Sleepless in Scotland

MacLean Curse #4

by Karen Hawkins

When sensible Catriona Hurst sets off in pursuit of her wild twin sister, Caitlyn—whose plan to trap the handsome laird of Clan MacLean into marriage will lead her to sure disaster—she never expects the journey to end with her own wedding. First Triona is caught in MacLean's carriage, then she's roundly scolded, and then—to her shocked surprise— thoroughly kissed! She is caught, body and soul, by the laird's enigmatic younger brother, Hugh MacLean, who had set a trap for the unprincipled sister and refuses to believe that he's caught the other. While Hugh is enchanted by Triona's delightful response to his kiss, he soon realizes that she is not who he thought, but an innocent whom honor demands he wed immediately. And he also discovers that letting the passionate Triona into his bed is far easier than keeping her out of his many concerns—even the ones he'd planned to keep secret!

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Regency, Scotland, Adult

355 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 9, 2009

About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Hawkins writes novels that have been praised as touching, witty, charming, and heartwarming. A native Southerner who grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee where storytelling is a way of life, Karen recently moved to frosty New England with her beloved husband and multiple foster dogs. The Dove Pond books are a nod to the thousands of books that opened doors to more adventures, places, and discoveries than she ever imagined possible. To find out more about Karen, follow her at:
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Reviews

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

review posted at Got Fiction? books

So I was really liking this book until a certain scene. The men in the MacLean family all are cursed. Their anger causes storms. Big ones. The hero Hugh can control them.

The hero used his powers against the heroine, his wife. He causes the wind to tear through the house. Caitriona is knocked over, her robe ripped off, and she's so cold she shivers and can barely speak. how is no one else bothered by this scene? I looked through several reviews and no one mentions this at all.

I only finished it to see the heroine give the hero a piece if her mind, but she pulled the whole "oh it's my fault for making him mad." Wth?! Really? Really?! No. Just no. It's not ok. What if he had hit her? Would that become "Oh it's my own fault for questioning him?" Because I don't see that being a much farther step. Hugh never really apologizes either, and even Caitriona's grandmother, the wise old lady, is all "Oh you were both mad, you'll both apologize and be fine." Really? REALLY

I have otherwise liked this series and this author, but this sh*t is NOT okay.

[🐝 Shaz 🐝 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed all the books in this series. This one kept me reading into the early hours of the morning. 4.5 stars👍

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a heads up this is nothing like sleepless in Seattle but it was still good!

Triona comes from a large mischievous family. Her twin sister has gone to London for the season but gets herself into trouble. Triona goes to help her sister but instead gets wrapped into her scheme and ends up being the one in trouble.

The trouble she gets into is with Hugh who doesn’t want anything to do with Triona or her sister. Unfortunately for him, he’s going to have a lot to do with her for awhile.

[Gokce G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gets an extra star for Hugh and his big heart and the fact that there was a more serious theme going on that made me tear up at times.

In this book Hugh, the most in control of his curse among the MacLean brothers comes together with sensible and passionate Caitriona Hurst.

Well, their thing starts with a misunderstanding where the two are forced into a marriage but they can hardly deny their attraction to each other either. Hugh brings Caitriona to his home where he keeps a few secrets and makes it clear to her that she's to leave after a couple of months when gossip is cooled down. Naturally he's determined to keep Triona at arms length but Triona is a passionate and loving woman who comes from a big family and craves one of her own.

I gotta admit, Hugh was probably the one brother I wasn't all so excited to read about. No wait, I put that wrong. What I meant is that he was the one brother I knew less than the others so I didn't exactly know what to expect from him. But man, did it turn out good. His character was surprisingly good at heart, he was passionate, he was loving, he was caring. Even though it took him a while to show these feelings towards Triona, even when he clearly started the marriage the wrong way, it was impossible not to like him.

And Triona was a good heroine, I immediately liked her. She has a twin sister, Caitlyn, who's a bit less responsable than her who is also the reason why Triona ends up with Hugh. Gotta thank Cait. She also has four other siblings and as the oldest and most responsable, she's used to dealing with family drama I guess. I liked her, she was good for Hugh.

I'm surprised at how much I'm loving this series and the fact that the next book of the oldest MacLean is the last of the series kinda makes me sad. But, I do look forward to it since I believe it has one of my most favourite romance themes, bickering love :D

[Janja · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the initial confusion I expected more, the story became fairly gentle and predictable.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first ran into Karen Hawkins through a novelette she wrote for "The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown." I enjoyed that story quite a bit, and ever since, have been trying to capture that magic in her novels. I'm afraid I'm 0 for 2 so far on her novels, though. It's not like this book was actively bad -- it was close to 3 stars -- but I stopped reading fairly close to the end because I just didn't care. Neither of these characters came alive for me, and the romance between them felt almost forced. The sex scenes actually bored me.

