A Warlocks MacGregor Novel Contemporary Scottish Paranormal Romance
A little magickal mischief never hurt anyone…
Erik MacGregor is from a clan of ancient Scottish warlocks. He isn’t looking for love. After centuries, it’s not even a consideration…until he moves in next door to Lydia Barratt. It’s clear that the shy beauty wants nothing to do with him, but he’s drawn to her and determined to win her over.
The last thing Lydia Barratt needs is a demanding Scottish man meddling in her private life. Just because he’s gorgeous and totally rocks a kilt doesn’t mean she’s going to fall for his seductive manner.
But Erik won’t give up and just as Lydia lets her guard down, his sister decides to get involved. Her little love potion prank goes terribly wrong, making Lydia the target of his sudden embarrassingly obsessive behavior. They’ll have to find a way to pull Erik out of the spell fast when it becomes clear that Lydia has more than a lovesick warlock to worry about.
Warning: Contains yummy, hot, mischievous MacGregors who may or may not be wielding love potion magick in an effort to prank their older brother, and who are almost certainly up to no good on their quest to find true love.
📚 New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author of All Things Romance 🌎 www.MichellePillow.com
Michelle M. Pillow is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with millions of books sold worldwide. Best known for her paranormal and sci-fi romance and paranormal women’s fiction, she writes captivating stories that blend heart, humor, adventure, and a touch of magic—perfect for readers who love immersive worlds and unforgettable characters.
Her bestselling series include Dragon Lords, Lords of the Var®, Warlocks MacGregor®, Order of Magic, and Merely Mortal.
A relentless explorer of both the real and the supernatural, Michelle has chased history through ancient ruins, climbed Mayan temples in Belize, and investigated haunted locations. She believes life is an adventure best fueled by curiosity, creativity, and copious amounts of coffee.
Now based in the American South, Michelle is involved in film and documentary projects with her talented husband. She is mom to a talented artist, and under the strict supervision of her furry overlords (a dog and a cat) who ensure she meets her deadlines. Most days, she can be found in her office wearing pajama pants, writing, plotting, and occasionally dancing to get the creative juices flowing.
She’s the award-winning author of the historical Maiden and the Monster and paranormal romance Love Potions. If you love dragon shifters, mischievous warlocks, and strong heroines who take charge of their destiny, her books are a perfect fit.
4.5 - "I'm going to woo ya, lass." Over the top Scottish Stars!
Too say that I was surprised by Love Potions would be an understatement. By that I mean just how much I enjoyed it. I know I am pretty much ensured a good read when I pick up an Entangled book, but Love Potions went over and above my expectations.
Her eyes raked over him. The crewneck black cotton shirt he wore moulded to his flesh, leaving no mystery as to the fine shape of his body. The long sleeve bulged at the shoulders; leading to a thick, muscled chest... he was by no means slender, for his stomach was nothing but a continuation of solid muscle. His heather gray, flat-front pants hugged to his perfect waist. The material draped quite erotically over his thighs and calves as a breeze stirred against them. The pants draped something else as well – the giant bulge nestled between his legs.
I absolutely adored this book, being a Brit, I did read it with a certain amount of tongue in cheek, as the whole Scottish element of the book is vastly overplayed, but for me it just enhanced the book. I loved Erik MacGregor and his family, a Clan of Warlocks that essentially spend their days playing magick tricks on each other, and getting into mischief. It doesn’t hurt that he isn’t scared of rocking up in a Kilt on occasion!
Any woman would have to be dead not to be attracted to the walking mass of sexy that was Erik MacGregor.
Lydia Barratt was easy to like as well, initially you think that she is going to be the usual simpering damsel in distress and, once again my expectations were wrong. She was feisty, fought back and didn’t allow Erik’s magick to sway her when it came to his seduction of her, and her methods of keeping him at bay were absolutely hilarious at points too.
"I already know how good I am in bed. You’d be lucky indeed to get me between your sheets."
I hope that this series runs for a while, with 4 more brothers, a sister and cousins a-plenty; there is scope for a few more Sexy-Scottish adventures to be taken.
táim i ngrá leat
ARC generously provided via Netgalley in exchange for the above honest review.
