Historical
When a Scot Loves a Lady
By Dottie
Feb 28, 2012 - 8:15:25 AM

As a young girl, Katherine ‘Kitty’ Savege had sought love from the first man to pay attention to her. But Lord Lambert Poole had ruined her, mainly to insult her brothers, whom he despised. Even after he had taken delight in refusing to marry her and then proving her barren, she had stayed close to  him…in the hopes of finding the information needed to get revenge. She wanted to see him suffer as she had. She had collected information on his criminal activities, but then did not have the heart to use it. So she had locked the information away three years ago. But when it had become necessary six months ago, she had retrieved the information and used it, managing to get Lord Poole tossed out of the country. Although she had tried to keep her involvement under wraps, it had come out…though it made her no less of a pariah to society. In an attempt to escape the gossip and the notoriety, she had left London, but a sudden snow storm forced her to be stuck at the inn where she had stopped for the night.

The Falcon Club consists of five secret agents who seek missing persons for the king and they have all just quit. Scotsman Uilleam ‘Leam’ Blackwood, the Earl of Blackwood and a member of the Falcon Club, was extensively educated, yet he showed himself as a ruffian to society. For the past five years he has worked undercover. The members of the Falcon Club sought those missing persons whose retrieval merited a degree of secrecy. His cousin Constance had started helping two years ago after Leam invited her. At thirty-one, he felt he was too old to continue with the Falcon Club and like the rest of the agents; he was getting out after five years of service. Leam had lost his Scottish brogue when he was younger. But he still affected it to suit his purposes. Although his life with the Falcon Club was over, they had one last mission for him. He has to find one of his fellow Falcon Club members who had gone missing. So he left London to complete his task, and then he could head for Scotland and resume his old life.

Kitty had only spoken to Lord Blackwood once, three years earlier, but he had changed her life. He had given her the will to turn her back on the vengeance she had sought and start her life anew. That is, until Lord Poole had tried to accuse her brother of criminal activities to hide his own six months ago. To save her brother, she had taken the information she had collected about Poole out from under the lock and key where she had placed it and used it against him. However, with the mistakes she had made in her life and the fact that she knew herself to be barren; she knew she could never marry, though she longed for such a life.

Coincidentally, Leam and Kitty found themselves at the same inn, meeting again for the first time in three years. As the snow deepens and they are unable to continue on their separate journeys, snowbound at the inn, they find it hard to keep their hands off of each other. But he is determined to let her go and never marry again.  However, when danger threatens the woman he loves; will it convince him to give them a chance at a future together?

An absolutely delicious read, WHEN A SCOT LOVES A LADY is an exciting and passionate historical romance, the wonderful start of talented author Katharine Ashe’s new FALCON CLUB series. I absolutely loved it. The surprising plot twists add a special touch to an already delightful story.  From the very first page, Ms. Ashe grabs your attention and doesn’t let go until the very satisfying ending. Kitty’s youthful encounter with Lord Poole has left her with an inferiority complex so bad that she thinks Leam is mocking her when he tells her she is perfect. As for Leam, his wife had been unfaithful and now that she is no longer alive, he blames himself and is determined not to wed again. But he is finding it hard to stay away from Kitty. Passion-filled and full of humor, interesting characters, clever banter, romance, love, mystery, danger and intrigue, this is a story that you won’t soon forget. For fans of historical romance who like their stories filled with passion, intrigue and hunky Scotsmen, look no further than WHEN A SCOT LOVES A LADY. I highly recommend this story and cannot wait to read the next addition to this amazing series, HOW TO BE A PROPER LADY, due out in late June. In the meantime, do not miss WHEN A SCOT LOVES A LADY!

This book was reviewed using a digital galley via Netgalley.com. It’s free for professional readers! Check it out: www.Netgalley.com.