearted Highlander
Book 4 - Devil in Tartan
(These comments are based on a library version. This is not a detailed ARC review.)
Sure, I understand his beef towards Lottie and her crew of misfit sailors and his frustration at the avalanche of trouble, chaos, destruction and ruin they inadvertently caused while he himself was attempting to make a voyage that would save his own family from financial ruin. But, let’s not kid ourselves here, folks. He would have done exactly the same thing if in her shoes.
No, his pride and angry came before his feelings for her throughout most of this book. She was good enough to romp around in the sheets with a couple of times, but he was always quick to rant about seeking justice by seeing her and her clan hang in the gallows. Even when some of that anger abated, for a long time he still wasn’t going to intervene to save her from death or imprisonment.
Yeah, when push came to shove, he did ultimately decide to help her. Ultimately, though it still felt like it was Lottie’s actions that lead to a certain unlikely someone else coming up with an unusual solution.
Yes, I stayed engaged, but this hero didn’t live up to my preferred book boyfriend code of conduct. At least Lottie had lots of backbone and was willing to walk the plank if need be to save the skin of her clansmen. Aulay, for some time, felt like the one who would have pushed her off that plank into shark infested waters.
Romance Safety Gang:
Title: Devil in Tartan, Serie: Highland Grooms (Book 4), Author: Julia London, Pages: 384, stand-alone but part of a series, ship captain hero desperate to prove himself, desperate to save her family heroine, a few steamy scenes, no love triangle, no cheating, no OW drama.
Book 1 - Wild Wicked Scot
Book 2 - Sinful Scottish Laird
Book 3 - Hard-Hearted Highlander
Book 4 - Devil in Tartan
(These comments are based on a library version. This is not a detailed ARC review.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2018
3 stars. This was an okay read for me. It has been awhile since I read a historical romance, but the blurb of this one sounded good so I gave it a shot. This is Lottie and Aulay's story. Aulay is a ship captain who carries cargo from port to port. Lottie's family, the Livingstones, make and sell illegal Scottish whiskey. When their laird finds out, they hatch a plan to take their whiskey by boat to sell it across the sea. But their ship runs into trouble and they have to be rescued by the nearest ship, which happens to be Aulay's. Lottie and the Livingstones trick Aulay and take over his ship, tying him and his men up as captives. They sail the ship themselves to try to get to a port to sell their whiskey. As they spend time on the ship, Lottie and Aulay develop an attraction to each other and find they like each other. There is a lot of adventure along the way but everything works out for the two to fall in love and have their HEA.
I felt like the beginning of the book was slow moving and hard to get into. The Scottish brogue was also hard to get used to reading. By the middle of the book, I started getting into the story and enjoying it. I was able to feel the love between Lottie and Aulay. But I felt like the end was anticlimactic. The couple never quite got where I needed them to be to feel like they had a strong love connection. There was a lot going on besides the romance. Lottie's brothers and their band of merry Livingstone men were silly. I don't know if they were supposed to be comic relief, but I didn't really enjoy them. I liked Lottie and Aulay in general. Lottie had made some mistakes in life, but she took responsibility and was contrite. I did think it was a bit funny that there was no talk about Lottie's virginity. Aulay is not her first, but he never questions or speaks about it with her at all, which I thought was unusual for the time period. Overall, I enjoyed parts of this book, but I didn't love it. The pacing was off a bit. I did like the overall premise of the story though and I may try this author again in the future.
*arc provided in exchange for an honest review*
I felt like the beginning of the book was slow moving and hard to get into. The Scottish brogue was also hard to get used to reading. By the middle of the book, I started getting into the story and enjoying it. I was able to feel the love between Lottie and Aulay. But I felt like the end was anticlimactic. The couple never quite got where I needed them to be to feel like they had a strong love connection. There was a lot going on besides the romance. Lottie's brothers and their band of merry Livingstone men were silly. I don't know if they were supposed to be comic relief, but I didn't really enjoy them. I liked Lottie and Aulay in general. Lottie had made some mistakes in life, but she took responsibility and was contrite. I did think it was a bit funny that there was no talk about Lottie's virginity. Aulay is not her first, but he never questions or speaks about it with her at all, which I thought was unusual for the time period. Overall, I enjoyed parts of this book, but I didn't love it. The pacing was off a bit. I did like the overall premise of the story though and I may try this author again in the future.