This one was good! It had it's really creepy parts (ghosts) and entertaining parts but for the most part, I was confused as to what was happening (I listened to the audiobook) and I didn't care for the characters.
I don’t review books I don’t finish very often, mostly because I usually stop fairly early in the novel, but I read 60% of Love Potions before I decided to give up and I taught it deserved a review.
Love Potions is about an immortal warlock who falls in love at first sight with Lydia, mortal granddaughter of a self-proclaimed witch, and his terrible attempts at seducing her. I have some big issues with this novel, and the first signs of trouble appeared when Lydia first met Erik. She was all wet and bothered the first time she sees him on the street and she almost gave him a blowjob the second time she saw him, on the same day, albeit this time because of a spell going wrong. None of this felt natural and it bothered me. Speaking of spells going wrong, this one isn’t the only one, and the other ones don’t sit so well either.
Aside from the falseness of Erik and Lydia’s romance, my main issue was the almost nonexistent plot. I’m afraid to say the bit about shadow forces trying to control Lydia to destroys Erik’s family is just a sorry excuse to support the shaky romance. Even after 60% read I felt like the story wasn’t going anywhere, which is why I stopped altogether. My shelf is full of great books waiting to be read, I just didn’t want to invest more time reading this one, unfortunately.
On a positive note, I enjoyed Lydia’s personality. She is funny, independent, strong and resourceful. I also liked the light banter the MacGregor siblings had going on and Charlotte’s loveable character. Michelle really created a great bunch of characters so it’s that much more disappointing that the plot was poorly executed.
Did you finish this book? What did you think? Would my opinion be any different had I persevered?
Este fue un libro que no sabía ni por donde cogerlo. Siento que mientras lo leía fuí a la luna y me quede pérdida. No entendí lo que pasaba. Primero la autora sacaba palabras y no explicaba que significaba, pasaban los capitulos y no había explicación de lo que eran los protagonistas. Me quede sin entender lo que era Lydia y de Erik solo sé que era hechicero y que se convertia en un animal?? La autora no es descritiva ni en las escenas de acción. Y a eso añadele un personaje que no viene a cuento que no se sabe por qué aparece si no aporta nada. Del dizque "romance" mejor ni empiezo😫😫. Love potions no me dejo buen sabor para continuar la serie.
I've been a fan of this author since I first discovered her Dragon Lords series and have to admit that Ms Pillow writes seriously sexy stories so was quite keen to see what she would do with something a little more Earth bound! So with delight I chose to read this story about warlocks and magic with the added bonus of men in kilts! Erik and his family are seeking a new home and when they find one Erik discovers that his new neighbour Lydia Barratt is one woman set to drive him to distraction! Lydia is a rare woman who can channel the magic that warlock Erik is imbued with but convincing her to let him into her life is going to prove challenging to say the least! This is a very lighthearted romance full of misunderstandings and spells going wrong! The Macgregor family are such a handful and it's impossible not to be bowled over by their enthusiasm but at times their antics did feel just a little childish and I could feel myself rolling my eyes! Although to be fair Eriks clan are an hysterical bunch to read about and there's never a dull moment with their constant shenanigans! With a family like this perhaps the hero didn't really need enemies? Unfortunately though that's just what happens in this story though and Erik and Lydia find that the path to true love is not always a smooth one. Although along the way there's plenty of time for this likeable couple to shall we say investigate each other? Yes this book is just as sexy as the other tales I've read by this author and full of steamy interludes. Lots of characters within this book to capture the readers imagination and I'm not sure which of the clan we will get to read about next but Eriks sister is certainly a handful ,although Lydia's friend Charlotte seems to have caught the eye of one particular Macgregor . There's a creepy bad guy and even a playful ghost to make this an entertaining read but most of all it's just a fun story .If you enjoy sexy stories filled with magic and mayhem then this book will almost certainly hit the spot!
I really liked Erik (H), Lydia (h) was exhausting to read though. There was too much push-pull and not enough relationship building actually. Most of the time they were arguing and that was just tiring.