The setup was fairly standard: Men and woman caught in compromising situation and so much marry. He was trying to rescue his brother, and she her sister, when they ended up in that predicament. Afterward, he agrees to marry her to save her reputation, but says they'll only live together for a few months and then he'll send her home, because he's not interested in a real marriage.

I think that's where the book really lost me. Actually, it wasn't even there. It was in the next sentence, when Catrina starts to suggest that it be a marriage in name only (ie no consumation) and he refuses because he wants her. Oooookay....so you're going to mess with her heart and body for a couple of months then send her back to her parents' house? What if she gets pregnant? Amazingly, a thought that never seems to occur to either one of them. (The disconnect between sex and babies is, at times, one of my biggest complaints in the romance genre. Obviously, sex doesn't always lead to babies, but if it's not going to, then for goodness sakes, explain why not. Birth control, infertility, or heck, I'll take the withdrawal methoc, but seriously....something!)

This book may simply have been a mismatch for me.

[Veromika · Rating 3 out of 5]

The whole time I was reading this book I was thinking hey I have read this before! I swear.
But it wasn't even in my tbr so I was confused.
It was such a deja vu experience damn.

The more cynical I've gotten in life, the more I can't stand books like these. Yes, they're guilty pleasure, but damn I'm constantly at war with my logical mind

"I shivered at the sound of his voice."
- Yeah but she hasn't even seen him and it's an inn, there must be so much background noise.
"The mountains reminded me of the curve of her breast
- focus on your horse bitch! you'll fall into a ditch and die
"I want our marriage to be more. I expect love."
- but how much do you know him really? He loves his kids, can control storms, breeds horses. I mean...

I don't think I can read romance novels anymore! help :(

For my non-cynical readers, this is not so bad. It's someone in the middle of the line. Like I've read far worse.

[Fangirl Musings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down! Started and read the same day, this story was such an enjoyable book! Catriona is a really cool cat with kindness of nature that really transfers well to readers. From page one you are drawn in, desperate to know what will happen with her circumstances. The same can be said for Hugh, as well. The situation that ties the two people together is a classic Shakespearean comedy of errors. In intercepting their siblings and trying to keep them from doing something stupid, both Hugh and Triona end up mistaking each other for their counterparts. Caught be her nurse, sister, and uncle after several hours alone together in the coach, Hugh and Catriona are forced to a hasty wedding in effort to salvage Cait's reputation. From here on in, the reader is swept up in the mystery of "what happens next." This aspect intensifies upon finding out Hugh has 3 daughters he provides for at Gilmerton Manor, can control and influence the weather based on his temper, and the developing chaos that erupts as Hugh demands Cait remain aloof from his daughters. The pranks, interplay and emotions of the five are so entertaining to read!

The pacing of the story is phenomenal, and every scene falls effortlessly in line with keeping up the momentum of the plot. I most love how events develop seamlessly that lead to many points being answered and resolved surrounding and following Devon's attempt to run away. The ensuing drama of Cait nearly dying, the children realizing they're still loved and Hugh's battle against the storm to save Cait seems on the surface "too much drama," but were written so well that one didn't even realize such.

I most appreciated Hawkins ability to adhere to her characters actions. Not once did I wonder "why the crap is he doing that?" or "how is that going to solve anything?" Her characters actions never once seemed out-of-character.

This positive, along with the surprising delight that the scenes never "mellowed out" or got dull allowed me to keep reading this book the whole day. Not one dull moment, not one dry spot! Although, I sadly do have one tiny criticism. In the story, we know that Devon, Crhistina, and Aggie are of different ages, Devon's 14, Christina's 13, and Aggie's 6. A nice surprise comes along that, it appears, the girls are not Hugh's at all. Such was not too shocking though, despite the fact that all had the evil ex Clarissa in the picture. It never made sense why there were more than one child, all different ages. However, what was a let down was that Hawkins never explained why Hugh took the girls, how they came to live with him, or any detail surrounding the issue. While it is clear Hugh loves the girls wholeheartedly regardless, there are still some unanswered questions.

Yet despite this, such is a small price to pay considering this book was explosive in the enjoyment department. Beings, though, that this story is part of a series, I can hope such questions may be answered in Caitlyn's and Alexander's upcoming book.