*arc provided in exchange for an honest review*
December 23, 2017
Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.
**THIS IS A DNF REVIEW**
Over the last year, I've gotten more and more interested in historical romances about Highlanders. I had always stayed away from them for whatever reason and once I read one, I was hooked! There haven't been any that I can recall that I didn't at least like. Unfortunately, this book is the first one that not only did I not care for it, I couldn't even finish it.
As usual when I can't finish a book, it all boils down to the characters. The hero was okay. I didn't dislike him but I didn't love him either. Aulay, the hero, was just... not anything special. He talked about how he wasn't the oldest, the smartest, etc. And the only thing he ever cared about was being out on the sea and doing his paintings. Umm, a highlander story and the highlander is an artist sailor? It might have been interesting but there were too many issues with the heroine for me to want to stick around.
The heroine, Lottie, was the worst. Her family are illegally making alcohol and act like they're the aggrieved ones when they get called on it. She then proceeds to steal a boat so they can take their illegal booze somewhere to sell it. She's apparently beautiful and from what I could tell, that was her only redeeming quality. I totally understood that she was under pressure to keep the family together and out of jail and all that. And she was desperate. And stealing a ship wasn't her idea and she regretted it. And and and. So many ands. But I never liked her. In fact, I couldn't stand her.
I think this author is fairly prolific so I'm pretty sure most people would like this book. In fact, Devil in Tartan has a pretty decent rating overall. So I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this. It just wasn't for me.
**THIS IS A DNF REVIEW**
Over the last year, I've gotten more and more interested in historical romances about Highlanders. I had always stayed away from them for whatever reason and once I read one, I was hooked! There haven't been any that I can recall that I didn't at least like. Unfortunately, this book is the first one that not only did I not care for it, I couldn't even finish it.
As usual when I can't finish a book, it all boils down to the characters. The hero was okay. I didn't dislike him but I didn't love him either. Aulay, the hero, was just... not anything special. He talked about how he wasn't the oldest, the smartest, etc. And the only thing he ever cared about was being out on the sea and doing his paintings. Umm, a highlander story and the highlander is an artist sailor? It might have been interesting but there were too many issues with the heroine for me to want to stick around.
The heroine, Lottie, was the worst. Her family are illegally making alcohol and act like they're the aggrieved ones when they get called on it. She then proceeds to steal a boat so they can take their illegal booze somewhere to sell it. She's apparently beautiful and from what I could tell, that was her only redeeming quality. I totally understood that she was under pressure to keep the family together and out of jail and all that. And she was desperate. And stealing a ship wasn't her idea and she regretted it. And and and. So many ands. But I never liked her. In fact, I couldn't stand her.
I think this author is fairly prolific so I'm pretty sure most people would like this book. In fact, Devil in Tartan has a pretty decent rating overall. So I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this. It just wasn't for me.
January 6, 2018
When I saw a book by Julia London available on Netgalley I was thrilled. London wrote one of my top ten favorite historical romances, The Devil Takes a Bride. She is one of the few authors whose books I frequently re-read.
This is my first book in this series, although I've read most of London's other series. For whatever reason, I haven't read many historical romances set in Scotland and this made for a nice change of pace for me. This is not your typical ballroom historical romance and it is an understatement to say Lottie is not a "fresh from the schoolroom chit." I loved Lottie! Her struggle to save her family fortunes leads her to take control of a ship and thrusts her into the role of bootlegging pirate and she fills the role with panache.
Aulay is hot, as are all of London's heroes. I thought his chemistry with Lottie was perfect--just the right amount of astonishment, irritation, disbelief, and lust to start off with, but which grew into something more meaningful as the two get to know each other.
