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A review by reader_fictions
It's Getting Scot in Here by Suzanne Enoch
3.0
This actually might be my first highlander romance? I'm not sure. I may have read one or two back when I was teen, but certainly in the last few years since I've been back in HR hardcore, it's the first one. And it's super fun!
The premise of this series is absolutely adorable. It starts with their parents, a love match initially, splitting up because they're too different and both stubborn af. She takes their daughter with her back to London, and he stays up in the Highlands to raise their three sons. However, since she held the purse strings, she agreed to keep giving him the money he needed for the earldom only if the three boys married English girls one day, with one of them being a girl she picked, and all being wed before their sister. The book is set with their 18-year-old sister newly engaged and the guys, now in their mid-to-late twenties stomping to London to either wed, give up the money, or talk their mother out of it.
So I love this because 1) it's got high shippiness potential, 2) it's cute, and 3) I love when romance authors do the trope flip where boys are being sold in marriage essentially because it happens to women (in life at the time and in HR) CONSTANTLY. I also like the daring of the fact that Francesa made that choice, and that their parents, a love match, did not end up happy in the end.
There's a great tension between the sons and their mother because of the fact that she left them (they were 7-12 or so at the time). It's a little shocking to believe she didn't try to be more involved in some way. Surely she would have negotiated for having a holiday a year with them or something? I mean, I get that she and the husband didn't want to see each other, but she had all the cards, and she could have used them more. Girl's a schemer, and she would have. This doesn't outweigh the magic of the premise, and I like the way she really has to win their affection back.
The issues that I have with the highlander romances I've tried are that the dudes seem to be extra alpha and how exoticised and fetishy the whole thing can feel. The Highlander dude in his kilt is the equivalent of the feisty Spanish or Italian heroine. Here, the three guys are all hyper-masculine, and I definitely didn't love the constant "nae"-ing. There were places where it felt really unnatural, even if you love dialect imo. But Niall at least was also very personable and kind in a way that made the rest bearable. And I also like how weird Aden is. I'm most nervous about Coll's romance, because he seems most traditional romance hero.
The romance itself is good, though it doesn't transcend to great, because, while I shipped it, I didn't SHIP it, which is what I need from a romance I'm going to read again and again. But I like how respectful Niall is of Amelia-Rose from the start, and I also obviously love the twist on fake dating where he ends up kind of dating her for his brother. He puts so much emphasis on her own agency which is fantastic. They have decent banter, but this needed another layer of spark to really sell that chemistry.
I'm really, really hoping that Amy's cousin (her chaperone in this book) is going to be the heroine of one of the next books, because I fell in love with her practicality, irasibility, and hints of spirit; she's also older than both guys, I believe, so that could be awesome.
I debated back and forth on the rating for this, between the three and four star. For me, the difference, particularly with romance, is whether there was something to really make the book stand out. Ultimately, I decided that the cleverness of the premise and the neatness but complexity of the ending merited a round up when combined with how much fun I had.
Depending on how the rest of the series goes, I may or may not ever revisit this, but I would recommend it for sure for anyone who likes the idea of the premise.
The premise of this series is absolutely adorable. It starts with their parents, a love match initially, splitting up because they're too different and both stubborn af. She takes their daughter with her back to London, and he stays up in the Highlands to raise their three sons. However, since she held the purse strings, she agreed to keep giving him the money he needed for the earldom only if the three boys married English girls one day, with one of them being a girl she picked, and all being wed before their sister. The book is set with their 18-year-old sister newly engaged and the guys, now in their mid-to-late twenties stomping to London to either wed, give up the money, or talk their mother out of it.
So I love this because 1) it's got high shippiness potential, 2) it's cute, and 3) I love when romance authors do the trope flip where boys are being sold in marriage essentially because it happens to women (in life at the time and in HR) CONSTANTLY. I also like the daring of the fact that Francesa made that choice, and that their parents, a love match, did not end up happy in the end.
There's a great tension between the sons and their mother because of the fact that she left them (they were 7-12 or so at the time). It's a little shocking to believe she didn't try to be more involved in some way. Surely she would have negotiated for having a holiday a year with them or something? I mean, I get that she and the husband didn't want to see each other, but she had all the cards, and she could have used them more. Girl's a schemer, and she would have. This doesn't outweigh the magic of the premise, and I like the way she really has to win their affection back.
The issues that I have with the highlander romances I've tried are that the dudes seem to be extra alpha and how exoticised and fetishy the whole thing can feel. The Highlander dude in his kilt is the equivalent of the feisty Spanish or Italian heroine. Here, the three guys are all hyper-masculine, and I definitely didn't love the constant "nae"-ing. There were places where it felt really unnatural, even if you love dialect imo. But Niall at least was also very personable and kind in a way that made the rest bearable. And I also like how weird Aden is. I'm most nervous about Coll's romance, because he seems most traditional romance hero.
The romance itself is good, though it doesn't transcend to great, because, while I shipped it, I didn't SHIP it, which is what I need from a romance I'm going to read again and again. But I like how respectful Niall is of Amelia-Rose from the start, and I also obviously love the twist on fake dating where he ends up kind of dating her for his brother. He puts so much emphasis on her own agency which is fantastic. They have decent banter, but this needed another layer of spark to really sell that chemistry.
I'm really, really hoping that Amy's cousin (her chaperone in this book) is going to be the heroine of one of the next books, because I fell in love with her practicality, irasibility, and hints of spirit; she's also older than both guys, I believe, so that could be awesome.
I debated back and forth on the rating for this, between the three and four star. For me, the difference, particularly with romance, is whether there was something to really make the book stand out. Ultimately, I decided that the cleverness of the premise and the neatness but complexity of the ending merited a round up when combined with how much fun I had.
Depending on how the rest of the series goes, I may or may not ever revisit this, but I would recommend it for sure for anyone who likes the idea of the premise.