Review: This Scot of Mine by Sophie Jordan
This Scot of Mine has an excellent premise. Laird Hunt MacLarin is the fifth generation of cursed men in his family; they are all doomed to die before their first child is born. Our heroine, Clara, lies about being pregnant to escape having to marry a cruel man. When Hunt hears of the pregnancy, he proposes to Clara seeing a possible loophole in his curse. I heard this and immediately thought it sounded absolutely delightful and hilarious.
I do think the premise is well explored for the most part. Part of me, I assume the part that reads a lot of fantasy, wanted a little bit more from the curse, but it is present enough in the book to cause conflict and not so overwrought to cross into actual fantasy. I particularly liked that the conflict does not come from Hunt keeping the curse from Clara; she finds out about the curse very early on from local gossip, much of the tension in the first half of this book comes from Clara lying to Hunt about being pregnant and the reader knowing she does not believe in the curse. Even if the curse is not real, the reader also knows that Hunt believes in it deeply, and you are barreling straight for conflict.
I do think this book introduces more elements than it is really able to fully explore. I've already stated that I wanted more about the curse, but I was so invested in the stolen bull storyline that just kind of drops out, and I was sure we were going to discuss the terrible ex-fiance a bit more than we did. I just wanted an extra 50 pages in the middle to be given a more satisfying resolution to these things. I also don't feel like I got enough interaction between the couple in the first half of the book. I didn't totally follow their connection, mostly because I felt like I was getting tons of time as the reader to care about each character; it is dual POV, but I didn't get nearly enough time to see why they cared about each other.
This sounds like I didn't enjoy this book; I did enjoy reading it! I thought their interactions towards the end of the book were touching, I liked the over-the-top drama moments of this book, and I loved Clara's best friend, Marian. I adore a historical romance with a strong female friendship.
The best part of this book is absolutely the emotional roller coaster Jordan deftly takes the reader on. Once I was properly in this story, I was glued to the pages. I could feel physical signs of anxiety while reading Clara and Hunt fight; I was utterly invested in their emotional relationship, and whenever it faltered or strengthened, I physically responded.
I had a mixed experience with this book, but I think I will read another Sophie Jordan and see how I like her other novels. If you don't want to read about pregnancy or birth, I would steer clear of this book, but I would recommend this book to folks who love a historical romance with an over-the-top premise. The book opens with a brawl; that energy is matched throughout the book.