I loved both h&H but really enjoyed Lottie. Oftentimes a hero will "outshine" the heroine in a romance novel, but I felt this book belonged to Lottie.
What more can I say? If you have read London before, you'll be pleased. If you haven't? You're in for a treat!
This is my first book in this series, although I've read most of London's other series. For whatever reason, I haven't read many historical romances set in Scotland and this made for a nice change of pace for me. This is not your typical ballroom historical romance and it is an understatement to say Lottie is not a "fresh from the schoolroom chit." I loved Lottie! Her struggle to save her family fortunes leads her to take control of a ship and thrusts her into the role of bootlegging pirate and she fills the role with panache.
Aulay is hot, as are all of London's heroes. I thought his chemistry with Lottie was perfect--just the right amount of astonishment, irritation, disbelief, and lust to start off with, but which grew into something more meaningful as the two get to know each other.
I loved both h&H but really enjoyed Lottie. Oftentimes a hero will "outshine" the heroine in a romance novel, but I felt this book belonged to Lottie.
What more can I say? If you have read London before, you'll be pleased. If you haven't? You're in for a treat!
Read
January 6, 2024I really wanted to like this one, but I just couldn't get into it. It was a slow, slow, slow story about a our heroine who is maybe 22, who was forced into a corner and made some poor choices to try to get out of it, and those choices impacted the hero, he's 37, and he was pissed about it and she was sorry about it, and he was pissed about it, buuuuut she had great boobs and she was SOOO beautiful that it was hard for him to be pissed sometimes, but he was still pissed, and she was sorry about all the ways her poor choices impacted him and everyone else, and he he was pissed, and attracted to her, and she was sorry and attracted to him, and that went on for ages and ages and then they fell in love. Sigh.
So, this one wasn't for me. It was well written if you don't mind repetition, and had good side characters, but too slow for my taste.
So, this one wasn't for me. It was well written if you don't mind repetition, and had good side characters, but too slow for my taste.
January 6, 2018
Highly exciting and energetic story. Unusual and wonderful. I loved the
Characters and the dialogue. Held my attention throughout. Well written.
Characters and the dialogue. Held my attention throughout. Well written.
October 4, 2019
Casi cuatro estrella para una historia a la que no le falta de nada. Una Escocia de barcos y whisky que continúa con ésta saga familiar.
March 6, 2018
Disclaimer: An eARC was provided via Inkslinger PR and the Author as part of the Blog Tour. The Thoughts, opinions & feelings expressed in the review are however my own.
It’s been a long while since I have read Historical Fiction/Romance, so when the chance came up to be in this blog tour; I took it up, especially considering that I have heard a whole lot about Julia London but have never read her books.
But I do believe that my expectations about Julia London and her books were unrealistic
Devil In Tartan caught my eye because it talked about female pirate and that honestly is the magic word for the reader in me.
Lottie Livingston is trying to save her family’s (illegal) business; and yet she seemed more manipulative than I would have expected from a heroine and one that purports to be doing good for the family. I tried liking her, and maybe I would have but I couldn’t reconcile with the kind of methods and neither does justice to what her goals were.
Aulay Mackenzie feels more of a 2 – dimensional than I would have expected of a hero – he is a son who doesn’t feel like he fits anywhere in the family. There could have been more of a depth in the character more than what I actually got.
There were numerous minor characters as well, and it became difficult for me to keep track of all of them; and I kept having to go back to find out whether I was getting the characters right.
The writing of the author took me time to get used to, but I liked her writing style; but it really kills me when the author is trying really hard yet the characters refuse to cooperate with her and that’s exactly what happened here.
I will still be going through Julia London’s backlist, mostly ‘cause there is something hypnotic in her writing style and I really hope that the characters have supported her in her other ventures!
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February 27, 2018
4 stars above the salty sea for DEVIL IN TARTAN.