Lydia and Erik meet and immediately want to jump each other's bones. Then she doesn't want to seem like a slut so she tries to back off. I find it amazing that she didn't actually see anything wrong with the fact that she basically gave a blow job to a complete stranger for no reason. And the whole McGregor clan was just annoying. There is playful family bickering and then there is annoying and immature human beings. This was just not for me....at all.
Sexy, Scottish, brogue, warlock and oh my. I loved Erik. I loved Lydia. I really enjoyed getting to know the MacGregor clan. This group will make small town life that much more interesting. There was much her to keep me entertained. Ghost, shadows, possessions, warlocks, pranks, tricks, passion and then some.
I loved Erik and his family! They were a close knit group and so freaking hilarious! Lydia was a sassy introvert, and her poor friend Charlotte..talk about a run of bad luck!
Warlocks and magic.. gracious that combination was potent! The story was cute. There’s magic, ghosts, love potions gone awry, and the humor! I loved the humor! I really enjoyed the MacGregor family and look forward to seeing who’s up next!
Love Potions is I hope the first in a series about the MacGregor clan by Michelle. Pillow. Michelle is one of my favorite authors and this book just solidifies my love for her books even more.
A take your breath away handsome, hunky modern day Scot, Eric is our hero. He part of a paranormal warlock family that has well adapted and thrived throughout the centuries. They are now a good size powerful wealthy clan that is needs to relocate. Erik is the oldest brother (one among several hot hunky brothers, cousins and uncles), who is in charge of finding just the right property and down to accommodate the clan and not leave them too open for discovery of their magical ways. He finds them a huge mansion on an old beautiful estate. A charming cottage that is on the estate happens belong to a beautiful woman that Eric bumps into, Lydia.
Lydia is a sweet "natural" witch who has been taught magic and potions by her recently departed grandmother. She now has a blooming business , "Love Potions" which boasts a store in the cottage she inherited by her grandmother, as well as a growing online business.
The sparks between Lydia and Erik are instant and thrilling. Their chemistry was "potent" and deliciously sexual throughout the story. They know from the beginning that sense of belonging to each other could not be ignored. Lydia of course is not exactly "convinced" which leads to some very memorable, romantic, funny and sexy scenarios.
Modern day centuries old Scottish Warlocks made awesome "please give me more" characters. They are devoted to the clan and have a great family dynamic, as well as being serious pranksters. There ask some very humerous, laugh out loud scenes and situations throughout,which are well balanced in the story by themes of passion, tenderness, romance, suspense, love of friendship and family.
The story is filled with magic, supernatural ghosts (love grandma), and some truly evil characters as well. The hero and heroine are both awesome characters, love their passion, humor, sense of loyalty and their personalities are really likable. Their sexual chemistry is hot and very much In line with the story. Enough that you could use a nice cold drink and a fan, which I personally find enhances the romance(yummy).
I loved reading this new kind of storyline and enjoyed it so much that I did not put it down once I started. It is a definite feel good story with enough paranormal, supernatural magical fun romance passion for an amazing read. Let's hope there are more sexy kilted MacGregor books to come.
Not only is Love Potions a fabulous PN romance, it is easily one of the funniest books I have read this year. I enjoyed it hugely and with a sexy Scottish warlock, a stubborn likeable lady, a crazy bunch of relatives and magick it brought perfect laugh-your-socks-off humour and I sat here making very unladylike snorts with tears running down my face. Exactly my type of humour.
Lydia Barratt is a bit of a hermit, happiest making her beauty products with her BFF Charlotte and enjoying the quiet life. That is until Erik MacGregor, a deliciously hot Scot moves in next door with his crazy family. He's not looking for love, but something about Lydia draws him to her. Yet she refuses to fall for his charm.
Cheeky, witty and, just to confirm, very sexy, our kilt-clad wooing warlock had me spellbound. His seduction tactics had me sighing, his singing somewhat scarred me, and the banter, tricks and mischief between him and his siblings had me howling. And I loved Lydia as she’s no wallflower and is feisty, funny and when it comes to giving Erik a taste of his own medicine it has hilarious consequences. But it's not all humour and seduction there's some suspense and it’s one of those treats that has you convinced you have it sussed, only to fail miserably.