[BJ Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catriona rushes to London to save her twin sister Caitlyn from ruin, and ends up in a compromising situation with the brother of the man that her sister was trying to compromise. It's all a comedy of errors - Hugh is out to trap Caitlyn in her own scheme and teach her a lesson, and Catriona thinks it's Laird Alexander in the carriage that she gets trapped in. (Are you confused yet?!) But the trap is sprung on these two, so of course Hugh must propose, and of course Catriona must marry him. Since neither wants to marry, they privately agree to a temporary marriage of convenience - well, we all know how those work out in a romance novel! Now let's add in Hugh's 3 abused children - no, he didn't abuse them - who have no desire to share their father with anyone, and we have a very interesting and funny battle of wills.

The last book in this series is the romance of Caitlyn & Laird Alexander, which is going to have to be terrific to change my impression of Caitlyn - which currently is that of a spoiled and willful child. But Hawkins made me like Dougal in this story (another brother) when I didn't much care for him in his own book, so I'm thinking positive thoughts!

[Darbella · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Catriona and Hugh Catriona is 23 years old and the sensible -not as beautiful twin. Hugh is the 2nd oldest brother. I would have rated this higher, but I feel there are too many unanswered questions left open in this story that should have been answered. One, since he met the "first" love of his life at 18--whose kids is he raising? (Near the end-one of his daughters exclaims something like he is not our real father.) Two, he has only had his "daughters" for little over a year now. Their ages are 15, 13, and 6-if I am remembering correctly. Their mom is alive--so how did he get them? Three, How is he able to keep them-since she is alive? He has been paying off the mom so far in the story to keep them. This means he must not have any legal rights yet to safely keep them from their biological mom. 4) Exactly, how did he get those girls?
I do consider him the father and Catriona their mother but would have like the above issues answered and the girls legally adopted to keep them safe from their bio mom. Kwim

[Monique Takens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik heb de Nederlands talige uitgave gelezen : Dit is niet voor even - Candlelight Historische roman 949 .
Ik miste de bekende humor van K. Hawkins in dit deel . Verder was de verhaallijn rondom de zogenaamde 3 dochters en de ex-vrouw of minnares mij te vaag , dat had veel beter uitgewerkt moeten zijn .

[Paraphrodite · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. Not as light and fluffy as the previous books in the series. I actually liked this more substantial storyline.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this in a “Blind Date with a book” exchange, definitely not my genre but a quick read none the less.

[Kristy Finto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much! Hugh and Catriona are amazing together and their love story was great. I loved the banter and all that happens in here. My only wish is that I had realized this was further in the series before I read it, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment. Now to buy the rest!

[SoBeA · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in a few hours, and it's a pretty average (generic) historical romance... Not bad, but despite a somewhat promising beginning, it follows a pretty predictable plot line... It's a good easy read, and doesn't take a whole lot of effort to get though it.

One thing that bugged me was that the story pretty much kept to the H and h's POV for the first half of the book, but by the second half KH kept bringing other people's view points in! And even though I liked the beginning, I can't help but think KH spent far too much time setting up the story and not enough in developing it later on...she ends up skipping over scenes that I'd have liked to have read...and not being privy to those scenes sorta makes me feel like I'm missing parts of the story.

Oh! And also the heroine of her next book (The Laird Who Loved Me), to me at least, came off a little to Lydia Bennet like (that's a Pride and Prejudice reference if you've missed it) but worse as she's about 8 years older, so I don't' really have any interest in reading her story (which honestly, just seems sad...shouldn't each book in a series make you want to read the next book?)

Like I said, an easy read...all my issues with it are pretty minor for the most part, so if you're looking for one, this would be a good car/plane/beach read.

One note though, if you're not fond of kids in romances, you may want to skip this one...They come in about halfway trough the story but once introduced, they played a pretty major role.

Also another note, (but this one's a bit of a spoiler !)
the 'I loves you's' don't come until the very last two pages! And there's no epilogue or anything, so the ending feels a bit abrupt!

[Felicity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh god I'm so embarrassed that I read these but there you have it: I did. And they added to my understanding of the Magick Sekrit Romance Formula, which is, as practiced in these books, as follows:

1. Improbable (and overweight, interestingly enough, a reflection, I guess, of contemporary America) heroine who is nothing like any 18th century miss would be. "I won't wear corsets!" she may say, or, "I won't obey any man! I want a job!" Yeah. Uh huh. Good luck in 1750 with that attitude.
2. Preposterous situation that would never happen in any century, resulting in
3. Forced propinquity and isolation together for a few days, during which there is
4. A lot of heavy petting despite averred loathing and even more cute repartee.
5. Crisis! Damsel in distress! Hero loves her now!
5. Happily ever after.

