Two things are guaranteed every time you read a Tessa Dare novel: you'll laugh and you'll swoon.
I did plenty of both while reading the adorable story, WHEN A SCOT TIES THE KNOT. Miss Madeline Gracechurch hates crowds. On the cusp of her first season, she tells a little fib so that she doesn't have to go to all the balls where everyone will stare at her and see how awkward she is. The lie she tells is really nothing -- she simply pretends to have already met someone. But not just anyone, a solider. She keeps up the act, sending letters to this made-up sweetheart of hers for years.
It isn't until she is older and that her family believes her lover died in the war that Captain Logan MacKenzie appears at her door, wanting to marry her. No one is more shocked to see Logan there because, well, he doesn't actually exist. Madeline made him up when she was sixteen!
That doesn't stop Logan from taking what he wants. He has received all of her letters and will create a scandal if she doesn't marry him. Left with no other choice, Madeline agrees but what she doesn't realize is that this Highlander may actually be the man of her dreams.
Already you can tell that I am head over heels with WHEN A SCOT TIES THE KNOT. It's so fun, so charming, and just so darn adorable! Logan's brutish nature and Madeline's sweetness makes for a beautiful cocktail of flavors. There's some humor, some angst, some sweet moments, and more than enough steamy moments to keep you happy as well.
While the middle does drag a little bit, the majority of WHEN A SCOT TIES THE KNOT will put a smile on your face. If you're a fan of Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn or Suzanne Enoch, be sure to check out Tessa Dare. Her writing, as well as her characters, are outstanding. You'll never want to put the book down!
On the cusp of her first London season, Miss Madeline
Gracechurch was shy, pretty, and
talented with a drawing pencil, but hopelessly awkward with
gentlemen. She was certain to
be a dismal failure on the London marriage mart. So Maddie
did what generations of shy,
awkward young ladies have done: she invented a sweetheart.
A Scottish sweetheart. One who was handsome and honorable
and devoted to her, but
conveniently never around. Maddie poured her heart into
writing the imaginary Captain
MacKenzie letter after letter . . . and by pretending to be
devastated when he was (not
really) killed in battle, she managed to avoid the pressures
of London society entirely.
Until years later, when this kilted Highland lover of her
imaginings shows up in the flesh.
The real Captain Logan MacKenzie arrives on her
doorstep—handsome as anything, but not
entirely honorable. He's wounded, jaded, in possession of
her letters . . . and ready to make
good on every promise Maddie never expected to keep.