Whether you are a fan of PN romance or not, this is a book I seriously recommend. The first book I have read from Michelle M. Pillow won’t be the last. It was an absolute joy to read and I hope we are treated to more from the MacGregor clan; they quickly proved themselves to be a completely endearing fun crazy family.
I’ll fully admit to being in a sucker-for-a-kilt stage in my reading tastes, which is why I decided to read this one just on the cover alone. Apart from issues with occasional sketchy choices with accent-writing for their Scottish burr, I was mostly satisfied on that front.
The rest of LOVE POTIONS was a little more jumbled. I’m not one to discount a good dose of kilt-lifter erotica, but there were times when it just felt like too much focus on sex for the wrong reasons. And by wrong reasons I mean insta-lust to hook the reader. I understand that shortcuts have to be taken in a shorter book, but the heroine drenching her jeans after hearing the man say hello and then nearly giving him head in the forest right after they talk for the first time because “a spell went wrong” didn’t sit well with me.
I think that’s what kept me from loving LOVE POTIONS and why it took me so long to read it. For all the fun I had with the MacGregors, and they are a fun, pranking bunch, they seem to get magic wrong quite a lot for immortal warlocks, and always for plot reasons. Then there’s Erik’s shape-shifting ability – used twice for plot and then never mentioned again. I did like Lydia, though. She’s a strong character and not about to be pushed around by the stubborn Scot, or his family.
Overall, LOVE POTIONS is a good mix of erotica, magic, and all things kilt. I might delve back into the world if Charlotte’s story is told, because I like her and I wouldn’t mind another trip down this rabbit hole.
this is what i get for not judging a book by its cover.
in my defense, the premise sounded interesting! and then the FL and ML met and... well. i'll just summarize their meeting, even though reading it the first time made me viscerally uncomfortable.
- the FL hears the ML's voice and immediately her panties get wet—this is the point where i very nearly DNFed (and where i probably should have)
- she sees the ML and hallucinates the sound of bagpipes and dudes in kilts (i'm not joking)
- they talk, and she stares at his "growing bulge." i guess he finds this amusing, because he just watches her and is not at all ashamed or freaked out that he's popping a stiffy in the middle of this bustling sidewalk
- and then there's the classic "oh no, i didn't wear a bra today and my nipples are getting hard because i'm so turned on by this random dude" situation, complete with him smirking (?!) down at her nipples for what seems like an absurd amount of time.
why is she not uncomfortable with this dude smirking at her nipples??? when just paragraphs earlier she was internally berating this other dude for ogling her butt??
and then we get the ML's POV, where he says something completely unforgivable.
“No less stirring was her smell, a sweet blend of lavender and mint, combined with the subtle scent of her sex.”
yeah. i could've gone without reading that, and i'm certainly not going to continue reading about a ML who says that his love interest smells like vagina.
I have recently fallen into the category of fantasy romance. Not one I have often dabbled in, but I figured I would give this a try. I had a hard time at places in here. I often did not even like our dashing hero Erik. I found him arrogant and domineering, not endearing and protective. I initally picked this up because I have a soft spot for guardian type figures and love interest in mortal danger. (I watch too many movies, lets move on.)
I also found visualizing the magic scenes difficult. It could be that since I do not often do fantasy that I just don't get "how it's done." But I feel that a book crafted right can translate to almost any type of reader. I just couldn't figure out the speed, when something was a dream or actually happening, or sometimes even if it was just a vision.
I liked how our couple eventually got together, but I had a rough time getting there. (I dont even think I put together that they were in Wisconsin until the very end.) I also didnt like how the entire family is descending on this tiny town like locust. Also, why dont they care about all the plant life they kill for their magic? They seem to use it so frivolously.
I may or may not read anymore of the series. However, I did enjoy the grandma ghost Annabelle. She may have been my favorite.
Love Potions is a magical romance story that had me laughing out loud.
Erik MacGregor is an ancient warlock who moves himself and his immortal warlock clan next door to Lydia Barratt, a lotion-making homebody.
A few spells gone wrong, an ancient evil enemy, and a magic-wielding family that loves to play pranks make Love Potions a marvelously delightful read. If the steamy chemistry doesn't grab you ,the hysterical antics of the MacGregor clan will have you caught up in their eccentricities. Pillow once again provides a highly imaginative storytelling that will provide a fantastic read for those who enjoy humor and spice in their paranormal adventures. I personally would love more from the MacGregor clan.
