Review by Booklist Review
After slapping the prince regent for his outrageous behavior, Clara Vetry becomes social anathema. To minimize the scandal, Clara's mother sends her off to Scotland. However, just as Clara is about to board the carriage hired to take her away, she discovers another option when a different carriage driver mistakes her for the new English housekeeper he is picking up for Caelan MacCrae, the Laird of Caerlaven. While Clara figures she can bluff her way through the job of housekeeper long enough to figure out her own future, she fails to take into account two important things. It seems the laird's castle has not been cleaned in more than two years, and her new employer is distractingly hot. James (Viscount in Love, 2024) cleverly constructs another whimsically witty addition to her superbly entertaining Accidental Brides series that is graced with a delightfully book-obsessed heroine with a flair for designing animal-inspired drawstring bags and a smolderingly sexy Scottish hero with a penchant for clothes-free fly-fishing.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A lady escaping Georgian London discovers love with a Scottish laird in bestseller James's scintillating second Accidental Brides romance (after Viscount in Love). After Clara Vetry publicly rejects Prince George's handsy advances, her marriage prospects are ruined. Eager to get away from society's gossips, she goes along when she's mistaken for the newly hired housekeeper of Castle CaerLaven and boards a carriage bound for Scotland. She first catches sight of her employer, Laird Caelan MacCrae, as he emerges naked from a stream. Though painfully attracted to him, Clara devotes herself to cleaning the unkempt castle. Caelan, meanwhile, is bowled over by her beauty, wit, affability, and lack of pretension. Soon the pair are stealing kisses, but Clara repeatedly rejects Caelan's marriage proposals, believing she can never replace Isla, his wife, who died two years ago. James offers a nuanced depiction of the rocky road of courtship between two characters who defy societal conventions surrounding sex and relationships. With a fast-paced plot, dynamic leads, and plenty of heat, this proves unputdownable. (Apr.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
After being humiliated in front of the heights of London society, Clara Vetry escapes to the Scottish Highlands. In order to forge her own path and avoid marriage at all costs, she takes the identity of the newly hired housekeeper at Castle CaerLaven. The laird of CaerLaven is Caelan, who is expected to produce an heir but has sworn off love after the death of his wife. Clara and Caelan are instantly drawn to one another, but Clara refuses to marry him--until circumstances force them to do just that. Despite the situation, Caelan hopes he can turn their marriage of convenience into one of love. James successfully uses tension to further the plot and keep readers invested and showcases her skills in crafting well-developed characters (including the secondary cast) involved in richly interesting stories. VERDICT The second in James's "Accidental Bride" series will be an instant favorite of friends-to-lovers romance fans, and readers of the first book, Viscount in Love, will delight in this sequel.--Jenn Laskosky
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A Scottish laird and an English lady defy convention together. Up in the Highlands, lairds do as they please, and for the brawny Caelan MacCrae, Laird of CaerLaven, that means fishing naked in the loch, even in chilly April weather. Widowed two years ago and uninterested in the finer things, he's happiest when he can catch his own trout, cook it over a fire, and then be left alone in his rapidly crumbling estate. And mostly, no one bothers him--until the Honorable Miss Clara Vetry arrives during a bout of unclothed fishing. Though she claims to be Mrs. Potts, a woman ordered from London to be his housekeeper, she's actually a bookish noblewoman in her fourth season, fleeing London in disrepute after striking the Prince Regent in response to his groping her bosom. Banished by her mother, she jumps at the chance to start a new life, and even though everyone she meets can tell she's not actually a housekeeper, she settles in and starts setting Castle CaerLaven to rights. Despite himself, Caelan is immediately attracted to Clara's raucous hair and straightforward nature, and is intrigued to hear that all she wants in life is a "castle filled with books"; he has one to offer, and before long, he does. Clara is taken by Caelan's tree-trunk thighs and kind nature. But even after they kiss and start falling for each other, Clara feels certain he won't ever love her as he did his first wife and Caelan isn't sure how many times he can keep proposing to Clara and being rejected. James has long been one of the masters of zany, witty Regencies, and for much of the story she's in top form. The second novel in her Accidental Brides series starts strong, with a setting that fans of Scottish romances will fall for almost as quickly as Caelan falls for Clara. Unfortunately, the momentum gets bogged down due to a misunderstanding that lingers far longer than it should, leading to a conclusion that leaves several plot points dangling. However, the strong character development and very spicy intimate scenes more than make up for the story's weaknesses, and James' many fans will be happy to add this laird to their shelves. An uneven but charming Highlands romance. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
