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| Avon Books |
Tessa Dare
2015
The Summary
"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."
The Good
I really liked When a Scot Ties the Knot. Like A Lady by Midnight, it was a pleasant surprise.
I can't say why, but I enjoyed watching their affections grow and change as they slowly learned more about one another. When Captain MacKenzie suddenly shows up on Madeline's doorstep with every intention of asking her hand in marriage, even if he has to blackmail her to do it, their relationship gets off to a rough start. They don't exactly like each other: she's affronted by his blatant attempts at coercion; he's offended by her presumptuousness to kill him off.
And yet their story is unexpectedly endearing.
Madeline and Logan couldn't be more different in their backgrounds. He's a Scottish soldier freshly home from war; she's an English spinster who spends her days drawing illustrations of the natural world. However, they somehow manage to bumble their way through the first days of their "marriage" to find a natural affinity for one another. Moreover, they come to respect one another for their talents and accept their myriad of faults.
It's not love, exactly; at least, not at first. Their romance is slow to blossom. There is sexual tension, of course (I've come to expect nothing less of Ms. Dare and her romance novels), but there exists a complex undercurrent of emotions, like respect and trust and worry and affection and longing.
For instance, as Madeline learns more about Logan, she comes to understand his background and, more to the point, she begins to notice the scars, figurative and literal, he wears. Likewise, Logan learns to appreciate Maddie's intelligence and her unexpected wit, and he helps her to combat her mortal fear of crowds. In many ways, they help to support and bolster one another, while simultaneously showing affection--and I liked that about them.
And, speaking of Madeline, I really liked her. She's a woman ahead of her time: intelligent, forthright if overly shy, talented and ambitious when it comes to her illustrative work. Thanks to her fake Scottish sweetheart, she's managed to acquire a small castle in the Scottish Highlands--a gift from her godfather--and make a living for herself through the land and her incredible illustrations for various naturalists.
She's happy with her life and, moreover, she's entirely independent. I can appreciate a heroine like that.
The Bad
I didn't care for the letters at the beginning of the story. Granted, I know they're meant to help readers put a finger on the past; however, I just skimmed over them. I really only paid attention to the last letter, which detailed Madeline's final letter to Captain MacKenzie and, regrettably, how she had to "kill him off" and move on with her life.
The Ugly
Violence, and explicit material. Otherwise, it's pretty tame.
Oh, and lobsters molting. For some reason that just grosses me out.
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