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A review by beckymmoe
An American in Scotland by Karen Ranney
4.0
It's official--Duncan MacIain is my new Scottish book boyfriend--such a fantastic hero! I didn't even realize that I needed one until I read his book, but there you have it :)
I really enjoyed An American in Scotland, book three in the MacIain series--though it probably should have read An American in Scotland...and in the Bahamas... then back in the Confederate States of America, and then Scotland again, to be technical about it. Whereas we saw the hero of book two (Dalton of [b:Scotsman of My Dreams|23657164|Scotsman of My Dreams (MacIain, #2)|Karen Ranney|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424383959s/23657164.jpg|43264211]) after he gets back from fighting in the American Civil War, Duncan and Rose run the blockade along the southern Atlantic coast in order to sneak back into the South while the fighting is still going on. No actual fighting happens in their vacinity, but there's a good amount of tension while they're in international waters, since the Union knows of and would like to take control of their ship (built by the hero of book one, Lennox in [b:In Your Wildest Scottish Dreams|22046610|In Your Wildest Scottish Dreams (MacIain, #1)|Karen Ranney|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404545786s/22046610.jpg|41371295], so you know it's got to be a good one).
Running the blockade was only a part of the action, though--the main tension came when Rose and Duncan arrived back at her brother-in-law's plantation, where Rose, a fervent abolitionist, had lived for the past two years. Talk about a miserable human being--just thinking about Bruce even now makes me get all squinty-eyed. Clearly, something went very wrong somewhere with the American branch of the MacIains.
I liked this story for its unique storyline (blockade running! Abolitionists! Evil brother-in-law married to a heartless sister!) and locations, but it's the characters that really sealed the deal for me. I loved both Rose and Duncan, separately and as a couple. It did seem like there was more focus on the get the cotton to save the mill/confront Rose's past aspect of the story than the romance, but I was okay with that. Their romance was still very sweet, with just a small bit of steam to keep things interesting. Obviously the two of them were meant to be together, and it was honestly nice not to have the huge "relationship black moment" to deal with (there's a smallish one earlier on, when Duncan finds out what's she's been hiding all this time, but it's resolved quickly). I enjoyed having the drama focus elsewhere, letting them work together to try to fix things for both of their families.
Though it's the third in the series, I think this one would work fine as a standalone. I've only read book two so far, (but downloaded number one as I wrote this review, because I must read the whole series, obvs) but wasn't at all lost as I read this one. I'm sure someone could start with this one with no problem, if they needed to.
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed An American in Scotland, book three in the MacIain series--though it probably should have read An American in Scotland...and in the Bahamas... then back in the Confederate States of America, and then Scotland again, to be technical about it. Whereas we saw the hero of book two (Dalton of [b:Scotsman of My Dreams|23657164|Scotsman of My Dreams (MacIain, #2)|Karen Ranney|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424383959s/23657164.jpg|43264211]) after he gets back from fighting in the American Civil War, Duncan and Rose run the blockade along the southern Atlantic coast in order to sneak back into the South while the fighting is still going on. No actual fighting happens in their vacinity, but there's a good amount of tension while they're in international waters, since the Union knows of and would like to take control of their ship (built by the hero of book one, Lennox in [b:In Your Wildest Scottish Dreams|22046610|In Your Wildest Scottish Dreams (MacIain, #1)|Karen Ranney|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404545786s/22046610.jpg|41371295], so you know it's got to be a good one).
Running the blockade was only a part of the action, though--the main tension came when Rose and Duncan arrived back at her brother-in-law's plantation, where Rose, a fervent abolitionist, had lived for the past two years. Talk about a miserable human being--just thinking about Bruce even now makes me get all squinty-eyed. Clearly, something went very wrong somewhere with the American branch of the MacIains.
I liked this story for its unique storyline (blockade running! Abolitionists! Evil brother-in-law married to a heartless sister!) and locations, but it's the characters that really sealed the deal for me. I loved both Rose and Duncan, separately and as a couple. It did seem like there was more focus on the get the cotton to save the mill/confront Rose's past aspect of the story than the romance, but I was okay with that. Their romance was still very sweet, with just a small bit of steam to keep things interesting. Obviously the two of them were meant to be together, and it was honestly nice not to have the huge "relationship black moment" to deal with (there's a smallish one earlier on, when Duncan finds out what's she's been hiding all this time, but it's resolved quickly). I enjoyed having the drama focus elsewhere, letting them work together to try to fix things for both of their families.
Though it's the third in the series, I think this one would work fine as a standalone. I've only read book two so far, (but downloaded number one as I wrote this review, because I must read the whole series, obvs) but wasn't at all lost as I read this one. I'm sure someone could start with this one with no problem, if they needed to.
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.