Captain Lucas Johns-Ives was injured in the same battle that saw his elder brother die. He has spent the last number of months wandering England and Scotland drowning his grief and the guilt he feels over it in many bottles of drink. Now he is in a stone circle in Scotland when he's rescued by Mairi Wallace. Her family don't know that she's damaged goods and their poverty is probably going to insulate them from much of it but now he might be able to help them solve their problems.
Only he starts with a lie and things might just get messier.
I really did like the story and found it quite good that at the end the trauma wasn't gone, just being worked on. ( )

An enjoyable read, it touches on some heavy baggage for the main characters while also being a fun page-turner.

The author did a fantastic job of expressing the darkness Lucas (feeling responsible for his brother’s death) and Mairi (a rape survivor) carry with them, the way they’d be okay one moment living their lives, only to be triggered the next, it felt realistic to have those difficult memories wash over them in unpredictable waves.

Lucas and Mairi’s struggles with the past are smartly counterbalanced throughout the story with Lucas, a wealthy lord masquerading as a servant for Mairi’s family, while that does have it’s dramatic moments, too, the subterfuge, as well as the sweetly supportive relationship developing between Lucas and Mairi, adds just the right amount of light to the book.

Readers who prefer their romance on the super steamy side may be disappointed here, but I never really care how much sex is in a book, be it explicit, a firmly closed door, or no further than a kiss, all that matters to me is whether or not it fits the story and the characters and I felt like exactly the right choice was made for where Mairi is at with her trauma and staying true to Lucas’s understanding nature.

If I had one small complaint, it’s just that I would have liked a scene or two showing Lucas interacting with his parents maybe in place of a scene from the villain’s point of view, though at the same time I get that the villain’s POV does ratchet up tension/concern for the heroine, so with a limited page count I could see where it would be tough to decide what to include and what to exclude.

As for the ending, this is a romance, happily ever after is a requirement, so I don’t feel like the following paragraph will be a spoiler, especially since I don’t go into detail, but if you’re leery, don’t read any further.

Sometimes I feel a bit iffy about a hero riding to the rescue, I tend to want to see the heroine solve her own problems and have the romance be sort of separate from that, however, in this instance, Mairi has been rescuing herself and her family the entire time, you have such a strong sense of all she’s been through, and so to see some of that burden lifted off of her, it gave this particular ride to the rescue an exhilarating quality (and not just because it does involve some actual horseback riding).

I received this book through a giveaway. ( )

The Lord's Highland Temptation by Diane Gaston is am emotional, and compelling story. Set in 1816 Scotland.
An Englishman, who is heartbroken at his eldest brother's death on the battlefield meets a Scottish lass, who has heartbreak of her own. Meet Captain Lucas Johns-Ives and Mairi Wallace and share their incredible story.

Well written with heart pounding adventure at times.
Well crafted with charming, engaging and interesting characters. Absolutely loved Mairi's siblings, they were so entertaining! Hope they will find their way into a book of their own.
Ms. Gaston has written an incredible story of past trauma, grief, secrets, misery, facing demons, romance, with a bit of suspense, an eccentric family with unfortunate circumstances and a few twists and turns, and an Englishman posing as a lowly servant, which all makes a terrific and page turning story. An emotional and compelling, sweet Scottish romance.
Fans of Scottish Romance, adventure, secrets, Historical Romance will definitely find THE LORD'S HIGHLAND TEMPATION to their liking. A must read!

Rating: 4.5
Heat rating: Sweet
Reviewer: AprilR ( )

Good story about two people with painful pasts who find love and healing with each other. Lucas was devastated by his brother's death at Waterloo and consumed by the guilty feeling that he should have been able to save Bradleigh. Unable to face taking his brother's place as heir to the earldom, Lucas wanders aimlessly through Scotland, drinking his way from inn to inn while trying to forget. Ill and passed out near some standing stones Lucas is found by the younger children of Baron Dunham, who fetch their older sister for help. They take Lucas to their home to nurse him back to health.

Mairi is at her wit's end, trying to keep her family from financial ruin. The last thing she wants is a strange Englishman to take care of, especially one who reminds her of a devastating incident that happened several years earlier. That incident has had a significant impact on Mairi's life and the way she looks at the world.

There is a connection between Lucas and Mairi from the start, though both of them try to resist it. As Lucas recovers from his illness, he has a front-row seat to Mairi's efforts to save her family. Impressed by what he sees and unexpectedly compelled to help, Lucas conceals who he really is as he does what he can. Though Mairi is suspicious and wary at first, she finds herself trusting Lucas. Lucas is drawn further into the lives of the family as he plays the part of a servant to help them out of an awkward situation. I ached for Mairi whose efforts are unappreciated by her family and felt her frustration at her parents' attitudes. I loved Lucas's support of her, and his attempts to show them the truth.

Matters become more complicated when the visitors include a man with a hidden agenda. Hargreaves is a wealthy man who has designs on their land and title and who will do anything to get it. When he also attends the same house party as the Dunhams, Lucas's protective instincts are aroused. I liked seeing Mairi and Lucas grow closer and loved how they opened up to each other about their pasts. Lucas knows he has to come clean with Mairi about who he is, especially when someone at the party recognizes him. When matters take a turn for the worse, Lucas must decide if he's ready to face his past and his responsibilities. I ached for Mairi as she faced a miserable future. I was on the edge of my seat as I wondered how long it would take Lucas to come to his senses. I must say, he came through in a stellar manner in a very exciting scene. The epilogue was good too.

I liked the secondary characters also. From Mairi's family to the servants, they all added complexity to the story. Mairi's brother and sister were realistic in their sibling disagreements and their often obliviousness to what went on around them. I wanted to shake her parents on multiple occasions because of their utter unwillingness to face the truth of their circumstances and their attitudes toward Mairi as she tried to help. I liked seeing some of the story from the servants' side of things and the look at what their lives were like. Their respect for Lucas said a lot about the kind of man he was. ( )