Strong plot,loved the description of the characters and setting.
Keeps the reader interesting and love to read a sequel to the book.

I like the fact that she was trying to get Wren’s attention and make him like her. It reminded me of a hard to get love. They had a marriage where she was kidnapped but it was a really genuine type of love. I didnt like the secrets that wren kept and why he just didnt tell Briar cousins past behaviors. But other then that i love how clean the story is and the writing she writes really well. My favorite character was Briar. Great story thank you for letting me read the arc.

This was given to me free for exchange of my own review.

First in a new cross-class
historical romance. Lady Briar has is abducted alongside their Scottish gardener Wren Spencer, who’s been separated from his clan due to a feud and has lived quietly for three years after coming home from Waterloo. I read the prequel in a Christmas anthology and while it wasn’t my favorite, I wanted to give a full-length read a shot.

I struggle with the concept in this time period. Employee and employer being related by marriage with zero repercussions? The in-laws are just supposed to use first names like they’re family and pretend what one isn’t a servant of the other. It’s a weird relationship and power dynamic in heavily stratified regency society.

If you can suspend disbelief about the class difference, the local drunk Percy who wants to marry Briar, Wren, and Briar are abducted together when Percy’s scheme to help mercenaries bring Wren back to Scotland goes awry.

Wren was far too trusting when he returned home. There’s some romanticizing of Scottish people, which is why I don’t always love highland-set romances. I wanted more interactions with Loghain and Wren to raise the tension. A few things were told that should have been shown, like Wren’s recounting of his history and his challenge to Loghain.

I enjoyed the intrigue plot and the pacing, especially Wren’s backstory. Briar is sweet and assertive, if a little naïve, and Wren is protective and struggling to accept all the lies. It’s nice to read a romance where the MCs have conversations and the misunderstandings aren’t overdone.

I read the novella prequel to this series in the Naughty or Nice collection but if you haven't read that don't worry, you'll be able to pick up what's going on pretty easily. I really liked Briar when I met her in Kat's story so I was excited to get to see what the author had in store for her. I liked that she was trying so hard to get Wren to like her because they were now family-by-marriage. She is such a genuine and caring person you knew he wouldn't be able to resist her for long. Their romance, although forced by the circumstance of being kidnapped, was actually really sweet. It was also great to see Percy's transformation from spoiled brat to good man. I'm not sure how I feel about what ultimately happens to him. It certainly raised the stakes, but didn't need to occur in order to move that part of the story forward. It ultimately felt like such a waste of what could have been a really great character. I'm not sure why Wren hadn't told Briar about his cousin's past behaviors as it would have protected her from his machinations. But, other than that this was a pretty great book. It certainly made me want to read more not just from this series but from the author as well.