These follow the formula admirably. And for what they are, they aren't bad. Well, this one is better than the other one. The trick here is to read them really, really quickly, preferably with a hangover, so that you don't notice any of the truly glaringly awful parts. But they're kind of cute, they're kind of charming and they go down sweetly.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up after reading the Hurst series, curious about Catriona and Caitlyn. I thought the story was okay but I really didn't like Hugh.

Again, I seem to have a problem with the MacLean males as I also didn't like Alex either. There is an edge to them that I can't reconcile and made all the other parts hard to swallow. And it seemed to cross a line of inherent decency that couldn't be redeemed in my eyes.

Yea, yea, he was nice to adopt the girls that weren't his from a cruel former lover. Ya, yay, puppies and flowers whatever. It wasn't enough because it just didn't weave together right especially how callously he treated Triona and he regarded her. He still irritated me.

On the other hand, Catriona is a strong spirited woman who isn't your typical bratty overbearing heroine you get either. She was the one who dealt beautifully with the girls. Their interactions are what made the book.

I don't know why the MacLean brothers rub me the wrong way. Maybe I missed the build up from the previous books.

[Maureen Feeney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plain Catroinia Hurst hurrys to London to rescue her twin sister Caitlyn from scandal. On arrival she learns that Cait is trying to trap Alexander MacLean into marraige. Hugh MacLean has also heard of Cait's plan to trick his brother. In trying to rescue their sister and brother, they end up mistaking each other for their siblings. Hugh and Triona are caught in a compromising situation and have to marry. They agree the marraige is only for a couple of months to quench rumours but as they arrive at Hughs home she is met by his 3 daughters? They soon find that love grows from passion.

Very good read with a lot of passion and I really liked Triona and Hugh. The real angst I had with this was the relationship with Hugh and the girls could have been elaborated on. How did he end up with them, etc? A nice light easy read with good secondry characters

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Karen Hawkins is a must read author. She's in my top 5 favorite historical/highlander romance authors. Everytime I pick up a book of hers, I know I'm in for a good read.

3 1/2 stars! Catriona was a pleasent character to read. Smart, funny, realistic and accommodable. Not many ladies back then would sit in a carriage for days without much rest or comfort. Catriona was reasonable and charming. I enjoyed reading along with her.

Hugh was fantastic. He has a tough outer exterior but once you break through he's one worth loving. Charming, loyal and handsome. This Scottish lad is a new favorite of mine. All the MacLean's are awesome. I cant wait to read more. I have two yet to read and I wish there were more.

If you're looking for a quick, light romance with handsome, witty, charming Scottish males and an over all great cast of characters, then this is the read for you!

[Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing it had the bones of a good story, it could have been so much better but just kept missing the mark. Unrealistic and naive behaviour by the main protagonists. Rather than a hero I thought he was a selfish shit who made no attempt to care for or make welcome his wife. Instead he only wanted someone to warm his bed for a few months and then he was throwing her out to live on the mercy of her family.

[Jess O. (From Jess to You) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"4 out of 5 stars. It's the first time I've read a book from this series, and if this book is any estimation of the whole series, then I would definitely recommend it to all of you! It was sweet, funny, and a great historical romance!!"

Read more of this review here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MuaNWkBdeRTJtSpWzceW9_nijGmxVgyE/view?usp=drive_link

[Maharet · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'alta società è un amante crudele...

Come può Catriona resistere al fascino MacLean?Hugh con "la ciocca argentea che scintilla,come animata di vita propria",che scatena venti impetuosi,padre affettuoso,un mix irresistibile.Una trama originale con una protagonista decisa a conquistare il suo sposo.Consigliato!

[Bobby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty sure I couldn't be arsed trying to get some uptight, autocratic man and his spoilt kids to like me tbh. Hugh didn't have all that much going for him in the first place and it all went downhill from there. I only kept reading for the angst.

[Sandra Moreira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely, my favourite so far, of this serie!

I've liked the story, the main characters and the relation between them. I also liked the relation between Hugh and his brother.

I didn't understand the age of the girls, something was incoherent!

[Lorna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking to read a historical scottish romance. This was a fun read but not so much of the scottish highlander background I was looking for.

[Shalon · Rating 2 out of 5]

eh

[Moonianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the fact that Karen Hawkins uses Scottish accent in her writing. It adds something to the setting.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. 5☆

[Hanan · Rating 1 out of 5]

ALL books in this series are the same: same plot, same characters, and same endings.

[Kimmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The love blossoming is so weird. I think it was explained very odd. The way one tries to save the other twin but by some twisted fate the other twin wasn't even there ? So ridiculous.