It's 1752, and Lottie Livingstone's clan needs to get their illegal whisky off of their island before they lose everything. She knows exactly where she can sell it, swiftly setting out in the open seas. Unprepared and fired on by another ship, Lottie makes the decision to board a third ship that comes to help, putting herself and her crew squarely in the path of Aulay Mackenzie. Aulay is in his own dire straights, needing to get his own wares sold so he can help his own clan make ends meet. Blinded by the stunning woman with the white hair who boards his ship with fear for her father's health, he soon finds himself and his crew captured, bound and forced to watch this inept faction try to run his ship. Disgusted by himself and his weakness when it comes to Lottie, Aulay is determined to see the wicked little spitfire and her ragtag group of pirates brought to justice!
I implore authors and publishers of historical romance novels: please cease and desist with the bodice ripper cover art and terrible book names. You've got some good content inside the heavy stock paper, your covers should reflect that! There's been strides made to bring covers into the 21st century…please consider broadening your base of readers by modernizing your looks!
*Stepping off soapbox.*
Beyond the unfortunate cover art situation, the title is super misleading. Lonnie is the wicked wild woman who kicks Aulay's butt, commanders his ship and his heart. "The Devil" is anything but, but Lottie herself certainly could be considered an ornery devil! Their building attraction was yummy, and while it took a while for anything to come to fruition, when the seafarers finally got together, it was delicious. This was a pretty decent story, and while I enjoyed the adventure on the high seas, especially the humorous cast of characters, I wasn't intrigued enough to grab any others in the Highland Grooms series.
Bottom Line: No OM/OW or sharing; no condom use; no BDSM/kink; no sexual assault; mild violence, no murder.
It's 1752, and Lottie Livingstone's clan needs to get their illegal whisky off of their island before they lose everything. She knows exactly where she can sell it, swiftly setting out in the open seas. Unprepared and fired on by another ship, Lottie makes the decision to board a third ship that comes to help, putting herself and her crew squarely in the path of Aulay Mackenzie. Aulay is in his own dire straights, needing to get his own wares sold so he can help his own clan make ends meet. Blinded by the stunning woman with the white hair who boards his ship with fear for her father's health, he soon finds himself and his crew captured, bound and forced to watch this inept faction try to run his ship. Disgusted by himself and his weakness when it comes to Lottie, Aulay is determined to see the wicked little spitfire and her ragtag group of pirates brought to justice!
I implore authors and publishers of historical romance novels: please cease and desist with the bodice ripper cover art and terrible book names. You've got some good content inside the heavy stock paper, your covers should reflect that! There's been strides made to bring covers into the 21st century…please consider broadening your base of readers by modernizing your looks!
*Stepping off soapbox.*
Beyond the unfortunate cover art situation, the title is super misleading. Lonnie is the wicked wild woman who kicks Aulay's butt, commanders his ship and his heart. "The Devil" is anything but, but Lottie herself certainly could be considered an ornery devil! Their building attraction was yummy, and while it took a while for anything to come to fruition, when the seafarers finally got together, it was delicious. This was a pretty decent story, and while I enjoyed the adventure on the high seas, especially the humorous cast of characters, I wasn't intrigued enough to grab any others in the Highland Grooms series.
Bottom Line: No OM/OW or sharing; no condom use; no BDSM/kink; no sexual assault; mild violence, no murder.
February 19, 2018
Devil in Tartan, the 4th book in the Highland Grooms series, took a while for me to really get into. Lottie, the heroine, is pretty prickly from the start, and Aulay, the hero, has a massive chip on his shoulder due to what he sees his place in his family as. The romance is slooooooow moving--mostly due to everything else that is going on in the book--and that "everything else" is, at times, pretty complicated and involved.
But...
I'm not even sure at what point I was in the book--30%? 40%--but I suddenly realized that the story had me in its grip. Lottie and Aulay had drawn me into their world, and by the time we got to the end where everything looked bleak and nothing could possibly be done to make it right again, I think I was possibly more upset even than the characters. For sure I was trying just as hard to figure out how to fix it (I failed. Thankfully, they didn't--phew!) and I finished the book with a great big smile on my face.