I received this ARC copy of Love Potions from Entangled Publishing, LLC - Covet in exchange for an honest review. This book is set for publication on June 2, 2014.
This is a great read with lots of humor, lust and family foolery. It also includes a touch of light evil for suspense and drama. Without getting into spoilers, the scene where Erik's sister plays a trick on Erik is fabulously funny and touching. He's so in love! Great entertainment.
Lydia Barratt has lived in her small home town all her life. The townspeople may think she's a little reclusive but they forgive her for the great lotions she makes and the fact that she doesn't cause any problems. Erik MacGregor is a warlock and his entire clan is moving onto the mountain. When Lydia and Eric meet there are instant sparks. Literally. And it's a little more than he's prepared for. Somehow she's got the power to steal his magick!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
FYI: I received this book as part of a Halloween giveaway, along with thirty or so other books. The ONLY reason I'm giving this book one star is because due to a flawed copy, I did not get to finish the book. Each second to last and last page of every chapter was missing...see flawed. I did reach out to the writer and the giveaway team voicing my concern but have yet to hear back from anyone, which is a shame as the pages I did get to read were interesting and funny..naughty too! I do have tons of other books I need to read so this will unfortunately go into the DNF pile and hopefully I'll be able to read a non flawed copy eventually.
Delightful! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It has more complexity than I expected and it included everything I did expect. A sexy Scottish warlock, a sweet heroine, lots of evil things, and lots of good things. I especially liked the MacGregor family. The family relationships and humour had me laughing out loud. The writing is excellent, the plot is well planned and the editing is very good. A wonderful read and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys this genre or Michelle M. Pillow.
I am a bit confused. Was this supposed to be a funny book or a scary one? Dramatic? It had everything in it and it wasn't exactly very well executed. The main couple got together without any real interaction. One that didn't include magic, love potions and near death experiences. It was an ok book, but I couldn't really connect to any of the characters so won't be reading the next one.
Love Potions is a fun paranormal romance by Michelle M. Pillow. Ms. Pillow has delivered a book that will keep readers entertained with a smile on their faces. Erik has found a property that will suit his family of warlocks...but he needs to get the neighbor to sell out and move. Lydia loves living in her grandmother's house and would never sell it. Erik and Lydia's story is loaded with drama, humor, spice, action and magic. I enjoyed reading Love Potions and look forward to reading more from this author. Love Potions is book 1 of the Warlocks MacGregor Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
My tolerance for reading phonetic accents is quite low. I once read a book where the authors used the find/replace feature to remove the “g” off every single word in the book that ended with “ing” to affect a “Southern” accent. This author attempts something about Scottish culture by having a character who wears a kilt and has a heavy Scots accent. I wonder if the authors or editors in these circumstances consider what it’s like for readers.
Personally, all I could think of was Nick Offerman’s Metal Beard pirate accent from Lego Movie.
What an adorably fantastic start to a series. I love the constant back and forth of family, of course the fact they are all pranksters and magical takes it to an entirely different level. I think I laughed just as much as I teared up while reading this book. This was such a fun adventure to reach the HEA. I can’t wait to read the next book. I hope Charlotte finds her a mate among the crazy family, the girl seriously needs an anchor in this world.
This series was recommended to me by a fellow reader in the Sexy PNR group. It was supposed to be a light, easy read and it absolutely was. It was also hilarious 🤣! I laughed so hard at some scenes I had to put the book down and catch my breath. The premise of the series is simple, The MacGregor are ancient Scottish Warlocks who have to move around to avoid being found out by normal humans. What's not simple is all the rules they have to follow, the magical pranks they pull on each other and the slightly crazy elders that are supposed to be in charge. Michelle Pillow has written a hilarious, funny series that just gets better with each book 📖. I'm passing on this recommended series for anyone that wants to have a light hearted good time!
2.5 stars. I'm not a fan of insta-love and that was this in a nutshell. For being so old and clearly experienced (as he mentioned), Erik sure was dumb about women. There are plenty of characters to build the series on but I'm not sure I'll continue.