I wish this were a longer book. Too much of it was spent with the ridiculous guests of Lord Norwood. Want more of Catriona, Hamlin and Eula. ( )

3.75 stars

This was a truly good read. Glad I continued in the series even though I didn't enjoy any others apart from the very first one. Cat and Hamlin were fun characters and I enjoyed their story.

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Rounded up to 5 stars. This is definitely my favorite of this series. I was a little wary of this heroine, sometimes HR authors take 'brash female' a little too far until they're just annoying, and I worried this heroine might end up like that. But she grew on me. The couple held onto the idea that they couldn't end up together a little longer than circumstances supported I thought, but not too bad. I thought London did a really good job of showing the couple's developing feelings and the chemistry between them. I also thought the secondary characters were well done, children and antagonists can be hard to land, but I think she pulled them off well. There were also little bits of humor that made me laugh. I enjoyed it. ( )

33-year-old Catriona 'Cat' Mackenzie is 'on the shelf' so to speak, with no hope of marriage. She has spent the last few years helping her Aunt Zelda run isolated Kishorn Abbey, a shelter for abused and/or homeless women and their children. Now Zelda has died and the English Crown is going to take Kishorn Abbey from the Mackenzie of Balhaire, stating that Zelda committed treason by housing rebels after the battle of Culloden. Forthright and determined, Cat is intent on continuing Zelda's work and sets off to visit her Uncle, Earl of Norwood, in the hope his many connections can help save the Abbey. While there, Cat becomes fascinated by her Uncle's neighbour. Rumour has it that Hamlin Graham, Duke of Montrose, has murdered his wife as she has not been seen since an argument. He keeps silent in order not to risk his chances at earning a seat in the House of Lords. His wife's young cousin, Eula, is his ward and has no playmates. As she and Cat develop a relationship, Hamlin cannot ignore Cat as she barges into his life, and the two soon start a passionate love affair. Enjoyed the strong and independent female protagonist who spoke her mind! ( )

The shadowed duke!

What a great read! I loved the character of Catriona Mackenzie, aka Cat. Her passion for her cause, her humor, her way of disarming a situation. The brooding yet resigned duke, Hamlin Graham, Duke of Montrose, who the neighborhood is convinced murdered his wife. His ward Eula is such a poppet. It was charming the way Eula insisted on calling him Montrose and each time he would patiently correct her. As when Eula was tying the Duke's silk neckcloth,
' “You look very fine, Montrose,” [Eula] said, eyeing him closely. “Your grace,” he reminded her. “Your grace Montrose,” she returned with a pert smile.'
To be applauded and noted is that Cat is older than most leading ladies, in her early thirties, and, 'For whatever reason, fate had not seen fit to lead her to drink from the trough of marital bliss, and now, frankly, it was too late.' So Cat turned her energies elsewhere.
As I said before Cat is stout hearted and particularly passionate about those she's set out to help. Cat and her Aunt Zelda have sustained Kishorn Abbey as a safe place in the Highlands for abused and discarded women. When her aunt dies, the English authorities want to seize the abbey (the Culloden retributions continuing). Cat is in Edinborough visiting her uncle and trying to fight that decree.
In the midst of all this happens the troubled Montrose. Our Cat is ripe for falling in love. Montrose is a brooding man with a tender heart, and Cat is drawn to him like a moth to flame.
Their dance is lively, with lightening flashes and despairing shadows when trouble comes calling.

A NetGalley ARC ( )