Devil in Tartan should work fine as a standalone if you haven't read the other books in the series (the only one I have so far is Daisy and Cailean's-- Sinful Scottish Laird --and of course they're the only couple who doesn't show up in person here). You won't know the family dynamics going in, but Aulay gives you all the information you need on that front anyway. More than half of the book has our hero and heroine out on the water, far removed from the rest of the Mackenzie clan, stewing over their problems and gradually falling for each other.
Favorite line (with mild spoiler, so skip if you must): "You are mad if you think I'll never mention the two ships you sank"--just before kissing the aformentioned ship sinker. :)
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
But...
I'm not even sure at what point I was in the book--30%? 40%--but I suddenly realized that the story had me in its grip. Lottie and Aulay had drawn me into their world, and by the time we got to the end where everything looked bleak and nothing could possibly be done to make it right again, I think I was possibly more upset even than the characters. For sure I was trying just as hard to figure out how to fix it (I failed. Thankfully, they didn't--phew!) and I finished the book with a great big smile on my face.
Devil in Tartan should work fine as a standalone if you haven't read the other books in the series (the only one I have so far is Daisy and Cailean's-- Sinful Scottish Laird --and of course they're the only couple who doesn't show up in person here). You won't know the family dynamics going in, but Aulay gives you all the information you need on that front anyway. More than half of the book has our hero and heroine out on the water, far removed from the rest of the Mackenzie clan, stewing over their problems and gradually falling for each other.
Favorite line (with mild spoiler, so skip if you must): "You are mad if you think I'll never mention the two ships you sank"--just before kissing the aformentioned ship sinker. :)
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
February 18, 2018
2.5 stars
I have to be honest here. I wanted to love the book. I wanted to love the characters and I begun reading it with high expectations. Unfortunately, the book wasn't for me and I didn't like it much. Lottie wasn't the best heroine or even a good one. I didn't like her and I believe that Aulay could do better. I don't understand how she stole his ship while hers was sinking. Aulay was a mediocre character with some good qualities. He was the best thing that happened in this book. He is supposed to be a painter too, but according to Lottie, his paintings have no soul. So he is a bad painter or Lottie is just mean.
There is not much going in this book. Aulay and Lottie go to Denmark, Denmark doesn't work out. they sail back to where they came from, some trouble finds them there. I can't say I was invested in finding out what the author had in store for these two. I want to read Catriona's book because I know the author is good at her job and I usually like her books, but this one didn't work for me.
I have to be honest here. I wanted to love the book. I wanted to love the characters and I begun reading it with high expectations. Unfortunately, the book wasn't for me and I didn't like it much. Lottie wasn't the best heroine or even a good one. I didn't like her and I believe that Aulay could do better. I don't understand how she stole his ship while hers was sinking. Aulay was a mediocre character with some good qualities. He was the best thing that happened in this book. He is supposed to be a painter too, but according to Lottie, his paintings have no soul. So he is a bad painter or Lottie is just mean.
There is not much going in this book. Aulay and Lottie go to Denmark, Denmark doesn't work out. they sail back to where they came from, some trouble finds them there. I can't say I was invested in finding out what the author had in store for these two. I want to read Catriona's book because I know the author is good at her job and I usually like her books, but this one didn't work for me.
April 21, 2018
Lorrie Livingstone bears the weight of an island on her shoulders. Under the threat of losing their home, she and her clan take to the seas to sell a shipload of illegal whiskey. When an attack leaves them vulnerable, she transforms from a maiden daughter to a clever warrior...for survival, she sieged a rival's ship and now holds Scottish Captain Aulay MacKenzie under her command. Tied, captive and forced to watch a stunning siren commandeer the MacKenzie ship. Aulay had resigned himself to a solitude life on the open seas, now he burns for control of his ship and Lottie. as authorities and enemies close in, he is torn between surrendering her to justice and defending her from assailants. He will lose her forever unless he is willing to sacrifice the unimaginable.
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